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Gifu man, 71, sues NHK for distress over its excess use of foreign words: As we’ve written about before, Japanese is full of loan words, even if they don’t always make sense. Given that, it’s a little confusing that a man in Japan is suing the NHK for causing him emotional distress by using too many foreign words. After looking at some of the awful names of NHK programs, like BSコンシェルジュ (“BS Concierge”), I can’t say I blame him. Can I get in on this lawsuit too?

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President of KFC Japan buys Colonel Sanders’ trademark white suit at auction for $21K

Over the years, KFC has become almost as Japanese as it is American. Between KFC’s presence throughout the country and the Curse of Colonel Sanders that plagued Osaka for decades, the F in KFC might as well stand for フライド. With that in mind, it seems fitting that the president of KFC Japan, Masao Watanabe, outbid all others to win the Colonel’s iconic white suit, complete with black bolo tie. Will Watanabe also inherit Sanders’ ability to curse Japanese baseball teams? Only time will tell. [via News On Japan]

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Court Hears Arguments on Whaling by Japan: Despite being one of many countries that hunts and eats whale Japan has, in many ways, become the symbol of whaling in the world. Now, Japan and Australia are going toe-to-toe at the highest international court: the UN’s International Court of Justice at the Hague. What will be the outcome? It’s hard to say, but Japan probably shouldn’t bribe judges with delicious, delicious whale meat.

Cloned mice produced from drop of blood: Cloning has been one of those futuristic conepts like flying cars and humanoid robots that’s long existed in science fiction, but hasn’t ever become practical enough for everyday life. It looks like cloning has gotten closer to a practical application as scientists in Japan have clone normal, healthy mice from a single drop of blood. Finally, a way to produce more mice.

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Sprint Shareholders Approve Sale to SoftBank: Japanese telecommunications giant made a huge move last year when it offered to buy American company sprint, but the deal has been tied up in various bureaucratic processes. The deal cleared another hurdle Tuesday when Sprint shareholder approved the deal, leaving the FCC to assess the transaction. Presumably, Sprint will provide SoftBank with uniquely American assets—like built-in NSA spying features!

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Japanese Company Applies for Establishment of Top Level .Moe Domain

It used to be there were only a handful of top-level domains: .com, .org, .net, .edu, and so on. Now, there’s a TLD for virtually every use, including .xxx, .me, and now, potentially .moe. Japanese company Interlink is lobbying for a new .moe TLD for the otaku crowd, possibly opening the door for a plethora of new otaku URLs. My only hope is that there’s an international governing body that decides whether or not a website is truly “moe.”

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Japan Is About to Become the Largest Music Market In the World…: While people have been predicting the death of the music industry for decades, it looks like Japan’s music market is still going strong. Not only is it bouncing back from its 2011 low, but a surprising amount of that growth is thanks to physical music sales—you know, CDs. Gotta get to those handshake events somehow! [via News On Japan]

Wagyu Beef Scandal Leads to Arrests: The beef industry in Japan can be a very high-stakes game. Kobe or wagyu beef has a worldwide reputation for high quality, leading to legends about the care and attention take to raising the cows. Now, some big names in the industry have been arrested on “suspicion of misleading consumers.” It’s unclear how the cows will be affected in all of this.

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Green Tea Wars Heat Up: Bottled beverages are no joke in Japan, as they represent a lucrative, widespread market that you can see in vending machines on practically every street corner. Now, it looks like the green tea segment of that market is poised for growth as big players like Ito En, Suntory, and even Coca-Cola are fiercely competing for market share. As one company representative said, “The third ‘Green Tea War’ is already starting.”

Artificial anti-tsunami hill completed in Miyagi [Prefecture]: Since the disasterous earthquake and tsunami on 3/11, Japan has done what it can to prepare for future catastrophes. One just completed project is an artificial hill in the city of Iwanuma. The 8-meter hill is covered with over 30,000 seedlings, and will act as memorial site, training center, and just a barrier for future tsunami. [via Twitter]

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Deadly octopus prompt warnings in Kanto region

I have a deep-seated distrust of the ocean—virtually every terrifying creature on earth lurks somewhere in the sea. Case in point, this cute little octopus recently spotted in the Kanto region. While it may look adorable, this little cephalopod is extremely venomous; a single bite from one of these octopi can kill a person in 90 minutes. Have fun at the beach, I’ll be busy hiding under my bed. [via Reddit]

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Wallpapers!

