Tokyo

Afghanistan: 2-day violence claims over 50 lives

Kabul: An insurgent bomb killed six American soldiers in eastern Afghanistan, part of a surge of violence that has dealt a stark reminder that war is still raging as NATO plots an exit strategy for the end of 2014. Violence raged across the country on Monday, including grisly attacks by multiple suicide bombers, a day after donor nations meeting in Tokyo to pledge $16 billion in aid. President Hamid Karzai...  

Donors offer $16 bn Afghan aid at Tokyo conference

Tokyo: Major donors pledged on Sunday to give Afghanistan $16 billion in development aid through 2015 as they try to prevent it from sliding back into chaos when foreign troops leave, but demanded reforms to fight widespread corruption. Donor fatigue and war weariness have taken their toll on how long the global community is willing to support Afghanistan and there are concerns about security following the withdrawal of most NATO...  

'Afghanistan still faces existential terror threat'

Tokyo: India on Sunday said that Afghanistan still faced an existential threat from terrorism emanating from beyond its border and asked the international community to provide substantial assistance to the war-torn nation that has experienced externally-imposed conflicts for three decades. "While we assist Afghanistan in attaining its long-cherished goal of self reliance, we must also acknowledge that despite our successes in Afghanistan, the basic ideological, infrastructural, logistical and financial infrastructure...  

SM Krishna meets Hina Rabbani Khar in Tokyo

New Delhi: Two days after the foreign secretaries level talks, Indian External Affairs Minister SM Krishna met his Pakistani counterpart Hina Rabbani Khar in Tokyo on Sunday. Government sources said Krishna raised the revelations made by alleged 26/11 handler Abu Jundal and that his interrogation 'corroborated' fellow accused David Headley's claims about the involvement of Pakistani officials in the attack. The two foreign ministers are slated to have a structured...  

Krishna-Khar meeting possible in Tokyo today

New Delhi: There is a possibility of a meeting between Foreign Minister SM Krishna and his Pakistani counterpart Hina Rabbani Khar on the sidelines of a conference on Afghanistan in Tokyo on Sunday. "Though the minister has two confirmed bilateral meetings with France and Japan on the margins of this conference, there is also a possibility of a meeting between Krishna and Khar," official sources said on Saturday. Such a...  

Fukushima nuclear crisis was man-made: Report

Tokyo: Japan's Fukushima nuclear crisis was a preventable disaster resulting from "collusion" among the government, regulators and the plant operator, an expert panel said on Thursday, wrapping up an inquiry into the worst nuclear accident in 25 years. Damage from the huge March 11, 2011, earthquake, and not just the ensuing tsunami, could not be ruled out as a cause of the accident, the panel added, a finding that could...  

Now, Mumbai wants to be the next Tokyo

Mumbai: This just in " Mumbai railways wants to reinvent itself on the lines of train services in Tokyo, one of the most efficient in the world. Even as the shattered political dreams of a Shanghai-like makeover for Mumbai continue to be source of debate among peeved citizens, the railway babus are weaving their own elaborate castles in the air, and this time their dreams have taken them to the...  

India to become 8th largest shareholder in IMF

New Delhi: India is set to become the eighth largest shareholder in the IMF after quota reforms which are likely to be finalised at the multilateral agency's Annual Meeting at Tokyo in October. Once the quota reforms are carried out, India's share at IMF is set to rise to 2.75 per cent from 2.44 per cent, making it the eighth largest shareholder in the multilateral agency from its present 11th...  

Asian stocks rise after Greek vote eases fears

Tokyo: Asian stock markets climbed early on Monday after elections in Greece eased fears of global financial turmoil. Tokyo's benchmark Nikkei 225 index was up 2.1 per cent, at 8,749.31. Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 1.8 per cent to 19,578.13. Australia's S&P/ASX200 rose 1.6 per cent to 4,123.30. South Korea's Kospi rose 2.2 per cent at 1,899.49 as relieved investors snapped up South Korean exporters. Japanese vehicle makers soared on...  

