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Former Nissan and Renault boss Carlos Ghosn began his astonishing escape from Japan with a bullet train ride from Tokyo to Osaka, possibly accompanied by several people, Japanese news agency Kyodo reported Monday. Japanese authorities also said on Monday they may still press for Ghosn's extradition from Lebanon to face multiple charges of financial wrongdoing, even though the country does not normally extradite its nationals. Security cameras captured Ghosn leaving his home on Dec. 29 at about 2:30 p.m. (0530 GMT) and arriving some hours later at Tokyo's Shinagawa Station, where he took the train to Shin Osaka Station, Kyodo said, citing a person familiar with the matter. The international fugitive then went by car to a hotel near Osaka's Kansai International Airport, where he boarded a private jet at 11:10 p.m., according to the media report. Ghosn was forbidden from leaving Japan while awaiting trial on charges of financial misconduct, which he has denied, but he fled at the end of last year to escape what he called a "rigged" justice system. Prosecutors are now working with police to piece together Ghosn's route and find out who helped him, Kyodo said. In the government's first briefing since Ghosn skipped bail, Justice Minister Masako Mori said on Monday that as a general principle, Tokyo could request the extradition of a suspect from a country with which it has no formal extradition agreement. Such a request would need to be carefully examined based on the possibility of "guaranteeing reciprocity and the domestic law of the partner country", Mori told reporters in Tokyo. Mori did not say what would guarantee reciprocity - the idea that benefits or penalties extended by one country to citizens of another should be reciprocated. She also did not say if there were any Lebanese nationals in Japan wanted in Lebanon. According to a Lebanese judicial source, Lebanon has yet to receive a formal notice from Interpol requesting Ghosn's arrest and will not take any steps until it does. The source said on Monday that the so-called red notice it received last week had been sent directly from Japan rather than via Interpol's headquarters in Lyon, France. "There are questions in Wiesbaden and Lyon over the legality of sending the notification directly from Tokyo to Lebanon without passing through Interpol headquarters," the source said, referring to Interpol offices. When Lebanon has received red notices in the past, suspects have not been detained but their passports have been confiscated and bail has been set, a judicial source said last week. Mori offered little insight into the events of Ghosn's escape to his ancestral home, repeatedly saying she could not comment on specifics because of an ongoing investigation. Japanese officials broke days of silence about the Ghosn case on Sunday, saying they would tighten immigration measures and investigate his escape thoroughly. The authorities have also issued an international notice for his arrest. Mori also defended Japan's justice system against Ghosn's charges that it was "rigged" and discriminatory. In Japan, suspects who deny charges against them are often detained for long periods and subject to lengthy questioning without a lawyer present, a system critics call "hostage justice". "Various comments about Japan's justice system and this unjust departure are two different things," Mori told reporters, saying criticism of the justice system could not be used to justify Ghosn's escape. "Departure in an unjust way without proper procedure is tantamount to smuggling, an illegal departure amounting to a crime."

Kane Tanaka has extended her record as the world's oldest person by celebrating her 117th birthday at a nursing home in Fukuoka in southern Japan. Tanaka marked her birthday with a party on Sunday along with staff and friends at the nursing home, television footage from local broadcaster TVQ Kyushu Broadcasting Co showed. Tanaka, whose birthday was on Jan. 2, took a bite from a slice of her big birthday cake. "Tasty," she said with a smile. "I want some more." Tanaka was last year confirmed as the oldest living person, aged 116 years 66 days old as of March 9, according to Guinness World Records. Tanaka's record age is symbolic of Japan's fast-ageing population, which coupled with its falling birthrate is raising concerns about labour shortages and prospects for future economic growth. The number of babies born in Japan fell an estimated 5.9% last year to fewer than 900,000 for the first time since the government started compiling data in 1899, according to Japan's welfare ministry. Tanaka was born prematurely in 1903 and married Hideo Tanaka in 1922, Guinness World Records said. The couple had four children and adopted a fifth.

Japanese police found the remains of at least five people in a wooden boat suspected to be from North Korea on the coast of one of Japan's outlying islands on Saturday, a Coast Guard official said. Police made the discovery in the wooden boat's stem around 9:30 a.m. (0030 GMT) on Saturday on Sado island, which is off the coast of Japan's northwestern prefecture of Niigata, Coast Guard official Kei Chinen said. Police found the heads of two persons, as well as five bodies, Chinen said, adding that the cause of death is under investigation. The official could not immediately confirm whether the heads belonged to the five bodies or were from two other people, saying that is being investigated. The wooden boat had letters and numbers written in Korean on its outside, he added. A police officer first spotted the wooden boat on Friday afternoon. Police waited until Saturday before entering it due to unstable weather. The discovery on Saturday marks the second time since last month that a wooden boat has washed up on the shores of Sado island, Chinen said. The grisly find adds to the troubles that Japan and South Korea have with their neighbour North Korea, as strained diplomatic ties over the North's nuclear arms programme could make an investigation difficult to carry out. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has given the United States until the end of the year to propose new concessions in talks over his country's nuclear arsenal and reducing tensions between the adversaries. Also on Friday, Japanese public broadcaster NHK sent a news bulletin that incorrectly reported North Korea had launched a missile that fell into waters east of the Japanese archipelago, issuing an apology explaining it was a media training alert.

