Saturday, January 28, 4:44 (JST)
Fukushima's exclusion zone a ghost town
As we travel down the road toward the 20-kilometer (12-mile) exclusion zone, the entryway is blocked by half a dozen police officers and a large sign flashing red lights. The sign reads: "Keep out. Don't enter."
As we travel down the road toward the 20-kilometer (12-mile) exclusion zone, the entryway is blocked by half a dozen police officers and a large sign flashing red lights. The sign reads: "Keep out. Don't enter."
This is Japan's exclusion zone. No one lives here, a place where 78,000 people once lived. Nearly a year after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant disaster, the exclusion zone remains off-limits due to high levels of radioactive contamination.
My goal today is to see the town of Tomioka, a farming and factory community which sits in the southern section of the exclusion zone. It's a town that was once home to 52,000 people.
It's hard to imagine that many people once lived here, as we drive into the center of town. That's what strikes you first about the exclusion zone -- what you can't see, the people. Even though I know the residents have been evacuated, it is still eerie to be in a town where it seems the people have simply evaporated. Bicycles near a bus stop lie tipped over, as if owners forgot to retrieve them. Cars sit in a shopping center, seemingly waiting to have groceries loaded into them. A 7-Eleven convenient store sits in disarray, the items shaken from the shelves from the March 11 earthquake. These communities are complete ghost towns, frozen in time. (CNN)
Tsunami Science
Jin Sato is the mayor of a town that no longer exists.
Jin Sato is the mayor of a town that no longer exists.
Minamisanriku, a quiet fishing port north of Sendai in northeastern Japan, disappeared last March 11. Sato nearly did too. The disaster started at 2:46 p.m., about 80 miles east in the Pacific, along a fault buried deep under the seafloor. A 280-mile-long block of Earth's crust suddenly lurched to the east, parts of it by nearly 80 feet. Sato had just wrapped up a meeting at the town hall. "We were talking about the town's tsunami defenses," he says. Another earthquake had jolted the region two days earlier-a precursor, scientists now realize, to the March 11 temblor, which has turned out to be the largest in Japan's history.
When the ground finally stopped heaving, after five excruciating minutes, Minamisanriku was still mostly intact. But the sea had just begun to heave. Sato and a few dozen others ran next door to the town's three-story disaster-readiness center. Miki Endo, a 24-year-old woman working on the second floor, started broadcasting a warning over the town's loudspeakers: "Please head to higher ground!" Sato and most of his group headed up to the roof. From there they watched the tsunami pour over the town's 18-foot-high seawall. They listened to it crush or sweep away everything in its path. Wood-frame houses snapped; steel girders groaned. Then dark gray water surged over the top of their building. Endo's broadcasts abruptly stopped. (National Geographic)
Chinese man charged for Japan embassy attack in S Korea 
Prosecutors in South Korea have charged a Chinese man with attempted arson for hurling Molotov cocktails at the Japanese embassy in Seoul.
The 38-year-old from Guangzhou in southern China was identified only by his family name, Liu.
He told officials that his grandmother was forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese army during World War II.
He allegedly threw four petrol bombs that left burn marks on the embassy's outer wall earlier this month.
According to South Korean media, he has been in police custody since 8 January.
He reportedly entered South Korea on a tourist visa on 26 December 2011 via Japan. He also claimed to be responsible for an arson attack at the Yasukuni shrine last month. (BBC 
)
Prosecutors in South Korea have charged a Chinese man with attempted arson for hurling Molotov cocktails at the Japanese embassy in Seoul.
The 38-year-old from Guangzhou in southern China was identified only by his family name, Liu.
He told officials that his grandmother was forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese army during World War II.
He allegedly threw four petrol bombs that left burn marks on the embassy's outer wall earlier this month.
According to South Korean media, he has been in police custody since 8 January.
He reportedly entered South Korea on a tourist visa on 26 December 2011 via Japan. He also claimed to be responsible for an arson attack at the Yasukuni shrine last month. (BBC ) Japan prices fall, mild deflation to persist 
Japan's core consumer prices fell for the third consecutive month in the year to December, and mild deflation is expected to persist this year as energy prices stabilize and worries about Europe's debt crisis suppress wage growth and economic activity.
Core consumer prices declined an annual 0.1 percent, matching the median estimate, and a narrower measure that excludes both food and energy also fell in a sign that Japan continues to grapple with a strong yen, which pushes down import prices and makes exporters reluctant to raise salaries.
Retail sales fell 1.2 pct in 2011, the first fall in two years, and auto and machinery equipment sales posted record falls in the series, which dates back to 1980. But sales rose an annual 2.5 percent in December, the biggest increase in 16 months. (Reuters )
Japan's core consumer prices fell for the third consecutive month in the year to December, and mild deflation is expected to persist this year as energy prices stabilize and worries about Europe's debt crisis suppress wage growth and economic activity.
Core consumer prices declined an annual 0.1 percent, matching the median estimate, and a narrower measure that excludes both food and energy also fell in a sign that Japan continues to grapple with a strong yen, which pushes down import prices and makes exporters reluctant to raise salaries.
Retail sales fell 1.2 pct in 2011, the first fall in two years, and auto and machinery equipment sales posted record falls in the series, which dates back to 1980. But sales rose an annual 2.5 percent in December, the biggest increase in 16 months. (Reuters ) Doctor, wife jailed for buying illegally harvested kidney 
A Tokyo doctor was sentenced Thursday to three years in prison for purchasing an illegally harvested kidney, and his wife was jailed for 30 months over her involvement.
The Tokyo District Court found Toshinobu Horiuchi, 56, and his 48-year-old wife, Noriko, guilty of purchasing the kidney in violation of the organ transplant law.
The court said Horiuchi, facing kidney failure, in July 2010 paid ¥8 million to an intermediary in exchange for a kidney from a 21-year-old unemployed ma, whom the doctor technically adopted to ensure the transplant met the legal criteria of being among relatives. (Japan Times )
A Tokyo doctor was sentenced Thursday to three years in prison for purchasing an illegally harvested kidney, and his wife was jailed for 30 months over her involvement.
The Tokyo District Court found Toshinobu Horiuchi, 56, and his 48-year-old wife, Noriko, guilty of purchasing the kidney in violation of the organ transplant law.
The court said Horiuchi, facing kidney failure, in July 2010 paid ¥8 million to an intermediary in exchange for a kidney from a 21-year-old unemployed ma, whom the doctor technically adopted to ensure the transplant met the legal criteria of being among relatives. (Japan Times ) Tepco set for $13 billion bailout 
The owner of Japan's stricken nuclear reactor, Tokyo Electric Power Co, will agree to be taken over by the government in a near-$13 billion bailout, sources said on Thursday, even as the country debates the future of nuclear power.
The injection of 1 trillion yen ($12.8 billion) in public funds would effectively nationalize Tepco (9501.T), supplier of power to almost 45 million people including Tokyo residents, in one of the world's biggest bailouts outside the banking sector.
Tepco has been dragging its feet over a proposal for the state-backed Nuclear Damage Liability Facilitation Fund to take at least a two-thirds stake in the company, which has been swamped by liabilities associated with the earthquake and tsunami which ruined its Fukushima nuclear power plant in March. (Reuters )
The owner of Japan's stricken nuclear reactor, Tokyo Electric Power Co, will agree to be taken over by the government in a near-$13 billion bailout, sources said on Thursday, even as the country debates the future of nuclear power.
The injection of 1 trillion yen ($12.8 billion) in public funds would effectively nationalize Tepco (9501.T), supplier of power to almost 45 million people including Tokyo residents, in one of the world's biggest bailouts outside the banking sector.
Tepco has been dragging its feet over a proposal for the state-backed Nuclear Damage Liability Facilitation Fund to take at least a two-thirds stake in the company, which has been swamped by liabilities associated with the earthquake and tsunami which ruined its Fukushima nuclear power plant in March. (Reuters ) Japan kept silent on worst nuclear crisis scenario 
The Japanese government's worst-case scenario at the height of the nuclear crisis last year warned that tens of millions of people, including Tokyo residents, might need to leave their homes, according to a report obtained by The Associated Press. But fearing widespread panic, officials kept the report secret.
The recent emergence of the 15-page internal document may add to complaints in Japan that the government withheld too much information about the world's worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl.
It also casts doubt about whether the government was sufficiently prepared to cope with what could have been an evacuation of unprecedented scale.
The report was submitted to then-Prime Minister Naoto Kan and his top advisers on March 25, two weeks after the earthquake and tsunami devastated the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant, causing three reactors to melt down and generating hydrogen explosions that blew away protective structures. (AP )
The Japanese government's worst-case scenario at the height of the nuclear crisis last year warned that tens of millions of people, including Tokyo residents, might need to leave their homes, according to a report obtained by The Associated Press. But fearing widespread panic, officials kept the report secret.
The recent emergence of the 15-page internal document may add to complaints in Japan that the government withheld too much information about the world's worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl.
It also casts doubt about whether the government was sufficiently prepared to cope with what could have been an evacuation of unprecedented scale.
The report was submitted to then-Prime Minister Naoto Kan and his top advisers on March 25, two weeks after the earthquake and tsunami devastated the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant, causing three reactors to melt down and generating hydrogen explosions that blew away protective structures. (AP ) Japan posts first annual trade deficit since 1980 
Japan reported its first annual trade deficit since 1980 as it imported expensive energy to offset shortfalls caused by the devastating tsunami and manufacturers shifted production overseas to avoid the damage inflicted by the strong yen.
The 2.49 trillion yen ($32 billion) deficit for 2011 reflected a 2.7 percent decline in the value of Japan's exports to 65.55 trillion yen ($843 billion). In December, the trade balance was a deficit of 205.1 billion yen, according to the Ministry of Finance figures released Wednesday.
The yen's surge to record levels against the dollar and euro has made Japanese exports more expensive and also erodes the value of foreign earned income when brought home. Recently, Nissan Motor Co. and Panasonic Corp. have shifted some of their output to factories overseas.
At the same time, Japan is facing intense competition from South Korea, Taiwan and Singapore, where labor and production costs are cheaper. (AP )
Japan reported its first annual trade deficit since 1980 as it imported expensive energy to offset shortfalls caused by the devastating tsunami and manufacturers shifted production overseas to avoid the damage inflicted by the strong yen.
The 2.49 trillion yen ($32 billion) deficit for 2011 reflected a 2.7 percent decline in the value of Japan's exports to 65.55 trillion yen ($843 billion). In December, the trade balance was a deficit of 205.1 billion yen, according to the Ministry of Finance figures released Wednesday.
The yen's surge to record levels against the dollar and euro has made Japanese exports more expensive and also erodes the value of foreign earned income when brought home. Recently, Nissan Motor Co. and Panasonic Corp. have shifted some of their output to factories overseas.
