Japanese News & Science/Tech 日本のニュースと科学技術 [Archive] - Page 3

coldstar

January 17th, 2009, 02:06 PM

mobile news

FET dominates high-level Japanese mobile market
Thursday, January 15, 2009
The China Post (Taiwan)

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Far EasTone Telecommunications (FET) has announced the most charming gift for the Chinese New Year — the Sharp WX-T923 and Fujitsu F905i, the superstars of Japanese mobile phones.

At the same time, FET has unveiled the “Turning Shopping Voucher from NT$3,600 into NT$10,000 Packages,” designed specifically for the consumer coupons to be issued on Jan. 18.

New mobile phones

FET is committed to introducing premium leading Japanese brand-name mobile phones to Taiwanese consumers. In addition to the ultra-fine display quality, the craftsmanship of Japanese mobile phones is “perfect,” as shown in their exquisite appearance, FET says.

According to Jan Nilsson, Vice Chairman and President of Far EasTone, “It is our great honor to launch customized mobile phones with Fujitsu and Sharp, two of the top three Japanese mobile phone makers. Both are internationally renowned name-brand mobile makers that well understand what consumers need and continually introduce new products and services to enrich the lives of people.”

The Fujitsu F905i has attracted heated discussions even before its launch. The clean and white fashionable body is equipped with a 3.2-inch dual-directional swivel screen. Together with the fingerprint recognition security and other thoughtful features, such as the voice welcome note, are many more useful features, including the Traditional Chinese display, built-in 3.2 megapixel camera with anti-shaking function, and 3D surround sound.

The Sharp WX-T923 is a high-level Japanese mobile phone equipped with a 3.3-inch panel to deliver superb clarity and sharper color display. The camera on the phone has been also upgraded to 5.2 megapixels. Together with the 29mm super wide-angle lens, digital anti-shaking feature, and facial recognition focus feature, the Sharp WX-T923 is both a high-level mobile phone and a professional digital camera.

and
Sharp's SH1810C brings Japanese specs to China
engadget mobile
Jan 5th 2009

When we say "854 x 480 display and an 8-megapixel camera," what's the first thought that comes to mind? "Japan," of course, and history would certain lend credence to that knee-jerk word association. Sharp's expanding its high-spec horizons just a tad, though, with the SH1810C -- a 3-inch wide VGA beast with a penchant for high-res snapshots that's actually going to end up gracing Chinese markets, not Japanese ones. We guess we understand the argument that Asian character sets make WVGA displays an easier sell, but come on now -- we're sure we can find a perfectly great use for 'em.

Powerful Sharp mobiles for China
mobile arsenal
2009-01-08

The new Sharp clamshell for China has a 854 x 480 pixels large display and an 8 megapixel CCD camera.

Due to the aggressive price race on the Japanese market Sharp has announced earlier that they are entering new markets, the first important stage being China. The Japanese giant seems to go for sure, so the SH1810C handset, pictured below, is practically a Japanese top phone, it just lacks 3G support. The latest clamshell from Sharp is 105 x 48 x 17 mm large, sports a 3", 854 x 480 pixels large display, an 8 megapixel CCD camera with autofocus, a 3D gravity sensor and EDGE support. The manufacturer has recently started swapping out their usual CMOS sensors to CCDs, due to the increased quality. These sensors have a higher power consumption, but they have a much lower noise level. Hopefully, after conquering the Chinese market, Sharp will think of Europe as well, as such a feature-filled handset at such a size would be highly successfull over here too.

coldstar

January 17th, 2009, 03:17 PM

New Poll Shows More Support For Tokyo 2016 Bid

Games Bids.com
Thursday, January 15, 2009

According to a Tokyo 2016 press release an official Tokyo 2016 poll has confirmed that 70.2 per cent of the national population (more than 90 million Japanese) enthusiastically support Tokyo's bid for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, up from 62 per cent in the previous survey in December 2007. All sections of Japanese society are backing the bid, from public and private enterprise to every level of government and athletes and citizens of all ages, said the press release. "Young people are especially ardent in their support, attracted by Tokyo 2016's proposal to host a sustainable, eco-friendly Olympic Games".
Tokyo 2016 says the bid has been demonstrating its commitment to strengthening the Olympic movement in Japan by organizing such events as the Tokyo 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games Supporters Assembly, Olympics for All, Tokyo 2016 Symposium "Get Fit Japan", and by establishing the Tokyo 2016 Sports Supporters Squad.

