Tokyo News

Godzilla-themed hotel to open in Japan

Tokyo - If you've ever wanted Godzilla staring at you in your hotel room, a soon-to-be-opened hotel dedicated to the monster king can fulfill that desire.

Uncanny human-like robots debut in Japan, pose ethical questions

Tokyo - Are you a receptionist, bartender or newscaster? If so, you might want to start training for a new job if Japanese robotics experts have their way. Japan recently debuted uncanny human-like android robots that may be taking your job in the future.

ICYMI: First there were beer slushies, now you can make your own

Tokyo - Japanese beer slushie innovator Kirin Ichiban launches the home-sized frozen brew machine, less than two years since his frosty beverages hit the scene.

Japanese pop group attacked by saw-wielding man

Members of Japan’s popular singing group AKB48 were injured in a violent attack by a man wielding a saw during a fan event.

Vending machines in Tokyo shut down for President Obama's visit

Tokyo - Just before the arrival of United States President Barack Obama, a number of ice cream and beverage vending machines were shut down in Tokyo. Reportedly, Japan is normally known as the kingdom of vending machines.

Japan arrests man over Anne Frank book vandalism

Tokyo - Japanese police Friday arrested a man suspected of tearing pages out of books written on Anne Frank. Police suspect the man is linked to the vandalism of more than 300 books related to the Holocaust, including the "The Diary of a Young Girl."

Games-time disaster prevention is top priority-Tokyo governor

Tokyo governor Yoichi Masuzoe's worst nightmare is a catastrophe hitting the city during the 2020 Summer Games and disaster prevention and mitigation tops his Olympic to-do list.

Tokyo prosecutors raid Novartis Japan offices in probe

Prosecutors in Tokyo raided offices of Swiss drugmaker Novartis <NOVN.VX> on Wednesday as part of an investigation into alleged use of manipulated data to promote its best-selling blood pressure drug Diovan.

Tokyo governor election puts nuclear power to test

Tokyo - Voters in Tokyo went to the polls Sunday to elect a new governor in a race that was being closely watched as a popular verdict on the use of nuclear power.

Tokyo governor election puts nuclear power to test

Tokyo - Voters in Tokyo went to the polls Sunday to elect a new governor in a race that was being closely watched as a popular verdict on the use of nuclear power.

'Sex strike' against leading Tokyo governor candidate

Tokyo - Women in Tokyo are threatening a sex boycott against any man who votes for the front-runner in this weekend's gubernatorial election, in protest at his claim that menstruation makes women unfit for government.

Video: Tokyo zoo runs simulated gorilla escape

Tokyo - In an effort to be prepared for the unexpected, officials at Tokyo zoo ran an emergency drill on Thursday. They dressed a member of staff in a gorilla costume, who then mimed the great escape.

Baseball, softball should be part of Tokyo Games - ANOC chief

Baseball and softball should be part of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics despite failing to make the cut last year, the head of the powerful Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) said on Wed

People standing in line to sample Ramen Burgers

Brooklyn - What kind of food is it that a line of 250 would form for three hours in Brooklyn to sample? It was a Ramen Burger, and while 250 people were in line, the creator of the burger had only planned on making 150, before so many people heard about it.

Satirical French 2020 Olympic cartoons spark outrage in Japan

Tokyo - The Japanese government is not amused, as two cartoons appear in a French newspaper — one depicting sumo wrestlers with additional limbs and the other set in front of the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant — and both related to the 2020 Toyko Olympics.

Op-Ed: Stunned silence as Madrid fails in bid for 2020 Olympics

Madrid - People had got their hopes up a little too high that Madrid would succeed in their bid to host the 2020 Olympics. As Tokyo was announced the winner, everyone just went home, very disappointed. But is this such a bad thing, in a crisis-torn nation?

Japanese man arrested for making 28,000 prank emergency calls

Tokyo - In what could possibly have been the height of sheer boredom, or maybe a touch of paranoia, a Tokyo man has been arrested for making 28,000 prank calls to the local emergency number 110.

Tens of thousands protest against nuclear power in Tokyo

Tokyo - Tens of thousands of Japanese rallied in their nation's capital on Sunday to protest government plans to resume nuclear power generation.

March against Monsanto: A worldwide protest, May 25, 2013

March against Monsanto protests were held in 40 countries in the world on May 25, 2013. The message of all these protests was "Stop Monsanto" and "No more GMOs." This article will concentrate on events in Earth's southern hemisphere.

Japanese PM in vehicle accident, escapes injury

Tokyo - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was involved in a five-car pile-up at a toll gate in Tokyo en route to a rally on Saturday. He escaped unhurt, but two guards sustained facial injuries.

1000's protest nuclear energy in Tokyo on Fukushima anniversary

Tokyo - In the run up to the second anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami that caused the disaster at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant, tens of thousands have taken to the streets of Tokyo in protest against nuclear power.

Japan to have a 'Shonen Jump' theme park in 2013

Tokyo - The video game and anime company called Bandai Namco announced a new indoor theme park in Tokyo for summer of 2013. The park focuses on characters and titles from the "Weekly Shonen Jump."

Sasago tunnel collapses in Japan — 2 cars crushed, people trapped

Around seven people are believed to have been trapped under rubble, following the collapse of a section of ceiling in the Sasago tunnel on the Chuo expressway in Koshu City, Yamanashi prefecture, Japan on Sunday. (Updated).

‘Riding the Subways 101’ — Etiquette and skills for Japanese kids Special

Tokyo - Mass transit systems in most major urban centers in Japan are very safe and efficient, but also extremely involved; Japanese children are taught the ins and outs of trains and subway fares, connections and proper subway manners from a very early age.

10's of thousands march in anti-nuclear protest in Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo - Tokyo saw yet another huge protest on Sunday, as thousands rallied in the streets against the nuclear restart in the country.

170,000 in streets: Japan's largest protest against nuclear power

Tokyo - In sweltering summer heat, around 170,000 protesters hit the streets of Tokyo, protesting against the nuclear restart, as another reactor prepares to go online.

Japan restarts Oi nuclear plant despite mass protests

Washington - Despite massive protests in Tokyo, Japan's Kansai Electric Power Company (KEPCO) has restarted the Oi nuclear power plant in Fukui prefecture. Seismologists warn of the dangers.

200,000 protest in Tokyo against nuclear restart

Tokyo - Shareholders of Japan's electricity companies voted on Wednesday to reboot nuclear power in Japan. 200,000 people hit the streets yesterday to protest this.

Tokyo manhunt for final sarin gas cult member

Tokyo - Thousands of police are on the streets of Tokyo today, June 8, searching for the final member of a doomsday cult that attacked the city's subway system with deadly sarin gas in 1995.