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Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's support has fallen 9.4 points to 39.3%, according to a survey by Jiji news agency, as suspicion swirls over a suspected cover-up linked to cronyism, Abe's worst crisis since taking office. Abe and his finance minister, Taro Aso, 77, have been under fire since the finance ministry said on March 12 that it had altered records relating to a discounted sale of state-owned land to school operator Moritomo Gakuen, which had ties to Abe's wife, Akie. Abe and Aso have both denied wrongdoing. But opposition parties are calling for Aso to resign, while the affair could dash Abe's hopes of winning a third three-year term as head of his Liberal Democratic Party in a September party leadership election. Abe took office in December 2012. Abe's level of support is lower than the 40.4% who do not support him, the first time since October that his support has slipped below the level of those who don't back him, according to the survey, published on Friday. More than 25% of those who did not support Abe in the Jiji survey, conducted between March 9 and March 12, cited a lack of trust in the premier as their reason. Aso told a parliamentary committee on Friday that he did not intend to quit and said his job was to find the reason why the documents were doctored and to prevent something similar from happening again. "I am saying that I do not intend to resign," Aso told the upper house committee, where opposition lawmakers grilled him along with finance ministry bureaucrats and other officials about the scandal, including who knew what and when. Aso has said that responsibility for the land sale lay with Nobuhisa Sagawa, who stepped down as tax chief on Friday last week. Sagawa headed the finance ministry division that submitted the documents before he became tax agency chief in July. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said on Thursday that the land ministry had told his deputy on March 5 about possible differences between copies of documents in its possession and versions the finance ministry had submitted to parliament. Suga told reporters he himself was told about the issue on March 6 and he said he thought his deputy told Abe about the matter the same day. Abe had said he received a report on the altered documents on March 11. On March 8, the finance ministry submitted copies of what it later acknowledged on March 12 were altered documents. "It was not a stage where we could confirm the documents," Suga said when asked why he had not made the land ministry's concerns public. He added that he saw no problem in how the premier's office handled the matter. 

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Wednesday remained steadfast that he and his wife were not involved in a discount land-sale deal that has seen the opposition call for the resignation of his key ally, Finance Minister Taro Aso. Abe and Aso have come under fresh pressure over the ministry's admission this week that it had altered documents related to the sale of state-owned land at a steep discount to a school operator with ties to Abe's wife, Akie. Suspicion of a cover-up could slash Abe's ratings and dash his hopes for a third term as leader of his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Victory in the LDP September leadership vote would put him on track to become Japan's longest-serving premier. Copies of documents released by the finance ministry on Monday showed that references to Abe, his wife and Aso were removed from the ministry's records of the sale to school operator Moritomo Gakuen. "When you look at the documents even before they were altered, it is clear that my wife and I were not involved," Abe told an upper house budget committee on Wednesday, a statement echoed by chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga. Abe has said he would resign if evidence were found that they had. According to the ministry documents, a comment from Moritomo Gakuen citing Akie Abe as telling him, "This is good land so please proceed," was removed. Yasunori Kagoike, the former head of Moritomo Gakuen, and his wife remain in custody after being arrested last July over the deal. Asked about the reference on Wednesday, Abe said: "I checked with my wife and she says she said no such thing. My wife was neither the person in charge of establishing the school nor Mr Kagoike's boss, so naturally she would not have made such a remark." Abe and Aso told parliament they had never instructed officials at the finance ministry to alter the documents. The scandal has caused a stalemate in parliament, with opposition parties boycotting debate on the next fiscal year's budget, potentially delaying reforms to boost long-term economic growth. On Wednesday, a senior LDP politician told opposition counterpart Kiyomi Tsujimoto that the LDP would call former National Tax Agency chief Nobuhisa Sagawa to testify, a move previously opposed in return for the opposition returning to the budget debate, an opposition party official said. Sagawa headed the ministry division that submitted the documents before he became tax agency chief in July, an appointment critics saw as a reward for his efforts to diffuse the issue with his statements to parliament last year. Tsujimoto, who belongs to the Constitutional Democratic Party, countered by asking that Abe's wife appear as well, the opposition party official said. She did not receive a reply.