Shintaro Ishihara, Governor of Tokyo and President of Tokyo 2016 said, "I feel that Japanese expectations for Tokyo 2016 are increasing day after day, especially among the younger generation. I'd like to bring home a big present from Copenhagen this October".

Dr. Ichiro Kono, Chairman and CEO of Tokyo 2016 added, "this survey proves that Japan's support for Tokyo 2016 remains exceptionally high despite the world's economic situation. We will submit our Candidature File to the IOC by February 12, and we're proud to have developed such an outstanding plan. But our work has just begun and we will continue to make every effort to explain the vision and concept for Tokyo 2016 to the people of Japan until the final vote is taken on October 2".

To be sue, more and more Tokyoites are now supporting 2016 Tokyo Olympics without any doubts.

coldstar

January 17th, 2009, 03:29 PM

Japan to seek 2018, 2022 World Cups
Agence France-Presse (AFP)
Friday, 16 January 2009

Japan plans to bid for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups but is counting on first winning the competition to host the 2016 Summer Olympics, the head of the football association said Friday.

FIFA on Thursday sent out letters inviting simultaneous bids for the two events and asked for responses by February 2.

"We have decided to declare our candidacy to FIFA," Japan Football Association president Motoaki Inukai said in the central city of Kanazawa, as quoted by the Sports Nippon website.

"One absolute condition is that Tokyo must win its bid to host the 2016 Olympic Games. If Tokyo fails, it would be physically impossible to stage the World Cup," Inukai said.

Japan has no stadiums with more than 80,000 seats -- a requirement set by FIFA. The Japan Football Association plans to use the main Olympic stadium and a renovated national stadium if Tokyo wins the 2016 Olympics.

Japan co-hosted the 2002 World Cup with South Korea, the first time football's premier tournament has come to Asia.

FIFA's executive committee will pick host nations for the next two World Cups in December 2010.

To ensure the World Cup travels across continents, South American countries are excluded from hosting either event as it will take place in Brazil in 2014. African nations cannot run for the 2018 World Cup as South Africa is next year's host.

In his letter, FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke cautioned that if a country from a particular confederation hosted the event in 2018, other countries in that region would be out of the running for the following one.

Host nations must be able to provide about 12 stadiums with at least 40,000 seats along with an 80,000-seater for the opening match and final. The host must also have highly developed communications, transport and accommodation.

Tokyo is bidding for the Olympics against Chicago, Madrid and Rio de Janeiro. The International Olympic Committee will make a decision in October this year at a meeting in Copenhagen.

Tokyo hosted the 1964 Summer Games, remembered as a symbol of Japan's dramatic rise from the ashes of World War II into the world's second largest economy.

But unlike the 1964 Olympics, the latest Tokyo bid has also had vocal local critics who question whether the world's biggest metropolis needs the cost and commotion of a massive sporting event.

At least one Japanese Olympic official has also voiced fears that Chicago will have an advantage in securing the Olympics due to the huge popularity of local son Barack Obama, who will be sworn as US president next week.

Football has won a growing following in Japan, although baseball remains the national pastime.

The World Baseball Classic, baseball's answer to the World Cup, opens in Tokyo in March. Japan won the inaugural Classic in 2005.

different source
Japan to bid for 2018, 2022 FIFA World Cup hosting if Tokyo Olympic bid successful
Ｗ杯１８、２２年立候補！犬飼会長が明言
スポーツニッポン

日本サッカー協会の犬飼基昭会長（６６）が２０日、Ｗ杯の１８、２２年大会の開催地について「日本が立候補する」と明言した。都内で行われたＦＩＦＡ理事会で、両大会の開催地を１０年１２月に同時決定すると決まったことを受けての発言で、１８、２２年両大会に立候補するのかと問われ「もちろん」と答えた。

　理事会で決まった開催地決定手順は、来年１月に募集要項を各国協会に送り、同年４～１２月に立候補を受け付け、１年間の審議を経て、１０年１２月に開催地を決定するという内容。０２年大会は韓国との共催だったが、今回は単独開催を目指す。

　日本協会は１８年Ｗ杯招致に向け、０７年に招致検討委員会を設置。だが、１６年夏季五輪の開催都市に立候補した東京都に配慮し、来年１０月の五輪開催都市決定まで表だった活動は控える方針だった。だが、犬飼会長は「（１６年が東京五輪になった場合）トゥーマッチという意見が出るかもしれないが、逆にいいこともあるはず」と説明。意向を聞いたＦＩＦＡのブラッター会長は理事会後の会見で「日本も候補に挙がっている」と明かした。

