Page 5 - Japan

What is Unification Church and why did a Japanese court order it dissolved?

A controversial South Korean church with powerful political connections faces dissolution in Japan after a Tokyo court ordered a revocation of its legal status after the government accused it of manipulative fundraising and recruitment tactics that sowed fear among followers and harmed their families. The Tokyo District Court's ruling would end the Unification Church's tax-exempt status in Japan and force it to liquidate its assets. The church said it is considering an immediate appeal to the country's highest court. The Unification Church has faced hundreds of lawsuits in Japan from families who say that it manipulated members into draining their savings to make donations, but for decades it largely escaped official scrutiny and maintained close links with the governing Liberal Democratic Party. That changed in 2022, when former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated. The man accused of shooting Abe allegedly was motivated by the former prime minister's links to the church and

Planning to climb Mount Fuji? Japan to introduce Rs 2,300 fee for tourists

In 2024, a record-breaking 36.87 million international tourists visited Japan

Wildfires in Japan damage homes, force residents to evacuate in 2 areas

Wildfires have hit several regions in western Japan, injuring at least two people, forcing dozens of residents to evacuate and damaging a number of homes as hundreds of firefighters battled the widening blazes in the mountainous areas. The fires in the western towns of Okayama, Imabari and Aso broke out Sunday, quickly burning hundreds of hectares (acres). Six homes have been damaged in city of Okayama, where a fire started on Mount Kaigara and burned 250 hectares (600 acres) of the forest. In Imabari, in the Ehime prefecture on the main island of Shikoku, the fire left a firefighter slightly injured. Firefighters and defense helicopters sprayed water but the blazes in the two prefectures had not been extinguished as of Monday afternoon. Experts blamed dry weather and dried-up fallen leaves on the ground in the forest as likely causes of the wildfires in Okayama and Imabari. A smaller fire was detected in the mountainous village of Aso in the Kumamoto prefecture on the southern ma

Japan's youth abandon tourism jobs amid low wages, harsh work culture

According to a study, Japan's tourism boom is at risk as severe labour shortages hit the hospitality sector

Japan's Astroscale to tie up with India's Digantara, Bellatrix Aerospace

The tie-ups will "hopefully" result in an orbital services bid for Indian clients "in one to two years", which would mark Astroscale's first operations in Asia-Pacific outside its home

FIFA World Cup 2026: Japan becomes first team to qualify after Bahrain win

The win on Thursday guarantees Japan one of the two automatic spots in Group C of the Asian qualifiers, securing their place with three games still to play.

Japan PM Ishiba faces criticism over gifts to lawmakers after election loss

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is being criticised for distributing gift certificates to 15 first-year lawmakers in his party in a scandal shaking his already weak grip on power. Ishiba has denied breaking political funding laws and said he won't resign. But opposition lawmakers and rivals in his own party have said the gifts were excessive and showed Ishiba was out of touch, especially after the governing Liberal Democratic Party had a disastrous election loss last year due to its earlier political funding irregularities. Japanese media reported earlier this week that Ishiba's aide delivered gift certificates worth 100,000 yen ($670) to the offices of the 15 lawmakers prior to their private dinner with the prime minister. Ishiba is leading a minority government after his LDP and its junior coalition partner Komeito lost the October election in the lower house, the more powerful of Japan's two-chamber parliament. LDP remains the largest party, but its steep losses made it le

Ready to boost bid if Seven & i engages in takeover talks, says Couche-Tard

Couche-Tard's top executives are in Tokyo Thursday to promote their multi-billion dollar bid to purchase the parent company of the 7-Eleven stores

Japan's trade minister fails to get assurances from US on tariff exemptions

Japan's trade minister said this week that he has failed to win assurances from US officials that the key US ally will be exempt from tariffs, some of which take effect on Wednesday. Yoji Muto was in Washington for last ditch negotiations over the tariffs on a range of Japanese exports including cars, steel and aluminum. Muto said Monday in Washington that Japan, which contributes to the US economy by heavily investing and creating jobs in the United States, should not be subject to 25% tariffs on steel, aluminum and auto exports to America. His meetings with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and White House economic advisor Kevin Hassett came just two days before the steel and aluminum tariffs are due to take effect. President Donald Trump has also said a possible 25% tariff on imported foreign autos could take effect in early April. Muto said the US officials acknowledged Japanese contributions and agreed to continue talks, but did not .

Nissan picks insider Ivan Espinosa as successor for CEO Makoto Uchida

Uchida had been under pressure to step down following worsening earnings performance at Japan's third-largest automaker and the collapse of merger talks with Honda

Decoded: Trump calls Japan security deal unfair, but US made the rules

Trump questioned why the US must defend Japan while Japan has no such duty. But history shows the US itself designed the post-war security pact to serve its own strategic goals

India slaps anti-dumping duty on water treatment chemical from China, Japan

The decision follows recommendations from the Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR), the commerce ministry's investigation arm

India-Japan joint military exercise Dharma Guardian concludes successfully

The exercise, held from February 24 to March 9, marked a significant milestone in bilateral defence cooperation, as it was conducted on an enhanced scale

Dharma Guardian: India, Japan hold 7th Army talks, discuss defence ties

ADG also informed that the Japanese delegation was briefed on Indian Army's United Nations Peacekeeping Operations and the training being conducted by Centre for UN Peacekeeping

Japan's Seven & i names Stephen Dacus new CEO, announces restructuring

Dacus, who previously held executive roles with Walmart and Fast Retailing, has also led a special committee vetting the takeover bids

World's most accurate clock is now on the market: Here's how much it costs

Japanese firm Shimadzu Corp plans to sell 10 units of the optical lattice clock over three years in Japan and internationally

Japan, South Korea want to partner with the US in Alaska pipeline: Trump

Trump said in an address to the US Congress that the pipeline would be one of the largest in the world

Steel imports from China, S Korea, and Japan hit record high during Apr-Jan

India, the world's second-biggest crude steel producer, shipped in record quantities of finished steel during April-January

Japan, China cannot keep reducing value of their currencies, says Trump

I've called President Xi, I've called the leaders of Japan to say you can't continue to reduce and break down your currency, said Trump

Japanese firefighters struggle to contain biggest wildfire in 50 years

Residents have been instructed to evacuate, as more than 2,000 firefighters use helicopters and hoses to douse the flames