* Tokyo court orders damages for Shiori Ito in civil suit * Rights advocates welcome verdict, see change * Court rejects counter-suit by prominent journalist * Ito made waves with public account of alleged rape Japanese journalist Shiori Ito on Wednesday won her civil lawsuit seeking damages from a prominent reporter who she said had raped her, a verdict welcomed by women's rights advocates in a country where sexual assault victims often stay silent. A Tokyo court ordered television journalist Noriyuki Yamaguchi to pay 3.3 million yen ($30,375) in damages to Ito, a freelance journalist who has become a well-known face of Japan's #MeToo movement, which has struggled to gain momentum. Ito fought back tears as she spoke through a megaphone to reporters and supporters outside the court after the verdict. "I'm so happy," she said, her voice breaking at times with emotion. "It's not over. Now, I have to deal with how I live with my scars." Ito, 30, had sought 11 million yen in damages for her suffering. Prosecutors had declined to indict Yamaguchi following her complaint to police that he had raped her while she was unconscious in 2015. Ito made waves in 2017 when she took the rare step of going public with allegations that Yamaguchi, a senior television journalist known for his reporting on Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, had raped her after she met him for drinks to discuss an offer to help her find a job. The court also ruled against a counter-suit by Yamaguchi, who has repeatedly denied the allegations, in which he sought 130 million yen in damages from Ito. Yamaguchi told a news conference that he would appeal the verdict, saying he had done nothing illegal. The court said in a summary of the verdict that the credibility of Ito's account, in which she said she was forced to have sex while unconscious and despite resisting after she regained consciousness, was relatively high. It also said there were grave doubts about the credibility of Yamaguchi's statements, in which he said the sex was consensual. In awarding the damages, the court said that Ito still suffered flashbacks and panic attacks as a result. The court also said Ito's decision to go public was intended to be in the public interest and did not violate Yamaguchi's privacy. Sexual assault victims in Japan often shy away from reporting incidents for fear of being blamed and humiliated. Only 2.8% of women forced to have sex consulted police, a 2017 government survey showed. Asked at a news conference what message she would like to convey to victims of sexual violence, Ito said: "You can take action any time. Surviving should be first and foremost." Mari Miura, a professor of political science at Sophia University, said the verdict would encourage more victims to speak out. "It's very empowering for a lot of women and will encourage more #MeToo voices," she said. Ito suggested in her book "Black Box" that she might have been given a "date rape” drug but that she had no way to know. Yamaguchi wrote in a magazine article in 2017 that he had "neither seen nor heard of the date rape drugs" Ito mentioned and that she had been "overconfident about the amount of alcohol and drank too much". Ito also wrote in her book that she was forced to re-enact the alleged rape with a life-sized doll while male police watched. She did not identify the policemen. Reuters could not confirm this incident, which was not touched upon in the summary of the court ruling. A spokesman for the Tokyo Metropolitan Police said the department could not immediately comment. Ito has said she was also trolled on social media by critics. The events formed the subject of a BBC documentary, "Japan's Secret Shame". Ito wrote in her book that police had obtained an arrest warrant against Yamaguchi but it was not implemented. She also wrote that the arrest was called off at the last minute by a senior police official. Ito was an intern at Reuters during the time she said the rape occurred. She left Reuters in June 2015. Prosecutors later decided not to bring charges. They do not give reasons for such decisions. A civil judicial panel later rejected Ito's appeal to force a prosecution, saying it had found no grounds to overturn the prosecutors’ decision. At the time, opposition lawmakers questioned whether Yamaguchi had received special treatment because of his close ties to Abe. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga has denied there were any irregularities regarding the case. The head of the National Public Safety Commission, which oversees the police, also denied in parliament that there were any problems with the investigation, media reported at the time. Legislators revised Japan’s century-old rape law in 2017 to include harsher penalties, including raising the minimum punishment for rapists to five years in prison from three. The reforms, however, left intact controversial requirements that prosecutors must prove violence or intimidation was involved or that the victim was "incapable of resistance,” prompting calls from academics, activists and psychiatrists for further changes to the law. Ito said on Wednesday that she hoped the law would be revised. 

The body of Tetsu Nakamura, a beloved Japanese doctor who was shot to death in Afghanistan after decades of his earnest support for the country, was brought back to Japan on Sunday. A plane carrying his body landed at Narita airport near Tokyo with his wife and eldest daughter, who visited Kabul after Wednesday's murder. Vice foreign minister Keisuke Suzuki and other attendants, including his wife, offered a silent prayer at the airport after placing bouquets on his casket wrapped by a white sheet. His body will be transferred to the western Japanese city of Fukuoka, his hometown, on Monday, local media said. The 73-year-old was killed in Jalalabad, the main city in the eastern province of Nangarhar where he had worked since the 1980s. He was killed along with five Afghan guards and colleagues in an attack no-one has yet claimed, and which the Taliban condemned. Even in a country inured to brutal violence and daily bloodshed, the killing of Nakamura, who transformed barren expanses of eastern Afghanistan and spent decades caring for the sick, came as a horrifying shock to many Afghans. Ahead of his body's departure from Kabul, Afghan officials, led by President Ashraf Ghani, attended a ceremony at an airport to mourn for the death of Nakamura, who became an honourary citizen of his adopted home.