World's tallest tower, the Tokyo Skytree, opens

Tokyo: The world's tallest tower and Japan's biggest new landmark, the Tokyo Skytree, opened to the public on Tuesday. Nearly 8,000 visitors were expected to take high-speed elevators up to the observation decks of the 634-meter (2,080-foot) tower to mark its opening. Some reportedly waited in line more than a week to get the coveted tickets for a panoramic view, though on Tuesday ended up being cloudy in Tokyo. Skytree...  

Japan tornado kills 1, injures dozens

Tokyo: A tornado tore through a city northeast of Japan's capital on Sunday, killing one person, injuring dozens of others and destroying scores of houses. Firefighters and medical teams rushed to the area after the tornado struck Tsukuba city, 60 kilometers (40 miles) from Tokyo. The city is a science centre, with dozens of research and academic institutes, but the tornado appeared to mostly hit residential areas. A 14-year-old boy...  

Radioactive water leaks at Japan nuclear plant

Tokyo: Japan's nuclear safety watchdog on Monday said a leakage of about 1.5 tonnes of low-level radioactive water occurred at a plant of Japan Atomic Power Co in the village of Tokai in Ibaraki Prefecture. The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency launched an investigation to check whether the water had leaked into the sea, reported Xinhua. The water was used to decontaminate radiation protection suits and other items and was...  

Meet Hatsune Miku, the computer generated popstar

Tokyo: Hatsune Miku has a following that would make most Japanese pop stars green with envy, with thousands of fans at every concert and a big international following. She never misses a beat, fluffs a line or messes up a step. But then she doesn't really exist. Hatsune Miku is computer generated, based on a voice-synthesizing programme developed by the company Crypton Future Media that allows users to create their...  

Magnitude 6.0 earthquake jolts Japan

Beijing: An earthquake measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale hit near the east coast of Japan's Honshu island on Wednesday, the Hong Kong Observatory said. The epicentre of the temblor that struck at 2:33 GMT, about 150 km southeast of Tokyo city, was initially determined to be near 35.2 degrees north latitude and 141.4 degrees east longitude, Xinhua reported. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage to property....  

Fukushima: Japan feared 'devil's chain reaction'

Fukushima: Japan's prime minister ordered workers to remain at the tsunami-crippled Fukushima nuclear plant last March as fears mounted of a "devil's chain reaction" that would force tens of millions of people to flee Tokyo, a new investigative report shows. Then-premier Naoto Kan and his staff began referring to a worst case scenario that could threaten Japan's existence as a nation around three days after the March 11 earthquake and...  

5.5 quake jolts Japan, no tsunami warning issued

Tokyo: A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.5 jolted eastern Japan on Saturday morning, but there were no immediate reports of injury or damage and no tsunami warning was issued. The focus of the tremor was 20 km (12 miles) below the surface of the earth, in Yamanashi prefecture, west of Tokyo, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. The quake, at 7:43 am (2243 GMT on Friday), was also...  

Magnitude 7.0 earthquake hits Japan

Tokyo: A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.0 struck under the sea several hundred miles (kilometers) south of Japan on Sunday, shaking buildings in the capital, but officials said there was no danger of a tsunami. The quake struck near the uninhabited island of Torishima in the Pacific Ocean, about 600 kilometers (370 miles) south of Tokyo, and its epicenter was about 370 kilometers (230 miles) below the...  

6.1 magnitude earthquake hits northern Japan

Tokyo: A strong earthquake hit northern Japan on Thursday, but no damage was immediately reported. Japan's Meteorological Agency said the magnitude 6.1 quake struck early in the evening south of the main northern island of Hokkaido. No damage or injuries have been reported, and the agency did not issue a tsunami warning. The quake hit about 750 kilometers (465 miles) northeast of Tokyo. Thousands of quakes have shaken Japan since...