Powderlife National News

FIVE shinkansen (bullet train) lines halted operations for three hours on Monday when the control system malfunctioned, affecting about 137,700 travelers and commuters.

Tourists have been warned to stop "harassing" Japan's famous kimono-clad geisha as they wander the streets of the ancient city of Kyoto.

RESCUE workers were forced by bad weather Sunday afternoon to halt their search for two climbers engulfed by an avalanche on 2,812-meter Mount Nukedo in Gifu Prefecture, west of Tokyo.

TOKYO'S poluplation might break 13 million as early as next year, five years earlier than estimated because the capital has become a magnet for people fleeing sluggish economies in the rest of Japan.

THE elderly in Japan are turning to petty crime including shoplifting and pick-pocketing to help make ends meet, the nation's Justice Ministry said.

ABOUT 250 non-Japanese staged a protest march in Shizuoka Prefecture, to call for employment and assistance for foreign temporary workers who have lost their jobs to the deepening recession.

Puzzled Japanese zookeepers have cleared up a mystery over a lack of chemistry between a couple of polar bears as both turn out to be female

THE global economic downturn is forcing Japan's eight major automakers to cut production and personnel, with Honda Motor Co the latest to announce production cuts.

WITH the economy in recession, it should be no surprise that Y100 stores are thriving, wowing shoppers both local and from far afield with their variety of goods all set at one price, plus the ¥5 consumption tax.

THE economy shrank at an annualized pace of 0.4 percent in the three months through September, posting its second consecutive quarter of negative growth, indicating Japan has entered a recession for the first time since 2001.

MCDONALDS Japan has opened two 'Quarter Pounder' stores featuring generic packaging, minimalist decor, a two-item menu... and no golden arches anywhere.

JAPAN will benefit from a strong yen because it will hold down prices for raw materials, said Eisuke Sakakibara, formerly Japan's top currency official. 

AS weakening global demand takes a toll on Japan's export-reliant economy, the government is trying to nudge its domestic population to spend. 

JAPAN Airlines has won a coveted Good Design Award for its international premium economy seat, the JAL Sky Shell Seat, the airline said in a statement.

JAPANESE businesses in Niseko and other tourist hotspots across the country have expressed apprehension over stock price falls and the Yen's sharp appreciation.

JAPAN'S stock market had a miserable and manic Monday, with the key stock index plunging more than 6 percent Monday to its lowest close in more than a quarter century.

THE Japan Tourism Agency has asked three foreign students to come to Japan for three months to study ways Japan can attract more foreign tourists, agency officials said.

THE  number of typhoons to make landfall in Japan this year could be zero this year,  which would be only the fourth time that has happened since 1951, when the Japan Meteorological agency started keeping records.

TWO BMWs and property worth more than $4 million were listed on Friday among the assets of Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso and his family, amid debate over whether the wealthy leader is out of touch with average voters.

JAPAN'S trade surplus plunged 94 per cent in September from a year earlier, official figures showed Thursday, adding to fears that the country's export-dependent economy is in a recession.