News On Japan

Toyota recalling Prius in Japan for brakes

AP — 2010-02-08 03:49:45

Toyota is recalling nearly 200,000 of its signature Prius green cars in Japan for braking problems, the latest in a string of embarrassing safety problems at the world's largest automaker. Toyota Motor Corp. president Akio Toyoda will hold a news conference at the automaker's Tokyo office later Tuesday to outline details of the braking problem, including plans for a possible recall in the U.S., a company official told The Associated Press. The number of Prius gas-electric hybrids being recalled would swell to about 300,000 if there is a recall in the U.S. and other regions. (AP)

Moon, sun 'could help trigger powerful earthquakes'

Yomiuri — 2010-02-08 20:39:39

The gravitational pull of the moon and sun may serve as the last straw in triggering earthquakes, researchers have found. Though the effects of the two heavenly bodies--known as the lunar and solar tidal forces, respectively--have only about 0.1 percent of the accumulated-strain energy that triggers a powerful earthquake, such a force could act as the last push for a major tremor when seismic strain strong enough to cause a quake has accumulated, according to the researchers, including Sachiko Tanaka, a research fellow at the National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention. (Yomiuri)

Cops search ex-hostess' house over 2nd murder

Yomiuri — 2010-02-08 20:39:39

Police searched the apartment of a former bar hostess under arrest for murder-robbery Monday, suspecting she also killed and robbed a truck driver who was found drowned off Tottori Prefecture in April, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned. The Tottori prefectural police believe Miyuki Ueta, 36, killed the truck driver to avoid paying money she owed him. In both cases, the men died in similar circumstances. (Yomiuri)

Where is the love? More than 1/3 of Japanese couples now 'sexless'

Mainichi — 2010-02-08 20:57:08

One in three married Japanese couples is apparently "sexless," a startling proportion said to be swelling by the year. However, it's not just the marriage bed that's gone cold. Many young couples, too, are foregoing quality time between the sheets even before tying the knot. And while sex may be the most private part of our private lives, it's time to ask where the love has gone. (Mainichi)

U.S. study disputes increase in Antarctic minke whale population

AP — 2010-02-09 07:18:22

The population of Antarctic minke whales has not increased even after other larger whales in food competition were hunted, according to a recent study by U.S. researchers, countering arguments Japan cites as a reason for conducting what it calls research whaling. With larger species of whales including blue whales being intensely hunted in the late 20th century, Japan's Fisheries Agency and researchers have hypothesized that Antarctic minke whales may have increased as a result of lesser competition for krill that they feed on. (AP)

Police question victim of alleged assault by Asashoryu

AP — 2010-02-09 07:18:22

Police questioned a man allegedly assaulted by retired sumo grand champion Asashoryu on Tuesday and could consider whether to hear from the Mongolian himself. The Metropolitan Police Department questioned the man on a voluntary basis at the Azabu police station in Tokyo, where Asashoryu's lawyer had informed officers of a settlement reached between both men. (AP)

Sea Shepherd in water cannon fire stoush

Sydney Morning Herald — 2010-02-09 07:27:00

Anti-whaling activists hope to prevent Japanese whalers from making a kill for the next three weeks, as they exchange water cannon fire on the high seas. The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's ship Steve Irwin joined its other vessel, the Bob Barker, in Antarctic waters about 7am (AEDT) on Monday in pursuit of the Japanese factory ship, Nisshin Maru. "As we moved towards them they we had a bit of a water cannon fight and demonstrated ours was a more powerful water cannon," Captain Paul Watson told AAP on Tuesday from the Steve Irwin. (Sydney Morning Herald)

Olympics: Japan targets record medal haul

CTV — 2010-02-09 07:56:41

Japan, which managed just one Winter Olympic medal in 2006, vowed on Monday to restore their pride with a record-matching performance at the Vancouver Games. "Our athletes have worked hard for four years, aiming for the highest spot," Japan's chef de mission Seiko Hashimoto said. Japan collected a record 10 medals, including five golds, on home ice and snow in Nagano in 1998. (CTV)

Dead man found in landing gear of US jet in Japan

AFP — 2010-02-07 21:11:21

Japanese authorities have found the body of a man in the landing gear of a Delta airliner that arrived in Tokyo from New York and said Monday they were seeking US help in identifying him. The man, who was of dark complexion and dressed only in blue jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, was carrying no passport or personal belongings. A mechanic found the body in the landing gear bay of the Boeing 777 after Delta Flight 59 landed at Tokyo's Narita International Airport at about 6:05 pm local time Sunday, a Chiba prefecture police spokesman said. (AFP)

