Japan News for July 05, 2007
Japan-related news links for today:
More A-Bomb Controversy: Japan on Wednesday reiterated its view that the use of atomic bombs is against humanitarian principles, while stopping short of lodging a protest against remarks by the U.S. special envoy for nuclear nonproliferation that the use of atomic bombs to end World War II prevented the loss of “literally millions of Japanese lives.” [Link]
Defense Issues: A day after being appointed Japan’s first-ever female defence minister, former TV presenter Yuriko Koike said on Wednesday she was worried about what to wear. [Link]
Online Society = GDP Growth: The 2007 white paper on information and communication forecasts that if progress is made in transforming Japan into a more advanced online society, it would raise gross domestic product by about 1 percent in 2010. [Link]
100% Japanese Rice? A wholesaler in Chiba Prefecture is suspected of mixing less expensive imported rice with domestic rice and selling it as purely domestic rice. [Link]
Victims Abroad: The Hiroshima and Nagasaki prefectural and municipal governments have started providing 1.35 billion yen in health care benefits to 740 atomic bomb survivors living in 14 nations and one territory in response to a Supreme Court decision in February. [Link]
Pre-Election Crash: Architect Kisho Kurokawa, who intends to run in the upcoming House of Councillors election, crashed his car into a taxi Tuesday afternoon, injuring the passenger in the cab. [Link]
Welcoming Market: “Nanking,” a U.S.-made film documenting eyewitness accounts of atrocities committed by Japanese troops in China during World War Two, opened in Beijing on Tuesday, as the two countries struggle to mend strained ties. [Link]
Alzheimer’s Research: At least 25 leading institutions in Japan will participate in an international research project on Alzheimer’s disease from autumn with the aim of developing early treatment and prevention methods. [Link]
Korean Airline Offers Discounted Fares: Hansung Airlines announced Monday that it intends to start flying to Japan in November, with fares about half the cost of those offered by Korean Air and Asiana Airlines. [Link]
Building Peace: The U.N. Peacebuilding Commission has picked Japan as the chair to lead the 31-member panel during its second one-year session that started last week. [Link]
Muddy Derailment: A train derailed in Kagoshima Prefecture late Tuesday night after being hit by a landslide that was apparently triggered by heavy rain. [Link]
Dumb School: All 337 students at a high school in Fukui that took part in a nationwide kanji proficiency test were disqualified because the school let some of students take the test a day early, it has emerged. [Link]
Everyone’s A Manager: A local labor standards watchdog has issued a business improvement order to men’s clothing retailer Konaka Co. over the company’s practice of putting large numbers of employees in managerial positions, thereby avoiding having to hand them overtime pay. [Link]
Printing Money: A manager at Oji Paper Co. was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of photocopying 1,000 yen notes and using the fakes to pay his tab at a coffee shop. [Link]
Finger Chopper: A family court in Tsu has ordered a teenage boy and girl to spend time at a juvenile reformatory for confining an 18-year-old girl, beating her and cutting off the tip of her right pinky finger. [Link]
Finger Biter: A Nagoya Municipal Government researcher who drunkenly bit a woman’s finger during a violent outburst at a restaurant here faces punitive measures, it has been learned. [Link]
Prayer: A man has been arrested in Hyogo Prefecture for molesting a woman under the pretext of offering a prayer, leaving her with slight injuries. [Link]