　Ｗ杯は３大会以内に同大陸で複数回の開催はできない規定があり、１０年南アフリカ大会を行うアフリカ大陸からは１８年大会の候補を、１４年ブラジル大会を行う南米大陸からは２２年大会まで候補を出せない。現時点で１８、２２年大会の候補にはＡＦＣからオーストラリア、中国、カタール、欧州からはイングランド、スペインが挙がっている。

Fox-Tale

January 18th, 2009, 03:01 AM

Foreign skiers taking to Niigata's resorts

Friday, Jan. 16, 2009

NIIGATA (Kyodo) Ski resort operators in Niigata Prefecture are faring relatively well in their attempt to attract foreign visitors despite the strong yen and slowdown in the global economy.

Naeba Ski Resort in the town of Yuzawa, which attracts about 1.3 million visitors annually, has seen the number of foreign visitors this season rise to about 2,800 as of Jan. 4, up more than 1,000 from a year ago.

Although the number of South Koreans has dropped due to the depreciation of the won and the number of Russians stands at about 900, the same level as last year, visitors from Taiwan jumped to about 1,200 from about 60.

One visitor, Inna Voronina, from Khabarovsk, Russia, praised Naeba's many lifts and courteous service, compared with what she said are Russia's cold and poorly equipped ski sites.

The 52-year-old bank employee came to Naeba on a family vacation for the yearend and New Year's holidays.

Naeba Ski Resort has employed staff from Russia, China and South Korea for the past two years.

Niigata ski resorts also benefit from direct flights that connect the prefecture with major Russian cities, including Vladivostok and Khabarovsk.

Joetsu Kokusai Ski Resort in the city of Minamiuonuma has held an international ski competition the last two years, attracting about 1,000 visitors from Europe, North America and East Asia for a one-week period including the four-day competition.

"What is quite attractive is that visitors (at our resort) can also go sightseeing in Tokyo because the resort is close to the Tokyo metropolitan area," an official at Joetsu Kokusai said.

In the city of Myoko, which has nine ski sites, the number of foreign visitors staying more than one night grew to about 500 in the business year that ended last March, up from about 100 two years earlier.

The Myoko Tourist Office expects about 3,000 foreign visitors this winter, based on reservations and other factors.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/images/photos2009/nn20090116f2a.jpg
Comrades: Russian skiers chat with Russian staff
at a hotel at the Naeba ski resort in Niigata Prefecture
earlier this month. KYODO PHOTO

Source:http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20090116f2.html

Finally, Niigata is gaining popularity as another ski resort of Japan... :)
It has lots of historical buildings and good for tourism too.

Fox-Tale

January 19th, 2009, 03:09 PM

Tsukiji market reopens tuna auctions to tourists

January 19, 2009

The Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo reopened its famous tuna auctions to tourists on Monday after a month-long ban.

New rules, including a ban on flash photography, have been put in place for the reopening, with two special security guards employed to direct visitors into their designated areas. Despite a large crowd, there were no major problems.

The auctions begin at 5:30 a.m., with some 50 to 60 visitors coming to watch.

"There was hardly anyone breaking the rules, and I hope this part of Japan's culinary culture will be seen by many people," said Hiroyuki Morimoto, director of the market.

Since it began appearing in travel magazines and guides several years ago, the Tsukiji Fish Market has become a must-see for many foreign tourists, attracting hundreds of visitors a day and 70-80 to the morning auctions. However, the market instituted a month-long ban on visitors due to a rise in the number of people taking flash photography and touching the fish on sale.

While the auctions have always been dubbed a place of work, the decision was made to lift the ban "in order to promote Japanese cuisine."
http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/images/20090119p2a00m0na010000p_size5.jpg

Source:http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20090119p2a00m0na011000c.html

Before the banning in December, it was full of chaos like this:

tzBwtylHiqo

Fox-Tale

January 21st, 2009, 02:07 PM

I hear a lot of nuclear-related news lately.
Here are some of them:

Toshiba set to win Texas nuclear deal

Jan. 20, 2009

The Yomiuri Shimbun

Toshiba Corp. is expected to win a deal to build two nuclear power plants in Texas and sign a contract for the deal with NRG Energy Inc. by the end of March, according to a source familiar with the matter.

The deal would make Toshiba the first Japanese manufacturer to land a deal in a foreign country to build nuclear plants without outside assistance. Existing Toshiba contracts to build nuclear reactors in the United States and China were won by major U.S. nuclear firm Westinghouse Electric Co., which became a subsidiary of Toshiba in October 2006.