Street vendor puts on the dog for popular Japanese figure skater

Vancouver Sun — 2010-02-08 08:48:03

Every day, Misa Tamura hand-punches gold and red-coloured maple leaves out of yuba - membrane-like dried tofu skin - to sprinkle on Japanese hotdogs celebrating Japan's figure skating Olympic hopeful Mao Asada. The hotdogs, sold at her husband Noriki Tamura's popular Japadog street stand at Smythe and Burrard, are being snapped up these days by Japanese media in town for the Olympic Games, along with Japanese tourists and the stand's regular customers. (Vancouver Sun)

Ships collide as whale war hots up

Sydney Morning Herald — 2010-02-06 13:44:12

Hostilities broke out between Japanese whalers and conservation group Sea Shepherd in the Antarctic yesterday, where the two sides collided in their first meeting since the sinking of the Ady Gil. The Sea Shepherd ship Bob Barker collided with the stern of the whale chaser Yushin Maru No. 3, leaving a metre-long gash in the side of the activists' vessel, the group's leader, Paul Watson, said last night. (Sydney Morning Herald)

Record 85% favor death penalty

Japan Times — 2010-02-06 22:07:09

The percentage of people in favor of the death penalty has reached a record high, with 85.6 percent of survey respondents saying capital punishment is "unavoidable," according to a government poll released Saturday. The highest percentage since the government began the surveys in 1994 indicates the public is seeking strict punishment for heinous crimes following a spate of such incidents, including a stabbing rampage in Tokyo's Akihabara district in 2008. (Japan Times)

Are people getting away with murder?

Yomiuri — 2010-02-06 22:28:21

Could the nation's autopsy system be so wanting that people are getting away with murder? In 2009, about 160,000 people in Japan died suspicious, unnatural deaths. But autopsies were performed in only about 10 percent of these cases, according to the National Police Agency. With police having started probes into several mysterious deaths that took place in Tottori and Saitama prefectures, there have been growing calls to make drastic changes to the nation's autopsy system. (Yomiuri)

Heavy snowfall, strong winds hit parts of northern to central Japan

AP — 2010-02-06 22:31:13

Heavy snowfall and strong winds hit parts of northern to central Japan on Saturday, with the Japan Meteorological Agency warning of continued snow and winds as well as high waves on Sunday. Heavy snow was seen in regions facing the Sea of Japan, including areas in Niigata, Aomori and Yamagata prefectures where close to 300 centimeters of snow had accumulated by Saturday evening, the agency said. Winds of more than 100 kilometers per hour blew through parts of Niigata and Akita prefectures on Saturday morning. (AP)

Japanese ask: Is US backlash behind Toyota woes?

BusinessWeek — 2010-02-07 00:55:38

Despite the criticism of Toyota over car safety, Japanese citizens still largely view the world's largest automaker with pride -- so much so that some people here wonder whether pressure on Toyota in the U.S. is a ploy to boost American auto producers and undermine Japan Inc. That notion may seem far-fetched to the millions of Toyota owners in the United States and around the world whose confidence in the company has made it the world leader -- and are now simply worried about the safety of their cars. (BusinessWeek)

Isle of Man schoolgirl becomes an anime star in Japan

guardian.co.uk — 2010-02-07 00:56:27

Like most 14-year-old girls, Rebecca Flint likes to dress up and dance. But unlike most girls, she records and posts her performances on YouTube. The results have made her an internet phenomenon in Japan, home of the anime cartoon characters she imitates. More than eight million people have watched Rebecca performing as Beckii Cruel, dancing to bouncy J-pop (Japanese pop music) and anime theme songs in the attic of her home on the Isle of Man. Her success has led publishing giant Tokuma Japan to sign up Beckii, teaming her with 18-year-old French college student "Sara Cruel", from Lyon, and a 16-year-old student from Portsmouth known as "Gemma Cruel". The trio -- Beckii Cruel and the Cruel Angels -- release their debut album in Japan on Wednesday, when it is expected to reach the top of the charts. (guardian.co.uk)

Nara fears 1,300th anniversary flop

Japan Times — 2010-02-06 00:13:52

The ancient capital of Nara is celebrating the 1,300th anniversary of its founding throughout 2010 with hundreds of events that officials hope will bring in nearly 13 million visitors and raise the city's profile domestically and internationally as a historical and cultural tourism center. But questions are growing about how successful the celebrations will ultimately prove, with concerns over the effect of the weak economy on events and attendances, a lack of foreign language tourism information and a local populace that has been slow to embrace the festivities. (Japan Times)

