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Product made from used nappies will go on sale in shopping centres after sterilisation, bleaching, and deodorising A company in Japan has started selling the world’s first “horizontally” recycled nappies, as the country’s ageing society undergoes a shift in demand for children’s diapers to those for older adults.Unicharm, based in the south-western prefecture of Kagoshima, put the adult and baby nappies on sale this...

Defence minister says possibility of a collision between the two helicopters is being analysedOne person was dead and seven missing after two Japanese military helicopters crashed after possibly colliding while out to sea, officials said.A spokesperson for Japan’s self-defence force said the crash took place late on Saturday and one person was recovered and later confirmed dead. Continue reading...

Change to civil code will bring Japan into line with other G7 countries, amid concerns existing law inflicts psychological harm on childrenDivorced couples in Japan will for the first time be able to negotiate joint custody of their children after parliament voted this week for changes to laws permitting only sole custody.Under Japan’s civil code, couples must decide which parent will take custody of...

Ferdinand Marcos Jr says building trilateral ties vital, after the three countries criticise China’s ‘dangerous and aggressive behaviour’ in the regionA cooperation agreement by the Philippines, the United States and Japan will change the dynamic in the South China Sea and the region, the Philippine president has said, while seeking to assure China it was not a target.“I think the trilateral agreement is extremely...

Despite warm words from the US and Japanese leaders during their summit this week, back in Japan the spectre of a second Trump White House looms largeJoe Biden was effusive in his praise for Japan and its “bold” prime minister, Fumio Kishida, during a state visit that took place this week amid new and growing security threats in the Asia-Pacific, wars in Ukraine and...

Fumio Kishida warns of risks from China in address to Congress and says Japan determined to do more to share responsibilityJapan’s prime minister, Fumio Kishida, on Thursday called on Americans to overcome their “self-doubt” as he offered a paean to US global leadership before a bitterly divided Congress.Warning of risks from the rise of China, Kishida said that Japan – stripped of its right...

Takashimaya to increase security after theft of 24-carat gold teaware from unlocked display boxA golden teacup worth more than 10m yen (£52,100) has been stolen from a department store in Tokyo after being showcased in an unlocked box.The teacup, made of pure 24-carat gold, went missing from an outlet of the Takashimaya chain, where an array of gold items for sale were being displayed...

Fumio and Yuko Kishida honoured with state dinner to recognise ‘flourishing’ relationship between US and Japan, says Jill BidenDry-aged rib eye steak, cherry blossoms and the music of Paul Simon will be provided for the more than 200 guests expected to attend a White House state dinner being thrown for Japan’s prime minister, Fumio Kishida, his wife, Yuko.A lavish state dinner is a tool...

Rescues carried out in worst-hit city of Hualien after strong 7.2 magnitude quake; Japan lifts tsunami advisoryFull report: four dead and dozens injured amid landslides and collapsed buildingsPeople are trapped in collapsed buildings in Taiwan’s city of Hualien according to local media and the local government has suspended schools and classes in the region.According to Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration, the epicentre of the quake...

People rescued from buildings in cities of Hualien and Taipei amid continuing aftershocks from Taiwan’s strongest quake in decadesTaiwan earthquake – live updatesTaiwan’s strongest earthquake in 25 years has killed seven and injured at least 700, causing building collapses, power outages and landslides on the island, and sparking initial tsunami warnings in southern Japan and the Philippines.The quake, given a magnitude of 7.2 by...

Sato will become the only option by 2531, suggests modelling as part of campaign to overturn outdated law requiring spouses to have same surnameJapanese citizens will all have the same family name in 500 years’ time unless married couples are permitted to use separate surnames, a new study has suggested as part of a campaign to update a civil code dating back to the...

Meme-worthy content appears in short supply, at least initially, as world’s oldest royal family embarks on its social media journeyThe rarefied world of Japan’s imperial family has entered the age of social media, but fans expecting selfies, emojis and casual shots of the emperor and empress, or princes and princesses away from the limelight may be disappointed.Far from photographs of sunrises, sunsets or moments...

