Japan starts fingerprinting foreigners

Nov. 20 - The new anti-terrorism measure is largely accepted by travellers, but criticised by foreign residents in Japan.

Immigrations procedures upon entering Japan have been tightened in a move the government says is part of its fight against global terrorism.

Automatic fingerprint reading machines and digital photo taking computers have been introduced into international airports and ports across Japan aimed at collecting data of all incoming foreigners.

Stem cell breakthrough in Japan

Nov 23 - Japanese scientists have succeeded in creating embryonic stem cells without using embryos.

The bio-team from Kyoto University announced their discovery on 20th. Nov, 2007 along with another team from the University of Wisconsin in the U.S. who'd made the same breakthough during separate research.

It's expected this development will clear a major ethical roadblock to the medical use of the technology.

Japan Hunts the Humpback. Now Comes the Backlash.

The Japanese ritual of killing whales in the name of scientific research may inspire new protest with the targeting of the endangered species.

Japanese Shift Cash Out of U.S. Investments

Many Japanese investors are quitting American investments, in a move that is altering global capital flows and helping to weaken the dollar.

New Japanese Immigration Controls Worry Foreigners

Japan is about to impose strict immigration controls that many fear could deter visitors and discourage businesses from locating in the country.

Tokyo Seeking a Top Niche in Global Finance

As Japan’s focus on manufacturing wanes, planners are trying to reverse engineer another source of the United States’ economic strength: Wall Street.

Gates Urges More Japanese Action on Global Security

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates pressed pacifist Japan today to play a more significant role in international security.

Recent Dings Don’t Dent Toyota Profit

Toyota said that net profit from July through September rose 11 percent from the period a year earlier, to 450.9 billion yen (nearly $4 billion).

Forced to Run Straight, a River Must Now Twist

For decades, Japan pursued economic development at all costs, but in an effort to protect the environment it is aiming to reverse destruction along the Kushiro River.

As Japan Ages, Prisons Adapt to Going Gray

With one of the world’s most rapidly aging societies, Japan is confronting a sharp increase in older prisoners.

Japan Ends Afghan Naval Mission

The refueling mission, while largely symbolic, provided important diplomatic support for Washington.

Paul W. Tibbets Jr., Pilot of Enola Gay, Dies at 92

General Tibbets commanded the B-29 Superfortress that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima in World War II.

Wait, Don’t Eat That: Candy Scandal Stuns Japan

Scandals involving the freshness of products by popular confectioners have shaken Japanese consumers.

Specialty Beers on the Rise in the Land of Sake

There’s hope brewing in Japan. The country has produced craft brewers that can hold their own with the best that the United States and Europe have to offer.