* Tohoku Electric gets initial green light for Onagawa reactor * Further approvals, local authority consent needed for restart * Utility to invest $3.1 bn in safety upgrades, anti-tsunami wall * Nuclear safety back on agenda in Japan with Pope Francis visit Japan's Tohoku Electric Power said on Wednesday it has won initial regulatory approval to restart a reactor at its Onagawa power plant, more than 8 years after it was damaged in the earthquake and tsunami that caused the Fukushima disaster. Tohoku Electric said in a statement it has received a first green light from Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority to restart the No. 2 reactor at Onagawa, subject to a public consultation period. Onagawa was the closest among Japan's nuclear stations to the epicentre of the magnitude-9 quake in March 2011, which triggered a tsunami that killed nearly 20,000 people, as well as causing the worst atomic disaster since Chernobyl in 1986. The station was swamped by the tsunami, but survived with its cooling system intact, saving its reactors from the threat of meltdowns similar to those that occurred at Tokyo Electric Power's Fukushima Daiichi station to the south. Further approvals will be required before the restart, along with the consent of local authorities, which is not guaranteed. The reactor is a boiling water reactor (BWR) with the same basic design as those that melted down in the Fukushima crisis. Tohoku Electric expects to spend 340 billion yen ($3.1 billion) on safety upgrades at the Onagawa plant, including for a wall stretching 800 metres (2,625-ft) in length and standing as tall as 29 metres above sea level to protect it from tsunamis. Restarting the No. 2 reactor will save the utility 35 billion yen each year in fuel costs, he said. The Fukushima disaster led to the eventual shutdown of the country's then-54 operational reactors, which once provided nearly a third of Japan's electricity. All had to be relicensed under new standards after the disaster highlighted operational and regulatory failings. While the approval will be a boost for Japan's resurgent nuclear industry, the sector will still miss a government target of providing at least a fifth of the country's electricity by 2030, an analysis by Reuters showed last year. Nine reactors have been restarted, all of them pressurized water reactors located far from Tokyo, while the stigma of Fukushima still hangs over use of the older BWR technology. The issue of nuclear safety in Japan was highlighted again earlier this week when Pope Francis - who met victims of the Fukushima nuclear disaster while in Japan over the weekend - said nuclear energy should not be used until there are ironclad guarantees that it is safe for people and the environment.

Survivors of the nuclear attack on Hiroshima told Pope Francis yesterday of the “scene of hell” after the bombing, as the pontiff hit out against the use of the weapons.  The pope began his four-day trip to Japan with stops in Nagasaki and Hiroshima, where he paid tribute to those affected by the two bombs dropped by US forces in 1945 at the end of World War II.  In Hiroshima, Francis met several survivors of the attack, who echoed his calls for the world never to forget the atrocity of the bombings.  Yoshiko Kajimoto was 14 years old when the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, killing at least 140,000 people.   “When I went outside, all the surrounding buildings were destroyed. It was dark as evening and smelled like rotten fish,” she told the pope at the Peace Memorial in the city.  Her eyes closed tight and her voice trembling occasionally, she described people “walking side by side like ghosts, people whose whole body was so burnt that I could not tell the difference between men and women.”  “No one in this world can imagine such a scene of hell,” she added, recalling the days of white smoke that hung above the city as the victims were cremated. Kajimoto found her father three days after the attack, but he died 18 months later from radiation exposure.  She told Francis her mother suffered illnesses from the atomic bomb for 20 years, and described her own battles with stomach cancer and leukaemia. “I work hard to bear witness that we must not use such terrible atomic bombs again, nor let anyone in the world endure such suffering,” she said.  In a speech at the Hiroshima peace memorial, the pope said he was humbled by the “strength and dignity” of the survivors.  “With deep conviction I wish once more to declare that the use of atomic energy for purposes of war is today, more than ever, a crime not only against the dignity of human beings, but against any possible future for our common home,” he said.  As survivors of the bomb attacks age, many fear that their message of nuclear abolition will be forgotten, and they are hopeful the pope will bring renewed attention to the movement.  Testimony from another survivor Koji Hosokawa, who was unable to make the ceremony, was read out to the pope.  “I think everyone should realise that the atomic bombs were dropped, not on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but on all humanity,” according to Hosokawa’s message.  Hosokawa was 17 when the bomb was dropped and described suffering both the physical after-effects but also the prejudice that many survivors experienced.  “Although there is little time left for me, I believe that passing on the experience of Hiroshima to the next generation is the final mission assigned to us A-bomb survivors,” Hosokawa’s testimony read.

A Japanese company has developed artificial intelligence technology that can be easily linked to security cameras to identify suspicious human behaviour. Japanese Fujitsu's technology can analyse video footage and very accurately recognise about 100 types of behaviour, such as walking, running, and carrying an object. It can judge actions to be suspicious based on certain sequences of motions. Fujitsu says surveillance cameras equipped with the technology can spot someone shoplifting at retailers. It adds that the technology can also contribute to marketing analysis by showing what products customers have taken from shelves, according to Japan's broadcaster (NHK World). Fujitsu says the technology can examine actions, yet cannot identify people. It takes several months to adopt similar conventional AI technologies as they need to go through huge amounts of behavioural data at each location they are to be introduced. But the firm says it will take as little as a day to use its technology as it has already accumulated data on basic human motions. Fujitsu plans to start marketing the technology to Japanese companies in the near future and also intends to promote it overseas. (QNA)

