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Zookeepers in Japan have abandoned a years-long attempt to have two spotted hyenas mate and reproduce as both turned out to be male. The Maruyama zoo in Sapporo, northern Japan, said in a statement this week that it was given the animals as a “male and female couple” in October 2010 from a zoo in the South Korean city of Daejon. “We have attempted to house them together for breeding many times but they often fought against each other and never engaged themselves in breeding behaviour,” the statement said.[SNIP]

Japan’s largest warship since World War II has left for its first set of sea trials last week ahead of entering the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF)fleet next year. JS Izumo (DDH-183) departed Tokyo Bay on Sept. 23, as seen as in a video on YouTube, for the first round of what will be about six months of sea trials ahead of the ship’s commissioning next year, a JMSDF official told Jane’s Defence Weekly on Monday. The 24,000-ton helicopter carrier is the first of two planned ships. Izumo will enter the JMSDF force next year. DDH-184 will enter the...

TOKYO (AP) — A volcano erupted in central Japan on Saturday, catching mountain climbers by surprise and seriously injuring at least one person. With a sound likened to thunder, Mt. Ontake spewed large white plumes high into the sky, sending people fleeing and covering surrounding areas in ash. Several people were injured, including one who was unconscious, according to Japanese media reports.

I know there are a number of Japanophiles out there in Freeperland, who might be able to answer a question I have about the Akibasho, Fall Sumo Tournament in Tokyo, which will conclude early tomorrow US time. As all the sumo followers know, tournaments are 15 days long, with each wrestler having one match, and the wrestler with the most wins being crowned the tournament champion. Hakuho, the top wrestler in sumo, is 13-1 going into the last day of the tournament, but Tochinoshin, who began the tournament as juryo (the sumo equivalent of baseball's AAA), is 14-0. My question:...

Japan's Meteorological Agency is warning people to stay away from Mount Ontake in central Japan following a volcanic eruption. The agency said the volcano on the border between Nagano and Gifu prefectures erupted shortly before noon on Saturday. Video taken by an NHK helicopter shows the volcano spewing gray smoke up into the sky. The agency upgraded its 5-stage volcanic alert level to 3 -- which urges people not to approach the mountain. Firefighters say about 200 climbers have taken shelter at a cottage near the top. They say a few people are reportedly injured. Mount Ontake last erupted 7...

Japan’s entertainment industry has become so filled with idol groups that some call this is the age of the “idol war.” Finding commercial success amid this fierce competition can be tough, but an idol group that debuted this week is making no secret about its true intentions. The members of the group, called the Margarines, are out for money, pure and simple. The gimmick is that they’re pursuing the idol dream in order to pay off their debts. The nine members, ranging in age from 19 to 30, owe a total of around about ¥127 million.

Japan has imposed additional sanctions on Russia for its involvement in the Ukraine crisis. The move comes amid signs of tension between Moscow and Tokyo over their own territorial dispute. The new sanctions curtail the activities of Russian banks in Japan and step up controls on arms exports.

TOKYO -- The Japanese government is embarking on an ambitious quest to develop an entirely domestic fighter jet for the first time since the end of World War II. It will work with major defense contractors such as Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and IHI on the project, which is a milestone in Japan's defense procurement policy. The project will start in earnest in fiscal 2015, with work on a prototype engine and assessments of the aircraft's stealth capabilities. The outlook for the costly undertaking is murky, however, given that the U.S. has never supported Japan's efforts to develop a fighter on...

The Defense Ministry is set to start research aimed at domestically manufacturing early-warning aircraft for the first time, with the aim of increasing surveillance on possible incursions into the nation’s territorial airspace, according to ministry sources. The move is part of an effort to boost the ministry’s preparedness to deal with the increasingly severe security environment in areas surrounding this nation, largely due to China’s increasing military spending in recent years. The ministry will seek to build the country’s first domestically produced early-warning plane by the mid-2020s, hoping to see it replace the aging U.S.-made aircraft model currently used by...

A HIGH IQ is a hindrance for women wanting to get married, while it is an asset for men, according to a study by four British universities. The study found the likelihood of marriage increased by 35 per cent for males for each 16-point increase in IQ. But for females, there was a 40 per cent drop for each 16-point rise. The findings, by the universities of Aberdeen, Bristol, Edinburgh and Glasgow, were published in Britain's Sunday Times newspaper. The study was based on the IQs of 900 males and females between their 10th and 40th birthdays. Paul Brown, a...