Observers say Toshiba's windfall is expected to give an edge to other Japanese industrial firms in landing deals with foreign countries.

Toshiba will construct two 1.4 million kilowatt boiling water reactors, which turn water into steam inside the reactor itself. The total cost of the project, which is expected to be completed around 2015, is estimated at 600 billion yen to 800 billion yen.

Toshiba became the world's biggest nuclear power plant constructor after it made Westinghouse a subsidiary. Westinghouse won deals to build six nuclear plants in the United States and four in China. Toshiba aims to increase the number of deals won by its group to 39, including the two plants expected for the Texas station, by 2015.

The United States has not built a new nuclear plant since the incident at the Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station in Pennsylvania in the late 1970s. However, this aversion to nuclear power has changed in light of climate change concerns and there now are plans to construct about 30 new plants by 2030.

Source:http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/business/20090120TDY08307.htm

Nuclear deal with Japan signed
Roland Hughes

Last Updated: January 20. 2009 10:11AM UAE / January 20. 2009 6:11AM
GMT ABU DHABI //

The UAE and Japan yesterday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that could lead to the country’s civilian nuclear programme following a similar path to the Japanese model.

Japan became the third country, after the US and the UK, to sign an MoU with the Government. All three are looking to share their expertise with the UAE on building and operating nuclear reactors. A Government white paper issued last year said a third of all the country’s power should come from a new fleet of nuclear reactors by 2020.

A more detailed agreement between the two countries could be signed as soon as in the coming months, along similar lines of formal agreements signed by the UAE with France in January 2008 and the US last week.

Takamori Yoshikawa, the senior vice minister at the Japanese trade ministry, signed the MoU with Saif Sultan al Aryani, an undersecretary at the Foreign Ministry, in Tokyo yesterday.

The development comes after representatives of the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation, who will run the UAE nuclear programme, visited Japan last month.

Kenji Kimura, the director for international nuclear energy affairs with the Japanese government, told The National that the full details of a final agreement between Japan and the UAE had yet to be ratified, and would be finalised over the coming months.

“This is just the initial step. We will look to work on the preparation of security, safety, training and infrastructure.

“The Japanese nuclear industry has been built up with years and years of experience and we believe we can contribute positively to the UAE.”

Japan’s vice trade minister Harufumi Mochizukisaid the UAE’s civilian nuclear programme “can be a model for other oil-producing countries”, and that yesterday’s pact was “the first step between the two countries”.

The next step would be the signing of a treaty between the two countries that could eventually allow Japanese companies such as Hitachi and Toshiba to produce nuclear technology for the UAE.

Under international law, countries are not allowed to purchase nuclear technology unless they have first signed an accord to ensure that it will not be used for military purposes.

Such a bilateral agreement was signed between the UAE and France last year, and the UAE and the US last week. Outgoing Secretary of State Condoleeza Ricesigned an agreement with Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, the UAE Foreign Minister, allowing American manufacturers to sell nuclear technology to the UAE.

Further MoUs with other countries running their own nuclear reactors are expected. Once final agreements with those countries are in place, the UAE would then be in a position to start the tender process for the production of nuclear reactors.

Mr Mochizuki said a more detailed agreement with the UAE was “one more item on the agenda” that needed to be addressed.

Should the UAE pursue closer ties with Japan, it would benefit from one of the oldest civilian nuclear programmes in the world, dating back to 1954. The first Japanese reactor opened in 1966.

Japan’s 53 nuclear reactors produce about 30 per cent of the country’s electricity, although that figure is expected to exceed 40 per cent by 2017. Three more reactors are being built, with another 13 planned.

Japan is the biggest buyer of oil from the UAE, and imported 368 million barrels in 2007. Oil and gas account for half of the country’s energy consumption.

*with Bloomberg

Source: http://www.thenational.ae/article/20090120/BUSINESS/472497891/-1/SPORT

UAE is now trying to depend on non-oil energy source..

Japan seeks nuke deal with Russia

Sunday, Jan. 18, 2009
Kyodo News

The government plans to send senior officials to Moscow for final-stage negotiations on concluding a bilateral civil nuclear cooperation agreement with Russia, government sources said Saturday.

The move, which could happen later this month, is part of efforts to settle the matter before Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin visits Japan, taking into consideration that Putin is placing importance on energy. No date has been set for the trip.

The plan expected to pave the way exporting a modern nuclear power plant to Russia. The Japanese government's initial plan was to conclude the deal if Putin visited Japan by the end of 2008. But the visit was scratched by the global financial crisis, and the talks remain in limbo.