* Cover-up suspicions could dent Abe chance of 3rd term * Abe has denied he or wife intervened in land sale * Finance Minister Aso in hot seat * Abe's ratings slip on suspected scandal cover-up The name of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's wife was removed from documents regarding a suspected cronyism scandal, media said on Monday, as pressure mounted on the premier and his ally Finance Minister Taro Aso over a possible cover-up. Abe, now in his sixth year in office, had tried to put behind him questions over the sale of state-owned land at a huge discount to a school operator with ties to his wife, Akie. The issue last year sharply eroded Abe's popularity. His ratings rebounded thereafter, but doubts over Abe and his cabinet have been revived with a series of fresh revelations. Abe has repeatedly denied he or his wife did favours for school operator Moritomo Gakuen, which bought the land, and has said he would resign if evidence were found that they had. Former Moritomo Gakeun head Yasunori Kagoike and his wife were arrested in July on suspicion of illegally receiving subsidies. Suspicions of a cover-up could slash Abe's ratings and dash his hopes of a third term as leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Victory in the LDP September leadership vote would put him on track to become Japan's longest-serving premier. "The involvement of Mrs. Abe has deepened. This has entered the stage where the responsibility of the prime minister himself will be called into question," opposition Democratic Party leader Yuichiro Tamaki, was quoted saying by Kyodo news agency. The doubts have also sparked calls for Aso to quit, but the finance minister said on Friday that he will not step down. Aso plans to hold a news conference later on Monday. A finance ministry official said that 14 items had been altered in the documents after February -- when the scandal broke - at the instruction of the ministry's finance division to match testimony in parliament. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga on Monday did not directly respond to a question by reporters about Akie Abe but said that the finance minister Aso should investigate the facts. "What is important is to make everything clear," he said. Aso's survival? Opposition politicians have called for Aso to resign. The backing of Aso, 77, who doubles as deputy premier, is vital to Abe's bid for a third term and a key factor in the stability of his administration. "At the very least, it seems that Aso’s chances of surviving as finance minister are diminishing rapidly," wrote Tobias Harris, vice president of consultancy Teneo Intelligence, in an email. He said there was no "smoking gun" showing direct intervention by Abe or his wife. But Harris added: "It now seems to be more a question of whether Abe can manage an orderly exit at the end of his term in September or whether he’ll resign hastily again - but I don’t see how he can win a new mandate amidst the Abe fatigue that will surely grow after these revelations." On Friday, National Tax Agency chief Nobuhisa Sagawa abruptly resigned over his remarks in parliament about the case. Sagawa headed the ministry division that submitted the documents before he was tapped as tax agency chief in July, an appointment critics saw as a reward for his efforts to diffuse the issue with his statements to parliament last year. Some LDP members said the saga could undermine the party. "It is inconceivable that the bureaucrats on the spot had such authority (to alter the documents)," media quoted Shigeru Ishiba, an LDP lawmaker who has made no secret of his desire to challenge Abe in the party race, as saying on the weekend. "If we don't make clear who did this, trust in the LDP will waver." Abe, 63, swept back to power in December 2012 promising to revive the economy and bolster Japan's defence. It was a rare comeback for the conservative lawmaker, who quit abruptly in 2007 after a year in office marked by scandals in his cabinet, a deadlocked parliament and ill health. His ruling bloc won a two-thirds "super majority" in a October lower house poll, helped by opposition disarray. A March 9-11 survey by the Yomiuri newspaper showed support for Abe's cabinet has now fallen to 48%, down six points from a month earlier. Non-support rose to 42% and 80% said that the matter had not been handled appropriately. 

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe led a sombre ceremony on Sunday as Japan marked the seventh anniversary of a deadly earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster that devastated its northeastern coast and left around 18,500 people dead or missing. The magnitude 9.0 quake -- which struck under the Pacific Ocean on March 11, 2011 -- and the resulting tsunami caused widespread damage and took the lives of thousands of people. The killer tsunami also swamped the emergency power supply at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant, sending its reactors into meltdown as cooling systems failed in what was the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in 1986. Abe, lawmakers and family members who lost their loved ones in the disaster bowed their heads in silent prayer at a ceremony in Tokyo at 2:46 pm -- the exact moment the quake struck. Japanese private broadcasters also showed residents in the affected areas offering a moment of silence. "I offer my condolences to those who lost their beloved family members and friends," said Abe, dressed in formal mourning attire. Hideko Igarashi, one of the three residents from the disaster-hit region who spoke at the ceremony, said Japan should "never forget what we learned from the disaster". The 70-year-old woman from Fukushima was hit by tsunami waves right after she began preparing to leave the area with her husband and uncle. "I grabbed a pine tree but I was swamped by the tsunami... My husband got away from me and he shouted 'Hideko' three times," she said. Igarashi survived and was later rescued by an emergency team. "I wish I had told him to run away much earlier." Japan's ageing Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko did not attend the ceremony this year again, but were represented by their son Prince Akishino and his wife Princess Kiko. Quake toll The total of dead or missing from the earthquake and the tsunami stood at 18,434 people, according to the National Police Agency. In addition, more than 3,600 people -- most of them from Fukushima -- died from causes such as illness and suicide linked to the aftermath of the tragedy, government data shows. More than 73,000 people still remain displaced, while no one is officially recorded as having died as a direct result of the nuclear catastrophe. The government lifted evacuation orders of some areas in Iitate village and the towns of Namie, Kawamata and Tomioka last spring, except for no-go zones with high radiation levels. Authorities are encouraging evacuees to return, but a government survey released earlier this month showed that about half the residents of Namie and Tomioka are not willing to return. Around 12,000 people who fled their homes for fear of radiation have filed dozens of lawsuits against the government and the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the operator of the stricken nuclear plant.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his ally, Finance Minister Taro Aso, face mounting pressure over a suspected cronyism scandal as the finance ministry prepares to report on Monday that documents in the case were doctored. Abe, now in his sixth year in office, had hoped to put the issue of the sale of state-owned land at a huge discount to a school operator with ties to his wife, Akie, behind him. But it has gathered steam with a series of fresh revelations. A source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Saturday the finance ministry planned to report to parliament on Monday that it had found instances where content was deleted from documents submitted to lawmakers. The source spoke on condition of anonymity. "If this is true, isn't political responsibility unavoidable?" Akira Nagatsuma, a senior lawmaker in the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, told reporters on Sunday. Abe has repeatedly denied he or his wife did favours for school operator Moritomo Gakuen, which bought the land, and has said he would resign if evidence were found that they had. The issue last year sharply eroded Abe's popularity. Former Moritomo Gakuen head Yasunori Kagoike and his wife were arrested in July on suspicion of illegally receiving subsidies. On Friday, National Tax Agency chief Nobuhisa Sagawa abruptly resigned over his remarks in parliament about the case. Also on Friday, media said police were investigating as possible suicide the death of a finance ministry official whose local office had handled the land sale. "If Minister Aso signed off on National Tax Agency chief Sagawa's resignation knowing about the falsified documents, moves seeking his resignation are inevitable," Yuichiro Tamaki, leader of the opposition Democratic Party, told reporters. Suspicions of an attempted cover-up could slash Abe's ratings and dash his hopes of a third term as ruling Liberal Democratic Party leader. Victory in the LDP September leadership vote would put him on track to become Japan's longest-serving premier. 'Critical blow' "If Aso were forced out, it would be a critical blow to the prime minister, reinforcing the impression of a cover-up and depriving Abe of a key ally who has served as finance minister since December 2012," wrote Tobias Harris, vice president of consultancy Teneo Intelligence in an email report. Sagawa headed the ministry division that submitted the documents before he was tapped as tax agency chief in July, an appointment critics saw as a reward for his efforts to diffuse the issue with his statements to parliament last year. Aso and Abe have both defended the appointment as "appropriate" and Aso has said he will not resign. "If these documents were falsified, the entire cabinet should resign," tweeted Mizuho Fukushima, a lawmaker with the tiny opposition Social Democratic Party. Abe, 63, swept back to power in December 2012 promising to revive the economy and bolster its defence. It was a rare comeback for the conservative lawmaker, who quit abruptly in 2007 after a year in office marked by scandals in his cabinet, a deadlocked parliament and ill health. His ruling bloc won a two-thirds "super majority" in a October lower house poll, helped by opposition disarray.

