Japan News for June 26, 2007
Today’s Japan-related news links:
No Nathans? Takeru Kobayashi, who set a world record by wolfing down dozens of hot dogs within minutes, has suffered a severe jaw injury due to his rigorous training, making his next title uncertain. [Link]
Disapproval: The approval rating for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s Cabinet falls to 33.5 percent, down 2.3 percentage points from three weeks ago and the lowest showing since he took office in September. [Link]
In A Few Years….? A smart card with a social security number could be introduced in a few years to help people jointly manage their pensions, healthcare and other social security programs. [Link]
Where’s The beef? Japanese and U.S. experts will meet on Wednesday and Thursday to discuss technical issues relating to American beef trade. [Link]
Hospitalized: Okinawa Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima has been hospitalized for treatment of a slight stroke, informed sources said Monday. [Link]
No More Hope: Meathope, a meat processing company that allegedly mixed cheap pork with beef, told its employees on Monday that it will probably have to lay them off and liquidate the firm. [Link]
Stop The Americans: Shareholders of Japan’s Bull-Dog Sauce approved a “poison pill” scheme that will allow the sauce maker to issue new shares aimed at thwarting a $260 million takeover attempt by U.S. hedge fund Steel Partners. [Link]
Anti-Suicide Program: The Shizuoka Prefectural Government is set to launch a program in the city of Fuji in cooperation with nonprofit organizations and medical workers to identify residents at risk of committing suicide. [Link]
Secret Money: More than 70 percent of Japanese housewives in their 30s with children have secret savings, with an average of some 1.37 million yen tucked away, a poll by a financial information magazine has revealed. [Link]
The Street Is Dangerous: A 74-year-old man who shot a 6-year-old boy in the head with a BB gun after the boy ignored his warning not to play on the street has been arrested. [Link]
Go Away: A Shinto shrine in the ancient capital of Kyoto has become a magnet for those looking to sever ties with less pleasant people they’ve known in the past, according to Josei Jishin/WaiWai. [Link]
Shut Up: A 63-year-old woman was arrested Monday on suspicion of shouting loudly in front of her neighbor’s house in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, nearly every day. [Link]
Deer Meat Sushi? A variety of alternatives are being considered by Japanese chefs as shortages of tuna threaten to remove it from Japan痴 sushi menus. [Link]
Umbrella Assault: A seaman who attacked a man with an umbrella on a street in Kanagawa has been arrested on suspicion of inflicting injuries on the victim, police said. [Link]
Romantic Cucumbers: An agricultural cooperative has given heart-shaped cucumbers to a newly married Japanese couple as a gift to share with guests at their wedding ceremony. [Link]
