Archive for June, 2010

Japanese Soccer Fans Jump into Dotonbori River

Japan may have lost to Paraguay in the World Cup, but many fans still celebrated. Here’s a video of some people jumping into Osaka’s Dotonbori River:

Group of Chinese Immigrants Exploit Welfare System in Osaka

Here’s a piece of mind-boggling news:

Apparently the Nishi-ku office of the Osaka city government experienced a sudden increase in the number of Chinese residents applying for welfare in the last month. It turns out most of them were from a group of 48 people who have something in common:

• All of them had recently immigrated to Japan.
• All of them came from Fujian province in China.
• All of them were granted permission to immigrate to Japan so they could care for elderly relatives in Osaka.
• They all seem to be caring for the same relatives: a pair of Chinese-born women in their seventies who came to Japan last year and recently naturalized.

Osaka city welfare officials had no good reason to turn down most of them, and 32 are already receiving welfare payments.

Most of the applicants had the same Osaka-based real estate company help them with their applications. An investigation is underway to determine whether or not some sort of scam is taking place.

Update: The Mainichi has finally come out with its late afternoon online English edition, which has an article about this case. It notes that the elderly sisters who naturalized had been put on the fast track to citizenship because they were apparently Japanese who had been orphaned and left behind in China after the war. The article also mentions how foreigners can receive welfare:

Under Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare rules, foreign residents with valid visas are eligible for welfare assistance. The 48 Chinese nationals visited the application window for welfare protection an average of eight days after receiving their visas. Some things reportedly struck city employees as odd, such as the visiting applicants being accompanied by the same particular real-estate agent. If the applications are found to have been improper, the city plans to cut off assistance.

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Buddhist Statues Decapitated

Somebody is going around northern Saitama prefecture and vandalizing Buddhist statues:

Since mid-June, nine temples have reported having their statues vandalized. Some have been spray painted, while others have been knocked over or decapitated. Police believe the same person is responsible for all of the damage.

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Stray Dogs in Japan

A news report about stray dogs in Japan, focusing on Kamisu, a city with a particularly bad problem with strays:

The reporter is able to find quite a few stray dogs wandering around in Kamisu. In one wooded area, he finds a group of seven dogs. Residents are apparently concerned about their safety.

According to Ibaraki prefectural government statistics, 4,958 stray dogs were captured in the prefecture last year. Of that total, 421 were caught in Kamisu, making it stand out as a trouble spot. The report mentions that there were 5 incidents involving dog bites in Kamisu. Some people worry that the strays could catch rabies and pass it on to a human.

About 3 minutes into the video, the reporter goes to the grounds of a local high school and observes several stray dogs loitering about. The school principal makes a half-assed effort to shoo away the animals before apparently giving up. The reporter points out that it would be quite easy for one of the dogs to enter the school building through an open window or door. In the past, there was at least one case of a student being bitten by a stray dog.

The local government is trying to adopt new measures to deal with the stray dog problem. However, they could face trouble when catching dogs. In the past, the city has received complaints from people claiming to be owners of captured “stray” dogs. The current law imposes a heavy fine over over $5,000 on people who abandon pet dogs. However, if an owner can successfully argue that they didn’t intend to totally abandon the animal, they might be able to get out of paying the fine. Ibaraki has a local ordinance imposing a fine of about $500 on people who let their dogs run loose, but there has apparently been no actual case of someone being charged with a violation of it.

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Cat Wounded by Air Gun

NTV’s evening news broadcast today had a story about a wounded cat in Ishikawa prefecture:

The cat’s owner noticed that the cat seemed in pain and took her to a Vet. The Vet found a 7.5mm air gun pellet in the cat’s chest. Although the cat had suffered a broken rib and a punctured lung, she is okay now after having undergone medical treatment.

Police are trying to figure out who shot the cat, who -if caught- will likely be charged with violations of firearms and animal protection laws.

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Nagoya Tournament Will Take Place Despite Gambling Scandal

A scandal involving illegal sports gambling by a considerable number of sumo stablemasters and wrestlers has been horribly damaging the image of the sport, and there had been talk of totally canceling July’s Nagoya tournament. However, after handing out punishments to tainted officials and wrestlers, it appears that the JSA will be be holding the tournament as scheduled, although N-H-K may choose not to air it on television:

The Japan Sumo Association decided that it would accept conditions presented by a special investigation committee, formed by 10 outsiders, in order to open the Nagoya tournament. The decision is a costly one, as stablemaster Ohtake, and second ranking wrestler Kotomitsuki have to leave the sumo world, while some 12 other stablemasters and 14 wrestlers are suspended and cannot come to Nagoya.

The decision may be a bit too late for retailers in Nagoya. A worker at Wakatake, an official ticket-selling venue which also offers food and gifts for sumo visitors, noted that tickets sales were poor compared with last year, and that “it’s impossible in any way” to prepare for the beginning of the game on such short notice.

In Japan, baseball gambling is punishable by law, and the local media have also reported some sumo wrestlers’ connections with the yakuza. The announcement comes earlier than the July 4 timeline which the association had originally presented, but reports say final decisions on the punishments will still be made on July 4.

N-H-K, which has broadcasting rights for sumo games till March 2013, said it was still deciding whether to show the tournament and would consider further proceedings by both the sumo association and the special investigation team before making a final judgment. If the TV station cancels the showing, it may be costly for the association. The association could not be reached for comment.

The huge sumo scandal has combined with the World Cup to dominate the news cycle, causing many voters to pay little attention to Upper House election campaigning. That’s probably good news for the DPJ, which is in a position to lose seats if voter turnout is high.

[hat tip to M]

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