Japan News for August 05, 2007
Japan-related news links for today:
Improving Nova? English-language school operator Nova Corp has submitted to the Tokyo metropolitan government a report on measures to improve its business such as increasing the number of teachers and revising students’ canceling procedures. [Link]
More Work, Less Pay: Although the economy continues on its record postwar recovery, the labor environment is anything but improved, according to a government white paper. [Link]
DPJ On Expense Records : The Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) has decided to submit a bill to the opposition-controlled House of Councillors to revise the law on political funding, seeking to make it compulsory for all political organizations to submit receipts for all expenditures starting from the very first yen. [Link]
Anthem Angers China: China has expressed its displeasure over Japan playing the national anthem of Taiwan at the ongoing Asia men’s basketball championship, saying it has “seriously violated” the spirit of bilateral agreements. [Link]
Hirohito On Yasukuni: The late Emperor Hirohito expressed concern over the enshrinement of Class-A war criminals at Yasukuni Shine because he thought it would change the nature of the shrine and would cause future problems with other countries involved in World War II, it has emerged. [Link]
Damaged Tourism: Inns in Kashiwazaki, the Niigata Prefecture city hardest hit by a magnitude-6.8 earthquake on July 16, have suffered roughly 30,000 cancellations for room reservations in part because many travelers have safety concerns over the temblor-damaged Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant, and because many hotels have had to close due to their own damage. [Link]
Meeting With Ambassador: Ichiro Ozawa, head of the Democratic Party of Japan, will meet U.S. Ambassador Thomas Schieffer next week. But the opposition leader is not expected to change his party’s plan to vote against an extension of the anti-terrorism law. [Link]
British Pork Banned: Japan has banned British pork imports following the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Surrey. [Link]
Drinking One’s Piss: A plumbing blunder at Hiroshima University’s Higashi-Hiroshima Campus resulted in water for toilet flushing being sent to drinking taps for more than a decade. [Link]
Expired Tuna: The president of an affiliate of major marine product company Maruha Corp. allowed certain products to continue shipping for two months, despite knowing they contained tuna that was past its expiry date, it has been learned. [Link]
To Hiroshima: Three Italian motorcyclists left Venice on Friday on a 20,000-kilometer trans-Eurasian journey to Hiroshima via Belarus to campaign against radiation tragedies. [Link]
No Drunk Driving: Nissan Motor Co on Friday announced a new concept car packed with technologies to deter driving while under the influence of alcohol. [Link]
Flight Restrictions Dropped: Japan and South Korea have agreed to abolish restrictions on the number of flights to each other’s cities excluding Tokyo. [Link]
Dispatch Violations: The government orders major temp-staff agency Fullcast Co. to suspend business nationwide for a month because of illegal job-placement practices, including sending workers to ports and construction sites in violation of the worker dispatch law. [Link]
Sicko Teachers: Tokyo education authorities have disciplined six public school teachers for their involvement in what they describe as obscene acts — mostly molestation. [Link]
Metal Bat Killer: An 18-year-old boy was arrested on Saturday for beating a man to death with a metal baseball bat in Osaka. [Link]
Drunken Official: An Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry official who drunkenly grabbed and ripped a man’s shirt at a station here after losing his temper over a late train has been arrested. [Link]
VJ Day Sailor Found: The sailor kissing a nurse in Times Square in Life magazine’s iconic photograph of the day World War II ended has been identified. [Link]
