Rare Snowstorm Hits Japan

The last time Tokyo received this much snow was in January 1998 when 12.6 inches (32 cm) of snow fell.

A strong storm moving up the eastern coastline of Japan brought a rare, heavy snowfall Saturday into early Sunday for areas that typically don't see much in the way of snow.Tokyo is a difficult place for snow due to the high peak of Mount Fuji, just to the west of the city. It blocks a lot of the storms moving in from the west, and most storms coming in from the south and east are too warm.Tokyo received 8.7 inches (22 cm) of snow from this storm, and some of the heaviest snowfall seen was in Matsumoto, where 19.2 inches (49 cm) of snow fell. The Japan Meteorological Agency has said this is the heaviest snowfall from one storm since a storm in January 1994.Three people died with this storm so far, and more than 500 people were injured.

http://m.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/rare-snowstorm-for-japan/23094551

US vows to defend Japan against China

Washington (AFP) - Secretary of State John Kerry vowed Friday that the United States would defend Japan against attack including over islands claimed by China as tensions boil between the Asian powers.

Kerry, who said he would visit China next week, met in Washington with Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and reaffirmed the 1960 treaty that commits the United States to protect its ally.

Yahoo News

Mystery objects with high radiation found on Fukushima coast

In a coastal area long silent due to the Fukushima nuclear accident, the only sounds of human activity on June 18 were from workers removing rubble and continuing their decontamination efforts. But soon, their supervisor discovered something that broke up the monotony of the work and added to the eeriness of the atmosphere. http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201308030015

Japanese mayor apologizes for saying US troops should visit adult businesses to reduce rapes

TOKYO –  A Japanese mayor apologized Monday for saying earlier that U.S. troops should patronize legal adult entertainment businesses as a way to reduce rapes and other assaults.Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto, who is also the co-head of an emerging nationalistic party, said his remarks two weeks ago rose from a "sense of crisis" about cases of sexual assaults by U.S. military personnel on Japanese civilians in Okinawa, where a large number of U.S. troops are... more Japanese mayor apologizes for saying US troops should visit adult businesses to reduce rapes | Fox News