News for November 29, 2006

A few Japan-related links for this morning:

-More than half of Japanese people reuse their bath water, according to recently translated poll at What Japan Thinks.

-An Asia Times editorial places the blame for Japan/China history disputes squarely on Japan [and completely ignores how the Chinese government cultivated and exploited anti-Japanese nationalism, not to mention Japan's 21 apologies to China].

-Discover magazine speculates about a possible Japanese moon base.

-A firm has been accused of pressuring elderly people into paying ridiculous sums for “lucky” seals. Apparently their sales staff included a fortune teller who would warn the old people that the only way to avoid a horrible fate for their children would be to buy one of their seals. Anybody up for starting a magic bean business?

-Monta Mino is the world’s busiest TV host.

-Japan’s growing public debt is one of the 4 Great Risks to the World Economy.

-TAMIFLU SUPPLIES ARE TOO LOW TO HANDLE A MAJOR OUTBREAK OF BIRD FLU! PANIC NOW! Or, you can just hope you’re one of the lucky 25 million who get some Tamiflu.

Afternoon update:

-A junior high school student hung himself yesterday in Hokkaido. In his suicide note, he wrote, “I will die not because of bullying, but because I’m tired of living.”

-The New York Yankees have purchased the right to negotiate a contract with Japanese pitcher Kei Igawa from the Hanshin Tigers for roughly $26 million.

-The Asahi Shinbun offers more details on the dumb woman who got her car smashed by a train.

-Seiko Epson Corp has reached a settlement with six firms in Germany, Hong Kong, the United States and South Korea over the U.S. ink cartridge patent infringement case.

-According to recently released statistics, ‘Brain Training’ games were incredibly popular in 2006.

-Captain Japan reports about Deep Impact’s victory in the Japan Cup.

-A Nagoya man has been arrested for burning down his own house.

-Check out the beatiful bento art at Tigers and Cranes.

-Digital Tokyo has photos of the Pirates of the Caribbean Cafe that was recently opened in Tokyo.

-Korea and Japan will hold working-level defense talks on Friday. The talks had been delayed for 16 months “as Japan angered South Korea by laying claim to the South Korean islets of Dokdo in the East Sea”[Takeshima/Liancourt Rocks in the Sea of Japan].

-Screw Memoirs of a Geisha: the Asahi Shinbun reports on a maiko blogger.

-The winners of the Hochi Movie Awards have been announced.

-54 dogs died in a fire at a pet shop in Ibaraki prefecture last night.

-Has Shinzo Abe returned to the LDP of olden days?