Japan

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Japan's new emperor performs first ritual since accession to throne

Japan's Emperor Naruhito on Wednesday performed a Shinto ritual at the Imperial Palace to report to imperial family gods the plans for the main ceremonies of his succession later this year.

08/05/2019

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Japan's new emperor greets his subjects for the first time

New Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako made their first greetings to an ecstatic public three days after acceding to the throne

04/05/2019

Japan

Sheep herald Japan's new imperial era of Reiwa

The sheep formed the Chinese character of the word Reiwa, which means "beautiful harmony", and is the name of the new imperial era of Japan.

01/05/2019

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Japanese Emperor Akihito abdicates in Tokyo ceremony

Japan's Emperor Akihito steped down from his role after 30 years on the Chrysanthemum throne. The 85-year-old is the country's first monarch to abdicate in 200 years.

30/04/2019

Japan

Watch back: Japanese Emperor Akihito abdicates in Tokyo ceremony

Japan's Emperor Akihito was on Tuesday set to step down from his role after 30 years on the Chrysanthemum throne.

30/04/2019

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Babies cry and demons fly at bizarre Sumo weeping festival in Japan

The Nai Sumo Baby Crying Festival takes place every year at the Sensoji Temple in Japan. According to tradition, Sumo wrestlers try to provoke the babies' cry to drive away from the demons that are close to them.

29/04/2019

Japan

Watch: Teacup pigs take centre stage at Tokyo café

There are 1,000 pet cafés in Japan. Visitors say the animals help relieve stress, and the cafés have become a €12 billion industry.

26/04/2019

Japan

Former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn posts $4.5m bail

Tokyo District Public Prosecutors' Office appealed the Japan court's decision of releasing Renault-Nissan ex-chaiman Carlos Ghosn under a $4.5 million bail on Thursday.

25/04/2019

Japan

Faecal fun for everyone as museum dedicated to poo opens in Japan

"By providing visitors with experiences where they see poops as fun, cute and something they want to talk to other people, we thought we can offer entertainment that no one has experienced before."

18/04/2019

Japan

Watch: 'The most dangerous fishing event in Japan'

It all started as an April Fool, when people took the organiser's joke about a piranha fishing event seriously.

16/04/2019

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Japan's emperor toasts 60 years of marriage weeks before abdication

The couple met in 1957 at a tennis championship remembered as the "love match".

10/04/2019

Japan

Nissan's former chair Ghosn says 'conspiracy' is behind his arrest

Nissan's former chair Carlos Ghosn says he was a victim of "backstabbing" and a "conspiracy" in a video address showed on Tuesday.

09/04/2019

Japan

Nissan shareholders oust Carlos Ghosn from board

Nissan shareholders voted to oust former chairman Carlos Ghosn from board.

08/04/2019

Japan

Dolls modelled on Japanese politicians usher in new era

Japan's traditional calendar uses era names tied to the reign of the emperors. The name of the new era is expected to be announced on April 1, ahead of the abdication of Emperor Akihito.

28/03/2019

Japan

France takes gold at World Figure Skating Championships

Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron took their fourth world championship crown in ice dancing and beat their own world record.

23/03/2019

Japan

Japan's 'Uncle Olympics' dies before Tokyo 2020 dream comes true

Superfan Naotoshi Yamada, famous in Japan for having been to every Summer Games since 1964, has died aged 92 with an unfulfilled dream of watching the Olympics when it returns to Tokyo next year

18/03/2019

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Japanese robot delivers Buddhist teachings

A robot is drawing worshippers to a temple in Kyoto, Japan, by delivering the teachings of Buddha.

12/03/2019

Japan

Japanese lawyer apologises for Carlos Ghosn's costume fiasco

Carlos Ghosn's lead defence lawyer apologised on Friday for disguising Nissan's former CEO as a construction worker as he left prison earlier this week.

08/03/2019

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Shrine displays 1,000 colourful dolls to mark Japan's girls' festival

Colourful dolls in traditional clothing are on display at Juunisho Shrine, north of Tokyo, to mark Japan's girls' day

03/03/2019

Focus

Building resilience in the face of disaster

In partnership with The Government of Japan

More than two decades since a devastating earthquake, Focus travels to the Japanese city of Kobe to see how the city has rebuilt itself and find out how it turned the disaster into an opportunity.

27/02/2019

Japan

Japan successfully lands spacecraft on asteroid

Hayabusa 2 touched down on the Ryugu asteroid and will bring back the biggest number of samples from space since astronauts landed on the moon

22/02/2019

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Contestants mimic cranes at Japan winter festival

Contestants have mimicked cranes for a winter festival in Japan's northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido.

11/02/2019

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Japanese spa offers chocolate bath as Valentine's Day treat

The operator of the spa in the resort town, southwest of Tokyo, is using bathing powder made from cacao seeds for the unusual bath.

07/02/2019

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The annual Sapporo snow festival kicks off

Visitors are flocking to the city of Sapporo on Japan`s northern island of Hokkaido to see snow and ice sculptures as the annual snow festival kicks off.

04/02/2019

Japan

Japanese 20-year-old celebrate 'coming of age' festival

People in Kanagawa Prefecture, west of Tokyo, enjoyed a unique New Year`s `coming of age` festival in which they carry portable shrines in the sea

22/01/2019

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Japanese plunge into ice bath at Tokyo's shrine in purification ritual for New Year

Nearly one hundred people gathered at a Tokyo shrine to wash themselves in an icy bath on Sunday (January 13) to purify their souls and wish for good health in the new year.

13/01/2019