Japan and South Korean foreign ministers agreed Saturday to arrange a summit between their leaders next month, seeking to build on a lowering of tensions after Seoul stuck to a key military pact. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and President Moon Jae-in could meet in China next month, their ministers agreed on the sidelines of a G20 meeting in Nagoya, Japan. The summit would take place on the occasion of the Japan-China-South Korea trilateral scheduled for next month, said a Japanese diplomat who declined to give his name. Ties between the two countries, both key US allies in the region, have hit rock bottom in recent months over trade and Japan's historic war-time atrocities. This led to Seoul threatening to withdraw from a key military intelligence-sharing pact, alarming the United States who said that would benefit only North Korea and China in the region. But late Friday, with only six hours until the pact was due to expire, South Korea reversed course and agreed to extend it ‘conditionally’, warning however it could be ‘terminated’ at any moment. The accord, known as GSOMIA, enabled the two US allies to share military secrets, particularly over Pyongyang's nuclear and missile capacity. Washington welcomed Seoul's decision but urged the pair to ‘continue sincere discussions to ensure a lasting solution to historic issues’. Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe gave a muted response to the decision on Friday, stressing that co-ordination between Tokyo, Seoul and Washington was ‘very important’ while his defence minister urged South Korea to extend the pact ‘in a firm manner’. The relationship between Japan and South Korea is overshadowed by the 35 years of brutal colonisation by the Japanese -- including the use of sex slaves and forced labour -- that is still bitterly resented today. Ties began a downward spiral after a series of South Korean court rulings ordering Japanese firms to compensate wartime forced labour victims. This infuriated Tokyo, with Japan insisting the matter was settled in a 1965 treaty normalising diplomatic relations between the two countries, which included significant reparations. - 'Long-term drift' - The historic dispute morphed into a trade spat between the two market economies, as Japan removed South Korea from a so-called ‘white list’ of countries that enjoyed streamlined export control procedures. South Korea hit back with similar trade restrictions and a decision to scrap the intelligence-sharing pact, surprising analysts who thought defence ties would be immune from the diplomatic row. While insisting the issues of trade and GSOMIA were completely separate, Japan's trade ministry announced that working-level talks would resume between the pair to thrash out their trade differences. ‘Thus far Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has signalled no shift in his government's position on either the white list or the dispute over compensation for colonial-era forced labour that triggered this year's crisis in bilateral relations,’ noted Tobias Harris, an analyst at Teneo consultants. ‘Without assurances that Seoul will adhere to Japan's understanding of the treaty, it may be difficult to prevent the long-term drift in the relationship,’ added Harris. The G20 gathering focused on global trade issues -- including the reform of the World Trade Organisations -- as well as the environment and African development. Motegi said ministers had agreed on the ‘urgent’ need to reform the WTO amid a collapse in the multilateral trading system and the US-China trade war.

Japanese actress Erika Sawajiri, famous for her role in 2005 drama "1 Litre of Tears", has been arrested on suspicion of possessing drugs, NHK reported on Saturday citing unnamed sources. The 33-year-old actress, who this year starred in a TV adaption of Toyoko Yamasaki's hit novel "Shiroi Kyoto", was arrested in Tokyo on suspicion of possessing ecstasy, although few other details are known, NHK said. Tear-jerker "1 Litre of Tears" made Sawajiri famous not only in Japan but across Asia with the drama's depiction of its heroine's physical deterioration from a rare disease. Drug arrests are treated seriously in Japan with celebrities who are caught frequently edited out of movies and TV shows. The Tokyo police did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Sawajiri's talent agency was not immediately reachable for comment.

Tens of thousands of flag-waving spectators cheered Japan’s new Emperor Naruhito yesterday during a rare open-top car imperial parade that was rescheduled after a deadly typhoon. Some in the crowd camped overnight to nab a prime spot by the palace for the 30-minute parade featuring the emperor and his wife Empress Masako.  The event was one of the final events marking Naruhito’s ascension to the throne after his father Akihito earlier this year became the first Japanese emperor in two centuries to abdicate.   The royal couple emerged from the palace moments before 3pm, with the Emperor wearing formal Western clothing and the Empress dressed in a long cream gown and jacket, wearing a tiara passed down by her predecessor.   Security was high for the event, with long lines forming hours ahead of the parade and thousands of police deployed to search bags and move spectators through metal detectors.  Security forces lined the entire length of the route in double rows, keeping close watch as the slow-moving parade passed, flanked by police on motorbikes. In the minutes before the parade began, police at one checkpoint warned would-be attendees that the area was full. “We’re at Disneyland levels of crowding. The security check won’t finish in time for you to see the parade,” one policeman with a loudspeaker warned those still in line. Yoko Mori, 64, lined up from 10am to secure a spot, travelling from Saitama outside Tokyo. “We came here because it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity and we wanted to celebrate this event,” she told AFP, flanked by her friend Chiyoe Ito, 70.   “But it’s regrettable that we just had a glimpse of the car. I concentrated so much on taking a photo, I barely looked with my own eyes.”  Yoko Yokota, 84, was in tears with excitement at the chance to spot the emperor up close. “I am so happy to see him,” she said.  Hours before the parade, Yukari Oshita told AFP she felt a closeness to Naruhito, the first emperor born in post-war Japan.  “The Emperor is a few years younger than me but belongs to the same generation, and I feel connected with him,” she said.  “And Empress Masako is someone who can be a role model for modern women with full-time jobs.” After the national anthem was played, the royal couple boarded a specially made car featuring the chrysanthemum imperial logo on the sides and the royal flag on its bonnet.  The parade of nearly 5km through central Tokyo was originally scheduled for October 22, but the government postponed it after more than 80 people were killed by Typhoon Hagibis last month. The royal couple is popular, and so many people gathered to line the route that some were unable to make it through checkpoints.  Shigeko Kawamura, 68, lined up at one checkpoint from noon but couldn’t get close. “I couldn’t see the parade at all,” she said mournfully, but pronounced it “a memorable moment” nonetheless. “I came here to celebrate and particularly to have a look at Ms Masako, a great woman.” Educated at Harvard, Masako left behind a promising diplomatic career to marry into the royal family.   She has struggled to adjust to cloistered royal life, suffering an adjustment disorder that led to a scaling back of her public appearances.  But she has appeared confident during the events marking Naruhito’s enthronement.   She won plaudits for her assured performance when US President Donald Trump became the first foreign leader to meet the new emperor, winning praise in particular for her ability to converse in fluent English. Naruhito officially ascended the throne earlier this year, with an elaborate and ritual-bound ceremony last month proclaiming his rise before dignitaries from around the world.

Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako rode through central Tokyo on Sunday in a motorcade to mark this year's imperial succession as well-wishers waved national flags and held up mobile phones for snapshots of the smiling royal couple. Emperor Naruhito, 59, acceded to the throne in May after his father, Akihito, became the first monarch to abdicate in two centuries. The parade was originally due to take place on Oct. 22, when the emperor officially proclaimed his enthronement before dignitaries from about 190 countries, but it was postponed as Japan grappled with the aftermath of a devastating typhoon. Under a cloudless blue sky, Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, Harvard-educated former diplomat, waved from an open-top Toyota Century limousine, which cruised through streets lined with spectators and police. The emperor wore a tailcoat and Empress Masako a white dress and a tiara that sparkled in the sunshine. It was a stark contrast from last month's enthronement ceremony, in which both wore traditional robes. Empress Masako appeared moved. Japanese media reported she appeared to wipe away an emotional tear during the 4.6-kilometre (2.9 miles) ride. Tens of thousands of spectators from across the country gathered along the route, which was packed many rows deep with cheering, flag-waving well-wishers. The government estimated some 119,000 people attended, public broadcaster NHK said. Some began queuing on Saturday to ensure a good vantage point on the route. ‘To witness this historical moment with my own eyes and to see the smile of the emperor and empress, I wanted to be in the front,’ said Hiyori Okazaki, who queued from late on Saturday in front of the Imperial Palace. ‘I couldn't wait so came last night.’ Toshiko Ito, who visited Tokyo with her husband for the procession, said she was thrilled to see the couple. ‘Emotion welled up and I was so happy that I was about to cry,’ she said. While bands played celebratory music, the 400-metre long motorcade of 46 vehicles, including cars carrying including Crown Prince Akishino, Crown Princess Kiko and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, moved slowly through the streets. About 16.1 billion yen ($147 million) has been earmarked for succession-related ceremonies throughout the year, including Sunday's parade, up 30% from Akihito's succession three decades ago.

Rescuers worked by hand to clear debris from a landslide triggered by heavy rains in central Japan on Saturday, as the toll from the storms rose to 10 dead with a further three people reportedly missing. Aerial footage showed emergency workers removing wreckage from two houses that were swept away in Chiba, southeast of Tokyo, just two weeks after a deadly typhoon barrelled through the area. Nine people were killed by landslides and floods in the region, including two elderly men found dead in submerged cars, officials and news reports said. A woman in her 40s was found dead near the coast in eastern Fukushima, according to a fire department official. Police divers were deployed to search for those unaccounted for, with public broadcaster NHK putting the number of missing at three. Thousands of people were forced to spend the night in Narita airport after train services were suspended, it added. ‘Water was flowing in my garden like a river,’ a 75-year-old man told NHK. ‘Rain was heavier than during the typhoon.’ Two weeks ago, Typhoon Hagibis slammed into the east coast of Japan, killing more than 80 people. Many river banks and levees that were breached during Hagibis have yet to be repaired. The rescue effort received some relief when the Japan Meteorological Agency downgraded warnings of landslides and floods as rains eased on Saturday morning in many regions. Non-mandatory evacuation orders were also lifted in many areas, although 1,800 people were still in shelters, NHK reported.

Two people were killed and another person was missing in landslides on Friday, local officials and news reports said, as Japan was hit by heavy rains just two weeks after a deadly typhoon barrelled through the country. A woman in her 60s was sent to hospital and another woman in her 40s was unaccounted for after landslides struck two houses in Chiba, southeast of Tokyo, said a local disaster management official. "She was later confirmed dead in hospital," the official told AFP. A separate landslide destroyed another house in Chiba, killing a man, public broadcaster NHK said, adding he appeared to be a person who had earlier been reported missing. The Japan Meteorological Agency issued warnings of heavy rains, landslides and floods in a swathe of areas including eastern and central Japan. "As risks of disasters have already increased, please be extremely vigilant about landslides, rise in river water volumes and floods as rains will continue," the JMA warned on its Twitter account. Non-mandatory evacuation orders were issued to more than 390,000 residents in the Fukushima region and 5,000 people in Chiba, NHK reported. Local authorities in Minamisoma, eastern Fukushima, announced they planned to discharge water from a dam that had reached maximum capacity Friday night, raising fears of flooding in populated downstream areas. Footage showed cars splashing through roads partly inundated with water, as several swollen rivers flooded in eastern Japan. Some 4,700 houses in the region were without power by Friday evening, while some train services were suspended, officials said. Japan was hit by Typhoon Hagibis about two weeks ago, with the death toll from the violent storm now standing at more than 80. Residents still picking up the pieces after that storm expressed frustrations over reconstruction delays and their fear of another disaster. "I'm a bit worried that if an evacuation order is issued, we will have to leave here," a woman in Nagano in central Japan who was cleaning up mud told NHK. Many of the river banks and levees that were breached during Hagibis have not yet been repaired.

