Displaying Items By Tag: Japan

For the first time in almost a century, swordsmiths have performed a traditional ritual at a Shinto shrine in a western Japanese town famous for making swords.

The sword-forging ritual was held at the Yukie Shrine in Setouchi City, Okayama Prefecture, which has been a place of worship for swordsmiths since ancient times. A local group organized the event to forge a sword with a wish for world peace as an offering to the shrine.

A Japanese journalist freed from prison in Myanmar earlier this month spoke to reporters in Tokyo on Monday. Kubota Toru called for more awareness about the human rights situation in the country and urged the ruling military to improve it.

Kubota was held by security authorities in Yangon in July for filming protests against the junta while on a tourist visa. He had been facing a total of 10 years' imprisonment on charges including violating the immigration law.

A committee of the UN cultural agency will open a session in Morocco's capital Rabat on Monday, with a collection of traditional Japanese dances expected to officially join an Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

UNESCO's Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage will screen files presented by countries. They will include 46 nominations for the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Sai Yoichi, who directed the 1993 Japanese film "All Under the Moon," has died. He was 73.

Sai was born in the Japanese prefecture of Nagano in 1949.

Hundreds of people have gathered in a city in southwestern Japan to remember a Japanese doctor who was killed in Afghanistan three years ago while working on humanitarian projects.

Nakamura Tetsu dedicated many years helping with Afghan healthcare and farmland regeneration projects including construction of irrigation systems as a member of the Japanese NGO Peshawar-kai. The doctor was fatally shot on December 4, 2019, at the age of 73.

Defense officials in Japan say the country should possess the ability to launch counterstrikes.

They presented the view on Friday at a meeting of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and coalition partner Komeito.

The Japan men's soccer team faces Costa Rica on Sunday at the FIFA World Cup, and expectations are running high among fans heading to the tournament in Qatar.

At Narita Airport near Tokyo on Friday afternoon, a 66-year-old man said he was already excited, adding that he is optimistic about the Samurai Blue advancing to the knockout stage.

A Chinese high court has finalized a life sentence handed down to a Japanese man for drug smuggling.

The Higher People's Court in the southern province of Guangdong on Friday upheld a lower court sentencing of Sakuragi Takuma in 2019. Sakuragi is a former assemblyman of Inazawa City in Aichi Prefecture, central Japan.

Japan's stunning World Cup comeback victory against Germany had Japanese fans apologizing on Twitter for underestimating the Samurai Blue -- including its head coach Moriyasu Hajime.

Fans tweeted before Wednesday's game between Japan and four-time champion Germany: "Even a draw against Germany would count as a major upset" and "Moriyasu doesn't inspire confidence."

Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio has admitted to inadequacies in the submission of his office's campaign expenditures pertaining to last year's general elections.

The online edition of the weekly Shukan Bunshun magazine said that Kishida's office attached 94 receipts with no addressee and description to its expenditures.

Japanese soccer fans are creating a buzz after a viral video showed them helping to clean up after the opening game of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar on Sunday.

Video creator Omar Farooq from Bahrain posted the footage.

Cars coming out of Japan are known around the world for being high-tech and well-built. With futuristic builds and the most up-to-date technology made for vehicles, it comes as no surprise that car enthusiasts are excited for Japan's newest models for 2022. Japanese carmakers have their hands all over the market. From fuel-efficient SUVs to small sports cars that can hit 100mp in seconds, Japan produces cars for every individual. Japan exports four to six million cars around the world annually. Clearly, these cars are a highly desired commodity in countries across the globe.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed a senior UN official from Japan to lead its office in the Serbian capital of Belgrade working toward a peace-building mission in Kosovo.

A UN spokesperson said on Tuesday that Yamashita Mari will serve as Representative and Director of the UN Office in Belgrade.

Japanese rugby star Goromaru Ayumu is set to retire after the coming season that starts in January. He spoke about the sport and his legacy.

Goromaru said, "It is sad that I'll finish my rugby career as a player, which I started when I was 3 years old. But I have been running with all my might for 32 years."