Michael Jackson is dead, and Japanese fans have reacted with sorrow. And, for some reason, Japanese politicians have also felt the need to talk about the King of Pop:
“He was a superstar. He was a singer who made his presence felt,” said Prime Minister Taro Aso, who remembered first seeing the pop icon as [...]

Last night, a task force of some 220 police and immigration officers descended upon the Roppongi area of Tokyo, tightening their crackdown on illegal activities by foreigners in that neighborhood [the area, known for its overly-aggressive street touts and shady bars, was recently mentioning in a safety warning from the US embassy]:

The massive force managed [...]

The media has reported that a recent round of “random” drug tests conducted by the Japan Sumo Association found that no wrestlers had been using illegal substances. It’s really no surprise, considering the advance warning given to everyone who was tested:
The JSA plans to continue the random tests until all members of the [...]

You’ve gotta love the dramatic way TBS News filmed this report about an alligator snapping turtle that was caught in Kanagawa Prefecture:

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The Colonel Sanders statue that was fished out of the Dotombori River in March has been exorcised:

“The curse is completely broken,” chief priest Tsunetada Mayumi said at Sumiyoshi Shrine in Osaka, home to the Hanshin Tigers, after reciting a prayer in front of a life-sized doll of the bearded, bespectacled colonel.
The statue of the KFC [...]

NTV’s “Real Time News” went through a lot of trouble yesterday to show that two piece umbrella holders are safer than umbrella holders that only secure one part of an umbrella:

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Meet KOBIAN, a creepy new Japanese robot that show “emotions” with its face:

The robot is installed with 48 “actuators” which allow its face and body to move in a variety of ways.
It shows happiness by opening its eyes and mouth wide and raising its arms, and sorrow by drooping its head and covering its eyes.
The [...]

Behold, the newest edition of the Shimajiro toilet training cartoon for Japanese children [translated by Benjamin of Benz Babbles blog]:

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For some people, including this post’s sad-sack of an author, singing in a foreign language is easy compared to actually speaking it. It’s an interesting phenomenon. So my heart goes out to this Canadian who is working hard to become a J-pop idol.
Catherine St-Onge, stage name HIMEKA, is an incredibly good singer of Japanese songs. [...]

On May 21st, a park in Tokyo installed a “mosquito” noisemaker to drive away teenagers and prevent vandalism. The rare device drew some tourists to the area, but it failed to stop vandals from smashing a toilet:

The broken toilet, which was discovered on the morning of June 21, appears to have been smashed with [...]

A car tree in Ageo, Saitama:

Apparently a bird dropped a seed into a junkyard 25 years ago and a Japanese hackberry tree began to grow there, eventually lifting an old car into the air. Branches of the tree grew through holes in old car doors, lifting those as well. Workers at the junkyard [...]

Reporters for Fuji TV ask North Koreans if they know about the decision to make Kim Jong-un successor to the DPRK regime:

Both the people on the other side of a border fence and a North Korean restaurant in China are aware of Kim Jong-un’s new position. The soldier farmers at the border also [...]