Archive for April, 2008

Giant Panda Dies

The oldest giant panda in Japan has died:

Ling Ling was 22 years and seven months old, equivalent to about 70 human years, the Ueno Zoo said. It said he was the fifth-oldest known male panda in the world.

Ling Ling had lost his appetite and strength because of his old age, and recently suffered from heart and kidney problems, zoo official Motoyasu Ida said.

Keepers and visitors mourned the panda, which was the zoo’s most popular attraction for more than 15 years. Public broadcaster N-H-K showed many visitors writing condolence messages, with some brushing away tears.

Ida said an autopsy found Ling Ling died of heart failure.

Japan Rising

Looking through Japan-related new releases on Amazon.com today, I found that Kenneth B. Pyle’s “Japan Rising: The Resurgence of Japanese Power and Purpose” has been reprinted in paperback:

Japan is on the verge of a sea change. After more than fifty years of national pacifism and isolation including the “lost decade” of the 1990s, Japan is quietly, stealthily awakening. As Japan prepares to become a major player in the strategic struggles of the 21st century, critical questions arise about its motivations. What are the driving forces that influence how Japan will act in the international system? Are there recurrent patterns that will help explain how Japan will respond to the emerging environment of world politics?

American understanding of Japanese character and purpose has been tenuous at best. We have repeatedly underestimated Japan in the realm of foreign policy. Now as Japan shows signs of vitality and international engagement, it is more important than ever that we understand the forces that drive Japan. In Japan Rising, renowned expert Kenneth Pyle identities the common threads that bind the divergent strategies of modern Japan, providing essential reading for anyone seeking to understand how Japan arrived at this moment—and what to expect in the future.

Having recently read and enjoyed the hardcover edition of it, I recommend the new reasonably priced edition to anyone interested in Japanese history and international relations.

More Pesticide Found In Chinese-Made Dumplings

Not much progress has been made towards finding those responsible for the appearance of poisonous gyoza on Japanese store shelves, but Japanese police have announced that their investigation of recalled gyoza supports their claim that toxic chemicals entered the frozen gyoza somewhere in China:

The first case in which the pesticide was detected in a sealed dumpling package involved a product recalled from a supermarket in Hirakata, Osaka Prefecture, in February.

The latest case involves a product dated Oct. 1, 2007, made by the Chinese company Tianyang Food — one of 39 recalled products returned by shops and stored at a company in Osaka.

It is unclear which shop returned the product, police said.

The scientific investigation laboratory of the Osaka police, at the request of the Hyogo Prefectural Police, examined the 39 packages of dumplings and confirmed they were perfectly sealed using a water infiltration technique.

Methamidophos was detected on the surface of all 39 packages, as well as inside one of the sealed packages, according to the test results.

Among the 38 other packages, methamidophos was detected in nine dumplings in a package with a 1-mm hole and inside another package that also had a 1-mm hole.

Meanwhile, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government is planning to introduce new packaging rules aimed at making cooked frozen food producers in Japan show countries of origin for main ingredients of products:

According to Tokyo’s plan, domestic producers of cooked frozen foods will be obligated to disclose the countries of origin of the three top ingredients, which each account for 5 percent or more of the total weight of the product.

If some ingredients are from more than one country, all names must be shown.

Wheat and other processed ingredients will be excluded, however, because their countries of origin will have to be traced further back, according to the officials.

In the case of frozen gyoza dumplings, the labeling for the main ingredients would, for example, be: “cabbage (domestic, China); wheat; pork (Canada); leek.”

If the product name features “green perilla” as in “green perilla gyoza,” then the country of origin for the featured ingredient must also be shown regardless of the ratio of its weight.

However, the rule is not as strict as one might expect. Companies that refer customers to a URL or phone number instead of printing the data on their packages will be considered in compliance with the new rule. There will also be no penalty against companies that violate the new ordinance.

2-Channeler Arrested For Bomb Threat Against Soka Gakkai

A 43-year-old librarian has been arrested for posting bomb threats on 2-channel:

“Soka Gakkai members kept on trying to get me to vote for their favored election candidates,” he was quoted as telling investigators. “I wanted to get back at them.”

At around 10:25 p.m. on April 2, Kamikawauchi posted a message on the Ni-Channeru (2-Channel) bulletin board saying, “I’m going to blow up the Soka Gakkai’s Sakai-Ikeda Auditorium in Osaka on April 4,” Tokyo police said.

His bomb threat forced Soka Gakkai employees to go on alert, thereby obstructing business, according to investigators.

Investigators suspect that he also put up a message on the Internet threatening to blow up Zenkoji Temple in Nagano after the Olympic torch relay organizing committing scrapped its plan to use the temple as the starting point for the relay at its request.

Golgo 13 Coffee

Apparently he can’t stay alert on just chewing gum, so he’s got to drink some coffee too:

The above-pictured special edition cans of Nescafe Coffee will go on sale May 15th. Check out Mainichi for a gallery of all the different Golgo 13 can designs.

Golgo 13 Gum Commercial

Elite assassin Golgo 13 stars in a Lotte gum commercial:

I believe the message of this commercial is, “chew this gum so you can stay alert and kill people.”