In past negotiations, Japan and Russia have clashed over involvement by the International Atomic Energy Agency. Japan is demanding the agency conduct a "strict examination" of Russia's nuclear facilities to confirm the plant will be used for peaceful purposes. Russia showed reluctance by insisting the country is already a nuclear power, the sources said.

Since Japan will field its own candidate this fall to take over the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the government is expected to continue to press Russia to accept the demand so it can gain support from other countries in the election.

Source: http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20090118a9.html

Japan's Tohoku Elec to delay nuclear unit restart

TOKYO, Jan 16 (Reuters) - Japan's Tohoku Electric Power Co (9506.T) said on Friday it expects a delay in resuming power generation at the 524-megawatt No.1 nuclear generator at its Onagawa plant due to a prolonged inspection.

The unit, which has been shut down since February 2008 for the planned inspection, is expected to resume power output from mid-March, delayed from its earlier plan for late December, a company spokesman said.

The move takes into account a fire at the No.1 unit in December, which has caused a delay in the inspection, the spokesman said.

The spokesman did not give an estimated cost for boosting thermal power generation to compensate for the delayed restart. (Reporting by Osamu Tsukimori)

Source:http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssIndustryMaterialsUtilitiesNews/idUST16388820090116

Japan eyes restarting controversial 'dream nuclear reactor'
January 14, 2009

TSURUGA, Japan (AFP) — Japan, an economic giant with almost no natural energy resources, is eyeing restarting its "dream nuclear reactor" this year after a raft of safety scares closed the plant for more than 13 years.

The state-run Japan Atomic Energy Agency is putting the final touches to Monju, the nation's only fast-breeder reactor.

It has repeatedly postponed the relaunch as problems keep coming up and it struggles to convince many residents of Tsuruga, 350 kilometres (220 miles) west of Tokyo, of the plant's safety.

"Monju is far from being in a condition that would make local residents feel safe to run it again," said Miwako Ogiso, leader of a group opposed to the gigantic plant.

Fast-breeder reactors, or FBRs, have often been billed as "dream reactors" because they produce more fuel than they consume, producing plutonium by burning the waste left by more conventional light-water reactors.

Major world economies rushed to develop fast-breeders over the past five decades, following the United States, which generated the world's first nuclear energy with an FBR constructed in 1946.

But a series of problems, along with fears over the proliferation of plutonium, which can be converted to produce nuclear weapons, led all Western nations to withdraw from FBR projects.

France is closing its last fast-breeder reactor -- the Phenix -- this year and in 2005 asked to join the Monju project in Japan, which is the only nation without nuclear weapons that still has an FBR programme.

Besides Japan, Russia and India are the only nations that operate fast-breeder reactors, with China planning to start later this year.

Theoretically, fast-breeders would be ideal for resource-poor Japan, which imports virtually all of its oil from the politically unstable Middle East.

Despite being the only nation ever attacked by atom bombs, Japan has embraced nuclear power.

It relies on its 55 light-water nuclear reactors to produce about one-third of its energy needs. Japan would be able to generate power sustainably at Monju by recycling the used nuclear fuel from the light-water reactors.

But the path has not been easy.

In 1995, less than two years after Monju had started generating power, dozens of fire alarms went off as a room filled with thick white smoke.

The Monju operator later discovered that a special thermometer had broken, leaking high-temperature metallic sodium that reacted violently with oxygen.

While there was no danger of a radiation leak, local residents were angered by the secrecy of the operator, which covered up key data and even altered video footage.

"In order to regain confidence from local residents and restart the plant, we had to turn the secretive policy around to a more transparent one, which is the biggest change brought after the accident," said Monju's director general Kazuo Mukai.

But more problems have emerged as the behemoth plant prepares to restart. The operator recently found a corrosion hole on a ventilation duct, which would have leaked radioactive emissions directly into the outside air.

"Since operations have been suspended for such a long time, the maintenance of the facility has been neglected, which is inexcusable," Mukai admitted.

The agency had hoped to restart the plant in February, but it now is looking to autumn or later.

Local residents are far from assured.

"It is completely wrong that they are trying to resume operations at the plant just after quickly fixing the bad parts," Ogiso said. "You never know which part might have gone bad after the plant was closed for 13 years."

Ogiso said her group opposed building any more nuclear plants in Fukui prefecture, where 13 out of the nation's 55 reactors are concentrated, with two more on the way.

