Tokyo and Osaka have become the most expensive cities for expatriates, according to a cost of living survey.

The Japanese capital dislodged Moscow from the top spot of Mercer LLC's list of most expensive cities for foreigners while Osaka moved from 11th spot to number two. The Russian capital, last year's most expensive city for expats, fell to third spot.

Japanese car maker Toyota has invented an electric wheelchair that can be steered through a helmet that detects and measures brain waves.

The helmet's Brain Machine Interface (BMI) technology translates the brain signals of the wheelchair driver into instructions to the motor so it will move forward or turn to the right and left.

Japanese officials protested Monday the port call of a U.S. nuclear submarine in Okinawa and the U.S. embassy in Tokyo immediately apologized because it was late in notifying authorities.

The State Department said the embassy issued an apology for not complying with protocol to notify Tokyo one day before a nuclear submarine arrives. The apology followed the Japanese foreign ministry's protest on the visit of the USS Providence at the White Beach Naval Facility in southern Okinawa prefecture.

Aside from his waning popularity just a few weeks in office, Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso is again under public scrutiny and facing criticism over a lavish lifestyle.

Japanese newspapers claim that Aso, except for four nights, spent the entire month on night outs at expensive bars and dining establishments. His favorite hangout is a hotel bar where coffee costs $15 (1,392 yen) a cup and a high-end restaurant where a plate of grilled eel has a minimum price tag of $175 (16,239 yen).

A retired professor at the Tokyo University of Agriculture says that insects will become an important source of protein with rising food prices and shortage of food supply.

Prof. Jun Mihashi said as world population continues to rise, insects will become an important source of protein in the near future. ''The amount of food, including meat, will decrease. Insects with high protein and high fat should be used effectively,'' he told the Kyodo News Agency.