Asahi Buys Fuller's Beer Business For $327 Million

Asahi buys Fuller's beer business for $327 million

LONDON--Japanese brewer Asahi is buying the beer business of Britain's Fuller Smith & Turner's for 250 million pounds ($327 million), in a deal that includes its flagship London Pride.

The deal announced Friday includes the Griffin Brewery in the London neighborhood of Chiswick, where the company was founded in 1845, and will allow Fuller's to focus on its pub and hotel holdings.

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Imperial Guard Members Show Determination In Tokyo Parade

Imperial Guard members show determination in Tokyo parade

About 250 Imperial Guard Headquarters members paraded solemnly through central Tokyo on Jan. 25 with unwavering determination ahead of the upcoming historical events in accordance with Emperor Akihito's abdication of the throne.

The members of the Imperial Guard Headquarters, dedicated to the protection of the emperor and his family, marched in perfect unison with 12 guard horses and three guard dogs during an annual parade through Higashi Gyoen (east garden of the Imperial Palace) to mark the beginning of the year.

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Sights, Sounds Of Showa Era Greet Visitors To Fukui Culture Museum

Sights, sounds of Showa Era greet visitors to Fukui culture museum

FUKUI--A permanent exhibition at the Fukui Prefectural Museum of Cultural History here allows visitors to travel back to the Showa Era (1926-1989) to see how people's lives were beginning to change at the time.

"Life in the Showa Period" features items and scenes from the period during which Japan achieved rapid economic growth after its defeat in World War II.

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Kumamoto Castle's Fortified Curved Stone Walls Rise Again

Kumamoto Castle's fortified curved stone walls rise again

KUMAMOTO--Curved stone walls at Kumamoto Castle that once thwarted enemy attackers but fell victim to earthquakes that jolted the city in April 2016 have risen again to their full glory.

The new walls were unveiled to the media on Dec. 27, as progress is being steadily made in the castle's restoration.

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Birthplace Of Toyota Vehicles To Open To Public In Aichi In July

Birthplace of Toyota vehicles to open to public in Aichi in July

KARIYA, Aichi Prefecture--Rescued from demolition, a wooden factory building where Toyota Motor Corp. founder Kiichiro Toyoda built his first passenger car prototype in 1935, will open to the public on July 18.

It will be part of the Prototype Plant at the Establishment of Toyota, an annex of the Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology.

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Farthest Star Photographed With Cosmic Lens, Hubble Telescope

Farthest star photographed with cosmic lens, Hubble telescope

The farthest individual star to ever have been photographed, whose light has taken 9 billion years to reach Earth, was captured using cosmic lenses in an international research project by institutions including the University of Tokyo.

The achievement was announced in the digital edition of Nature Astronomy, a British science journal, on April 3.

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Hokkaido Lighthouse Gets Powerful Leds In Beacon Trial

Hokkaido lighthouse gets powerful LEDs in beacon trial

KUSHIRO, Hokkaido--The Japan Coast Guard has begun experimenting with high-output LEDs for the beacon of the Kushiro Saki Lighthouse here in an energy- and cost-saving test.

If successful, the coast guard plans to put the high-intensity chip-on-board LEDs, which are strips of LEDs that are illuminated together, into practical use as a light source.

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Tashirojima, Japan Is Home To Some 200 Cats Who Live Alongside Human Residents

Tashirojima, Japan is home to some 200 cats who live alongside human residents

ISHINOMAKI, Miyagi -- Here kitty, kitty! Visitors to Tashirojima Island here will have no trouble finding the fluffy winter coats of the feline inhabitants.

Often called "cat island," Tashirojima, whose perimeter is 11 kilometers, is home to some 200 cats who live alongside human residents, and are no stranger to tourists from both inside and outside of Japan. On a day in mid-December last year, this cat-loving reporter made a visit to the island and its furry citizens.

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Kumamoto Prefecture Lifts The Ban On Overseas Use Of The Kumamon Mascot Design

Kumamoto Prefecture lifts the ban on overseas use of the Kumamon mascot design

KUMAMOTO--Kumamoto Prefecture has lifted the ban on overseas use of the Kumamon mascot design, sparking anger from local companies that want to keep the popular bear-like character for themselves.

Many companies say the original purpose of the mascot should remain the same: promoting the prefecture on the southern main island of Kyushu and its products.

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Self - Repairing Ceramic Eyed For Aircraft Engines, Shinkansen

Self-repairing ceramic eyed for aircraft engines, Shinkansen

Japanese researchers say they have developed a ceramic material that self-repairs cracks in just a minute and could drastically change manufacturing methods for the transportation industry.

The team from the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) and Yokohama National University said the material could be used in plane engines to keep them operating even if they are damaged in collisions with airborne objects.

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Photoscape / Teenagers Help Preserve Art Of Puppet Theater

Photoscape / Teenagers help preserve art of puppet theater

By Masanori Inagaki / Yomiuri Shimbun PhotographerLeaders of traditional puppet theater are working to pass their art on to future generations, holding workshops for younger people and energetically performing in Japan and overseas.

Hachioji Kuruma Ningyo is a puppet show in Hachioji, Tokyo. The Nishikawa Koryu Troupe headed by fifth-generation leader Nishikawa Koryu, 64, is working hard to ensure its art survives.

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