Lower House backs monarchy reform to secure royal succession
THE Lower House has passed a Bill aimed at easing a looming imperial succession crisis as the monarchy shrinks, with just one young heir under a male-only succession rule.
More LNG, Japan-linked vessels transit Strait of Hormuz
More liquefied natural gas tankers have resumed transiting the Strait of Hormuz in recent days, ship-tracking data showed, and 22 Japan-linked vessels have left the Gulf since Tuesday, Tokyo said, despite renewed fighting in the Middle East.
Moon cargo service eyes shared rides and lower costs
Moon transport company ispace said it would start a new, lower-cost lunar cargo business using the Starship heavy rocket and moon lander developed by Elon Musk's SpaceX.
Space probe skims asteroid in planetary defence test
A space probe performed a flyby of a near-Earth asteroid, in a test mission for technology that could help protect the planet from space rocks.
Bear scare sparks helicopter rescue
Four climbers were rescued by helicopter from a mountain in Hokkaido after being stranded for about three and a half hours due to an encounter with a brown bear, police said.
Food delivery firms feel the squeeze from rising inflation
The food delivery industry is at a crossroads as intensifying competition and rising prices squeeze profits, forcing some operators to withdraw from the market.
It’s natto as bad as it seems
Sticky, translucent strings dangle from Wesley Smith's chopsticks as the American tourist relishes his natto, the loved-and-hated Japanese fermented soybean superfood going global one slimy mouthful at a time.
Bear spray goes off in post office, five hospitalised
Five people needed hospital treatment after a man accidentally set off an anti-bear spray in a city-centre post office, reports and officials said, as the country grapples with a sharp rise in maulings.
Women MPs to get two more toilets, for a total of four cubicles
Parliament will get two more women's toilet cubicles, officials said, after a petition by 58 female MPs called for more facilities to match their improved representation.
Seeking strength in anime worlds
Researchers explore avatars as mental health tools.
