Japan News for July 11, 2007
Japan-related news links for today:
Covering One’s Ass: Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Monday he would not set a numerical target for the number of seats his ruling coalition should win in the upcoming House of Councillors election, indicating he was reluctant to commit to a number at which he would take responsibility if his Liberal Democratic Party suffers a setback. [Link]
Nothing Wrong Here: Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says the heavily criticized Political Funds Control Law needs no further revision and again voices support for his new farm minister, who like his predecessor is under fire over reported expenditure claims. [Link]
Early Warning: The security firm SunShine Co. Ltd. has developed a new home appliance the size of a paperback that will be able to use data obtained from Japan’s Meteorological Agency (JAMA) via the internet, that will go directly into the home unit and warn any occupant of an imminent earthquake, no matter the magnitude. [Link]
Pay Up: The government should pay pension benefits to people who lack proof that they have paid premiums as long as their claims are credible, according to a panel’s report. [Link]
No Thanks: Eight of 27 former vice welfare ministers and Social Insurance Agency chiefs who have been asked to return their bonuses on a voluntary basis have refused to do so. [Link]
Mongolia Visit: Crown Prince Naruhito arrived in Mongolia on Tuesday afternoon for a visit at the invitation of Mongolian President Nambaryn Enkhbayar to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries. [Link]
Criminal Journalism? Mongolia’s Asashoryu and other sumo wrestlers have filed a criminal complaint over magazine articles that claimed Asashoryu paid opponents to lose in last November’s tournament. [Link]
Horrific Suicide: A woman carrying her two infant daughters jumped in front of an oncoming train at a railway station in Hyogo Prefecture on Monday afternoon, killing herself and both of the children. [Link]
Iraq Mission: The Japanese government decided Tuesday to extend the Air Self-Defense Force’s airlift support mission in Iraq in one-year cycles to July 2008, instead of half-year cycles as initially planned. [Link]
Defamation: The Tokyo District Court on Monday ordered publisher Bungeishunju Ltd and the editors and writers concerned at its weekly magazine Shukan Bunshun to pay 3.3 million yen in damages to former Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki for defaming him in a magazine article. [Link]
Worker Robots: Industrial robot maker Yaskawa Electric has teamed up with megaconglomerate Mitsui & Co., Ltd. and packaging system manufacturer Hokusho Co., Ltd. to develop a parcel sorting system that employs agile robot workers capable of quickly classifying and separating small items such as mail packages and clothing. [Link]
Denial: A Nepalese woman in detention for illegally staying in Japan has denied allegations that she abandoned a man’s body in her western Tokyo apartment nearly two years ago. [Link]
Fading Stars Run For Office: A lawyer, a couple of TV announcers and the father of a professional golfer. This is not the usual big-name celebrity lineup for an Upper House election. [Link]
Tired Of Tires: The Nagasaki Prefectural Government on Monday began removing thousands of old tires left illegally at a shuttered waste-disposal company in Omura, Nagasaki Prefecture.: [Link]
Pirates! Japanese-operated ships have been targeted by pirates in Southeast Asia this year, but most of the attacks were foiled, according to recent data compiled by a piracy monitoring center in Singapore and other maritime sources. [Link]
Dog Cafe: A novel Osaka cafe has got dog lovers howling with delight by providing them with a chance to get cozy with canines, according to Sunday Mainichi. [Link]
Porn News For The Deaf: A government body has granted an adult broadcaster a subsidy to provide sign-language translations for a news program in which the presenter doubles as a stripper, stirring controversy among handicapped people and others. [Link]