A Japanese finance ministry official at the centre of cronyism allegations linked to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been found dead, local media said on Friday. A second key official will step down over the scandal, local media also reported. Police are investigating the death of the official in Kobe in western Japan and suspect he committed suicide, with some media reporting a suicide note had been found. A police spokesman contacted by AFP could not confirm the reports. The unidentified official, who was found dead on Wednesday, was at the heart of a scandal over the cut-price sale of government-owned land to a close friend of Abe, the reports said. He was responsible for the 2016 sale of a plot of land in Osaka to the right-wing operator of a kindergarten at a price well below market value, according to local media. Separately, private broadcaster Nippon TV reported another senior official involved in the scandal, Nobuhisa Sagawa, has decided to step down after lawmakers and taxpayers demanded his resignation. Sagawa was reportedly promoted to head the tax agency in July, after holding a post overseeing the finance ministry division that negotiated the deal. The scandal has dogged Abe since it first emerged last February, though the prime minister has denied any wrongdoing and his approval ratings remain solid. Media reports said the land was sold for around a tenth of its market value, and that the kindergarten had announced plans to name Abe's wife Akie the honorary principal of a primary school being built on the same plot. Abe says his wife had only "reluctantly" accepted the post of honorary principal and had since "resigned". Last week, allegations emerged that the finance ministry's documents on the sale had been tampered with before being submitted to parliament. The allegation has paralysed parliament in recent days, with some opposition lawmakers boycotting debate. They have accused ministry officials of hiding some key documents and colluding to cover up the scandal.

The Japanese navy said Tuesday it had for the first time appointed a woman as commander of a unit that includes the country's biggest warship.  Ryoko Azuma, 44, will command four warships making up a division with a total of 1,000 crew members. "This is the first time a woman was appointed for the job," a spokesman for the Maritime Self-Defence Force told AFP. "But she wasn't chosen because she was a woman."  The ships include the helicopter carrier Izumo, the navy's biggest ship.  "I want to do my best to carry out the heavy duty I have been given," Azuma told reporters after a ceremony at Yokohama near Tokyo to mark her arrival in the post. About 400 crew members attended the ceremony.  "I don't think about being a woman but I want to try to become a role model for younger female officers," she said. About 14,000 women are currently serving in the Self-Defence Forces as the military is known, accounting for only six percent of the entire personnel. On most levels, Japan lags behind other developed countries in terms of sexual equality. In politics women are still under-represented with only 47 of the 465 members of the lower house. According to statistics compiled by the Swiss-based Inter-Parliamentary Union, this ratio of 10.1 percent places Japan below Myanmar and Gambia.

