Japan News for July 18, 2007

Japan-related news links for today:

Radioactive Japan: A nuclear power plant near the epicenter of a powerful earthquake suffered a slew of problems, including spilled waste drums, leaked radioactive water, fires and burst pipes, the reactor’s operator said Tuesday – more than 24 hours after the tremors struck northern Japan. [Link]

Pulses: Seismic waves in one-second cycles, or so-called “killer pulses,” caused the most damage to wooden structures in Monday’s earthquake in Niigata Prefecture, experts say. [Link]

Virtual Reality? NTT Communications has developed a system which creates not only the illusion of depth visually but also the tactile feeling to go with it, allowing people to shake hands or hold solid objects from across the globe. [Link]

SDF In Action: The Defense Ministry has deployed about 1,800 troops from the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) for rescue and relief operations in areas hit by a powerful earthquake in Niigata Prefecture. [Link]

Ainu Politician: As a member of Hokkaido’s Ainu community, Kaori Tahara says, she has often felt the need to improve the lot of her indigenous ethnic group and other victims of discrimination, but it wasn’t until a few years ago that she started thinking about running for the Diet. [Link]

Searching: A U.S. and Japanese team is searching a rocky island in the Pacific for the remains of hundreds of World War II soldiers, still missing more than 60 years after a fierce battle ・in Alaska. [Link]

NYC Kabuki: A Kabuki performance by the Heisei Nakamuraza troupe opened on Monday evening at Lincoln Center in New York, starring Japan’s leading Kabuki actor Nakamura Kanzaburo XVIII. [Link]

Yakuza Market Police are sounding an alarm over a surge in new stock market players who are known more for severed pinkies and tattoos than tender offers and dividends. [Link]

Beaten Up? Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Norihiko Akagi appeared at a press conference on Tuesday with adhesive plasters on his face, but was reluctant to talk about his appearance. [Link]

Made In China: Almost half a million DVD players manufactured in China have been recalled in Japan after reports that some had emitted thick smoke and begun to melt. [Link]

Global Court: Japan is expected to ratify the treaty establishing the International Criminal Court by depositing papers with the United Nations legal department on Tuesday. [Link]

Comic Ends: Kodansha announced on Tuesday that it would suspend its publication of Comic Bom Bom, a monthly cartoon magazine for elementary school students. [Link]

Chikan Comedian: Kenichi Takahashi, one half of the duo King of Comedy, has been arrested for allegedly molesting a high school girl while riding a crowded train last Wednesday. [Link]

Chikan Professor: A professor at the University of Tokyo has resigned after he was arrested for molesting a woman on a train earlier this year, officials at the prestigious education facility said on Tuesday. [Link]

Trash Treasure: About 1 million yen in cash has been found in a bag left at a garbage-collection site in Kobe. [Link]