News On Japan

Knife law tough shuck for oysters

Japan Times — 2009-07-02 23:22:18

Be careful next time you're about to shuck a fresh oyster at a restaurant - you may be using a knife considered illegal under the Firearm and Sword Control Law. Possessing certain types of oyster knives will be punishable from Sunday, after the moratorium expires on a revision to the law that was implemented in January. (Japan Times)

Japan housewives to shun currency markets on new rule

Bloomberg — 2009-07-02 06:57:47

A plan to increase restrictions on Japan's margin-trading market may drive individual investors away, paving the way for more volatile currency movements, according to JPMorgan Chase & Co. Japan's Financial Services Agency, which regulates the nation's margin-trading industry, intends to cap the leverage permissible on currency trades at 50 times the amount of cash being committed starting in 2010, and reduce it to 25 times in 2011. (Bloomberg)

Japan may deploy troops near disputed islands

AFP — 2009-07-02 06:57:47

Japan's defence ministry is considering deploying troops on an island in the East China Sea near a group of islets that is claimed by Tokyo, Beijing and Taipei, according to a ministry spokesman. "We are studying (the deployment) so that it could be included in the planned year-end revision of the basic defence programme," the official said, confirming a news report on the plan to send an army unit to Yonaguni island. (AFP)

Japan students rush for English-language education

AFP — 2009-07-02 07:00:53

At 28,000 dollars a year, a popular English language cram school course in Japan doesn't come cheap, but its students hope the rewards will more than make up for the hefty tuition fee. The class is called "Route H" -- short for "Route to Harvard". Hundreds of schools like it have opened across Japan in recent years to prep a new generation of students who have their educational sights set far beyond Japan's shores, at the top universities of the West. (AFP)

Struggling Japanese PM turns to comedian for help

telegraph.co.uk — 2009-07-02 07:15:19

Taro Aso, the increasingly desperate Japanese prime minister, is appealing to a former stand-up comedian to join his cabinet and save the administration just weeks ahead of the general election. Hideo Higashikokubaru, recently elected governor of Miyazaki Prefecture, initially rebuffed an indirect approach from Mr Aso by saying he would only accept a portfolio if he was listed as the Liberal Democratic Party's candidate for prime minister in the election, which has to be held before Sept 10. (telegraph.co.uk)

Visa overstayers given too many breaks: rightist

Japan Times — 2009-07-01 00:26:42

Daisuke Arikado believes the government is too easy on foreigners overstaying their visa and this frustrates him. Arikado is a former member of an ultra-rightist group who founded and heads the 30-strong nonprofit organization Movement to Eradicate Crimes by Foreigners. (Japan Times)

Total ban on child porn sought / Diet debate starts on revision to close possession loophole in law

Yomiuri — 2009-07-01 00:35:33

The Diet has begun debate on bills to revise the law banning child prostitution and child pornography, with discussions focused on whether to conform to international standards and completely prohibit the possession of child pornography. (Yomiuri)

Japan to generate solar power in outer space, then beam it to earth

crunchgear.com — 2009-07-01 00:44:47

This may sound ridiculous first time you hear it, but Japan is thinking about solar power from panels located in space to mother earth, or to be more exact, the nation of Nippon itself. According to the Nikkei, the government plans to ask local technology companies to participate in the endeavor as early as next month. (crunchgear.com)

At long last, Korea and Japan return to trade talks

joins.com — 2009-07-01 04:14:38

After four years of stalled negotiations, Korea and Japan are ready to restart free trade agreement talks. Korea and Japan will hold their third working-level meeting on resuming negotiations for a bilateral free trade agreement deal today in Tokyo, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade yesterday. (joins.com)

Ferry service now links Japan, South Korea, Russia

Asahi — 2009-07-01 04:21:46

The cargo-passenger ferry Eastern Dream arrives in Sakai port in Sakaiminato, Tottori Prefecture, on Tuesday, inaugurating a new service with calls in Japan, South Korea and Russia. The 14,000-ton ferry, operated by South Korea's DBS Cruise Ferry Co., will start regular service on July 7, linking the ports of Vladivostok, Donghae (South Korea) and Sakaiminato. (Asahi)

Law enacted to support reclusive youngsters

AP — 2009-07-01 04:23:06

The Japanese parliament enacted a law Wednesday to help young people who have withdrawn from society to stand on their own feet, approving it unanimously at a House of Councillors plenary session. The growing presence of socially withdrawn juveniles and those not in education, employment or training, dubbed NEETs, has become a social issue in recent years. Prime Minister Taro Aso called for legislation to support such people in his policy speech last September. (AP)

Japan: Automation Nation?