Tokyo Wednesday unveiled its long-awaited mascot for the 2020 Olympic Games: a futuristic blue-checked, doe-eyed character with pointy ears and ‘special powers’ that was picked by schoolchildren across mascot-mad Japan. The mascot, which has yet to be named, was selected by elementary school kids from a shortlist of three competitors instantly recognisable as ‘made in Japan’. The students picked option ‘A’, which, according to the Tokyo 2020 organisers, has a ‘strong sense of justice and is very athletic’. Helpfully, it also has a magical power that enables it ‘to move anywhere instantaneously’. Its Paralympic counterpart sports pink checks derived from Japan's famous cherry blossom and is ‘usually calm, however, it gets very powerful when needed’. Its magic power: ‘It can talk with stones and the wind. It can also move things by just looking at them’. The pair, which have ‘opposite personalities’ but are ‘very good friends’, received over 100,000 votes -- more than the other two design sets combined. Mascots are massive in Japan, the land of Hello Kitty and Pokemon, and there are literally thousands representing everything from small communities to prisons. Known locally as ‘yuru-kyara’ or ‘laid-back characters’, mascots can also be major money-spinners. The pot-bellied, red-cheeked bear known as Kumamon -- created in 2010 to promote Japan's southern Kumamoto region -- raked in $8.8 million last year for local businesses selling branded products. - Big business - Twelve-year-old Miyu Kawa from the school where the winner was unveiled on Wednesday pronounced the mascots ‘unique’ and ‘very cool’. ‘I am excited to imagine these characters on display everywhere and moving around,’ she said. But social media reaction was mixed with some saying they wanted something ‘more round’ and more ‘huggable’. Several users said the futuristic-looking mascot chosen appealed more to children whereas adults preferred the softer and more traditional options. Welcoming the ‘adorable’ characters to the Tokyo 2020 team, the city's governor Yuriko Koike said she hoped the selection would continue to build ‘momentum’ and ‘excitement’ with less than 900 days to go until the opening ceremony. The Tokyo 2020 mascot will hope to replicate the success of Soohorang, the cuddly stuffed tiger from the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang handed out to athletes on the podium. More than 100,000 stuffed dolls (Soohorang and Paralympic mascot Banbdabi) were sold over the past year, Pyeongchang organisers said. Soohorang sparked an inadvertent social media frenzy after a volunteer dressed up as the tiger got stuck in a doorway, needing a helper to push him through. The 2016 Rio Olympics had a yellow feline animal representing Brazil's rich fauna and wildlife named Vinicius after music great Vinicius de Moraes. The Paralympic mascot, a predominantly blue and green figure whose head was covered with leaves to represent Brazil's rich vegetation, was named Tom after musician Tom Jobim. Brazil netted $300 million in profits from licensing intellectual property from the 2016 Games, according to the International Olympic Committee (IOC). - Hit and miss - But Wenlock and Mandeville, the widely mocked mascots of the 2012 London Games, proved far from Olympic gold. The one-eyed characters were dubbed ‘bizarre’ and ‘creepy’ by some, reportedly sending shares in their manufacturer down by more than a third. The Rugby World Cup, which takes place in Japan next year, has already unveiled a pair of pot-bellied lions as its mascots. With luxurious manes, short horns and faces that appear to be shaped like rugby balls, mascots ‘Ren’ and ‘G’ are inspired by ‘shishi,’ the mythical lion-like figure that features in Japan's new year celebrations and kabuki theatre. Organisers turned to children to select the 2020 mascot, hoping to avoid a repeat of the bungled roll-out of the official Olympic logo, which ended up having to be scrapped following accusations of plagiarism. Designer Ryo Taniguchi seemed overwhelmed at the decision. ‘Thank you. My mind is going absolutely blank. I don't know what to say, ‘ he said when the decision was announced at the ceremony. ‘I want to tell this to my beloved wife.’

* Oil that washed up on two Japan islands seen from sunken tanker * Offshore seawater samples detect no oil pollution - Coast Guard * Oily matters have arrived at 22 southern Japan islands Oil that reached islands in southern Japan earlier this month is highly likely to have come from the sunken Iranian tanker Sanchi, the Japan Coast Guard said on Thursday. Samples of oily matter that washed up on February 8 on the shores of the Okinoerabu and Yoron islands in the Amami chain were found to be linked to the Sanchi's sinking, the Coast Guard said. The Sanchi sank on January 14 after colliding with a freighter on January 6 in the world's worst oil tanker disaster in decades. "Oily matter that arrived at the shores of the two islands is extremely likely to be linked to the Sanchi tanker incident, considering the similarity of the oil and the fact that there has not been any marine disaster involving oil spill in the nearby sea area," a Coast Guard official told Reuters by phone on Thursday. Black clumps of oily matter first washed up on the shores of Takarajima island on January 28 and other matter has since arrived at 21 other islands in southwestern Japan that are part of a chain of islands that includes Amami-Oshima and Okinawa, areas famous for pristine beaches and reef systems. The Sanchi, which the Coast Guard said was carrying 111,000 tonnes, or about 810,000 barrels, of condensate - an ultra-light, highly flammable crude oil - sank after several explosions weakened the hull following the collision. Most of the fuel evaporated after the ship caught fire. The bodies of two sailors were recovered from the ship while a third body was pulled from the sea near the vessel. The remaining 29 crew of the ship are presumed dead. On January 17, the Chinese government said the sunken tanker had created two oil slicks. Japan's environment ministry said in January it saw little chance that the spill would reach Japanese shores. Seawater samples taken from January 29 to February 2 at 14 different locations offshore southern Japan detected no oil pollution from the sunken tanker, the Coast Guard said in a statement on Wednesday. An oil slick continues to be seen near where the Sanchi sank. The slick is located about 315 km west of Amami-Oshima island and is about 700 metres long and 20 metres wide, though oil has been evaporating from the fringes, the Coast Guard said in a statement on Thursday. Japanese and Chinese patrol boats have been searching for the missing crew in the area and sailing over the slick to try to dissipate the oil, it added.

