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Thailand made it legal to cultivate and possess marijuana as of Thursday, like a dream come true for an aging generation of pot smokers who recall the kick the legendary Thai Stick variety delivered. The stated intention of the country’s public health minister to distribute 1 mil … | Continue reading
A Tokyo court has begun hearings in a lawsuit seeking 616 million yen million in damages for six people who were children in Fukushima at the time of its 2011 nuclear power plant disaster and later developed thyroid cancer. The plaintiffs are suing the operator of the nuclear pla … | Continue reading
Just the other week, the words “jam lid” started trending on Twitter in Japan. This was a bit of a strange topic to hit the news, but after checking it out, the reason why the humble jam lid was attracting attention became clear — Twitter user @ktzwcrrk had shared a video showing … | Continue reading
With the e-sports industry going from strength to strength, all kinds of innovative products have sprung up over the last few years aimed at helping gamers; whether it’s something simple like chopsticks you can use while you play, to something more extreme, like this intense gami … | Continue reading
You may have heard a thing or two about NHK collectors in Japan. They come around door-to-door asking people with televisions or even smartphones–or any TV-equipped device, really–to pay a mandatory yearly fee of up to 24,800 yen per year. While it doesn’t seem like a huge amount … | Continue reading
Some NTT Docomo Inc mobile phone customers continued to have difficulty Friday making calls and data connections, a day after Japan's largest mobile carrier was hit by a nationwide system outage. NTT Docomo said it suffered a system issue at around 5 p.m. Thursday during work on … | Continue reading
Nissan’s “intelligent factory” hardly has any human workers. The robots do the work, including welding and mounting. They do the paint jobs and inspect their own paint jobs. “Up to now, people had to make production adjustments through experience, but now robots with artificial i … | Continue reading
Though less used than the Western calendar, the old Japanese calendar is still used for special occasions like births, deaths, and marriages. A new cycle begins whenever a new Emperor comes to the Chrysanthemum Throne. So, we are currently in Reiwa three and World War II is calcu … | Continue reading
Japan successfully tested Tuesday a rocket engine that was propelled by new technology using shock waves produced by burning a mixture of methane and oxygen gasses, with the aim of applying the propulsion method to deep space exploration in the future, the country's space agency … | Continue reading
Tokyo’s Ueno Park is one of the city’s biggest tourism draws, and it’s actually several attractions in one. In addition to its shady cherry blossom tree-lined pathways and beautiful lotus pond, the park is home to multiple museums and a zoo, and now it’s added even more attractio … | Continue reading
Apple Inc is in early-stage talks with China's CATL and BYD about the supply of batteries for its planned electric vehicle, four people with knowledge of the matter said. The discussions are subject to change and it is not clear if agreements with either CATL or BYD will be reach … | Continue reading
As more and more people around the world are getting vaccinated, one can almost hear the collective sigh of relief. But the next pandemic threat is likely already making its way through the population right now. My research as an infectious disease epidemiologist has found that t … | Continue reading
Kentaro Miura, a Japanese manga author known for his popular dark fantasy "Berserk," has died at 54, his publisher announced Thursday, prompting an outpouring of grief from fans around the world. His best-known creation "Berserk" debuted as a series in 1989 an … | Continue reading
Hydrogen is touted as an inevitable green fuel of the future. Tell that to the people who'll have to ship it across the globe at hyper-cold temperatures close to those in outer space. Yet that is exactly what designers are attempting to do. In the biggest technological challenge … | Continue reading
Technical problems derailed Japan's coronavirus vaccination booking system on Wednesday, compounding frustration over the government's handling of new outbreaks of infections and an inoculation drive that critics say has been woefully slow. The online system to book a vaccine cra … | Continue reading
The Mayflower 400 -- the world's first intelligent ship -- bobs gently in a light swell as it stops its engines in Plymouth Sound, off England's southwest coast, before self-activating a hydrophone designed to listen to whales. The 50-foot (15-meter) trimaran, which weighs nine t … | Continue reading
The warmer weather and longer days have inspired reminders to “stay hydrated” and drink eight glasses of water – or about two liters – a day. Not to burst anyone’s water bottle, but healthy people can actually die from drinking too much water. I am an exercise physiologist, and m … | Continue reading
For decades, a deadly type of childhood cancer has eluded science’s best tools. Now doctors have made progress with an unusual treatment: Dripping millions of copies of a virus directly into kids’ brains to infect their tumors and spur an immune system attack. A dozen children tr … | Continue reading
The Oscars will not be shown in Hong Kong for the first time in more than half a century, its local broadcaster confirmed Monday, as doubts remained over whether Hollywood's top awards will air in mainland China. The ceremony has been broadcast in Hong Kong every year since 1969 … | Continue reading
Japan on Tuesday asked the International Atomic Energy Agency for support carrying out the future release of massive amounts of treated but still-radioactive water from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant, most likely into the sea. Japan wants international atomic experts t … | Continue reading
As Taiwan launches a new campaign to promote its pineapples after China suspended imports of the self-ruled island's fruit in an apparent attempt to squeeze its economy, Japan has ordered a record number of Taiwanese pineapples. "Japan is among the most dynamic markets for T … | Continue reading
Alphabet Inc's Google will cut the service fee it charges developers on its app store by half on the first $1 million they earn in revenue in a year, after a similar move by rival Apple Inc last year. Both the companies have come under fire from large firms such… | Continue reading
A new agreement with South Korea on sharing the cost of keeping U.S. troops on the Korean peninsula is early evidence that President Joe Biden is shifting America's approach to alliances in Asia and beyond. It shows he will cut allies a break to build unity in competition against … | Continue reading
Many anime fans were thrilled when Japanese company Gatebox announced the development and release of their "Hologram Communication Robot", an Alexa-type device that functions as not only a personal assistant, but a live-in anime girl companion. Demand for the anime holo … | Continue reading
With more people teleworking in Japan amid the coronavirus pandemic, some are demanding action to ensure employees can refuse phone calls and emails on their days off to clarify the blurred boundaries between personal and professional life. The debate about the "right to dis … | Continue reading
A Japanese navy submarine and a commercial ship collided off Japan's southern coast on Monday, causing minor injuries to three crew members of the submarine and damage to its mast, defense officials said. The submarine Soryu was in the process of surfacing about 50 kilometers sou … | Continue reading
In just under a decade, a vast area of idle land situated outside Tokyo where trucks loaded with building materials rush to and fro will become the site of Japan's biggest data-center campus, covering an area seven times as large as the Tokyo Dome baseball stadium. Construction w … | Continue reading
A Japanese town has deployed robot wolves in an effort to scare away bears that have become an increasingly dangerous nuisance in the countryside. The town of Takikawa on the northern island of Hokkaido purchased and installed a pair of the robots after bears were found roaming n … | Continue reading