Japan

[ad_1] Carmaker Daihatsu recalled more than 320,000 vehicles and extended a factory shutdown on Wednesday, deepening troubles sparked by a major safety testing scandal last month. The Toyota-owned firm notified the transport ministry that it would recall a total of 322,700 vehicles of two models due to a door defect. The company also announced that operations at three of its four factories would stay suspended until Feb. 16, with the […]

[ad_1] The Justice Ministry is to allow male prisoners to have face lotion and hair conditioner, which women inmates may already use, in light of changing gender norms, an official said Wednesday. Under previous rules, the in-prison purchase and gift acceptance of the toiletry items were allowed only for female inmates, based on the notion that those items tend to be used by women. But the ministry notified prisons nationwide […]

[ad_1] Promotion-seeking sekiwake Kotonowaka retained sole possession of first place Wednesday at the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament as he comfortably took care of rank-and-file opponent Oho. The 26-year-old Kotonowaka (10-1) inched closer to both a maiden Emperor's Cup and the 13 wins needed to meet the unofficial ozeki promotion benchmark of 33 wins over three consecutive meets as a sekiwake or komusubi. Lone yokozuna Terunofuji and both healthy ozeki, […]

[ad_1] An animated fantasy film directed by renowned artist Hayao Miyazaki and the latest Godzilla movie were among the Japanese films nominated for U.S. Academy awards on Tuesday. Miyazaki's "The Boy and the Heron" took the prize for best animated feature at the U.S. Golden Globes earlier this month. The 83-year-old anime giant won an Oscar for "Spirited Away" in 2003. His nomination for this year's Oscar in the animated […]

[ad_1] Japanese audiences will be able to watch the movie "Oppenheimer" in cinemas from March 29, distribution company Bitters End said Wednesday, after the epic on the creator of the nuclear bomb was nominated for 13 categories at the Oscar Awards. The release date is almost eight months after memes mixing visuals from the film "Barbie" with atomic blasts provoked anger from people in Japan — the only country to […]

[ad_1] Kanazawa – Kanazawa, the capital city of Ishikawa Prefecture, has been hit by an influx of reservation cancellations, as tourists hesitate to venture near the quake-hit Noto Peninsula.Tourism industry professionals in the area are calling on people to visit as a way to support the Noto region.Kanazawa, known for tourist attractions such as Kenroku-en, one of Japan's three finest gardens, remained largely unscathed after the 7.6 magnitude Noto Peninsula […]

[ad_1] MANCHESTER, New Hampshire – Former U.S. President Donald Trump won his second straight nominating contest over challenger Nikki Haley, the only other Republican left in the race, by besting her in Tuesday's New Hampshire primary.Haley, who served as Trump's ambassador to the United Nations, was attempting to keep the margin close in order to argue she has a viable path forward.Meanwhile, President Joe Biden easily won the Democratic primary, […]

[ad_1] Japan’s financial regulator will examine banks’ vulnerability to potential risks stemming from rising interest rates, including exposure to highly leveraged borrowers and real estate as the country’s central bank looks set to switch course.The Bank of Japan is widely expected to make its first rate hike since 2007 within a few months. This raises the possibility that some borrowers will struggle to make higher interest payments."Banks need to be […]

[ad_1] Viktor Frankl’s 1946 book "Man’s Search for Meaning,” a first-hand account of how prisoners in a Nazi concentration camp found the will to live, has suddenly appeared on Israeli bestseller lists.A hip-hop duo that made it big last spring rapping about partying with friends in nightclubs now have the most streamed song in Israel — a wartime anthem that celebrates military vengeance in Gaza.And the latest hit film is […]