Fasten your seatbelts for a flight departing to Paris, and never leave the ground. That's exactly what 12 passengers did at First Airlines in central Tokyo this week, where they relaxed in first and business-class seats and were served four-course dinners, before immersing themselves in 360-degree virtual reality (VR) tours of the City of Light's sights. ‘A real trip is a hassle to prepare for, and expensive, and takes time. So I think it is good that we can enjoy all this hassle-free’, said Takashi Sakano, 39, who was on his first VR trip, adding that he wanted to 'travel' to Rome next time. At 6,600 yen ($62), a fraction of the cost of an actual trip overseas, it's easy to see why First Airline's two-hour 'flights' to Paris, Rome, Hawaii and New York have been fully booked since the company opened in 2016. ‘We have lots of elderly customers, who want to go overseas but are not able to easily, given their physical limitations’, Abe said, explaining that the majority of First Airlines' visitors are older Japanese from around the country. Abe added that domestic flights around Japan will be added soon, with meals highlighting the region's cuisine.

* Coincheck hands in report on hack and countermeasures * Exchange resumed yen withdrawals on Tuesday * Curbs remain on cryptocurrency withdrawals * Coincheck to hold press conference at 1100 GMT Japanese cryptocurrency exchange Coincheck Inc, under pressure to better safeguard investors after the daring theft of $530 million of digital money last month, filed on Tuesday a report with regulators on the hacking, a person familiar with the matter said. The Financial Services Agency ordered Coincheck to raise its standards after the late-January hack, directing it to submit a report on the security of its systems and measures it would take to prevent a repeat. The submission of the report came as Coincheck lifted curbs on yen withdrawals. Further details on the report were not immediately available. The exchange, which froze all withdrawals of yen and cryptocurrencies following the heist, said last week it had confirmed the integrity of its system security and would from Tuesday allow customers to withdraw yen. A source told Reuters on Friday that Coincheck had received withdrawal requests from customers totalling about 30 billion yen ($280 million). The exchange will hold a press conference at 8 p.m. local time (1100 GMT), the person familiar with the matter said. Coincheck did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment. The heist has exposed flaws in Japan's system of regulating cryptocurrency trading, and raised questions over the country's dash to oversee the industry - a move that was in sharp contrast to clampdowns by policymakers in countries such as South Korea, China and India. Despite allowing customers to resume withdrawing yen from its systems, Coincheck said last week it would keep in place curbs on cryptocurrency withdrawals until it could guarantee the secure resumption of its operations. A lawyer representing a group of ten cryptocurrency traders told Reuters that they will launch a lawsuit against Coincheck on Thursday over the curbs on taking out cryptocurrencies. The group will file a claim at the Tokyo District Court for Coincheck to allow withdrawals to private "wallets" - digital folders for storing money - outside the hacked exchange, the lawyer, Hiromu Mochizuki, said. Separately, Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda said on Tuesday cryptocurrencies likely won't threaten legal tenders like the yen any time soon as they are mostly used for speculative trading, rather than as payments and settlement means. Kuroda also said the BOJ was closely watching developments in cryptocurrency trading to ensure they do not erode public trust over the safety of existing settlement systems overseen by the central bank. "Cryptocurrencies aren't legal tenders and don't have assets to back up their value," the BOJ chief said. 

Japanese authorities said Tuesday they had recovered a body part during the search for a crew member missing in a deadly military helicopter crash in the country's southwest. The Apache helicopter crashed Monday in a residential area in Saga province, killing co-pilot Hiroki Takayama and leaving lead pilot Kenichi Saito missing. ‘We were informed that a body part was found. But we're still confirming the identity of the body part,’ a defence ministry spokesman told AFP. The helicopter crashed in Saga prefecture seven minutes after takeoff, slamming into and setting on fire a house that was completely destroyed in the accident. An 11-year-old girl was in the house at the time, but survived with minor injuries. Video footage captured by a camera in a nearby car showed the helicopter dropping from the sky almost vertically, with its nose pointing directly towards the ground. The crash site was just 300 metres (1,000 feet) from a local elementary school and sent a thick plume of grey smoke rising from in between the rooftops of local houses. The AH-64 Apache attack helicopter was conducting a test flight after routine maintenance at the time of the accident, and had taken off from a Self-Defence Forces (SDF) base, according to the defence ministry. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe offered said his government would investigate the incident. ‘It is very regrettable that the Self-Defence Forces, which should protect the people's lives and peaceful living, threatened their safety and caused tremendous damage,’ he told a parliamentary session. ‘I apologise sincerely,’ Abe added. The defence ministry said it has suspended the flight of all 12 of its AH-64 helicopters for inspections. The incident revived memories of a 2016 crash in which a Japanese air force jet with six people aboard went missing in mountainous terrain. Their bodies were later recovered. There has also been a string of accidents involving US military helicopters that have fuelled opposition to their presence in the country. The latest was a UH-1 helicopter that was forced into an emergency landing last month on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa. Japan's SDF have been banned from waging any kind of combat beyond defence of the nation since the US-imposed constitution of 1947 that followed the carnage of World War II. But despite the limits on the scope of its military activity, Japan nonetheless boasts an impressive array of weaponry with highly trained personnel.

