Archive for March, 2009

Taro Aso to meet Pope Benedict XVI?

Japan’s first Catholic Prime Minister may get the chance:

Pope Benedict XVI would be willing to meet with Prime Minister Taro Aso, a Catholic, if he requests it, Secretary for Relations with States of the Holy See Dominique Mamberti said Thursday.

Aso could meet the pope during a planned visit to Italy in July to attend a Group of Eight summit.

The article hints at a possible Papal visit to Japan.

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
• Kirainet.com – A geek in Japan (Subscribe)

Remembering the Korean victims of the 1945 Tokyo firebombing

Tuesday was the 64th anniversary of the infamous March 10th 1945 firebombing raid that killed 100,000 civilians in Tokyo.

As part of its coverage of the anniversary, N-H-K news included a segment about the Koreans who died in the fires that night:

The woman shown in the video clip is Mrs. Kim, the daughter of a Korean conscript laborer who had been working at shipyards in the Toyosu section of Tokyo at the time of the air raid. Kim traveled to Japan to search for information about her father, who died in the firestorm. However, few records remain from that time, so she has has not been successful in locating the remains of her father. Groups within Japan are trying to make public all available records of Korean laborers who may have died in the air raid, but the exact number of those who died will probably never be known.
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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
• Kirainet.com – A geek in Japan (Subscribe)

Colonel Sanders statue given new pair of eyeglasses

Mainichi reports that old Colonel Sanders statue recovered from the filth at the bottom of Osaka’s Dotonbori River has been given a new pair of glasses:

Sabae in Fukui Prefecture, a city known for its eyewear, is donating a new pair of glasses to the statue of Kentucky Fried Chicken’s Colonel Sanders that was recovered from Osaka’s Dotonbori River after 24 years.

Until about 20 years ago, a Sabae eyewear manufacturer made glasses for Colonel Sanders statues across the country.

Apparently the statue will soon be restored and put on public display.

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As readers pointed out in the comments section of our last post, the Colonel Sanders statue incident is one of the many interesting stories told in Robert Whiting’s You Gotta Have Wa – a great book for anyone interested in Japanese baseball and the cultural clashes that take place when foreigners join strict Japanese-style organizations.
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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
• Kirainet.com – A geek in Japan (Subscribe)

Foam Beard Lady

A viral video of a fake Japanese game show created by Nivea/DraftFCB/Rubber Republic:

More wackiness can be found on foambeardlady.com.

[via Zaeega]

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
• Kirainet.com – A geek in Japan (Subscribe)

Coffee-fueled Craziness

A weird commercial for Max Coffee:

[via Watashi to Tokyo]

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
• Kirainet.com – A geek in Japan (Subscribe)

Noriko Calderon to stay in Japan

Noriko Calderon‘s parents, who will be deported in April, have chosen to leave their daughter behind in Japan (and an English language article about the case has chosen to report the fact that she had relatives in Japan who can take care of her):

The justice ministry, meanwhile, revealed Friday that it intended to grant Noriko, who only speaks Japanese and attends a junior high school in Warabi, Saitama Prefecture, special permission for residence later this month so she can continue to go to school in Japan.

“I am not happy at all,” Noriko said, explaining that her true wish was to stay in Japan with her parents.

Now with her parents set to leave in April, just days after Noriko begins her second year at middle school on April 8, the girl will live with her aunt and uncle who have agreed to move to Saitama Prefecture from Tokyo to take care of her.

The Japanese government has already stated that it will grant special permission for Noriko’s parents to occasionally visit her in Japan (illegal immigrants are usually banned entry for years after deportation).

In a related story, an Iranian girl who was left behind in Japan after parents were deported several years ago under similar circumstances has been granted residency after completing her studies at a junior college.

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
• Kirainet.com – A geek in Japan (Subscribe)