OITA Set against a backdrop of military fighter jets and passenger airliners sharing the runways, the Self-Defense Forces used a commercial airport for the first time in a training exercise simulating an attack on Japan.
Ginza hostess Aki Shirasaka, a ruling Liberal Democratic Party newcomer, secured an Upper House seat in Oita Prefecture on April 23, edging past the only other candidate supported by opposition parties by a mere 341 votes.
OITA The Upper House by-election here pits a former opposition party leader against the owner of a drinking establishment in Tokyo’s ritzy Ginza district who describes herself as a champion for working women.
KUSU, Oita Prefecture The U.S. Marine Corps. staged one of its largest live-fire drills to date at a training ground here April 16, fueling further anxiety among local residents about the secrecy surrounding the annual shooting match.