At the same time, Japan is facing intense competition from South Korea, Taiwan and Singapore, where labor and production costs are cheaper. (AP )| Jan 27 | Japan movie box-office revenues plunge 17.9% in 2011 |
| Movie box-office revenues in Japan last year plunged 17.9 percent from an all-time high in the previous year to 181.2 billion yen due to the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami that devastated northeastern Japan, a film industry body said Thursday. The number of movies released in Japan came to 799, up 80 from the previous year, but there was no blockbuster, the association said, adding that the number of viewers also dropped by 30 million to 145 million, the Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan said. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2" achieved top revenues at 9.67 billion yen. (Mainichi) |
| Jan 27 | Uniqlo scores in bet Sony, Adidas missed on tennis ace Nishikori |
| Japan's No. 1 tennis player Kei Nishikori's historic run at the Australian Open won a torrent of publicity for sponsor Fast Retailing Co., attention Sony Corp. and Adidas AG missed by not renewing endorsement deals. Japan's public broadcaster NHK purchased the rights to air Nishikori's Australian Open match yesterday, boosting the estimated TV audience to 55 million viewers in Japan, after the 22-year-old defeated No. 6 seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to win a berth in the quarterfinals. Nishikori lost the match to No. 4 seed Andy Murray, after becoming the first Japanese man in 80 years to reach the $12 million tournament's final eight. (Bloomberg) |
| Jan 27 | China 0vertakes Japan as world's top coal importer |
| While China has long been the world's top producer and overall consumer of coal, the country also became the largest importer of the resource last year, overtaking a position held by Japan since at least 1975. Customs data compiled by the International Energy Agency show that strong domestic demand boosted China's coal imports by 10.8 percent in 2011 to 182.4 million tons. Japan's imports of the fossil fuel dropped by 5.1 percent to 175.2 million tons over the same period due, at least in part, to the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit the country's northeast coast last March. However, a Reuters poll conducted last month showed that China's coal imports are expected to slow during 2012 as domestic production rises and overall consumption of the fossil fuel begins to plateau, leaving it unclear whether or not China will retain its position in 2012. (china-briefing.com) |
| Jan 27 | KDDI net profit falls 17% |
| Japanese telecom operator KDDI said Thursday net profit for the December quarter fell 17 percent on falling income from voice calls but raised its full-year revenue outlook thanks to iPhone 4S sales. The country's number two telecom firm said its net profit for the fiscal third quarter dropped to 54.2 billion yen ($698 million) from 65.7 billion yen in the same period a year earlier. Operating profit for the quarter fell 5.4 percent to 117 billion yen from 124 billion yen a year earlier, it said. But it did say revenue for the three months increased 5.7 percent to 902 billion yen on the back of increased data traffic due to solid demand for smartphones. (AFP) |
| Jan 26 | NEC to slash 10,000 jobs |
| NEC Corp said Thursday it will slash 10,000 jobs, almost one in 10 of its workers, to trim costs after the electronics maker announced a loss of 87 billion yen ($1.11 billion) for the three months to December 31. The company, which employs 115,840 people worldwide, said it will book a 40 billion yen charge in the business year ending on March 31 to pay for the restructuring. It blamed its poor performance on tougher competition in the telecoms infrastructure business in Japan from foreign rivals, weak demand for its smartphones and difficulty in expanding operations overseas. The company, which also cut its forecast for mobile phone sales for the business year to 5 million from 6.5 million, said 7,000 of the job losses would be in Japan. (Reuters) |
| Jan 27 | Govt aims to add millions of part-timers to state-run pension scheme |
| The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry is seeking to add millions of part-time workers to those covered by the government-run employee pension scheme. Part-time workers are automatically covered by the pension scheme if they work at least 30 hours a week, but the ministry plans to lower the threshold to 20 hours. The change would apply to workers earning at least 800,000 yen a year at companies with at least 300 employees. The measure will be included in bills the ministry will submit to revise related laws during the current Diet session. (Yomiuri) |
| Jan 26 | CO2 emissions traded to help Tohoku region |
| Firms that emit greenhouse gases but also want to help revitalize business in the Tohoku region following the Great East Japan Earthquake are being drawn to participate in a carbon dioxide offset trading scheme. Named J-VER (Japan Verified Emission Reduction), the scheme is a type of carbon-offset program. Under the scheme, entities practicing silviculture through thinning, planting and other means can enter a certification process to claim credits, depending on how much carbon dioxide their forests absorb. Including prefectural governments, the entities can then sell their credits to other bodies wanting to act on global warming. (Yomiuri) |
| Jan 25 | Japan, hit by quake impact and rising yen, announces first annual trade deficit since 1980 |
| The devastating March tsunami and shift of manufacturing overseas plunged Japan's trade account into the red for the first time since 1980. Experts said the years of Japan running massive trade surpluses are likely over.
The 2.49 trillion yen ($32 billion) deficit for 2011 reflected a surge in energy imports to cover shortfalls caused by the disaster. and a 2.7 percent decline in the value of Japan's exports to 65.55 trillion yen ($843 billion), according to the Ministry of Finance figures released Wednesday.