One crew member was confirmed dead and another was missing on Monday after a Japanese military helicopter crashed in a residential area in the southwest of the country, reportedly injuring a local girl and setting a home on fire. A 26-year-old co-pilot was found unconscious following the crash in the town of Kanzaki and later confirmed dead, a defence ministry spokesman said. "We are still searching for the 43-year-old pilot," the spokesman told AFP, retracting earlier remarks made by Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera, who said both crew members on board were retrieved "in a state of cardiac and respiratory arrest." That language is often used by Japanese officials before deaths are officially confirmed. Quoting local fire department officials, the Asahi Shimbun daily said an 11-year-old girl who was in the house when the helicopter crashed was sent to hospital after injuring her knee. Immediate confirmation of the report was not available. Japan's NHK television showed a thick plume of grey smoke rising from the site of the crash in between the rooftops of local houses, some 300 metres away from an elementary school. Local firefighters could be seen running through the streets with red fire hoses as people were evacuated from the area. "I heard something like a rumbling of the earth," a woman living near the crash site told NHK. "I rushed out there and saw a blaze and black smoke. It's impossible that this happens in such a place." Onodera earlier told reporters the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter had gone down in Japan's Saga region and "burst into flames". Local officials confirmed the crash site was a residential area, adding one home had caught fire. The local fire authority said it had sent 14 fire engines and three ambulances to the site. The incident revived memories of a 2016 crash in which a Japanese air force jet with six people aboard went missing in mountainous terrain.  Four bodies were later recovered. There has also been a string of accidents involving US military helicopters that have fuelled opposition to their presence in the country. The latest was a UH-1 helicopter that was forced into an emergency landing last month on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa. No one was hurt in that incident, which officials blamed on a faulty rotor blade. Japan's Self-Defence Forces (SDF) have been banned from waging any kind of combat beyond defence of the nation since the US-imposed constitution of 1947 that followed the carnage of World War II. They have been deployed overseas in peacekeeping missions, some of which have proved controversial at home.  And while the SDF is strictly limited in terms of the scope of its military activity, Japan nonetheless boasts an impressive array of weaponry with highly trained personnel.

A Japanese military helicopter crashed Monday in a residential area in the southwest of the country, setting at least one home on fire, local officials said. ‘A Self-Defence Force helicopter crash-landed on a residential area. A house has caught fire,’ local government official Katsuhide Tanaka told AFP. There was no immediate confirmation of any casualties in the crash in the town of Kanzaki. Japan's NHK television showed a thick plume of grey smoke rising from the site of the crash in between the rooftops of local houses. Local firefighters could be seen running through the streets with red firehoses as people were evacuated from the area. Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera confirmed a helicopter had gone down in Japan's Saga region. ‘The helicopter crashed and burst into flames,’ he told reporters. ‘Images show that the helicopter appears to have crashed in a residential area and we are checking that.’ ‘We're still confirming the scale of casualties,’ he added. A defence ministry spokesman told AFP there were two people on board the Apache helicopter when it crashed. The local fire authority said it had dispatched 14 fire engines and three ambulances to the site. The crash raised memories of a 2016 incident in which a Japanese air force jet with six people aboard went missing in mountainous terrain. Four bodies were later recovered. Japan's Self-Defence Forces (SDF) have been banned from waging any kind of combat beyond defence of the nation since the US-imposed constitution of 1947 that followed the carnage of World War II. They have been deployed overseas in peacekeeping missions, some of which have proved controversial at home. And while the SDF is strictly limited in terms of the scope of its military activity, Japan nonetheless boasts an impressive array of weaponry with highly trained personnel.

Eleven people were killed in northern Japan after fire broke out at a home for elderly people with financial difficulties, police said on Thursday. Television footage showed the three-storey building engulfed in flames and dozens of firefighters battling the blaze in snowy conditions. Pictures of the aftermath showed the blackened husk of the building, whose roof had apparently collapsed due to the fire. The victims -- eight men and three women -- were among 16 residents of the facility in Sapporo, Hokkaido, run by a local organisation. The other five residents escaped, a police spokesman told AFP, adding that authorities were investigating the victims' identities. Kenji Kikai, a local police official, told AFP: ‘Of the five people who escaped, three people -- two men and one woman -- were rushed to hospital. The two men were slightly injured and the woman sustained moderate injuries. ‘They are still hospitalised but the injuries are not life-threatening,’ added Kikai. Two others escaped unharmed. Police said they had launched a probe into the cause of the fire first alerted at 11:42 pm (1442 GMT) Wednesday via an emergency call. The accommodation was originally a Japanese inn built around 50 years ago that was later turned into a welfare home. The facility is aimed at supporting elderly people with financial difficulties by offering low-cost accommodation and helping them find work, public broadcaster NHK reported. It is usually unstaffed overnight, according to local media. As dawn broke, police and firefighters were combing the blackened remains of furniture in freezing temperatures. - 'Small explosions' - ‘As there were many oil tanks (for kerosene stoves) there, I heard a number of small explosions,’ a 67-year-old woman in the neighbourhood told Jiji Press. ‘Luckily, the only damage to our house was some cracks on the window,’ she was quoted as saying. Another woman in the neighbourhood, 65, said when she spotted smoke and flames while she was watching the total lunar eclipse from the window of her house, Jiji Press said. ‘The smoke and flames were rising vertically. If there had been wind, the damage would have been bigger,’ she told Jiji. ‘The surrounding area was bright as if it were day because of efforts to extinguish fire, and smoke lasted until near the dawn,’ she said. Others saw ash falling like snow in the vicinity of the fire, local media reported. ‘It was an awful fire. It spread so quickly and flames were billowing,’ said one woman neighbour, who did not wish to be named. The fire sparked memories of a similar incident in Sapporo in 2010 when seven residents of a private nursing home for the elderly were killed in a pre-dawn fire. Four women and three men aged in their 60s to their 80s died when the blaze swept through the two-storey wooden house. In that case, all the residents were believed to suffer from dementia.