More than half of the borrowed words relate to cooking, while Kintsugi, the increasingly popular art of repairing broken pottery with gold lacquer is also includedKatsu, donburi and onigiri are among 23 Japanese words added to the Oxford English Dictionary in its latest update.More than half of the borrowed words relate to food or cooking. Santoku, a knife with a short, flat blade that...

Cholesterol-lowering supplements containing ‘beni koji’ recalled by Kobayashi Pharmaceutical over possible link to kidney diseaseA nationwide recall of a dietary supplement that lowers cholesterol has been issued in Japan amid concerns it could be linked to two deaths and more than 100 hospitalisations, according to news agency Kyodo.Kobayashi Pharmaceutical, which sells over-the-counter drugs and dietary supplements, has issued a national recall of the product,...

Oji Holdings said it would stop making children’s nappies in September amid a sharp decline in demand. Japan has a rapidly ageing societyA nappy manufacturer in Japan is to stop making the products for babies and instead raise production of adult diapers, in a reflection of the country’s rapidly ageing society.Oji Holdings, which specialises in paper products, said it would stop making children’s nappies...

Wrestler, whose real name is Mikiya Ishioka, triumphs in Osaka to secure Emperor’s Cup despite injuring his ankle the previous dayThe ancient Japanese sport of sumo is celebrating a new hero, after Takerufuji became the first wrestler for more than a century to win a top-division tournament on his debut.There were wild celebrations at the Edion Arena Osaka on Sunday after he ended the...

Last-minute decision on Tuesday’s match leaves football bodies searching for alternative venueNorth Korea has abruptly cancelled its 2026 World Cup qualifying match with Japan next week, leaving organisers frantically searching for an alternative venue.North Korea reportedly decided it would no longer host the match, which had been scheduled for next Tuesday at the Kim Il-sung Stadium in Pyongyang, a day before the teams met...

Several schools have brought in shorts for cheerleaders at baseball tournament while another positioned teachers between the cheerleaders and spectatorsHigh schools taking part in Japan’s annual spring baseball tournament are taking action to prevent spectators from taking sexualised photographs of female cheerleaders.The invitational tournament – and a regular tournament held every summer at Koshien stadium near Osaka – are supposed to be a celebration...

Ippei Mizuhara admits to have run up gambling debtsOhtani is world’s most famous baseball playerThe interpreter for Shohei Ohtani, the biggest star in baseball and one of the most famous people in Japan, has been fired after lawyers for the player said there had been a “massive theft” from the slugger’s account.ESPN reported that several sources said Ippei Mizuhara had run up large debts...

Effigy recovered in 2009 after being thrown into Osaka river by jubilant fans but is in poor state and will be disposed ofA plastic statue of Kentucky Fried Chicken’s founder, Colonel Sanders, that was a lucky charm for superstitious Japanese baseball fans has been “disposed of” 15 years after being dredged out of an Osaka river.Jubilant supporters of Osaka’s Hanshin Tigers, known for being...

Health officials racing to identify cause of rise in streptococcal toxic shock syndrome, which has a 30% fatality rateExperts warn that a rare but dangerous bacterial infection is spreading at a record rate in Japan, with officials struggling to identify the cause.The number of cases in 2024 is expected to exceed last year’s record numbers, while concern is growing that the harshest and potentially...

First attempt with private Kairos rocket was intended to test viability of homegrown commercial launch businessA rocket made by a Japanese company has exploded seconds after it was launched with the goal of putting a satellite into orbit.Tokyo-based Space One’s 18-metre Kairos rocket blasted off from the company’s launch pad in the Wakayama region of western Japan, carrying a small government test satellite, on...

Employee of metal plant in Fukuyama spotted a trail of yellowy-brown paw prints leading away from a container of hexavalent chromiumIt could be the opening scene from a new Marvel film. Residents of a Japanese city have been warned not to approach or touch a missing cat that appears to have fallen into a vat of toxic chemicals before scampering off.The search for the...

Master Japanese director wins his second Oscar for story of a young boy searching for his mother during the second world warOscars 2024: full list of winnersFull report: Oppenheimer wins best pictureThe Boy and the Heron, supposedly the final film from Japanese master director Hayao Miyazaki, has won the Oscar for best animated feature film at the 96th Academy Awards in Los Angeles.Inspired by...