Japan

TOKYO (AP) — Three bears that snuck into a tatami mat factory in northern Japan and holed up inside for nearly a day have been captured, according to town officials.

A patrolling town official spotted the bears, believed to be a parent and two cubs, as they walked into a tatami factory Wednesday morning in Misato, a town in Akita prefecture, where there’s been a growing number of reported bear attacks in or near residential areas.

An owner of the tatami factory said he saw the bears walking outside but never thought they would come inside.

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant said it began releasing a second batch of treated radioactive wastewater into the sea on Thursday after the first round of discharges ended smoothly.

Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings said workers activated a pump to dilute the treated water with large amounts of seawater, slowly sending the mixture into the ocean through an underground tunnel.

TOKYO, Sept 27 (NNN-NHK) – The construction of the Torch Tower, Japan’s new tallest skyscraper in central Tokyo, kicked off today, according to the property developer.

Located across the street from Tokyo Station, the structure, which will soar to approximately 390 metres upon expected completion in the fiscal year 2027, is set to be Japan’s tallest by surpassing its urban neighbour, the 330-metre Azabudai Hills Mori JP Tower.

TOKYO, Sept 25 (Reuters) - The United States Space Force has had internal discussions about setting up a hotline with China to prevent crises in space, U.S. commander General Chance Saltzman told Reuters on Monday.

The chief of space operations said a direct line of communication between the Space Force and its Chinese counterpart would be valuable in de-escalating tensions but that the U.S. had not yet engaged with China to establish one.

TOKYO, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- A boxed meal maker in northeastern Japan has been banned by public health authorities from operating due to hundreds of food poisoning cases caused by its products, local media reported.

Yoshidaya, a local maker of boxed meals, commonly known as "bento" in Japanese, voluntarily suspended operations starting Sunday, after being banned from operations on Saturday by public health authorities in Aomori Prefecture.

TOKYO, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Japan's Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki told a United Nations session on Monday in Switzerland that the concentration of U.S. military bases in the southern prefecture threatens peace.

He also expressed his opposition to the Japanese government's plan to build a new U.S. military base despite public concerns, according to local media reports.

TOKYO, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- The approval ratings for Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's new cabinet showed no significant signs of improvement following its reshuffle this week, according to opinion polls conducted by multiple Japanese media outlets.

National news agency Kyodo found in its latest poll that the reshuffle saw a limited impact on lifting popularity, although the cabinet's approval rating slightly edged up 6.2 percentage points from late August to 39.8 percent.

TOKYO, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Wednesday revamped his cabinet and the executive lineup of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) as public support for the government is waning.

The second cabinet reshuffle by Kishida since last year included changes to 13 out of 19 ministers, with 11 of them entering the cabinet for the first time.

TOKYO, Sept 12 (Reuters) - Japan has appointed a serving government official to act as its de facto defence attache in Taiwan, four sources said, elevating security ties in a move likely to anger China, which claims the strategic, democratic island as its own.

TOKYO, September 9. /TASS/: Development of bilateral relations between Russia and North Korea in all directions is in line with ensuring security and stability of the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia, Russian President Vladimir Putin wrote in his congratulatory message to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Day of the Foundation of the Republic.