Western Japan

Getting to zero: Japan town trying to recycle all its waste

At the waste facility of Japan’s Kamikatsu town, there are dozens of different boxes for each category for recycling all its waste for only one reason: becoming a zero-waste town by 2020.

Abe visits flood-hit western Japan as deaths reach 176

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited an evacuation centre in the city of Kurashiki in Okayama prefecture, where more than 40 of the 176 victims died.

Japan prime minister says death toll from floods tops 100

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says unprecedented rains and landslides cause tremendous damage even as 73,000 personnel are now involved in rescue and relief efforts across western Japan.

Over 200 injured by quake in Osaka in western Japan

At least three people are confirmed to have died in the magnitude 6.1 earthquake, including a nine-year-old girl.

Cats cosy up with train commuters in Japan as part of a campaign for strays

Some 30 felines were brought on board a train in Gifu Prefecture by an NGO to organise the "purfect" Sunday commute. The event was held so more people adopt and fewer cats end up killed in efforts to reduce the stray population.