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[ad_1] The Japanese government this week started construction work essential to the relocation of the Futenma Marine base in Okinawa over the objections of the prefectural government and the wishes of many of its citizens.The work and the move are long overdue.We understand the concerns of the Okinawa people. They have borne a heavy, perhaps disproportionate, burden in the Japan-U.S. alliance. But the base must be moved. The failure to […]

[ad_1] Left-hander Shota Imanaga has officially agreed to a four-year deal with the Chicago Cubs worth a reported $53 million. Multiple outlets reported earlier this week that the Japanese southpaw was headed to the Cubs after eight seasons with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars in the Central League. He was posted for MLB free agency by the club late last year. Imanaga's contract includes a team option to extend the deal […]

[ad_1] Local authorities on Friday began construction of temporary housing units for people whose homes were damaged by the powerful earthquake that struck the Sea of Japan coast on New Year's Day.The Ishikawa Prefectural Government is building 115 makeshift houses across four locations in Wajima and Suzu, two cities hit hard by the magnitude 7.6 quake, and aims to have them completed in a month.Due to severe damage to roads […]

[ad_1] Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday pledged to visit a chain of islands in Russia's Far East region, including those disputed by Japan, further complicating the strained ties between both countries amid the ongoing war in Ukraine. At a town hall meeting in the Khabarovsk region that was broadcast on state television, Putin said he would make a trip to the Kuril Islands, though he did not say when. […]

[ad_1] Japan posted a record current account surplus of ¥1.93 trillion in November, helped by a smaller trade deficit and the revival of inbound tourism, the Finance Ministry said Friday. The current account surplus, one of the widest gauges of international trade, expanded 8.7% from a year earlier, marking the 10th straight month of black ink. Japan's trade deficit more than halved to ¥724.1 billion as imports fell more than […]

[ad_1] A man who claims to be in his 30s was arrested on Friday after holing up in a hotel in Tokyo's Taito Ward and taking a woman hostage. The man was arrested at the site for allegedly taking the woman, in her 20s, hostage between around 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. in a hotel room. The woman was released without major injuries. Police received an emergency call from a […]

[ad_1] TAIPEI – As Taiwan prepares to hold one of Asia’s most consequential elections of 2024 on Saturday, voters have largely been focused on one key issue: how the results will shape Taipei’s increasingly tense relations with Beijing.The Taiwanese people are not only divided over how to deal with China, but also the seriousness of the threat posed by Beijing.Confusion in the wake of a mistranslated Chinese satellite launch alert […]

[ad_1] London – Paul Patterson, co-CEO for Europe at Fujitsu, is set to testify at a House of Commons committee meeting Tuesday over a high-profile case in which numerous post office managers in Britain were wrongly charged with cash theft. The false accusations resulted from a flawed accounting system supplied by the Japanese technology giant. Patterson also serves as a corporate executive officer at the Japanese parent company. Other witnesses […]

[ad_1] Washington – The U.S. Air Force said Thursday it had concluded recovery operations related to the late November Osprey aircraft crash off southwestern Japan.The majority of the aircraft was salvaged, but the body of one of the eight airmen killed in the accident was not recovered, according to the Air Force Special Operations Command.The Air Force's CV-22 Osprey went down off Yakushima Island on Nov. 29 during a routine […]