Manufacturers have moved some production overseas to avoid the damage inflicted by the strong yen, a trend that has accelerated in recent years. Some economists say the trade balance will be in the black again within two years, but the era of very large surpluses that allowed Japan to build a huge pile of foreign reserves has ended. (Washington Post ) |
| Jan 25 | Japan-Peru FTA to kick in March 1 |
| Japan's free-trade accord with Peru will go into effect March 1 now that all of the necessary domestic and diplomatic procedures have been completed, Foreign Minister Koichiro Genba said Tuesday. "I'm hoping that the two countries' economies will become more active" as a result of the agreement, Genba said. Japan and Peru will scrap tariffs on more than 99 percent of the value of goods traded between the two countries within 10 years after the effective date. (Japan Times) |
| Jan 24 | BOJ sees recovery delayed as Europe bites but skips easing |
| The Bank of Japan forecast the economy will contract in the current fiscal year but kept policy steady on Tuesday, expecting exports to emerging markets and reconstruction after last year's earthquake will help fuel a steady recovery later in 2012. BOJ Governor Masaaki Shirakawa, however, warned that Europe's sovereign debt crisis remained the biggest threat to Japan's recovery prospects, already clouded by recent yen rises against the euro and slowing global demand for Japanese goods. "At present, Europe's debt problem poses the biggest risk for the global economy, including Japan's. If the situation worsens further, it may trigger a global credit crunch," Shirakawa told a news conference after the BOJ's widely expected decision to hold off on additional monetary easing. (Reuters) |
| Jan 27 | Tokyo stocks close flat |
| Tokyo stocks have closed flat as investors cautiously looked to a European Union leaders meeting next week. The Nikkei 225 index at the Tokyo Stock Exchange edged down 0.09 per cent or 8.25 points to 8841.22 on Friday. The Topix index of all first-section issues lost 0.46 per cent or 3.48 points to 761.13. Shares stayed rangebound following declines in US stocks on Thursday on data including weaker-than-expected December home sales. Dealers said investors stepped aside as they looked to the EU summit meeting on Monday. (ninemsn.com.au) |
| Jan 26 | Tokyo Shares End Down; Profit-Taking Hits Fanuc, Machinery Stks |
| Tokyo stocks posted a modest loss Thursday, largely on profit-taking following the market's recent bullishness, with Fanuc Corp., along with Komatsu Ltd. and other overbought machinery shares, falling sharply on earnings- and China growth-related jitters. The Nikkei Stock Average dropped 34.22 points, or 0.4%, to 8849.47 following the prior session's 1.1% rise to a 12-week closing high. The Topix index of all the Tokyo Stock Exchange First Section issues also lost 2.79 points, or 0.4%, to 764.61, with 22 of 33 subindexes ending in negative territory. Trading volume totaled 1.95 billion shares, down from Wednesday's 2.2 billion-share pace. (Wall Street Journal) |
| Jan 25 | Japanese stocks advance as yen eases, Apple posts record profit |
| Japanese stocks advanced, sending the Topix Index up for a seventh day, as the yen weakened and technology companies rose after Apple Inc. reported record sales and profit. Sony Corp., Japan's biggest exporter of consumer electronics, gained 4.8 percent. Toshiba Corp., a supplier of chips for Apple's iPad, rose 1.8 percent. Toyota Motor Corp. climbed 3 percent after a report that Nippon Steel Corp. agreed to cut material prices for Japan's biggest carmaker. The Topix, the country's broadest equity gauge, climbed 1.3 percent to 767.40 at the 3 p.m. close in Tokyo, its longest winning streak since July 6. The Nikkei 225 Stock Average rose 1.1 percent to 8,883.69, its highest since Oct. 31. (BusinessWeek) |
| Jan 24 | Japan stocks up on weaker yen, receding worries over eurozone |
| Japanese shares edged up Tuesday after market sentiment was lifted by the yen's fall against the euro and receding fears about the eurozone debt crisis. The benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average gained 19.43 points, or 0.22 per cent, to close at 8,785.33 while the broader Topix index was up 0.61 points, or 0.08 per cent, at 757.4. Tokyo stocks opened higher after overnight gains on European markets. European finance ministers met overnight to consider measures for combating the debt crisis. (monstersandcritics.com) |
| Jan 24 | Sony and Panasonic brace for grim earnings season |
| Sony Corp and rival Panasonic Corp are set to report a slump in quarterly earnings and may cut full-year forecasts after being hit by yen strength, Thai floods and consumer gloom in Europe during the vital pre-Christmas period. Both companies saw their debt ratings downgraded by Moody's Investor Services last week, as their TV divisions continue to bleed red ink despite restructuring efforts. Sony, which reports on February 2, is expected to barely break even for the normally lucrative October-December quarter. Operating profit is seen shriveling 94 percent to 8.8 billion yen ($114.3 million), based on an average estimate from 6 analysts polled by Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. (Reuters) |
| Jan 27 | Govt failed to keep records of key nuke meetings |
| Japan's deputy prime minister acknowledged Friday that the government failed to take minutes of 10 meetings last year on the response to the country's disasters and nuclear crisis and called for officials to compile reports on the meetings retroactively. The missing minutes have become a hot political debate, with opposition lawmakers saying they are necessary to provide a transparent record of the government's discussion after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami touched off the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl in 1986. Deputy Prime Minister Katsuya Okada confirmed Friday at a news conference that the minutes were not fully recorded at the time and called for them to be written up, retroactively, by the end of February. Three of the meetings during the chaotic period had no record at all, not even an agenda, including a government nuclear crisis meeting headed by the prime minister. (AP) |
