Archive for November, 2006

News for November 26, 2006

A few news links this morning:

-Japan’s ancient capital of Kyoto plans to ban billboards on top of buildings and blinking neon signs to improve the city’s landscape. How about hideous powerlines? [Props to FG]

-A South Korean man has been arrested for climbing over the wall to the Japanese embassy in Seoul and trepassing on the embassy grounds. The article offers no details on what exactly he was trying to do.

-The labor ministry is taking a look at exempting white-collar workers who make 10 million yen or more a year from legal limitations on their work hours. No need to increase productivity when there is limitless unpaid overtime work is an option!

-A man who served as an officer in the Japanese Imperial Navy has admitted to having carried out vivisection on about 30 prisoners of war, including women and children, in the Philippines during World War II.

-”I just saw the video on Reuters concerning the hunting and slaughter of bottle-nosed dolphins, and I can say, without equivocation, that the Japanese are soulless.” Thanks for printing that, Japan Times.

-Attention ALT’s: The winner of this year’s national junior high English speech contest was Kanon Miyamoto, a second-year student of Fukuoka Futaba Middle School in Fukuoka Prefecture. In her speech, entitled “Spreading Magic All Over the World,” she expressed her hope that poverty and hunger would be eliminated throughout the world so that children everywhere could have the opportunity to enjoy reading Harry Potter books. Gag.

Evening Update:

-If you’re driving drunk, avoid crashing into a police station at all costs.

-Japan’s national rugby team crushed South Korea’s team 54-0, ensuring Japan a place in the next rugby world cup.

-Ballistic missile interceptors are going to be installed on U.S. and Japanese ships.

-World Health Organization statistics reveal that here are lots of skinny chicks in Japan.

-A Fukuoka man who molested 14 children between 2003 and 2004 has been sentenced to 16 years in prison. Previously the man had spent 10 years in prison for abducting and murdering a 7-year old boy in 1990. Way to go, Japanese justice system!

-Amateur divers have found the wreckage of a Japanese midget submarine that sunk during an attack on Sydney harbor 64 years ago.

-The Ministry of Education has decided to increase the number of counselors in schools as an emergency measure to deal with the recent increase in student suicides. Don’t cut down on bullying, just help the victims deal with it…

Special English on Japanese TV

Yasuhito Wakita (Wakki-kun) showed off this wonderful English t-shirt on tonight’s TV Asahi Quiz! program:

He must really like that shirt, because he also wore it on TV a few weeks ago:

What a special guy!

News for November 25, 2006

A few links for today (forgot to post this in the morning, so here it is now):

-Imagine a man rushing by you on the platform and a station and bumping you, making you lose your balance, fall on to the tracks, and get horribly killed by an oncoming train. It happens.

-The Japanese national rugby team seems to be making the best of imported international players.

-Coming December 8: The Nintendo DS mp3 player.

-The LDP is split over whether the postal rebels should be let back in. Apologize in writing, you creeps!

-Yet another wacky USB-hub!

-North Korea has rejected bilateral talks with Japan.

-Nintendo will be releasing the W11, a ketai strap shaped like a miniature Wii controller that also doubles as a safety whistle. Expect it to be a big hit with kids who like the nintendo Wii and Japanese parents obsessed with their children’s safety is this incredibly dangerous nation.

Evening update:

-Police have dropped fraud charges against ex-civil servant who worked 8 days in 69 months and got nearly full pay for the entire period. They examined the piles of doctor excuse notes he had provided, but could get none of the doctors to admit that their notes were untrue. Luckily, his constant illnesses didn’t prevent him from visiting the city government offices several times during his sick leave absense to lobby on behalf of his construction firm. You can read more about this hard-working here in my original update on the story.

-”Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story” has opened in Japanese theaters.

-Mainichi’s WaiWai column features a doctor discussing teen STD/pregnancy trends.

-An Englishman in Osaka celebrates the beginning of toilet seat-warming season!

-Swallowing the print out from your breathalizer test will not save you from being discovered as a drunk driver…

-Another victory of Asashoryu. Is there any stopping this guy?

-Trans-Pacific Radio has released another Japanese politics/education news update podcast. Check it out!

-Did you pay your respects to Freddy yesterday?

Pan-kun works for Disney (Video)

From last night’s Shimura Zoo, Super chimp Pan-kun whores himself out as a spokesperson for Disney’s latest film: