Archive for June, 2009

Spiderman is a criminal

Well, at least in Japan he is:

The 56-year-old resident was arriving home at about 10:20 a.m. when he saw “a man that looked like Spiderman jump out of my house,” and immediately called police. Upon arrival, police officers found 27-year-old Tetsuya Fujisawa changing clothes in a car parked in front of the house, and arrested him on the spot on suspicion of attempted robbery.

According to police, Fujisawa was found while changing out of a woman’s swimsuit and a set of pink arm warmers. A black and white Spiderman costume was found in the vehicle. Fujisawa has reportedly admitted to the allegations against him.

There have been numerous eyewitness reports of a suspicious man in a Spiderman-like outfit around Iizuka since the end of May, and police are investigating the possibility Fujisawa has been involved in other crimes in the city.

—

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

Headless robot picks up sushi

The Squse robot hand in action:

Read more about this robot at Pink Tentacle.

—

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

Iran protests on Japanese TV

In case you’re wondering what kind of coverage the stuff going on in Iran has been getting on Japanese TV, here’s a clip from a FTV morning news show (June 18th):

Iran wasn’t mentioned until nearly an hour into the broadcast. When it was, it got about 7 and a half minutes of coverage, with the announcer explaining a lot of what has been going on. The blocking of e-mail and internet sites was briefly mentioned, but there was no mention of just how incredibly important a tool it has been. Nobody mentioned Twitter.
—

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

“The Reader” in Japan

“The Reader” first started showing at theaters in the UK half a year ago, and over 30 countries have released the film since, with the DVD already released in a few markets. Here in Japan, it’s a “new” movie that will hit theaters today.

In case you’re wondering, here’s how it’s being advertised on Japanese TV:

—

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

Bicycle safety laws ignored

A report from NTV’s “Real Time News” about bicyclists who ignore the law and pose a danger to themselves and others:

The beginning of the clip shows a road that has been closed off to automobile and bicycle traffic. However, bicyclists ignore the big “no riding bicycles” signs and speed through the area, almost colliding with pedestrians on numerous occasions. There are even loudspeakers playing announcements reminding people not to ride bicycles in the area.

Reporters try to chase down bicyclists who are using mobile phones or carrying adult passengers – illegal activities that carry fines. None of those interviewed seem to particularly care, and poll results shown later in the video clip reveal that most violators were aware of the fact that they were breaking the law.

The obvious solution to this problem is shift the focus of this kind of news report onto police officers. If these people are engaging in an illegal activity that threatens the safety of others, why are police not taking to the streets and strictly enforcing the law?

—

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

The face of Kim Jong-un?

A photo from the Mainichi allegedly showing the face of Kim Jong-un, North Korea’s future leader:

The photo was taken back when he was a 16-year-old student in Switzerland.

The Asahi tried to report a similar scoop a few days ago, but were forced to later admit that the photo of Kim Jong-un they found was actually just a picture of a construction worker in South Korea that kind of looks like a young Kim Jong-il.

[via ROK Drop]

—

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