In case you need to remind yourself of the constant octopus threat, we have some desktop background sized versions of the header image, courtesy of our amazing artist Aya. Enjoy!

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Two Japanese youths arrested for placing exploding bag of dog poop in police box

In Japan, police boxes are a common sight in neighborhoods across the country. It is, it’s worth noting, uncommon to see the inside of a police box or kouban completely caked in dog shit. Hopefully this incident won’t, as major crimes often do, spur copycat crimes. [News On Japan]

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Buddhist monk arrested after exposing himself in video rental shop: I don’t think that there’s any part of this story that makes sense to me. First of all, a Buddhist monk exposing himself is pretty outrageous on its own, but the fact that it was at a video rental place is just astounding. Hasn’t he heard of the internet?! [News On Japan]

$70 to climb Mount Fuji?! Is nothing sacred?: Nothing else is iconically Japanese as Mt. Fuji, but it might soon cost you to climb the famous landmark. As more people visit Mt. Fuji, the ecological damage caused by visitors grows greater and greater. A proposed ¥7,000 (roughly $70) fee could dissuade too many people from visiting while at the same time raising funds for restoration projects.

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Wheels set in motion for London-Tokyo train link : Got two weeks and a lot of money to spare? Russia and Japan have reached an agreement after decades of talks to open a rail tunnel between the two countries, thus making it possible to take a train from Japan to England. The estimated trip time is two weeks, and the tunnel won’t be completed for years to come, but it’s still an exciting prospect! [Reddit]

Class action: North Korean schools in Japan: Through a complicated set of historical circumstances, several North Korean schools exist in Japan; but these schools are facing an uncertain future. My suggestion? More military parades. Increases morale. [News On Japan]

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Japanese U.N. diplomat’s shouts of ‘shut up’ to fellow delegates go viral, inflame

Turns out that a diplomat shouting “shut up” isn’t all that diplomatic, but after the delegation from the mighty nation of Mauritius criticized Japan’s justice system, Ambassador Hideaki Ueda did just that. Critics have demanded that Ueda step down, presumably so he can spend more time telling his family to shut up.

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Bonus Wallpapers!

Want the header image of exploding poop adorning your desktop background? Well, we’ve got you covered!

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90,000 commuters affected as WWII shell disposed of in Tokyo

An unexploded bomb from WWII being discovered in one of the biggest cities in the world might seem unusual, but at this point in history it’s almost a routine; so routine, in fact, that the Japanese Self-Defense Force disposed of the device in three hours flat. I can’t think of anything more badass than getting rid of a bomb in as much time as it takes to watch The Fellowship of the Ring. [via Reddit]

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Gangsters busted for extorting deaf Tokyo man with sign language : On some level, I guess it’s good that the yakuza don’t discriminate; they extort everybody even disabled people. But this story of two deaf yakuza henchmen extorting a 75-year-old deaf man is tragically comic and downright despicable.

Yen Strengthens Again, in Challenge for Abe: It seems as if the yen giveth, and the yen taketh away. After months of phenomenal market performances and a cheaper yen, it seems as if the economy is bouncing back from the early, incredible effects of Abenomics. You mean to tell me that the economy is complex, unpredictable entity? I’m shocked, shocked I say!

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Japan tests 310mph bullet train : As I plod along on my commuter train into Tofugu World Headquarters every day, I wonder what it would be like to have the kind of train technology they have in Japan. By 2027, Japan will see the deployment of high-speed maglev trains that are capable of speeds of up to 300 mph (about 500 kph). [via Reddit]

TV icon Hard Gay thrusts into the world of professional modeling: Everybody knows about Hard Gay, Japan’s leather-clad, air-humping former pro-wrestler and TV talent; but for better or worse, Hard Gay’s alter ego Masaki Sumitani is looking to shed that image. Instead, Sumitani is trying to break into the modeling world, showing off his, some would say, hard physique. フォ〜！

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English Teacher Shows Porn DVD To Students By Accident

Being a teacher must be hard enough worrying about things like lesson plans and schedules and all of the mundane parts of getting kids to sit still and learn every day. So I’m a little sympathetic that one English teacher in Japan mixed up a DVD of The Sound of Music that he wanted to show his class with a more adult film. At the very least, I’m sure that the kids learned something that day.

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Wallpapers and GIFs!

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Giant panda at Ueno Zoo shows signs of pregnancy

I’m still emotionally recovering from the tragic death of Ueno Zoo’s newborn panda cub last year, but it looks like good news may be on the way. Despite the complete apathy pandas seem to show towards mating, the zoo’s giant panda, Shin Shin, may be exhibiting signs of pregnancy. I’m cautiously optimistic about the situation, but suspected panda pregnancies are often false positives. I’m not ready to have my heart broken again :( [via News On Japan]

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Sony’s Bread and Butter? It’s Not Electronics: Sony is probably most famous for its TVs, computers, and game consoles with exciting launch titles, but the company has actually lost billions of dollars making those products over the years. Investors have recently been urging the Japanese company to stop with electronics altogether and focus on its more profitable businesses: insurance and entertainment. Like a good neighbor, Sony is there.

Japan and South Korea Bar U.S. Wheat Imports: People have been wary of genetically modified organisms—or GMOs, for short—since the technology was introduced in the 20^th century. After an unexpected spread of a GMO wheat strain in the US, Japan and other countries are turning away wheat from the US. I’m not sure that anybody will really notice since so little bread in Japan seems to have any actual wheat in it.

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Endangered whale meat imported from Iceland used for Japan dog treats: NGOs: People tend to single out Japan as whale enemy number 1, but it turns out that Japan is one of many countries around the world that still hunts whale. Case in point, environmental activists revealed earlier this week that high-end Japanese dog treats are made from whale . . . from Iceland. Trust me, you do not want to know what’s in the cat treats. [via Reddit]

Suntory Not Selling a Drop of Liquor Operations: Japanese business giant Suntory recently got the go ahead to take one part of its business, Suntory Beverage & Food Ltd., public, but is keeping its liquor operation private. Suntory whisky has grown enormously popular around the world in recent years, so it’s understandable that Suntory wants to keep a business that happens 12-25 years at a time away from the fleeting whims of the market.

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Japanese politicians are time lords! Government considers speeding time up by two hours

People go to great lengths to gain any kind of advantage on the stock market, but at some point it becomes absurd. One of those absurd proposals comes from the Governor of Tokyo, who is suggesting that Japan move its standard time ahead by two hours. While it might just seem like daylight saving time on crack, this plan would make Japan’s financial markets the first to open in the world. Of course, once Japan assembles its army of girls leaping through time, it will all be moot.

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Header photo by Ricky Brigante

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China Refuses to Confirm Okinawa Island Belongs to Japanese

Japan and China have feuded over islands in the Sea of Japan for as long as anybody can remember, but it’s always been over minor, fringe islands. It seems as if China isn’t content with that, as it’s now beginning to eye Okinawa, an island that’s more or less been indisputably Japan’s for over a century. Next up: China claims that historically, Tokyo has always been a part of China. [via Reddit]

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Donald Keene’s Latest Japanese Adventure: Donald Keene is the oldest of the old school of Japanophiles. He was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun before you were an otaku-tinted twinkle in your father’s eye. Keene is now trying out something new and very Japanese: adult adoption. The Donald adopted a friend 20 years his junior as a practical way of dealing with getting older. Can he adopt me, too?

VIDEO: “Invader Invader”, the New PV from Kyary Pamyu Pamyu: It might not seem like news that a Japanese musician has a new single out, but when that Japanese musician is pop superstar Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, I’ll make an exception. I haven’t watched the PV (promotional video) yet, but I’m guessing that there are brightly colored outfits, cute imagery, and bizarre happenings. (I joke because I love.)

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Japan Says It Will Abide by Apologies Over Actions in World War II: One of the hot-button issues in Asian politics has long been Japan apologizing for its aggression in WWII. Lately, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been worrying people at home and abroad for hinting that the Japanese government might take back its landmark 1995 apology for its wartime actions. Fortunately, a minister in the Abe cabinet has reassured the public that the government has no plans for such a reversal.

Yen Hits Century Mark the Old-Fashioned Way: The yen has been promising to hit the oh-so-significant ¥100=$1USD mark for months now but, yesterday, it finally did it. And, surprisinly, it wasn’t Abenomics that pushed the yen over the top—it was some anonymous currency trader doing a series of massive transactions that finally pushed the yen over the top.

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Author Murakami makes first Japan public appearance in 18 years

Haruki Murakami is a strange breed. Even though he’s far and away Japan’s most famous author, he’s not really that Japanese. He’s lived for a while outside of Japan, wrote his first novel in English, and is generally not that fond of publicity in his homeland. Now, after nearly two decades of public silence in japan, he’s making a public appearance to promote his new book, Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage. [via News On Japan]

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Bonus Wallpapers!

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