Japan

TOKYO, June 24 (Xinhua) -- The defense buildup on Okinawa highlighted in Japan's new security and defense strategies has caused anxiety among local people, Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki said Friday.

Tamaki made the remarks in a peace declaration issued at a memorial service for the victims of the Battle of Okinawa in World War II, saying that military buildup would remind the residents of the bloody ground battle 78 years ago.

He urged the Japanese government to ease regional tensions through dialogue and reduce the size of U.S. military bases in Okinawa.

TOKYO, June 22 (Xinhua) -- The Japanese fisheries federation voiced its opposition again on Thursday to the planned release of radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant into the sea, local media reported.

Masanobu Sakamoto, president of the national federation of fisheries cooperatives known as JF Zengyoren, handed over a request opposing the release plan to Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Yasutoshi Nishimura, public broadcaster NHK said.

TOKYO, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Heavy rain hit southwestern Japan's Amami Oshima Island on Wednesday, with hundreds of residents being isolated and thousands of households facing water supply cuts, local media reported.

As of 2 p.m. local time, an evacuation order was in place for 1,193 people from 735 households in Amami City and the villages of Yamato and Uken on the island in Kagoshima Prefecture, public broadcaster NHK reported.

TOKYO (AP) — Five people were killed and 12 others taken to the hospital after a truck collided with a bus in Hokkaido in northern Japan, according to local media reports.

Police said the truck might have strayed into oncoming traffic, Kyodo news agency reported. The bus was carrying 15 passengers at the time of the accident, which occurred on Sunday.

The drivers of both vehicles died in the crash, Kyodo said.

Video from broadcaster NTV showed the mangled wreckage of the two vehicles stuck on the road in the aftermath of the crash.

TOKYO, June 17 (Reuters) - Japan plans to stoke competition in smartphone app payments, dominated by Apple (AAPL.O) and Google, by banning major app store operators from forcing software developers to use the operators' own payment systems, a government panel said.

The final report by the panel, released on Friday, also said major suppliers of smartphone operating systems (OS) should be obliged to offer users alternative ways to obtain apps in a secure manner other than their own app stores.

TOKYO, June 15 (Xinhua) -- A Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF) recruit was referred to prosecutors Thursday on suspicion of murder a day after shooting three of his instructors during a live-fire training in central Japan, killing two of them.

The recruit, an 18-year-old male, was arrested at the site after allegedly opening fire at three GSDF personnel during the indoor exercise at the force's shooting range in Gifu prefecture on Wednesday morning, the GSDF said.

TOKYO (AP) — An 18-year-old army trainee shot three fellow soldiers at a firing range on a Japanese army base Wednesday, killing two of them, officials said.

The suspect was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder at the scene in Gifu prefecture in central Japan, police said.

The suspect fired a rifle at the soldiers during a shooting exercise at the Hino Kihon firing range, police said.

The Ground Self Defense Force, Japan’s army, confirmed that two of those wounded were later pronounced dead at a hospital.

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s parliament on Friday approved a revision to an immigration and refugee law that will allow the forced repatriation of asylum seekers after they are denied refugee status twice, a change that rights activists say could lead to their persecution at home.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s governing coalition and other conservative parties passed the revision with their overwhelming majority despite strong opposition.

TOKYO, Jun 8 (NNN-NHK) – From intricate miniature houses, to a variety of musical devices, Chinese toymakers showcased their best-selling products, at the International Tokyo Toy Show today, as they sought to expand their presence in the Japanese market.

The exhibition booth of Robotime Technology (Suzhou) Co., Ltd., a Chinese toy company that designs and produces 3D wooden puzzles and miniature houses, featured a variety of delicately crafted miniature houses in different scenarios, and beautifully designed music boxes, which attracted the attention of potential buyers.

TOKYO, June 6 (Xinhua) -- The Japanese government on Tuesday approved a new strategy for the promotion of hydrogen, involving generating 15 trillion yen (107.76 billion U.S. dollars) of investment from both public and private sectors to accelerate its use in the country's push towards decarbonization.

Under the first revision in six years to the country's basic hydrogen strategy, it was also decided that the hydrogen supply would be increased sixfold.

This would significantly increase from the current 2 million tons to a supply of around 12 million tons by 2040.