News On Japan

Osaka fails to report swine flu mutation

Japan Times — 2009-07-04 00:45:11

An Osaka health official found a genetic mutation of swine flu that is resistant to Tamiflu on June 18 - nearly two weeks before the "first" finding was reported in Denmark - but failed to disclose it, the health ministry said Thursday. The mutation, found in a woman in her 40s in Toyonaka who caught the H1N1 influenza A virus in May, is the first reported case of Tamiflu-resistant swine flu in Japan. (Japan Times)

NASA, Japan map most of planet

baltimoresun.com — 2009-07-03 13:19:26

CNN's goinggreen blog has an entry today on the new digital topographical map created by NASA and Japan. It's the most complete map to date. The map was built from 1.3 million images taken by NASA's Terra satellite. CNN says the images were taken by a Japanese imaging instrument called the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer, or ASTER. (baltimoresun.com)

Japanese scientists to breed 'super tuna'

telegraph.co.uk — 2009-07-02 23:38:47

Japanese scientists will have bred a new "super-tuna" within a decade that will be stronger, more resistant to disease and taste better than the bluefin presently in the oceans. Stocks of tuna have declined by as much as 90 per cent in some waters and the World Wildlife Fund has warned that the Atlantic bluefin will have been wiped out within three years unless radical measures are taken to protect stocks. (telegraph.co.uk)

Researchers race to unravel genome of bluefin tuna

Yomiuri — 2009-07-02 02:37:29

A joint research team of the Fisheries Research Agency, Tokyo University and Kyushu University is expected to finish decoding the entire genome of the bluefin tuna by the end of this year, according to the agency. (Yomiuri)

Timing of transplant vote in spotlight

Yomiuri — 2009-07-02 02:37:29

The House of Councillors has begun full-fledged deliberations on a bill to revise the Organ Transplant Law and a counterproposal bill to establish an ad hoc committee for discussing how to treat brain death in children. (Yomiuri)

Japan: Automation Nation?

NewsWeek — 2009-07-01 04:26:33

More than any other country in the world, Japan is a case study in the triumphs of human engineering. Every Japanese manufacturer prides itself on energy efficiency and zero-landfill waste policies. The train and subway stations are models of precision and the application of information technology. (NewsWeek)

Wind power has its own environmental problems

Yomiuri — 2009-07-01 00:35:33

Wind power generation is expected to be a clean and environmentally friendly natural energy source, but a new kind of environmental problem has surfaced as infrasonic waves caused by windmills are suspected of causing health problems for some people. (Yomiuri)

Japan to generate solar power in outer space, then beam it to earth

crunchgear.com — 2009-07-01 00:44:47

This may sound ridiculous first time you hear it, but Japan is thinking about solar power from panels located in space to mother earth, or to be more exact, the nation of Nippon itself. According to the Nikkei, the government plans to ask local technology companies to participate in the endeavor as early as next month. (crunchgear.com)

Japanese spacecraft finds uranium on moon

Florida Today — 2009-06-30 10:20:01

Uranium exists on the moon, according to new data from a Japanese spacecraft. Advertisement The findings are the first conclusive evidence for the presence of the radioactive element in lunar dirt, the researchers said. The revelation suggests that nuclear power plants could be built on the moon, or even that Earth's satellite could serve as a mining source for uranium needed back home. (Florida Today)

Health ministry to stop survey of all new-flu cases

Yomiuri — 2009-06-30 00:08:01

The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry will suspend in mid-July a survey that calls for reports on all victims of the new strain of influenza, it has been learned. The ministry will switch to a selective survey that demands places such as schools and workplaces make notifications when multiple people become infected with the virus. (Yomiuri)

Niigata pioneering rice-based biofuel

Yomiuri — 2009-06-30 00:08:01

A new project in which bioethanol will be produced from rice cultivated in fallow farmland and mixed with gasoline will begin in Niigata Prefecture in mid-July, it has been learned. The project is being undertaken by JA Zen-Noh, the national federation of agricultural cooperative associations, in cooperation with the Niigata prefectural government. (Yomiuri)

A need to nurture scientists

Japan Times — 2009-06-29 23:56:57

Last year, four Japanese scientists, including one who became a naturalized American, received Nobel Prizes. Unfortunately, however, their achievements do not reflect the current state of science in Japan. The government's 2009 science and technology white paper shows that the foundation for basic science research is crumbling and hints that Japan's scientific level is rapidly falling. (Japan Times)