| Jan 27 | Korean War criminals tried as Japanese |
| Hiromura Gakurai was a prison guard at the Hintok work camp along the Thailand-Burma "death railway," infamous for the extremely high human toll on the Allied prisoners of war (POWs) and local Asian slave laborers during World War II. After the war, he was tried and sentenced to death by an Australian military court for inhumane treatment of POWs but commuted to 20 years' imprisonment and released on parole in 1956. Hiromura's case may not stand out among over 5,700 war criminals in the Asia-Pacific region ― except he was a sharecropper's son named Lee Hak-rae from Korea, then under Japanese colonial rule. And he is not alone: 148 Koreans and 173 Taiwanese were convicted as war criminals, of which 23 Koreans and 26 Taiwanese were executed. Most Korean war criminals were lowly prison guards ranking below buck privates. On paper, they were "volunteers"; in practice, certain military conscription or industrial slave labor awaited as an alternative. Some 3,000 Koreans manned the Japanese POW camps in Southeast Asia. (Korea Times) |
| Jan 27 | Talks to start on lowering voting age |
| The government will start talks next month on lowering the voting age from 20 to 18, Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura said Thursday. Though long debated, no panel meeting has been held on the issue since April 2010. The panel, Fujimura said, will be headed by a deputy chief Cabinet secretary and include other high-level officials from various related ministries. Though the issue will be taken up next month it is unlikely any bill will be submitted to the current ordinary Diet session. Affecting an estimated 200 to 300 laws, it is unclear how soon the government would be able to revise the Public Office Election Law, let alone submit the bill to the Diet. (Japan Times) |
| Jan 27 | Opposition digs in against Noda |
| Opposition lawmakers grilled Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda on Thursday over planned social security and tax reforms and his "inability" to keep his party's campaign pledges, and pressed again for him to call a Lower House election. Just two days into the current 150-day ordinary Diet session, Liberal Democratic Party President Sadakazu Tanigaki blasted Noda for breaking a promise to the public in attempting to raise the consumption tax, which was not part of his Democratic Party of Japan's 2009 campaign platform. (Japan Times) |
| Jan 26 | Japan kept silent on worst nuclear crisis scenario |
| The Japanese government's worst-case scenario at the height of the nuclear crisis last year warned that tens of millions of people, including Tokyo residents, might need to leave their homes, according to a report obtained by The Associated Press. But fearing widespread panic, officials kept the report secret.
The recent emergence of the 15-page internal document may add to complaints in Japan that the government withheld too much information about the world's worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl.
It also casts doubt about whether the government was sufficiently prepared to cope with what could have been an evacuation of unprecedented scale.
The report was submitted to then-Prime Minister Naoto Kan and his top advisers on March 25, two weeks after the earthquake and tsunami devastated the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant, causing three reactors to melt down and generating hydrogen explosions that blew away protective structures. (AP ) |
| Jan 27 | Chinese hooker club busted in Shibuya |
| Tokyo Metropolitan Police on Tuesday arrested the manager and three employees of a club in the Shibuya entertainment area for violating the Anti-Prostitution Law, reports the Sankei Shimbun (Jan. 27). Officers from the peace preservation division of the TMD took club manager Hiraki Sasaki, 63, into custody for offering customers sexual services from Chinese women inside a one-room apartment split into four sections by curtains. TV Asahi reports that Sasaki has denied the allegations. "This is not prostitution," said the suspect, who relied on a 29-year-old street tout to solicit customers. (Tokyo Reporter) |
| Jan 27 | Nishi Azabu celebrity playpen target of Tokyo police gang probe |
| Coinciding with the enactment of anti-organized crime legislation last year, Tokyo Metropolitan Police have been focusing multiple investigations on a lavish club in upscale Nishi Azabu frequented by show biz personalities, reports Shukan Post (Feb. 3). The club is owned by the former president of a real estate company that went bankrupt with liabilities of 10 billion yen. He has been arrested for tax evasion, and the club seized. The Tokyo District Court ruled that the property is to be put up for auction. "The club as well as the owner's residence are inside the same apartment building," a person involved in the investigation tells the tabloid. "There are nine apartments in the building, and eight are intended for auction. After the ruling, a friend of the owner filed a preliminary claim for ownership of the other unit. So it has become impossible to auction the whole building." (Tokyo Reporter) |
| Jan 27 | Fukushima's animals abandoned and left to die |
When you stand in the center of Japan's exclusion zone, there is absolute silence. The exclusion zone is the 20-kilometer (12-mile) radius around the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, an area of high radiation contamination.
On March 12, the day after the quake and tsunami hit, 78,000 people were evacuated out of this area, believing they would return within a few days. As such, thousands of people left with their dogs tied up in the backyard, cats in their houses and livestock penned in barns.
Nearly a year later, animal carcasses litter the region.
Cows and pigs starved to death, their bones still in pens. Dogs dropped dead with disease. A cat skull sits on a neighborhood road.