Japan’s Emperor Naruhito completed his ascension to the Chrysanthemum throne yesterday in a ceremony steeped in the traditions and grandeur of a monarchy that claims 2,000 years of history.  The rituals cemented a transition that began with his father’s abdication earlier this year, and drew royalty and political leaders from around the world.  A public parade for the event was postponed after a deadly typhoon, but the government went ahead with the granting of pardons for more than half a million people convicted of minor offences including traffic violations. The main event took place in the Imperial Palace’s Pine Room, where royal attendants drew back purple curtains hanging from two heavily adorned structures housing the imperial thrones, revealing the emperor and empress standing inside.  “I hereby declare my enthronement at home and abroad,” Naruhito said, dressed in a voluminous draped robe topped with a copper overcoat.  Empress Masako, a Harvard-educated former diplomat, stood silently before her throne in a similar, smaller structure, wearing a multi-layered kimono and a highly stylised hairpiece. Naruhito pledged to “pray for the happiness of Japanese people and world peace” and “fulfil my duty as the symbol of Japan and of the unity of the people of Japan.” In the evening, he hosted around 400 of the assembled royalty and dignitaries to a sumptuous banquet at the palace where traditional Japanese court music was played and the guests were allowed to have closer views of the throne.   According to local media, the dinner was Japanese style and the menu included steamed abalone, smoked salmon, asparagus wrapped with beef, “chawanmushi” steamed egg custard dish and clear soup with Japanese lobster and matsutake mushrooms. Standing before him, flanked by royal family members also wearing heavily decorated traditional robes, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe promised the people of Japan would “respect your highness the emperor as the symbol of the state and of the unity of the Japanese people.”  He then raised his hands three times, shouting “Banzai!” or “Long live the emperor!”  The solemn ceremony was conducted almost entirely in silence, with royal family members gliding wordlessly into the room and standing throughout. Only the sounds of a gong and drum signalled the stages of the ritual, with a low, loud beat indicating to guests representing around 180 countries and institutions that it was time to stand and hear the proclamation.   And it was over almost as soon as it had begun, with attendants closing the purple curtains and the royals quietly moving out of the room. Outside, a small crowd of well-wishers gathered despite driving rain that forced the palace to move some of the guests inside. They watched the ceremony on their phones outside and listened as a gun salute was sounded when it was complete.  “I feel as a Japanese person that this is such a historic moment,” said Kyoko Tanaka, 51.  “I want the royal couple to be a good example for Japanese people, like their predecessors were,” she added. Others too said they had felt compelled to come to the palace, despite the parade being postponed until November 10. “I know we can’t see the ceremony, but I wanted to feel the atmosphere in front of the palace,” Shoko Koeda said, watching the proceedings on her phone. “This is a historic moment. I feel special.”  The Japanese royal family commands relatively broad support, although polls suggest the younger generation is less interested in the monarchy. A poll released by national broadcaster NHK on the eve of the ceremony found 70% of voters in the country hold “friendly or favourable” views towards the imperial family.   But despite the support, the monarchy that is sometimes described as the world’s oldest faces other concerns, particularly succession.  Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako have one child, a 17-year-old daughter named Aiko. But imperial rules allow only a man to ascend the throne, and royal women lose their titles if they marry a commoner.  With Naruhito’s ascension, his brother Akishino is now crown prince. And Akishino’s son — 13-year-old Hisahito — is currently the only other remaining successor.   The question of altering the succession rules has been raised — NHK found 74% support the shift — but no formal moves have yet been made to make the changes.

* New Japanese emperor proclaims his status to the world * Pouring rains force scaling-back of elaborate, centuries-old ceremony * Celebratory mood tempered in aftermath of Typhoon Hagibis * Royalty, heads of state from 180 countries in attendance Japanese Emperor Naruhito formally proclaimed his ascendancy to the throne on Tuesday in a centuries-old ceremony attended by dignitaries from more than 180 countries, pledging to fulfil his duty as a symbol of the state. Naruhito became emperor in May in a brief, tradition-filled ceremony but Tuesday's "Sokui no Rei" was a more elaborate ritual at the royal palace in which he officially announced his change in status to the world. "I swear that I will act according to the constitution and fulfil my responsibility as the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people," the 59-year-old declared, his voice slightly hoarse, in front of about 2,000 participants, including Britain's Prince Charles. "I sincerely hope that Japan will develop further and contribute to the friendship and peace of the international community, and to the welfare and prosperity of human beings through the people's wisdom and ceaseless efforts." The first Japanese emperor born after World War Two, Naruhito acceded to the throne when his father, Akihito, became the first Japanese monarch to abdicate in two centuries after worrying that advancing age might make it hard to perform official duties. "As he is young and energetic with outstanding leadership, I hope he'll support the people of Japan, which has faced continuous disasters and typhoons," said Tomoko Shirakawa, 51, who was among small groups of umbrella-clutching supporters outside the palace. The long-planned celebrations were tempered by Typhoon Hagibis, which killed at least 80 people when it tore through Japan 10 days ago, and pouring rain on Tuesday. A public parade was postponed until next month to allow the government to devote its attention to the typhoon clean-up, while Tuesday's inclement weather forced the palace to scale back the number of courtiers in ancient robes taking part in the courtyard ceremony although the skies cleared as it began. Naruhito began the day's ceremonies by reporting his enthronement to his imperial ancestors at one of three shrines on the palace grounds, dressed in a black headdress and pure white robes with a long train borne by an attendant. He was followed later by Empress Masako, 55, his Harvard-educated wife, dressed in 12-layered white robes and attended by two women in violet robes to arrange her train. For the main ceremony in the Matsu-no-Ma, or Hall of Pine, the most prestigious room in the palace, Naruhito wore a traditional burnt-orange robe and headdress, as his father did nearly three decades ago. He declared his enthronement from the "Takamikura" - a 6.5-metre (21 feet) high pavilion that weighs about 8 tonnes - with an ancient sword and a jewel, two of the so-called Three Sacred Treasures, placed beside him. Together with a mirror called Yata-no-Kagami, which is kept at the Ise Grand Shrine, the holiest site in Japan's Shinto religion, the three treasures comprise the regalia that symbolises the legitimacy of the emperor. Masako, wearing 12-layered robes and an elaborate, upswept hairstyle, also took part, her throne smaller. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe delivered a congratulatory speech before guests including Prince Charles, who with then-wife Princess Diana attended Akihito's enthronement, as well as U.S. Transport Secretary Elaine Chao and Myanmar civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Abe then led the assembled dignitaries in giving three "banzai" cheers for the Emperor. A court banquet is due to be held on Tuesday evening, before Naruhito and Masako host a tea party for foreign royalty on Wednesday afternoon. While the public parade was postponed until Nov. 10, the NHK national broadcaster said there were 26,000 police providing security on Tuesday. Naruhito is unusual among recent Japanese emperors since his only child, 17-year-old Aiko, is female and as such cannot inherit the throne. The future of the imperial family for coming generations rests instead on the shoulders of his nephew, 13-year-old Hisahito, who is second in line for the throne after his father, Prince Akishino. Naruhito's grandfather, Hirohito, in whose name Japanese troops fought World War Two, was treated as a god but renounced his divine status after Japan's defeat in 1945. Emperors now have no political authority. Though many Japanese welcomed the enthronement ceremony, some shrugged it off as a nuisance. "There is no need for such an elaborate ceremony. Traffic has been restricted and it is causing inconvenience for ordinary people," said Yoshikazu Arai, 74, a retired surgeon. "The emperor is necessary now as a symbol of the people, but at some point, the emperor will no longer be necessary. Things will be just fine without an emperor."