DPJ's Ishikawa, other Ozawa aides make bail

Japan Times — 2010-02-06 00:13:52

Democratic Party of Japan lawmaker Tomohiro Ishikawa, Ichiro Ozawa's former aide now under indictment for cooking the DPJ don's financial books over a shady Tokyo land buy, made bail Friday. After paying ¥12 million through his lawyers, Ishikawa left the Tokyo Detention Center in the evening. Mitsutomo Ikeda, an ex-aide of Ozawa, and Takanori Okubo, a current aide, also were released after making bail. Okubo paid ¥7 million and Ikeda ¥3 million. (Japan Times)

Japan grapples with greying needs

Sydney Morning Herald — 2010-02-06 00:37:37

Just before 5pm on a sunny autumn afternoon, Tetsuhito Aikawa strode into the headquarters of the Democratic Party of Japan, an unprepossessing eight-storey building in Tokyo's Nagatacho district. Guards stationed on the ground floor saw nothing suspicious about the 24-year-old part-time worker from Yamanashi Prefecture, who was wearing a black suit and tie and making his way to the ruling party's seventh-floor reception desk. When he emerged from the lift, Aikawa pulled out a 53-centimetre wooden sword and charged up a set of emergency stairs to the unattended office of the Prime Minister, Yukio Hatoyama, where he began smashing a computer server until he was finally overpowered by security. "I thought I could put a stop to the party's policies," Aikawa was reported to have said, in a reference to a proposed bill that would give permanent foreign residents the right to vote in local elections. His ambitious plan was the surest indication yet of rising resentment among Japan's right-wing groups about the government's plan. (Sydney Morning Herald)

A crisis made in Japan

Wall Street Journal — 2010-02-06 01:58:26

In Japan there is a proverb, "If it stinks, put a lid on it." Alas, this seems to have been Toyota's approach to its burgeoning safety crisis, initially denying, minimizing and mitigating the problems involving brakes that don't brake and accelerators that have a mind of their own. President Akio Toyoda, grandson of the founder, was MIA for two weeks and the company has appeared less than forthcoming about critical safety issues, risking the trust of its customers world-wide. (Wall Street Journal)

3rd Brazilian arrested over fatal hit-and-run in Nagoya

AP — 2010-02-06 02:04:45

A third Brazilian suspect was arrested Friday over a hit- and-run in Nagoya earlier in the week in which three pedestrians were killed, police said. Fabricio Rocha, 26, was wanted on suspicion of dangerous driving resulting in death and committing a traffic law violation as the driver of the car, which was allegedly carrying four Brazilians and failed to stop after hitting the three victims past midnight Monday. (AP)

Emperor infected with norovirus

AP — 2010-02-06 02:05:29

Emperor Akihito has been infected with norovirus, the Imperial Household Agency said Friday. Other imperial family members, including Empress Michiko, and the agency officials have shown no symptoms of enteritis caused by the virus, and the infection route is not known, according to the agency. The emperor suffered stomachache and had a mild fever earlier this week, but his condition is stable, it said. (AP)

Sumo: Mongolian newspapers blast Japanese sumo over Asa's retirement

AP — 2010-02-06 02:05:29

Several Mongolian newspapers on Friday featured articles on their front pages, reporting that a conspiracy was behind former grand champion Asashoryu's decision to quit sumo over his alleged assault of a man in downtown Tokyo. Most of them failed to mention Asashoryu's problematic behavior, instead stressing that Japanese sumo officials had pressured him to retire for fear of the fiery yokozuna breaking sumo legend and former yokozuna Taiho's record of 32 title wins. (AP)

Sumo: Asashoryu retires in tearful farewell

Reuters — 2010-02-04 08:14:55

Troubled sumo grand champion Asashoryu announced his retirement from the ancient sport at a tear-filled news conference on Thursday, following a probe into reports of a drunken scuffle in Tokyo last month. "I have caused great trouble to everyone, as well as to the Japan Sumo Association," the 29-year-old said, dabbing his eyes at times. Asashoryu has often been in hot water outside the sumo ring but is beloved by fans for his exploits in it. Japanese broadcasters flashed new bulletins with his plans to retire, later telecasting his farewell announcement. (Reuters)

Annual snow festival begins in Sapporo

AP — 2010-02-05 05:00:52

An annual snow festival began Friday in Sapporo in Hokkaido, featuring some 240 snow sculptures at three sites in the northern city. Organizers expect more than 2 million people will visit those sites during the festival through next Thursday. Among the sculptures are those of polar bears and penguins from popular Hokkaido zoos and that of the Church of Our Lady in Dresden, Germany, which is the highest on record in the annual events at some 26 meters high. (AP)