This is perhaps an inevitable outcome to a nuclear emergency, but animal rights activists call it an outrage. (CNN) |
| Jan 27 | Japanese man fakes own death with brother's body |
| A Japanese man managed to fake his own death by claiming his late brother's body was his own, according to police. Even while Tsukasa Oizumi's older sibling was alive, he used to use his driving licence to get around the fact that his own had been revoked for repeated traffic offences, according to Japan's Mainichi daily. When the brother fell ill and died aged 56 in 2008 Mr Oizumi decided to take over his identity completely. He told authorities that the corpse was his own, and even the doctor who dealt with the brother's demise did not suspect anything, according to the Asahi Shimbun newspaper. The body was cremated, as is normal in Japan. Mr Oizumi, now 58, went on to claim social security benefits in his brother's name for caring for their elderly mother at home, it added. (telegraph.co.uk) |
| Jan 26 | Hot springs stay turns into Cupid default swap |
| "My boyfriend and his close buddy Kazuo, and Kazuo's girlfriend and I made plans to take a trip to a hot springs. But when I got out of the bath, Kazuo made a grab for me. This may seem unbelievable, but it seems the two guys conspired right from the get-go to swap partners. I thought that was really a sordid thing to do." Thus begins the latest escapade in feminist erotic fantasies, excerpted from the women's magazine Ai no Taiken Special Deluxe, as introduced in Shukan Bunshun (Jan. 26). "But as he began groping me..." (Tokyo Reporter) |
| Jan 27 | Horse racing: Hokkaido racehorse breeders bet on China |
 Business has been lean over the years for many of the horse breeders in Hokkaido, Japan's leading region for producing thoroughbreds, as the popularity of racing declines.
But breeders now see a ray of hope in China, where an increasing number of wealthy people are aspiring to own their own racehorses and thus acquire a new status symbol.
"The Chinese public is showing growing interest in racehorses," said Han Guocai, vice chairman of the China Horse Industry Association, who was on a visit to a horse ranch in the Hokkaido town of Shinhidaka in December.
"Gambling on horse races is banned in China, but that ban could be lifted in the future," he added while taking a close look at the sinewy bodies of some thoroughbreds. (Japan Times) |
| Jan 25 | Tennis: Clinical Murray overpowers weary Nishikori to book semi-final spot |
| Andy Murray reached his third successive Australian Open semi-final after easing past the challenge of Kei Nishikori. The world No 4 was rarely troubled by the Japanese, winning 6-3 6-3 6-1 in two hours and 12 minutes, as he maintained his smooth progress through the draw in Melbourne. Impressive: Andy Murray breezed into his third successive Australian Open semi-final Murray will have better days on serve - he got just 44% of first serves into play - but, that aside, there was little room for improvement as he moved into a last-four clash with either Novak Djokovic or David Ferrer. (Daily Mail) |
| Jan 23 | Tennis: Nishikori wins, makes history for Japan |
| Kei Nishikori keeps accumulating the tennis milestones for Japanese men, always remaining conscious of but not concerned about the expectations being heaped upon him. Nishikori notched another mark Monday when he became the first Japanese man to reach the quarterfinals of the Australian Open since the Open Era began in 1968 with an exhausting 2-6, 6-2, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 victory against former finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France. "I never feel the pressure," he said. "You know, it's very honor to make a lot of history, to be the No. 1 player in Japan. But that never gives me the pressure." The 22-year-old Nishikori also matched the best Grand Slam performance ever by a Japanese male in the Open Era -- Shuzo Matsuoka's run to the quarterfinals of Wimbledon in 1995. He's now got a chance to better Matsuoka's mark when he plays No. 4-ranked Andy Murray on Wednesday. (cbssports.com) |
| Jan 23 | Sumo: Hakuho calls time on Baruto's perfect record |
 Yokozuna Hakuho drew a line in the sand Sunday, beating ozeki Baruto to deny the Estonian goliath a 15th win on the final day of the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament.
Baruto was trying to become the first wrestler at sumo's No. 2 rank to win a tournament with a perfect 15-0 mark since Hakuho achieved the feat at the 2007 summer basho, but Hakuho had other plans for sumo's jolly giant in the grand finale at Ryogoku Kokugikan.
With his mother and wife in the audience looking on, Baruto came flying out at the charge and attempted to grab Hakuho's arm, but the yokozuna escaped his grasp before heaving Baruto out for a first loss in front of another full house. (Japan Times ) |
| Jan 22 | Table tennis: Fukuhara captures national title |
| Table tennis icon Ai Fukuhara finally won a national singles title Saturday, defeating 2011 champion Kasumi Ishikawa four games to one in the final. Fukuhara, making her 13th appearance at the national championships, won 11-7, 11-7, 11-7, 3-11, 11-5 in the matchup many people were hoping to see on the penultimate day of action at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. She clinched victory when 18-year-old Ishikawa's backhand went long. (Japan Times) |
| Jan 27 | 40% of universities mull shifting academic year |
| More than 40 percent of the national universities are warming to the University of Tokyo plan to shift the start of the undergraduate academic year from spring to fall, a survey found. Major private institutions, including Waseda University, Keio University and Ritsumeikan University, have also shown willingness to ponder the move, which a University of Tokyo panel recently advocated to bring the system in sync with international norms. The survey, conducted by Kyodo News between Monday and Wednesday, covered the presidents of all 81 national universities except the University of Tokyo and graduate schools unaffiliated with universities, as well as 12 major private universities. The response rate was 100 percent. (Japan Times) |
| Jan 26 | Elderly to get 24-hour nursing 'patrol' |
| The government said Wednesday it will launch a 24-hour "patrol" service to help the elderly become more self-reliant by facilitating in-home nursing care. The service, to get under way with the April 1 start of the new fiscal year, will be covered by public nursing care insurance. The government also aims to curb the ballooning costs of nursing care by allocating extra funds to welfare facilities that discharge residents to receive services at home and to caregivers who offer rehab services to prevent ailments from getting worse. Services at nursing homes are more costly than those provided at home. (Japan Times) |
| Jan 25 | Blasts in lab at Osaka school spark fire; all safe |
 A fire broke out at an Osaka elementary school Tuesday morning after a string of explosions in a science room, prompting 250 students and teachers to evacuate, but no injuries were reported, police and firefighters said.
