At least 53 people died, according to government figures, but the Kyodo news agency has put the death toll at 69. The two men had sought refuge at a shelter in Taito, northern Tokyo, but were turned away because the shelters were meant for residents of the ward, a Taito spokesman said. Abe told parliament the men should have been given refuge. “Shelters are supposed to be set up for the purpose of

Multiple media reports said Epstein had died by suicide. The FBI is investigating the incident, and the attorney general, William Barr, said he had also opened an investigation by the Department of Justice’s inspector general and was “appalled” by the death. “Epstein’s death raises serious questions that must be answered,” Barr said. Lawyers for several of Epstein’s alleged victims, including Virg

An arson attack on an anime studio in Japan has left at least 33 people dead and dozens injured in Japan’s worst mass murder in nearly two decades. The perpetrator, who was also injured and has been taken into police custody, walked into the 1st Studio building of Kyoto Animation in Fushimi ward, Kyoto, at about 10.30am. He poured what is suspected to be petrol in multiple areas of the building be

A young woman hovers in the doorway of one of Kabukicho’s information centres, which give recommendations for bars and sex shops. Photograph: Kosuke Okahara/The Guardian A young woman hovers in the doorway of one of Kabukicho’s information centres, which give recommendations for bars and sex shops. Photograph: Kosuke Okahara/The Guardian

The attacker, a 57-year-old man whose name has not been released, also died after reportedly stabbing himself in the neck after the attack near a park in the city of Kawasaki, south of the capital. It was not clear if police had established a motive before he died. The national broadcaster NHK quoted witnesses as saying the suspect had been holding a knife in each hand and had begun stabbing his v

I met my girlfriend’s parents – and realised I had once slept with her father She is everything to me and I was going to propose – but now he has told me to end it with her Five years ago, I went through a bi phase and used to sleep around with pretty much everyone that came along, including other men. This changed when I fell in love with my new partner, who is everything to me. I recently met he

To boldly go where no coffee bean has been before... Photograph: John Walton/PA To boldly go where no coffee bean has been before... Photograph: John Walton/PA

Mio Sugita, 51, was not pressured to resign by Shinzo Abe because he said she was ‘still young’. Photograph: The Asahi Shimbun/The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images Mio Sugita, 51, was not pressured to resign by Shinzo Abe because he said she was ‘still young’. Photograph: The Asahi Shimbun/The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images

On 30 April 2019, Emperor Akihito of Japan is expected to abdicate the chrysanthemum throne. The decision was announced in December 2017 so as to ensure an orderly transition to Akihito’s son, Naruhito, but the coronation could cause concerns in an unlikely place: the technology sector. The Japanese calendar counts up from the coronation of a new emperor, using not the name of the emperor, but the

A lone student activist on board a plane at Gothenburg airport has prevented the deportation of an Afghan asylum seeker from Sweden by refusing to sit down until the man was removed from the flight. Her successful protest, footage of which spread rapidly across the internet, shines a spotlight on domestic opposition to Sweden’s tough asylum regime, at a time when immigration and asylum are topping

Japan’s commitment to addressing its dismal record on work-life balance has been called into question after a civil servant was punished for “habitually” slipping away from his desk a few minutes early to buy a bento lunch. The 64-year-old, an employee of the waterworks bureau in the western city of Kobe, was fined and reprimanded after he was found to have left his desk just three minutes before

The student, who has not been named because she is considered a minor, says multiple applications of dye have damaged her hair and caused rashes on her scalp. Her mother told teachers before she started attending Kaifukan high school that her daughter had been born with naturally brown hair and so was not breaking a school rule requiring all students to have black hair. However, teachers instructe

Aso retracted the comments on Wednesday after criticism that he appeared to be defending Hitler’s motives for the genocide of millions of Jews during the second world war. “It is clear from my overall remarks that I regard Hitler in extremely negative terms, and it’s clear that his motives were also wrong,” Aso said in a statement, adding that he did not intend to defend Hitler, but to stress the

In the message, she endorsed the school’s attempts to foster national pride through moral education – an approach that harks back to pre-war militarism – adding that she had been impressed by the passion shown by the Moritomo president, Yasunori Kagoike. The issue has dominated parliamentary debate this week, with opposition MPs demanding an explanation as to why the school was allowed to buy land