The JSDF may run out of gas this year
Remember our earlier post about the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Forces canceling training exercises because of rising fuel costs? Well, now it looks like the Self-Defense Forces won’t even have enough gas to make it through the end of the fiscal year:
Faced with fuel costs that exceed spending plans by 60 percent, the Self Defense Force has scaled back training missions involving jets and ships, vehicles are being run at slower speeds, and more passengers are being squeezed in per trip in order to conserve fuel, a Defense Ministry spokeswoman said on condition of anonymity, citing protocol.
“If fuel prices keep increasing we won’t be able to cover it, and we will have to make a request to ensure we have sufficient funds,” the spokeswoman said.
She refused to say the fuel shortage would affect Japan’s foreign operations, such as dispatches in support of U.S.-led forces in Iraq, but she denied that the country’s defense would be compromised.
It was unclear when the country’s military would run out of gas under current conditions, though broadcaster N-H-K said the fuel budget would run out in November, over four months before the end of the fiscal year in March.
Categories: General Japan
Water shoots out of the street in Tokyo
An unforeseen consequence of all the rain the Kanto region has been getting lately:
Categories: Odd / Strange
Japanese audiences underwhelmed by The Dark Knight
Tokyo Reporter has an article up about the new Batman movie’s reception in Japan:
Now in its third week of release in Japan, the Christopher Nolan film, which sees the caped crime-fighter battling underworld figures and crooked cops in Gotham City, grossed a mere $1.6 million in its second weekend in Japan to bring its cumulative total to only $8.7 million. By comparison, it has already piled up $14.3 million in takings over the same period in the smaller Korean market.
Industry observers believe the film’s overly lengthy 152-minute running time, the lack of the “Batman” name in the title, and its dark theme are possible explanations for the disinterest by Japanese film fans.
When on saw the film on a Friday night earlier this month, the theater was nearly empty.
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Categories: Foreigners in Japan
Girls shave their heads for cash
Japanese blog Zaeega has discovered something incredibly bizarre: a website that sells videos of pretty girls cutting their hair and shaving their heads:
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Categories: Odd / Strange
