News for November 27, 2006
Some news this morning:
-The scripted Q&A townhall meeting scandal continues to grow.
-Nonpayment for elementary/junior high school lunches in 2005 totalled more than 1.8 billion yen, or 0.53 percent of the amount that should have been collected, according to a Yomiuri Shimbun survey. Uh oh, better force those poor people to pay up!
-More new stories and opinions for today at Trans-Pacific Radio!
Afternoon update:
-Bullies might actually get suspended from school? I’ll believe it when I see it. Also, Foreign Dispatches has posted an interesting take on the bullying issue.
-AU has created a cell phone with digital radio capabilities. Neat.
-The Yomiuri Shinbun reveals that 70% of local government heads are against term limits. You think?
-A foreigner’s look at the savage Japanese, from the June 15, 1852 edition of the New York Times.
-A survey has found that 28% of workers in Tokyo/Osaka work over 12 hours a day. Horrible.
-Used Pachinko machines, which are being thrown away and eventually shipped to recycling facilities in China, might pose a serious risk to the health of people and could be considered hazardous waste under international law, complains the Japan Times.
-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will visit Europe in January to drum up support for Japan’s tough stance on North Korea.
-Why is Hyundai failing in Japan? Some have reluctantly admitted that using Korean wave stars to promote their brand has been a failure, mainly because the only fans of Korean dramas in Japan are old housewives that don’t usually purchase large sedans.