Chinese authorities have detained a Japanese man in Beijing, Tokyo confirmed Monday, following media reports that a university professor was being held on suspicion of spying. "The Japanese embassy in China confirmed that a Japanese man in his 40s was detained by Chinese authorities in Beijing in September for (allegedly) violating Chinese laws," Japan's top government spokesman Yoshihide Suga told reporters. He did not specify the charges against the man, but Japanese media have identified him as a professor from Hokkaido University who was held on suspicion of spying. The man, who has not been named, worked previously for the National Institute for Defense Studies in the defence ministry and the Japanese foreign ministry, according to local media reports. "Within the framework of protecting Japanese expatriates, we are holding meetings between (the man and) consuls and communicating with his family members, but we decline to comment on further details given the nature of this case," Suga said. In Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said she did not know the details of the case, but that China "has always handled foreign nationals suspected of breaking China's law, in accordance with the law." China will "provide the necessary assistance in order for the Japanese side to perform the normal consular duties, in accordance with the relevant provisions," Hua said at a regular press briefing. Hua said the detention was a "one-off case". "We hope that the Japanese side can remind its citizens to respect China's laws and regulations, and avoid engaging in illegal activities in China," she said. But, she added, China is "willing to work together with Japan to promote the continued progress of China-Japan relations along the correct path" and that "these are two completely separate issues". She noted that Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan is scheduled to attend the enthronement of Japan's Emperor Naruhito on Tuesday. China has faced accusations of using detentions of foreigners as a political tool, including recently from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who called it "hostage diplomacy". Canada-China ties have soured since its arrest of Chinese Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou on a US warrant last December -- nine days later, Beijing detained two Canadians and months later accused them of espionage-related activities. The two Canadians are among a string of foreign nationals arrested in China and charged with espionage or attempting to steal state secrets. Australian academic Yang Jun, who also goes by his pen name Yang Hengjun, was detained in January shortly after making a rare return to China from the US. Beijing said in September that he had been formally arrested on suspicion of spying. China also detained six Japanese citizens in 2017 for alleged "illegal activities". Since 2015, at least 13 Japanese citizens -- all civilians -- have been detained in China on various charges including espionage, Japan's Kyodo News and the Asahi Shimbun reported. Tokyo's ties with Beijing have been at times strained by rows over history and territorial disputes but have been improving recently, with President Xi Jinping expected to visit Japan early next year.

Japan's government said Wednesday it would set aside millions of dollars to help areas devastated by Typhoon Hagibis, which killed more than 70 people across the country. Hagibis slammed into Japan on Saturday, unleashing fierce winds and unprecedented rain that triggered landslides and caused dozens of rivers to burst their banks. By midday Wednesday, the government put the toll at 74, with more a dozen people still missing. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said his government would offer 710 million yen ($6.5 million) to help areas affected by the storm. The money will come from some a 500 billion yen emergency reserve, he said. Tokyo will also fast-track the disbursement of subsidies to more than 300 disaster-hit municipalities. ‘The government will stand united to tackle the issue of supporting victims, so that they will be able to return to normal life as quickly as possible,’ Abe said. As of Wednesday morning, more than 10,000 households were still suffering from electricity blackouts, while more than 110,000 households are without running water, top government spokesman Yoshihide Suga told reporters. ‘Today, too, rescue workers are making their utmost efforts in search and rescue work,’ he said. ‘Due to the heavy rains we've experienced, the level of water is rising in rivers and there are spots where the ground is getting muddy.’ ‘We call on people to keep vigilant about landslides and floods,’ he added. Television footage showed devastated residents returning to homes filled with brown mud, and rescuers searching a hillside for a family missing after a landslide. The country's northeast was particularly hard hit by the typhoon -- with a death toll of 26 in Fukushima prefecture, the highest among the 36 of Japan's 47 prefectures that were affected. Collapsed embankments were observed at around 80 locations along 55 rivers in the country, the infrastructure ministry said, as it continues to asses the extent of the damage. Local trains have gradually resumed operation but some Shinkansen bullet trains were still suspended in the hard-hit Nagano and Niigata regions in central Japan.