* Fujifilm says to slash 10,000 jobs at Fuji Xerox * Xerox to combine with Fujifilm JV: WSJ * Fujifilm to take control of new entity: WSJ * Icahn, Deason had demanded Xerox CEO ouster, better terms on JV * Fujifilm shares tumble after WSJ report Japan's Fujifilm Holdings said it is cutting 10,000 jobs globally at its joint venture with Xerox Corp to cope with a decline in the photocopying business, amid speculation of a new deal between the two companies. Fujifilm owns 75 percent of the joint venture, called Fuji Xerox, which accounts for nearly half of the Japanese company's sales and operating profit. Fuji Xerox had over 47,000 employees as of March 2017, according to its website, meaning the job cuts would likely slash its workforce by more than a fifth. Xerox Corp owns the remaining 25 percent of Fuji Xerox and has faced pressure from investors to explore strategic options and negotiate better terms on the venture with Fujifilm. The Japanese company's job cuts announcement comes after the Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the matter, reported that Xerox Corp is nearing a deal with Fujifilm that would cede control of the US photocopier pioneer to Fujifilm. ‘The market environment surrounding the company's subsidiary Fuji Xerox has grown increasingly severe,’ Fujifilm said in a statement on Wednesday. Fujifilm said it would book restructuring costs of 49 billion yen ($450.95 million) in the second half of the fiscal year through March, lowering its operating profit forecast for the year to 130 billion yen from a previous 185 billion yen. It said the planned restructuring measures involve job cuts and closing or integrating manufacturing bases, and would lower annual costs by 50 billion yen from the year ending March 2020. The Journal report said a deal would be announced as soon as Wednesday, and would include plans to combine Xerox with the five-decades-old Fuji Xerox. Xerox shareholders would own just under half of the resulting entity and would get an implied premium for their stock and cash, it said. The talks could still fall apart or the terms could change, the paper said, adding that Xerox shares would continue to trade following any deal. Fujifilm and Xerox declined to comment on the report. Fujifilm is due to hold a news conference at 5 p.m. (0800 GMT). Xerox has been under pressure to find new growth sources as it struggles to reinvent its legacy business amid waning demand for office printing. Fujifilm is also trying to streamline its copier business with a larger focus on document solutions services. Xerox has been targeted by activist investor Carl Icahn and shareholder Darwin Deason, who joined forces last week to push Xerox to explore strategic options, oust its ‘old guard’, including its CEO, and negotiate better terms for its decades-long deal with Fujifilm. Icahn is Xerox's biggest shareholder, with a 9.72 percent stake. Fujifilm shares fell 8.3 percent on Wednesday ahead of its announcement of job cuts but after the Journal report about a deal with Xerox. Xerox shares ended down 0.5 percent on Tuesday.

A Japanese woman who was forcibly sterilised as a teenager due to intellectual disabilities sued the government on Tuesday in the first case of its kind, seeking compensation because her basic human rights had been trampled on. Under Japan's eugenics protection law, in force from 1948 to 1996, about 25,000 people were sterilised due to mental or genetic illnesses, Japanese media said. They included leprosy sufferers and some with intellectual and cognitive disabilities. About 16,500 of them are believed to have had the surgery without their consent. The 60-year-old who sued had developed mental problems following surgery for a cleft palate as an infant and was diagnosed with an intellectual disability at 15, after which she was forcibly sterilised, media said, quoting court documents. As the result of side-effects she later had to have her ovaries removed. Subsequently, marriage talks were broken off as a result of her inability to have children. No further details were given, including the woman's name. "Thanks to the law, my sister has really suffered, living her life hidden away," the woman's sister told a news conference. "We wanted to stand up and build a society where even people with disabilities can have a happy life." The woman seeks compensation of 11 million yen ($101,149), saying the government should have set up relief measures for those subjected to the surgery, in recompense for violating their human rights. Health Minister Katsunobu Kato declined to comment, telling reporters he did not know the details of the case, but his ministry would investigate. People with disabilities have long suffered shame and stigma in Japan, although anti-discrimination efforts have gathered pace since a law took effect in 2016. That July, however, Japan was forced to confront its attitudes after a man went on a stabbing spree at a facility for disabled people near Tokyo, killing 19 as they slept and wounding 26. He had previously threatened to "obliterate" disabled people. Almost nothing about the victims was disclosed except for gender and age, mainly at the request of their families.

A powerful winter storm pummelled a wide swathe of Japan, bringing blizzard conditions and sub-zero temperatures, weather authorities said Thursday. Commuters in Tokyo saw temperatures drop to four degrees below zero on Thursday morning, a level the capital had not seen in 48 years, as the Meteorological Agency issued a cold weather warning to the region for the first time in 30 years. A total of 1,900 people had to spend the night in train cars as heavy snow caused delays to high-speed bullet trains between Nagoya and Osaka, broadcaster NHK reported. The agency warned of strong winds, high waves, blizzard conditions and heavy snow across wide areas of Japan due to "cold air of the sort that comes only once in many years." On Wednesday, the storm brought wind gusts of up to 113 kilometres per hour in Erimo Town on the northern island Hokkaido, while temperatures plunged to 30.8 degrees below zero in the town of Kimobetsu, the Hokkaido Shimbun newspaper reported. Japan has been hard-hit this winter. On Monday, the heaviest snow in four years battered the capital, injuring hundreds of people and causing more than 700 traffic accidents. Additional snowfall of up to 80 centimetres is forecast for Sea of Japan coastal areas and up to 50 centimetres for Nagano prefecture and north-eastern Japan by Friday morning, according to the agency.

