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Japanese minister resigns after saying he doesn’t buy rice because he gets it free
Taku Etō’s remarks drew fury as cost of rice has nearly doubled in a year amid soaring food pricesJapan’s agri…
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Runaway rice prices spell danger for Japan’s prime minister as elections loom
Attempts to bring down the price of the Japanese staple have had little effect amid a cost-of-living crisisJap…
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Measles cases hit six-year high in South Korea amid outbreaks across south-east Asia
South Korea passes annual tally for 2024 already, as Vietnam and Thailand continue to battle outbreaksSouth Ko…
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Student rescued from Mount Fuji twice in one week
Chinese national, 27, reportedly returned to Japan’s highest mountain days after first rescue to retrieve his …
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From ammunition to ballistic missiles: how North Korea arms Russia in the Ukraine war
Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s claims about deadly Kyiv strike highlight Kremlin’s reliance on Kim regime’s soldiers, a…
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Rice crisis: Japan imports grain from South Korea for first time in more than 25 years
Japanese consumers who used to treat foreign-grown rice with scepticism have been forced to develop a taste fo…
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The Ukrainian refugee fighting to become the first European sumo grand champion
Known by his fighting moniker, Aonishiki Arata, the Ukrainian wrestler recently won promotion to sumo’s highes…
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‘I’m truly happy’: 108-year-old takes record for world’s oldest female barber
Shitsui Hakoishi can still cut it as a barber in her salon in the town of Nakagawa, after earning her licence …
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Largest wildfire in decades rages in Japan as authorities warn it could spread
Blaze in Ofunato has spread through 2,100 hectares of land, damaged dozens of homes and forced more than 1,000…
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South Korea birthrate rises for first time in nine years amid surge in marriages
Rise comes from very low base and remains far below the 2.1 births per woman needed to stabilise populationSou…
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Three resort workers die in suspected gas poisoning near hot spring in Japan
Hydrogen sulphide gives Takayu Onsen its unmistakable sulphurous smell but can be dangerous if inhaled in high…
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Japan releases 200,000 tonnes of emergency rice stockpile as prices soar
Agriculture minister says rising prices have ‘had a significant impact on people’s lives’ amid record heat, su…
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Sweet romance: Japanese boys start buying into gift giving on Valentine’s Day
Women are traditionally expected to buy chocolates for male colleagues on Valentine’s Day but teenage boys are…
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Centrefolded: Japan’s ‘porn disposal’ boxes phased out amid rise of the internet
The boxes served to protect the eyes of children from adult material littering the streets, but the shift onli…
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‘An act of betrayal’: Japan to maximise nuclear power 14 years after Fukushima disaster
Tokyo wants to drop attempts to lessen its reliance on nuclear power, according to a draft energy planMore tha…