Japan crown prince vows to be devoted emperor like father

Japanese Crown Prince Naruhito pledged Tuesday to devote himself to the role of emperor, like his father, when he assumes the Chrysanthemum Throne. “I will devote myself body and soul to every single duty,” Naruhito said. Japan’s parliament passed a special law last Friday allowing current Emperor Akihito to abdicate within three years. Last August, […]

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The future of farming: Japan goes vertical and moves indoors

Indoor agriculture is on the rise all over the world – particularly in Asia, where concerns over food safety and pesticide use in recent years have fuelled a boom in so-called plant factories. Spread, Japan’s largest vertical farm, produces more than 20,000 heads of lettuce a day in its 3000-square-metre facility outside of Kyoto.  

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Bawling babies face off in Japan’s ‘crying sumo’

More than 100 Japanese babies faced off Sunday (May 14) in a traditional “crying sumo” ring, an annual ceremony believed to bring infants good health. In the sumo ring at the precinct of the Kamegaike Hachimangu shrine in Sagamihara west of Tokyo, two hulking wrestlers held up toddlers wearing tiny sumo belts and aprons to

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