Japan a low-key player in space race

Japan Times — 2009-06-29 23:56:57

Japan has launched Earth observation, communications and weather satellites as well as other space vehicles since it began its space program in the late 1960s. The program initially fell under the authority of the National Space Development Agency but is now under NASDA's successor, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA. (Japan Times)

Rainy season appears to have ended in Okinawa

AP — 2009-06-28 03:44:34

This year's rainy season in the Okinawa area of southwestern Japan appears to have ended, five days later than usual and 11 days later than last year, the area observatory said Sunday. The rainy spell in the area began May 18 and lasted 41 days, the Okinawa Meteorological Observatory said. (AP)

Volcano from Space

Scientific American — 2009-06-27 02:11:45

Astronauts on the International Space Station snapped this photo of Sarychev Volcano's eruption earlier this month. The volcano, on the Kuril Islands, northeast of Japan, hadn't erupted in 20 years, and this blow launched ash more than 1,495 miles (2,406 kilometers) away. Planes were diverted from the area to avoid engine damage from superheated particulates. (Scientific American)

Underwater sponges could soak up uranium for nuclear power stations in Japan

mnn.com — 2009-06-27 02:12:49

Japan depends on the sea for many aspects of life, so it's no surprise that the island nation would find an energy solution in the waters off its coast. Government-funded scientists have drafted plans to place giant 'uranium farms' on the seabed to extract uranium from the ocean. (mnn.com)

Frog virus an increasing threat for ecosystems

Yomiuri — 2009-06-26 23:55:56

Fears are growing around the world over outbreaks of ranavirus infections, which are capable of killing various kinds of amphibian species, and the ecological effects such outbreaks could have. (Yomiuri)

Upper House mulls transplant law

Japan Times — 2009-06-26 23:55:56

The Upper House began deliberations Friday on two amendments to the organ transplant law. One amendment, Plan A, would scrap the age limit, opening the door for children to donate organs. It cleared the Lower House on June 18. (Japan Times)

Scientists warn of emerging form of unregulated whaling in Asia

csmonitor.com — 2009-06-26 06:03:15

It's tough being a whale these days. The International Whaling Commission has just wrapped up its annual meeting in Portugal with a whaling ban still intact, but with fissures deepening between the save-the-whales crowd and countries such as Japan, which wants to see commercial whaling reinstated, at least on a limited basis. (csmonitor.com)

Food safety panel set to give green light to cloned meat

Japan Times — 2009-06-25 22:45:09

Beef and pork made from somatic cell-cloned cows, pigs and their offspring are as safe as those produced from conventionally bred animals, the Food Safety Commission said in a report Thursday. (Japan Times)

Japan changes approach to deal with H1N1

Channel NewsAsia — 2009-06-25 06:47:38

The number of H1N1 cases in Japan has reached 900. In view of the numbers, Japanese authorities are changing the way they deal with the disease. It has stopped special quarantines at international airports in the country, and patients who are not in serious condition have been told to stay home. Meanwhile, hospital beds are reserved only for the seriously ill. Experts say it is the right move. (Channel NewsAsia)

Wandering whale's ordeal leaves scientists puzzled

Asahi — 2009-06-24 04:56:02

Researchers are still puzzled over how a wayward whale managed to wander into a narrow cove here, survive for nearly three weeks and then find its way out again. The 16-meter-long male sperm whale was first spotted early on the morning of May 14 in Uchinoura Bay, a crooked cove at the southern end of the larger Tanabe Bay that spills out into the Pacific Ocean. (Asahi)

Mom's expression influences baby's stress level: study

Japan Times — 2009-06-23 22:38:52

The level of a digestive enzyme increases in babies when their mothers look at them with no expression on their face, causing them stress, according to a new study. The research arm of Unicharm Corp., a major manufacturer of disposable diapers, said that on such occasions the babies react with a frown and have a high density of amylase in their saliva. (Japan Times)

Strong quake hits off northern Japan

AFP — 2009-06-23 11:32:46

A 5.5-magnitude earthquake struck off northern Japan on Tuesday, the meteorological agency said. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties and no tsunami alert was issued. seismograph (AFP)

37-kg alligator snapping turtle caught in Nagoya

AP — 2009-06-23 00:42:04

A male alligator snapping turtle, 53 centimeters in length and weighing 37 kilograms, has been caught in a river running through the heart of Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, local authorities said Monday. The turtle was captured by three men, who are members of a turtle research group, on Saturday in the Hori River near Nagoya castle, the municipal government said. They also found another turtle, but it escaped. (AP)