The explosions at 10:45 a.m. gutted almost all of the 30-sq.-meter room at Kiyoe Elementary School in Suminoe Ward before the fire was put out an hour later, the authorities said.
They were trying to identify the cause of the blasts, which prompted the dispatch of some 30 fire engines and a helicopter. (Japan Times ) |
| Jan 24 | School says it's responsible for deaths / Principal admits failure to protect 84 people killed, missing in March 11 disaster |
| The Ishinomaki municipal board of education and the principal at Okawa Primary School in the city of Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, have admitted responsibility for events that led to the deaths of up to 84 people killed by the Great East Japan Earthquake. The board had been reexamining evacuation measures taken by the school after 74 students and 10 teachers were killed or went missing as a result of the March 11 tsunami. During a meeting with parents on Sunday, the board for the first time admitted there were problems with the school's evacuation instructions and apologized for the lack of guidance to students during the disaster. Since March 11, parents of children who died had accused the school of being irresponsible and complained that education authorities had failed to provide adequate explanations regarding the tragedy. (Yomiuri) |
| Jan 24 | Health ministry aims to get smoking rate down to 10% |
| The health ministry is drawing up a plan to reduce the smoking rate in Japan to around 10 percent, almost half the 23.4 percent in 2009, officials said Monday. The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry aims to insert the numerical target into its fiscal 2013-2022 health promotion plan, and in its basic plan for anticancer programs for the next five years, they said. It is expected that smokers who want to quit will reach around 40 percent in the upcoming survey, due partly to price hikes, and that the reduction target will be set on the assumption all of them will quit. (Japan Times) |
| Jan 27 | Past 3,500 years saw seven M9s |
| At least seven magnitude 9 earthquakes have occurred along the Pacific coast from Hokkaido to Tohoku over the past 3,500 years, generating huge tsunami that inundated the coastline, a new study by a Hokkaido University professor says. Kazuomi Hirakawa, professor of natural geography at the university, drew the conclusion after analyzing deposits believed linked to tsunami at more than 400 sites from Nemuro in Hokkaido to Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, in Tohoku's Sanriku region. (Japan Times) |
| Jan 26 | New quantum dot growing technique could increase fiber optic speeds |
 Japan's National Institute of Information and Communications Technology has completed research that it says could let fiber optic networks use new parts of the spectrum. Using tiny chips of semiconductor material known as quantum dots, NICT scientists have optically transmitted data in an unused frequency band about 10THz wide, about the same width as the bands currently used for optical communication. The researchers speculate they could eventually use a band about 70THz wide, opening up large amounts of spectrum for faster communication.
This experiment was achieved by using a new method of growing quantum dots. Currently, most quantum dots are grown directly on a hospitable surface, a process that sometimes leads to defective "giant dots" (on a quantum scale - so, very large very tiny structures) that can affect performance. (theverge.com) |
| Jan 25 | Fallout from Fukushima No. 1 on rise |
| The amount of radioactive materials released from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant has risen this month compared with December, Tepco said. The amount so far has come to 70 million becquerels per hour, compared with 60 million becquerels in December, Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Monday, adding that the increase is attributable to the displacement of radioactive materials that had settled on facilities and equipment as a result of work conducted near reactors 2 and 3. Tepco has recently probed the inside of the container vessel for the No. 2 reactor with an industrial endoscope and conducted scrap work around reactor 3. (Japan Times) |
| Jan 24 | Tainted stone tied to 60 buildings so far |
 Crushed radiation-tainted stone quarried near the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant was used to build 60 houses and condominium buildings in Fukushima Prefecture.
The number could climb to over 100 if more studies on the crushed stone, which was shipped from a quarry in Namie, are conducted, government sources said Sunday.
The quarry shipped 5,725 tons of stone between the March 11 start of the triple-meltdown crisis triggered by the earthquake and tsunami, and the time in April when the government designated Namie as part of the nuclear exclusion zone. (Japan Times ) |
| Jan 23 | Japan study: Big quake could hit Tokyo 'within 4 years' |
 Japanese researchers have warned of a 70 percent chance that a magnitude-seven earthquake will strike Tokyo within four years, a report said Monday -- much higher than previous estimates.
Researchers at the University of Tokyo's earthquake research institute based the figure on data from the growing number of tremors in the capital since last year's March 11 earthquake off northeast Japan, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported.
According to the meteorological agency, an average of 1.48 earthquakes with magnitudes ranging from three to six have occurred per day in and near Tokyo since March. (gmanetwork.com ) |
| Jan 27 | Nintendo chief promises to do Wii U launch right |
| Nintendo's chief is determined to get right the launch of its next game machine, Wii U, set for this year's holiday shopping season, and acknowledged Friday some mistakes with selling its 3DS handheld. But Nintendo Co. President Satoru Iwata warned earnings for the fiscal year set to begin April will be the toughest ever for the Japanese manufacturer behind the Super Mario and Pokemon games. Iwata's remarks come a day after it lowered its annual earnings forecast to a 65 billion yen ($844 million) loss, much larger than the 20 billion yen ($260 million) loss projected earlier. It posted a 77.62 billion yen profit the previous fiscal year. (AP) |
| Jan 27 | Smartphone traffic projection caught DoCoMo off guard |
 NTT DoCoMo Inc. said Thursday that the disruption of texting and mobile phone services the previous day happened because its packet-switching equipment doesn't have enough capacity to handle the data traffic generated by smartphones.