A Japanese soldier was killed yesterday and several other people injured after a volcano erupted near a popular ski resort, sparking an avalanche and leaving scores stranded – including tourists from Britain and Taiwan.  Footage broadcast on Japanese television showed thick black smoke interspersed with falling rocks rolling down the snow-covered side of the volcano towards a ski slope.  Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera told reporters that one of eight members of the Self Defence Forces who had been on a training mission on Mt. Kusatsu Shirane, northwest of Tokyo, had died after being hit by volcanic rocks.  “His lungs were damaged” because of the impact of the rocks, Onodera said, adding that the other seven soldiers had sustained injuries.  The defence ministry had initially said a total of six infantry troops were caught up in the incident.  “Black smoke rose from the top of the mountain and we were told to evacuate inside 30 minutes later,” a man who was at the ski resort told public broadcaster NHK.  Around 80 people were stranded for hours at a gondola station at the top of the mountain after a power outage.  Television footage showed military helicopters buzzing overhead as people were airlifted to safety.  Yuko Iguchi, an official from nearby Kusatsu town, told AFP: “All the people stranded at the summit were brought down to the safe zone. We have not received any injured people among them.”  Another local official, Yoichi Takai, told AFP that “15 people from Taiwan and four from Britain were among those who were stranded at the peak.”  One woman who was trapped at the gondola station but later rescued told Japanese TV: “There was an eruption in front of my eyes. Black and white plumes came towards me. Then the ski slope went completely black.”  The area had seen heavy snowfall in the hours leading up to the eruption, making the slopes ripe for avalanches.  A snowboarder told NHK his gondola had stopped suddenly and he saw that other gondolas around him had broken windows and were covered in ash.  “I realised it was an eruption. Forty to 50 minutes later, all the gondolas moved up to the station on the top of the mountain,” he said. Japan’s Meteorological Agency urged people to stay away after it detected what it said was “slight volcanic activity.”  Agency official Makoto Saito told reporters the volcano could still spew more rocks and ash, and that there was a risk of further avalanches. A local fire department official told AFP that 10 people had been hurt in the incident.   “Five of them were seriously injured. We began sending the injured to a hospital,” he said. Among the injured were four people hurt by shattered glass while on a ropeway gondola at the ski resort. The official said an earlier report that one person was missing in the avalanche was not accurate. Japan, with scores of active volcanoes, sits on the so-called Pacific “Ring of Fire” where a large proportion of the world’s quakes and volcanic eruptions are recorded.  On September 27, 2014, Japan suffered its deadliest eruption in almost 90 years when Mt Ontake, in central Nagano prefecture, burst unexpectedly to life. An estimated 63 people were killed in the shock eruption, which occurred as the peak was packed with hikers out to see the region’s spectacular autumn colours. According to the Meteorological Agency, this was the first time Mt Kusatsu Shirane has erupted since 1983. There are currently 111 active volcanoes in Japan, according to agency officials.

By popular demand, Tokyo's new panda cub Xiang Xiang is working extra hours from Tuesday, the latest example of overtime in a country famous for its hard-working ‘salarymen.’ Ueno zoo's first baby panda since 1988 will be on display for an extra two hours every day until the end of January and working a full seven-hour day from February to cater to the thousands of fans of the cuddly celebrity. Munching on bamboo shoots and nuzzling her mother, the bright-eyed seven-month-old has been the object of major media attention, with visitors clad in panda paraphernalia flocking to see her since her first public appearance in December. More than a quarter of a million fans entered a lottery to get a first glimpse but zoo officials initially limited visitors to 400 per day during a three-hour window. Until the end of January however, panda fans can get a first-come, first-served ticket to see Xiang Xiang, who will be on display for five hours a day. And from February, the hours are expected to be extended again -- to a seven-hour shift -- as the zoo seeks to accommodate up to 9,500 fans of the curious cub. Some visitors at the zoo on Tuesday were not sure whether the baby panda was ready for grown-up working hours. Asami Sato, a 45-year-old mother visiting with daughter Yuriya, questioned whether the cub was ready for so much exposure. ‘It must feel unnatural,’ she said, ‘but as long as she is happy and not stressed, I guess it's OK.’ Dennis Pook, 36, an assistant manager, said the extended hours were ‘too much, too fast.’ ‘I think the increase is very sudden. If they had extended the hours more slowly and let the panda adapt, it would probably be a lot better,’ he said. For Chinese student Chen Gingya, 20, the most surprising part of the issue was the massive attention Xiang Xiang has attracted. ‘Pandas are not much of a novelty to me back home. I think it's interesting to see people queue for so long though. The extended hours will probably help the crowd to be honest,’ she said. To avoid congestion, each visitor gets two minutes to observe the cub -- along with her 12-year-old mother Shin Shin. There are no limits for viewing Xiang Xiang's father Ri Ri in the neighbouring enclosure.