Two politicians have taken their seats in Japan’s parliament as the first lawmakers with severe disabilities. Yasuhiko Funago and Eiko Kimura are both largely paralysed and rely on carers for their physical needs. Their election last month has been seen…
Japan heatwave: Mascot one of 11 deaths during high temperatures (BBC)
A man dressed in a mascot costume at an amusement park is one of least 11 people who have died as a result of a heatwave sweeping Japan. The 28-year-old died from heatstroke on Sunday evening in Hirakata Park, Osaka,…
Suspected arson at Japan anime studio kills 26 (BBC)
At least 26 people are dead and dozens injured after a suspected arson attack at an animation studio in Kyoto, Japan, local emergency officials have said. Local media quoted police as saying a man broke into the Kyoto Animation Co…
Angry dad uses own child as weapon to attack rival fan at baseball game (Metro)
A little boy was used as a weapon and thrown into the face of another man when his father flew into a rage at a baseball game. The youngster was thrown with such force that he almost slipped out of…
Heavy rain: Over 1m directed to leave southern Japan (ABCNews)
Japanese authorities on Wednesday directed more than 1 million residents in parts of the southern main island of Kyushu to evacuate to designated shelters as heavy rains batter the region, prompting fears of landslides and widespread flooding. The Fire and…
Heavy rains in Japan force almost 800,000 residents to evacuate (BBC)
Almost 800,000 people across three Japanese cities have been ordered to evacuate amid warnings of landslides and floods brought by heavy rain. Kagoshima city, Kirishima and Aira, in Kagoshima prefecture on Kyushu island, urged their residents to move to safety…
Child among three dead in Japan knife attack (BBC)
A knife-wielding man has attacked a group of schoolchildren waiting for a bus in the Japanese city of Kawasaki near Tokyo. At least 18 people were injured in a residential area. Two of them, an 11-year-old girl and a 39-year-old…
Emperor Akihito of Japan to abdicate today (Quartz)
Akihito, emperor of Japan for the past 30 years and the head of the world’s oldest continuous dynasty, will abdicate on April 30, at the age of 85. He’s the first emperor in two centuries to give up the throne.…
Japan university stops hiring smoking professors (Punch)
A Japanese university has stopped hiring professors and teachers who light up, officials said Tuesday, as the nation steps up an anti-smoking campaign ahead of the 2020 Olympics. Nagasaki University spokesman Yusuke Takakura told AFP they have “stopped hiring any…
Japan starts fuel removal from nuclear plant (BBC)
The operator of Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant has begun removing nuclear fuel from one of the reactors that melted down after the devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Remotely controlled equipment is lifting fuel rods from a storage pool inside reactor…