Osaka arson suspect deep in debt

OSAKA--Kazuhiro Ogawa, suspected of setting a video parlor fire here that killed 15 men Wednesday, apparently was so deeply in debt that he despaired of his future. Ogawa, arrested the same day on suspicion of arson and murder, sold his condominium ar

Overseas education broker Gateway21 to file for bankruptcy protection

Gateway21 Co., an education broker that sends Japanese students to overseas language schools, plans to file for bankruptcy protection and may be unable repay students 950 million yen ($8.93 million) in advance payments, sources said Monday. Gateway21,

Yes, we have no bananas

Diet-conscious Japanese, it seems, have gone bananas over, well, bananas. The sudden surge in demand came after Tokyo Broadcasting System Inc. and its affiliates aired a show Sept. 19 in which singer Kumiko Mori said she lost 7 kilograms since she bega

Japanese female reportedly abducted in Ethiopia

A Japanese member of a Paris-based nonprofit medical organization was abducted by an armed group in Ethiopia, French radio station Radio France Internationale (RFI) reported Wednesday. The NPO, Medecins du Monde (MDM, Doctors of the World), said Tuesda

Aso elected as prime minister

Taro Aso, the outspoken former foreign minister, was elected Japan's 92nd prime minister at the Diet on Wednesday. Aso, 68, succeeded Yasuo Fukuda, 72, who announced his resignation on Sept. 1, citing expected difficulty in passing key bills in the div