Kyodo -- Oct 21
Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto met with the head of an anti-Korean group on Monday as he considers cracking down on hate speech rallies in the western Japan city, but they ended up having a shouting match in which they more or less just insulted each other.
The meeting with Makoto Sakurai, who heads the group commonly known as Zaitokukai, at the city hall was tense from the beginning, with both men calling each other names.
Sitting 3 meters away, the two got close to a scuffle at one point before people around them intervened. The meeting, which was open to the media, ended in just 10 minutes, far earlier than originally planned.
「ヘイトスピーチ」（憎悪表現）と呼ばれる人種差別的な街宣活動への対策を検討する意向を示している橋下徹大阪市長は２０日、「在日特権を許さない市民の会（在特会）」の桜井誠会長と市役所で対面したが、終始暴言が飛び交い、面談は１０分足らずで終了した。
Oct 25
Trade chiefs from 12 countries involved in an ambitious Pacific free trade initiative started a three-day meeting Saturday in Sydney in a bid to make progress toward a U.S.-proposed goal of reaching a deal by year-end. (Kyodo) Oct 25
Police on Friday night arrested a 38-year-old man who stabbed a passerby in front of Tokyo's Ueno Station. (Japan Today) Oct 25
Japan will check the recent travel histories of all people arriving at international airports in the country to identify those who have visited Ebola-affected West African countries, the health ministry said Friday. (The Japan News) Oct 25
Japan's Meteorological Agency is warning that a volcano may erupt in the Kirishima mountain range in Kyushu. Mount Ioyama straddles the southwestern prefectures of Kagoshima and Miyazaki. (NHK) Oct 24
The Cabinet approved a bill Friday to revise the adult entertainment business law to enable dance clubs to operate past midnight, provided they meet interior lighting regulations. (Japan Times) Oct 24
One major volcanic eruption could make Japan "extinct," a study by experts at Kobe University warns, although the chances of that happening are relatively slim. (Wall Street Journal) Oct 23
Japan has been stung by its third political scandal in a week after the country's new industry minister - whose predecessor resigned over allegations of misspending - admitted that his staff had spent office money at a sex bar. (The Guardian) Oct 23
The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a high court ruling that a western Japan hospital was within its rights to demote a physical therapist who sought a lighter workload due to pregnancy. (Kyodo) Oct 23
The number of visitors to Japan in January-September totaled 9,737,300, up 26.0 pct from a year earlier, an estimate by the Japan National Tourism Organization showed Wednesday. (Jiji Press) Oct 23
With the Ebola outbreak swiftly spreading in West Africa, Tokyo Metropolitan Bokutoh Hospital opened to the press on Wednesday a special isolation ward for highly dangerous infectious diseases. (The Japan News)