Rescuers in Japan were working around the clock yesterday in an increasingly desperate search for survivors of a powerful weekend typhoon that killed more than 70 people and caused widespread destruction.   Hagibis slammed into Japan on Saturday, unleashing fierce winds and unprecedented rain that triggered landslides and caused dozens of rivers to burst their banks.  By yesterday night, public broadcaster NHK put the toll at 72, with around a dozen people missing. The government’s tally was lower, but it said it was still updating information.   Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said there was no plan to slow rescue operations, with around 110,000 police, coast guard, firefighters and military troops involved.  “Rescue work and searches for the missing are continuing around the clock,” Abe told parliament.  “Where rivers flooded, work is ongoing to fix spots where banks broke, and water is being pumped out where floods occurred,” he added.  His office said more than 3,000 people were rescued in the wake of the disaster, which affected 36 of the country’s 47 prefectures.  The defence ministry has called up several hundred reserve troops – in addition to active duty soldiers – for the first time since the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.  Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako were “deeply grieving for so many people affected”, an Imperial Household Agency official said.  The royal couple “expressed their sincere condolences for those who lost their lives... and heartily hope that those who are unaccounted for will be found as soon as possible,” the official said. Despite the scale of the disaster, the government has no plan to delay a palace ceremony and parade to celebrate Naruhito’s enthronement on October 22. Government officials warned that more rain was expected in several parts of the country affected by the typhoon.  “We ask people not to drop their guard and to remain fully alert,” chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters. Hagibis crashed into land packing gusts up to 216km per hour, but it was the storm’s heavy rain that caused the most damage.  Deaths were reported across many prefectures and included a man whose apartment was flooded, a municipal worker whose car was caught in rising waters and at least seven crew aboard a cargo ship that sank in Tokyo bay on Saturday night. By yesterday evening, some 24,000 households were still without power, and 128,000 homes had no water.  Tens of thousands of people spent Monday night in government shelters, with many unsure when they would be able to return home.  “My frightened daughter can’t stop shaking. We want to go home quickly,” Rie Nishioka, 39, told Kyodo News agency in Miyagi prefecture. The government pledged financial support to affected regions without specifying how much aid it would set aside. “Support for the victims of the disaster is an urgent task,” Abe said. “There are concerns that the impact on daily life and economic activities may be long-lasting.”  Another area affected by the storm was Fukushima, where several bags containing soil and plants collected during nuclear decontamination efforts were washed away.  “Ten bags out of 2,667 were swept into a river during the typhoon, but six of them were recovered yesterday,” environment ministry official Keisuke Takagi told AFP, adding that the remaining four bags had been found and would be collected soon.  “Residents must be worried about the environment, but there are no reports that the bags were broken, so there will be nothing to worry about once they have been recovered safely,” he said.  By yesterday, transport was largely back to normal, though some flights were cancelled and train services partially disrupted where tracks or train stock were damaged by the storm.   The typhoon also caused disruption to sporting events, delaying Japanese Grand Prix qualifiers and forcing Rugby World Cup organisers to cancel three matches.   A crunch fixture pitting the hosts against Scotland went ahead on Sunday night, with Japan winning its first-ever quarter final spot.

* Abe warns economic impact could be prolonged * Thousands of homes reconnected to power * More recovery funds available if needed: finance minister * Panasonic says factory hit by flood The death toll in the worst typhoon to hit Japan for decades climbed to 66 on Tuesday as rescuers slogged through mud and debris in an increasingly grim search for the missing, and as thousands of homes remained without power or water. Fifteen people remain missing nearly three days after Typhoon Hagibis smashed into central and eastern Japan, national broadcaster NHK said. More than 200 people were injured in the storm, whose name means ‘speed’ in the Tagalog language. The highest toll was in Fukushima prefecture north of Tokyo, where levees burst in at least 14 places along the Abukuma River, which meanders through a number of cities in the largely agricultural prefecture. At least 25 people died in Fukushima, including a mother and child who were caught in flood waters, NHK said. Another child of the woman remains missing. Residents in Koriyama, one of Fukushima's larger cities, said they were taken by surprise by the flooding. Police were searching house-to-house to make sure nobody had been left behind or was in need of help. ‘The river has never flooded like this before, and some houses have been completely swept away. I think it might be time to redraw hazard maps or reconsider evacuation plans,’ said Masaharu Ishizawa, a 26-year-old high school teacher who was cleaning up at his family home in Koriyama. He said there are a lot of elderly in his area and many of them were taken in by relatives. ‘We have never seen damage like this before, and maybe global warming and environmental change has something to do with it.’ Part of his family's back garden had been washed away, breaking water pipes and electricity lines. The family was using water carried from a local community centre to clean up. Two doors down, an old house had collapsed after the flood washed its foundations away. About 133,000 households were without water while 22,000 lacked electricity, well down on the hundreds of thousands initially left without power but a cause for concern in northern areas where temperatures are falling. HARD TO ESCAPE Survivors described how water rose rapidly to chest height in about an hour and mainly at night, making it hard to escape to higher ground. Many of the dead in Fukushima were elderly, NHK said. ‘I checked the flood hazard map but it didn't have my area as being at risk,’ said Yoshinagi Higuchi, 68, who lives about 100 metres from one levee and waited out the flood on the second floor of his house as the ground floor filled with water. ‘I heard there was a flood once before the war, but we just weren't expecting the water to come over the levee despite all the warnings.’ Residents were warned by the public address systems that are a feature of Japanese cities and some evacuated to a local elementary school, he added as he and neighbours piled sodden tatami straw mats and other damaged furniture on the street. ‘Nobody from city hall has come to check on us yet,’ Higuchi said. Fukushima is home to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant that was crippled by a 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Officials for Tokyo Electric Power Co, which owns the plant, have said there was no leakage of contaminated water. MANUFACTURERS TAKE STOCK Around the nation, manufacturers took stock. Electronics maker Panasonic Corp said flooding had damaged its plant in a large industrial park in Koriyama. Automakers Nissan, Honda and Subaru said there was no major damage to their factories, while Toyota said all its plants were operating normally. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe warned that the economic impact could be prolonged. ‘The national government will continue to do everything possible so that the victims of this disaster can return to their normal lives as soon as possible,’ Abe told a parliamentary committee. Finance Minister Taro Aso said there was 500 billion yen ($4.6 billion) in reserves for disaster recovery and more money would be considered if needed. Thousands of police, fire officials and military personnel continued to search for people who may have been cut off by floodwaters and landslides, with hope diminishing that the missing would be found alive. Though the threat of rain is expected to diminish on Tuesday, temperatures are likely to drop in many areas later this week, in some cases to unseasonably low levels, NHK said. Four of Japan's major refiners said there was no impact on their refinery operations from the storm.