Archive for June, 2009

Japanese reactions to Michael Jackson’s death

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 a tap-dancing child in the Jackson Five in the mid-1960s.
[...]
“I feel sad as I had watched him since he was a member of Jackson Five,” Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Tsutomu Sato, 57, told reporters.

“With a lot of popular songs, he built a generation,” said Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada, 53.

Top government spokesman Takeo Kawamura hurried to retract potentially controversial remarks about the late pop icon, who he said did not appear to be black because of his pale skin.

“I didn’t get the impression that he was a black man because his face was all white,” Kawamura told reporters, recalling his meeting with the singer in 1998 at the inauguration ceremony of then South Korean president Kim Dae-Jung.

He later withdrew the remark, saying he had not intended to cause offence.

Wakita Inc in Japan, a company that sells Michael Jackson suits in Japan, has also posted a message of sorrow on its website.

[hat tip to Aceface]

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Crackdown on illegal foreigners in Roppongi

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]:

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Sumo wrestlers pass “random” drug tests

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 association have been examined.

Each stable has been warned of the procedure two days in advance, throwing into question the stringency of the so-called random test.

The term being used to describe the tests in Japanese is 抜き打ち検査, or “test without warning.”

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Alligator snapping turtle attacks Kanagawa

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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Curse of Colonel Sanders officially lifted

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 founder was raised from the sludge of a canal in Osaka in March, 24 years after it was tossed there by overexcited supporters when the Tigers won the national championship for the first time.

“It is destined to become a saviour for the slumping Hanshin Tigers,” the priest, an 86-year-old devout Tigers fan, told reporters at the 1,800-year-old shrine.

The rite was held during the fast food chain’s annual service to give thanks to the chickens it has served up.

I wonder if the KFC restaurants in America hold rites to honor the spirits of the chickens they fry?

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Umbrella holder safety tips for bicyclists

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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• dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
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