Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on May 2014

UPWARD & ONWARD

• Officials with the health ministry have banned the online sale of five erectile dysfunction drugs.
• LDP secretary general Shigeru Ishiba said the government’s new doctrine of collective self-defense may apply in military conflicts “on the other side of the globe.”
• Princess Aiko, the only child of Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako, was among the 200 new students who enrolled last month at Gakushuin Girls’ Junior High School in Toshima-ku.
• Sentence of the Week: “Several images for new Japanese school textbooks showing children doing potentially dangerous activities—such as climbing a tree in short sleeves—were edited during screening to make the activities appear safer, it has been learned.” (via Mainichi Japan)

EAT THE RICH

• A study by the education ministry has found that the academic performance of Japanese children rises in proportion to their parents’ income.
• It was reported that an increasing number of people who want inexpensive places to live are seeking out cheap properties “where suicides, murders and other incidents” have taken place.
• A sightseeing company in Tsukuba, Ibaraki, has become the first in the country to offer tours using Segways.
• Lawmakers in the lower house of the Diet approved a deal to export “nuclear power infrastructure” to Turkey and the UAE.

THAT SINKING FEELING

• The internal affairs ministry says Japan’s population as of October was 127,298,000—a 0.17 percent drop from the year before and the lowest in 13 years.
• It’s the third straight year that the population has declined.
• The ministry says the percentage of children in Japan (12.9) is at a record low, while the percentage of seniors (25.1) is at a record high.
• Monthly magazine Koakuma Ageha, which was described as “the Bible of gyaru culture” after its launch in 2005, has suspended publication.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

• Officials at the Japan Federation of Bar Associations are concerned that the 150 lawyers who have registered to handle cases related to the Hague Convention on international child abductions “lack sufficient English skills and experience.”
• Authorities at the World Boxing Council awarded an honorary championship belt to Iwao Hakamada, the former professional fighter who was freed from prison in March after spending more than 35 years on death row.
• Diplomats at the Russian Embassy in Tokyo presented an “order of friendship” medal to Yasuhiro Yamashita, the vice president of the All Japan Judo Federation.
• Trade officials in Vietnam say they’re having success with a “paperless customs clearance system” that was developed by Japanese tech firms.

AND FINALLY…

• Marine biologists in Kanagawa say a 3.6-meter-long giant squid caught in Tokyo Bay in March “will provide valuable data for the fishing industry,” even though the beast died a few hours after being captured.
• Authorities at the Consumer Affairs Agency have noted a drastic decrease in the number unwanted telemarketing calls since they set up a system that automatically alerts callers that their conversations will be recorded.
• The heads of Japanese utility companies say they’re confident of being able to supply enough energy this summer despite all of the country’s nuclear reactors being offline.
• Officials at the environment ministry say Japan has met its target for reducing greenhouse gases under the terms of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol.

Compiled from reports by AP, Japan Today, The Japan Times, Jiji, The Tokyo Reporter, The Mainichi, The Japan News, AFP, Reuters and Kyodo