NewsWeek — 2009-07-01 04:26:33

More than any other country in the world, Japan is a case study in the triumphs of human engineering. Every Japanese manufacturer prides itself on energy efficiency and zero-landfill waste policies. The train and subway stations are models of precision and the application of information technology. (NewsWeek)

British followers of Japanese fashion

BBC — 2009-07-01 04:28:15

An underground youth culture in Japan with distinctive music, fashion and make-up, where the skin is darkened using tanning products is spreading worldwide. Young people in the UK have been learning about the intricacies of 'manba' by making friends on the other side of the world using social networking sites and learning how to re-create the style through videos on YouTube. (BBC)

Japanese Emperor back to Canada after 56 years

AFP — 2009-07-01 06:53:46

Japan's Emperor Akihito said Tuesday he was looking forward to his first return to Canada since making his first-ever overseas trip there as a teenage prince 56 years ago. The 75-year-old monarch and Empress Michiko, one year his junior, are scheduled to leave here on Friday on a 15-day goodwill tour of Canada and the US Pacific island state of Hawaii. (AFP)

Sony struggling as Walkman hits 30th anniversary

Las Vegas Sun — 2009-07-01 10:26:13

When the Sony Walkman went on sale 30 years ago, it was shown off by a skateboarder to illustrate how the portable cassette-tape player delivered music on-the-go _ a totally innovative idea back in 1979. Today, Sony Corp. is struggling to reinvent itself and win back its reputation as a pioneer of razzle-dazzle gadgetry once exemplified in the Walkman, which Wednesday had its 30th anniversary marked with a special display at Sony's corporate archives. (Las Vegas Sun)

Biometric ID system catches four

Japan Times — 2009-06-29 23:56:57

Immigration authorities have successfully detected four people since January trying to enter Japan illegally by trying to fool the biometric identity system. Officials at Narita International Airport said Monday the four had altered their fingerprints by having patterns surgically removed and stitched or even filed down. (Japan Times)

Health ministry to stop survey of all new-flu cases

Yomiuri — 2009-06-30 00:08:01

The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry will suspend in mid-July a survey that calls for reports on all victims of the new strain of influenza, it has been learned. The ministry will switch to a selective survey that demands places such as schools and workplaces make notifications when multiple people become infected with the virus. (Yomiuri)

More new employees in Japan choose working rather than dating

AP — 2009-06-30 00:17:33

More than 80 percent of new recruits who started working this spring would choose to work if asked to do overtime rather than go out on a date, according to a survey released on Monday, possibly reflecting a shift in young people's values under harsh economic conditions. (AP)

Japanese spacecraft finds uranium on moon

Florida Today — 2009-06-30 10:20:01

Uranium exists on the moon, according to new data from a Japanese spacecraft. Advertisement The findings are the first conclusive evidence for the presence of the radioactive element in lunar dirt, the researchers said. The revelation suggests that nuclear power plants could be built on the moon, or even that Earth's satellite could serve as a mining source for uranium needed back home. (Florida Today)

Young Japanese raise their voices over economy

New York Times — 2009-06-30 10:21:53

A group of young people recently gathered in a darkened park here. Holding placards and megaphones, they chanted slogans condemning the Japanese government and a lack of jobs and opportunity. The scene, which is repeated often in the gritty Tokyo neighborhood of Koenji, is nothing close to the protests that have recently shaken Iran. Indeed, the protests would hardly raise an eyebrow in most parts of the world, but in this country, which values conformity, they represent a stark departure from the norm. Since the 1960s, when youth protests turned violent, even the mildest form of protests by young people has been viewed as taboo. (New York Times)

'Mosquito whine' fails to deter vandals at Tokyo park

Yomiuri — 2009-06-29 00:03:44

A public restroom for women was vandalized at a Tokyo park in which an experiment is under way to stop youngsters roaming around at night by installing a loudspeaker system that emits an offensive high-pitched frequency, it has been learned. (Yomiuri)

Wholesale supermarkets getting popular

Yomiuri — 2009-06-29 00:03:44

Wholesale supermarkets that sell foodstuffs for restaurants are gaining in popularity among general consumers thanks to their low prices and wide range of merchandise. These supermarkets serve small-scale eating and drinking establishments such as tearooms, restaurants and izakaya pubs around the city. But in most cases, ordinary consumers can also shop there, availing themselves of bargain prices that the stores can offer as they sell goods in bulk. (Yomiuri)

Sony-Jackson partnership to keep Beatles rights

Bloomberg — 2009-06-29 00:08:49

Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, co-owned by Michael Jackson and Sony Corp., will keep control of Beatles songs following the pop singer's death, said a person with knowledge of the venture's plans. Jackson, who died June 25 at age 50 in Los Angeles, owned 50 percent of Sony/ATV, which holds rights to more than 200 songs written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, as well Bob Dylan, Neil Diamond and others. His stake is worth about $1 billion. (Bloomberg)

Altered fingerprints detected in illegal immigration attempts

AP — 2009-06-29 05:32:05

Japanese immigration authorities have had some success detecting people trying to enter Japan illegally via fooling the vaunted biometric authentication technique. Narita airport officials said Monday that since January they have discovered four people trying to escape the authentication system, which is designed to detect foreign nationals with a history of deportation from Japan based on fingerprint data. (AP)

Ishikawa headed to British Open

ESPN — 2009-06-29 07:34:17

Japanese teenager Ryo Ishikawa closed with a 1-over 73 on Sunday to win the Mizuno Open on the Japan Golf Tour and qualify for the British Open next month. It was the first victory this year for the 17-year-old Ishikawa, and it came at the right time. The top four players not already exempt for the British Open earned a spot in the field July 16-19 at Turnberry. (ESPN)