The telecoms giant admitted to miscalculating the surge in data traffic that could be expected from smartphone users.
"Our estimate (of the communication volume) was insufficient . . . We apologize to our subscribers for causing the trouble," DoCoMo Executive Vice President Fumio Iwasaki told a news conference.
(Japan Times ) |
| Jan 27 | Toshiba plans to release e-book reader |
| Toshiba Corp. said Thursday it will enter the e-book reader market with the release in Japan of its BookPlace DB50, which boasts a 7-inch color screen, on Feb. 10. The Internet-enabled device via Wi-Fi services can store up to about 6,000 novels, or about 150 comic books, the electronics company said. The product will be priced at about ¥22,000. Users can purchase e-books at the BookPlace store run by BookLive Co., a unit of Toppan Printing Co. (Japan Times) |
| Jan 24 | Internet goes underground |
| Japanese etiquette frowns upon the use of mobile phones in buses or trains, and it is rare to see someone speaking on a phone while using public transport, despite the excellent coverage in urban areas. There remain some dead spots, though, where mobile phones cannot be used and the Internet remains inaccessible - chiefly while riding the subway lines between stations. Change is coming soon to this area in major cities where such subway networks are in use, including Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya. Starting this year, passengers will be able to use the Internet through their mobile phones, even while traveling tens of meters underground, and may send and receive messages. (majirox news) |
| Jan 24 | Hitachi to outsource flat-screen TVs |
 Hitachi Ltd. said Monday it will end in-house production of flat-screen TVs by the end of September and outsource them to foreign manufacturers as it downsizes its TV business.
The major electronics company, which began TV production in 1956, plans to transfer TV output to Taiwan and China to cut costs and up its profit structure.
Nevertheless, the firm will keep the Hitachi brand name and continue engaging in TV operations, including development and sales, it said. (Japan Times ) |
| Jan 27 | New National Theatre, Tokyo, opens season with Puccini classic |
| The New National Theatre, Tokyo, (NNTT) is opening its 2012 opera season with a classic by Italian composer Giacomo Puccini. The Puccini piece, "La Boheme," is especially popular with Japanese opera fans and this time around it will be directed by Jun Aguni and conducted by Germany's Constantin Trinks. The piece is set in Paris in the 1830s and centers on the love story of poet Rodolfo (Ji Min Park), and seamstress Mimi Veronica Cangemi). It will be both Cangemi and Park's first performances at the NNTT. Cangemi is an Argentinian soprano and has performed on some of the most celebrated stages in the world. Park is a tenor who hails from South Korea. (Japan Times) |
| Jan 26 | 47 prefectures in 100 days to woo back tourists |
 While tourism in Japan has been sluggish since the March 11 calamity, a British couple recently completed a 100-day tour of all 47 prefectures to help bring foreign travelers back to the country.
Their journey blogs have been accessed more than 50,000 times in the last four months.
Jamie Lafferty, a 28-year-old writer, and Katy Morrison, a 29-year-old photographer, made the journey as part of the Travel Volunteer Project initiated by a travel agency in central Japan.
Magellan Resorts & Trust Inc. in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, launched the initiative to show the world through foreigners' eyes that Japan remains a safe and attractive destination. (Japan Times) |
| Jan 26 | Japan - The Ryokan Experience |
 Ryokans are Japanese-styled inns from centuries ago and are more than just a place to stay. They offer the visitor a chance to experience traditional Japanese lifestyle; from tatami (rice mats) covered floors and futon beds to Japanese styled baths and local cuisine presented in an authentic manner. They are a window into life in Japan in the old days.
Ryokans originated sometime in the 17th century, and their primary purpose was to serve those travelling along Japanese highways such as the famed Tokaido road between Tokyo and Kyoto. They are typically stationed in a quiet, idyllic setting, often next to natural hot springs. While there are quite a few city ryokans in urban areas, seek out the ones next to the hot springs, known as onsen ryokan, for a tranquil Japanese holiday.
The key to having a great time at a ryokan is to understand Japanese traditions beforehand. A quintessential ryokan experience would start when hosts greet their visitors at the street door. After the customary bowing, your shoes are replaced with slippers. According to Japanese tradition, it is considered impolite to ask for your shoes before the stay is over. Tea is served in a large entrance hall, where people can sit and talk, after which guests are shown to their rooms. (totaltele.com ) |
| Jan 25 | Japan to recommend Mt. Fuji, Kamakura for cultural World Heritage |
 The Japanese government decided Wednesday to recommend that Mt. Fuji and the ancient capital Kamakura be added to the list of cultural World Heritage sites, aiming to see them registered by the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in 2013.
The government will file its recommendations with the Paris-based UNESCO World Heritage Center by Feb. 1. The UNESCO World Heritage Committee will decide whether to formally register the sites in the middle of 2013.
Mt. Fuji as a cultural World Heritage candidate covers a 70,000-hectare area in Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures, including five major lakes, the Shiraito Falls and the Miho-no-Matsubara pine grove. (Mainichi) |
| Jan 25 | Narita part of U.K. open-skies deal |
| Japan and Britain have agreed to add Narita International Airport, the country's largest international gateway, to their open skies agreement as a result of bilateral civil aviation talks, the transport ministry said Tuesday. The addition of Narita will take effect in summer 2013, when the combined number of departures and arrivals at the airport is to be raised to 270,000 a year, the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry said. Signatory countries to such agreements are basically obliged to permit each other's airlines to set the number of flights to the other's airports and open new routes to them without restrictions. (Japan Times) |