Japan News for December 27, 2006

Some news/links for today:

-A defunct political organization overseen by Administrative Reform Minister Genichiro Sata has come under suspicion of stating in official government reports that it paid 70 million yen to an office that in reality didn’t exist. Maybe he thought administrative “reform” just had to do with rennovating offices?

-The Osaka High Court on Tuesday sentenced a 59-year-old woman to 20 months in prison for sickening her neighbor with loud music, revoking an initial ruling that had given her a one-year prison term.

-The National Police Agency (NPA) plans to set up its version of the “Crime Stoppers” program to reward anonymous informants who provide tips about criminal activities. All you suspscious-looking foriegners better watch your backs!

-Patrick Macias journeys into the pages of “Men’s Egg” to find a Christmas miracle!

-Japan’s animation industry is “hollowing out” due to increasing reliance on outsourcing most of its production work to other countries.

-The lines at Tokyo’s Krispy Kreme seem to be getting longer and longer…

A few more news links:

-Toyota Motor Corp said Tuesday that Masayo Hasegawa of its environmental affairs division will become its first-ever woman “bucho” general manager next Monday. She will be the the only woman among the 528 general managers at the largest Japanese automaker. Is that supposed to be some great achievement for Toyota? Wow, after decades you have finally managed to promote a female to general manager…

-Nearly 80 percent of people surveyed in a recent Yomiuri Shimbun poll said they felt the government’s view that the economy was recovering was unrealistic or doubtful, while 74 percent of them said the gap between rich and poor and other extremes were widening.

-A group of Hyogo Prefecture university students said Tuesday they are looking for the owner of a Japanese national flag which had been kept by a U.S. sailor since World War II, on behalf of the late sailor’s brother.

-A new government paper has called for new legislation that would make it mandatory for foreign nationals to report their employment status to authorities. It also says systems should be set up to gather and share information on foreigners among municipalities. “Based on correct information regarding foreign residents’ addresses and working places, the central and local governments can encourage non-Japanese to send their children to school, improve their working conditions and provide social insurance services,” the policy paper says.

-A review of Junichiro Tanizaki’s “Seven Japanese Tales.”