American fighters intercepted the Russian warplanes over Alaska United States officials have attributed the provocation in the sky with the visit of President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko US fighters intercepted six Russian military aircraft in the area of ​​Alaska. About it on his Twitter said CNN journalist Jim Skuitto. "Russian planes stormed the US airspace larger group than usual: Two fighters, two bombers and two tanker" - wrote the correspondent. Skuitto reported that the Americans intercepted the Russians. According to him, officials of the United States associated with the arrival of a provocation President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko States. On...

It's unusual for the United States - by far the biggest defense spender in the world - to seek scrapped military equipment from other nations. Typically, those roles are reversed. But for the past several years, according to internal emails obtained by The Virginian-Pilot, the U.S. Navy has been negotiating to acquire Japan's retired fleet of MH-53E Sea Dragons. The Navy wants to harvest the old helicopters for parts to help keep its own Sea Dragons flying until 2025. "It's telling when we are put in a position where we need to buy scrapped aircraft to keep ours going," said...

Japan’s nuclear watchdog has given the green light for two reactors to restart but the operator still has to persuade local communities they are safe. sendai-plant Widespread anti-nuclear sentiment has simmered in Japan ever since an earthquake and tsunami in March 2011 caused meltdowns at the Fukushima power plant, sparking the worst atomic disaster since Chernobyl. The country’s nuclear reactors were switched off after the catastrophe. Two reactors were briefly restarted last year but all of Japan’s nuclear plants are currently offline. The go-ahead from the Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NRA) for two reactors at the Sendai plant (pictured) in southern...

Conveyor Belt Sushi, Japan A dining concept that lets you pick from a wide range of one of Japan's best-known foods. NOTE: Click on the referenced link to watch the video. P.S. This technology will doom the SEIU/$15.00 minimum wage movement.

(Reuters) - Japan and the United States are exploring the possibility of Tokyo acquiring offensive weapons that would allow Japan to project power far beyond its borders, Japanese officials said, a move that would likely infuriate China. While Japan's intensifying rivalry with China dominates the headlines, Tokyo's focus would be the ability to take out North Korean missile bases, said three Japanese officials involved in the process. They said Tokyo was holding the informal, previously undisclosed talks with Washington about capabilities that would mark an enhancement of military might for a country that has not fired a shot in anger...

The smug self-confidence of financial analysts and writers who predicted that Japan's monstrous sales tax increase would have no long-term effect on its economy should be severely shaken. An Associated Press report tonight by business writer Elaine Kurtenbach tells readers that the Land of the Rising Sun's economy "contracted at a larger than earlier estimated annual rate of 7.1 percent in April-June, as companies and households slashed spending following a tax hike." This means that the "experts" who assured everyone that the second-quarter contraction would be smaller than or merely offset the brisk first-quarter expansion of 6 percent were horribly wrong. The...

CANBERRA, Australia—Australia is close to buying up to 10 submarines from Japan for as much as 20 billion Australian dollars (US$18.7 billion) in a move that would turn the north Asian country into a weapons exporter for the first time since World War II. The deal, which senior defense officials said they expect to be signed this year, risks stoking regional tensions since it positions Tokyo as a major guarantor of Australia's security at a time when relations between China and some of its neighbors, including Japan, are strained. A purchase of Japanese submarines also sits uncomfortably next to the...

Japan’s prime minister, Shinzo Abe, has signalled a rare attempt to mend fences with China when he appointed two MPs considered friendly towards Beijing to two senior posts in his governing Liberal Democratic party (LDP). […] In his first cabinet reshuffle on Wednesday, Abe also increased the number of female ministers to five—equaling a record set by his LDP predecessor, Junichiro Koizumi, in 2001—as part of his program to increase the number of women in the workforce, a key part of his long-term growth strategy. His decision to appoint Sadakazu Tanigaki as LDP’s secretary general, and veteran MP Toshihiro Nikai...

Indian PM Narendra Modi and Japan's Shinzo Abe have agreed at a summit in Tokyo to accelerate talks on a nuclear energy pact. They also agreed to strengthen security ties and Mr Modi welcomed Japan's easing of restrictions on exports of defence equipment and technology. Mr Modi is on his first major foreign visit since winning May's election. The trip is being seen as an attempt by the two democracies to balance the rising weight of China across Asia. Mr Modi arrived in Japan on Saturday and visited the former imperial city of Kyoto over the weekend. "The two prime...

With the Soryu-class submarine, Japan can compete with the best the global submarine market has to offer. As Clint Richards noted earlier, it now appears likely that Japan will sell advanced Soryu-class submarines to Australia. In addition to strengthening the relationship between Australia and Japan, and making Australia’s submarine force considerably more lethal, this represents a major move by Japan into the global submarine market. Germany, France, and Russia have long dominated the existing market for diesel-electric submarines. The German Type 209 submarine serves in over a dozen navies, with more than 60 boats currently in service. While the design...