Japan also suffers frequent earthquakes. The world's biggest nuclear plant, Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, northwest of Tokyo, was shut down by a strong tremor in July 2007, although no one was hurt.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/media/ALeqM5jertYB5jw_jColwH6SLPY6Bg2Lvg?size=s

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jsmCi6-JGCCLvF-G_z1X-d3Jp5xA

AdamChobits

January 21st, 2009, 04:02 PM

Nice news!

Skybean

January 21st, 2009, 07:47 PM

A new automotive leader.

Toyota knocks GM from No. 1
Jan 21, 2009
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK–Japan's Toyota Motor Corp. sold more cars and trucks last year than General Motors Corp., stripping the Detroit automaker of the No. 1 global sales crown for the first time in 78 years.

GM said Wednesday it sold 8,355,947 cars and trucks around the world in 2008, falling about 616,000 vehicles short of the 8.972 million Toyota announced Tuesday.

GM, which posted an 11 per cent drop in global sales for the year, blamed the decline on the steep drop in vehicle demand in its key North American and European markets.

North American sales dropped 21 per cent for the year. GM Europe sales fell 6.5 per cent, including a 21 per cent plunge in the fourth quarter.

Toyota's sales fell four per cent for the year, marking that automaker's first global sales decline in 10 years.

Toyota's move into the top sales spot wasn't a huge surprise. The automaker nearly topped GM in 2007, selling only about 3,000 less vehicles than the U.S. company did that year.

GM chief operating officer Fritz Henderson told a group of industry insiders Tuesday night that it's not a big deal if GM is passed by Toyota Motor Corp. as the global sales leader.

"To me the most important thing to make GM successful," he told the Automotive News World Congress in Detroit. Any time spent on worrying about being passed by Toyota is "time wasted," he said.

GM, which received a $13.4 billion lifeline from the federal government last month, has been closing plants and laying off workers to cut production as it faces the worst U.S. auto market in more than 25 years.

GM shares fell 22 cents, or 6.3 per cent, to $3.28 in morning trading, while Toyota's U.S. shares rose 38 cents to $66.28.

source: http://www.wheels.ca/reviews/article/497629

Fox-Tale

January 22nd, 2009, 08:58 AM

Yen Climbs Toward Record High Versus Pound on U.K. Bank Concern

By Ron Harui

Jan. 22 (Bloomberg) -- The yen rose toward a record high against the pound on speculation the deepening financial crisis will force the U.K. government to nationalize banks.

The yen also gained versus the euro and the dollar before a French report that economists say will show consumer spending fell in December, damping appetite for higher-yielding assets funded in Japan’s currency. The pound approached a 23-year low versus the dollar before a U.K. government report tomorrow that may show the economy shrank the most since 1990, supporting the case for the Bank of England to cut interest rates next month.

“I’d dump sterling, and that will continue to exacerbate the short-term situation for the euro as well,” said Adam Carr, a senior economist in Sydney at ICAP Australia Ltd., part of the world’s largest interbank broker. “The bad news out of European financials hasn’t finished yet and that will continue to weigh heavy on the currency and the economy as a whole.”

The yen rose to 124.38 against the pound as of 1:53 p.m. in Tokyo compared with 124.88 late in New York and yesterday’s all- time high of 119.42. Japan’s currency climbed to 116.28 per euro from 116.54 yesterday, when it touched 112.12, the strongest since March 2002. The yen gained to 89.15 a dollar from 89.49 yesterday after advancing to 87.13, the highest since July 1995.

The pound was little changed at $1.3957 from $1.3955 in New York and $1.3622, the lowest since September 1985. Against the euro, the pound declined to 93.46 pence from 93.27 pence yesterday, when it touched 94.30 pence, the weakest since Jan. 5.

Financial Crisis

Sterling lost 3.2 percent versus the dollar and 3 percent against the euro this week as the U.K. government’s plan for a second bank bailout in three months raised concern the financial crisis is deepening. Shares of Barclays Plc fell for a seventh day yesterday on concern the bank will take more writedowns and be nationalized.

The U.K.’s gross domestic product probably contracted 1.2 percent in the fourth quarter from the prior three months, according to a Bloomberg News survey of economists before tomorrow’s report from the Office for National Statistics.

“We see sterling and the euro continuing to deteriorate as the economic fundamentals undermine not only growth differentials against the U.S., but also we see the European Central Bank and the Bank of England continuing to cut interest rates,” Michael Woolfolk, a senior currency strategist in New York at Bank of New York Mellon Corp., said in an interview with Bloomberg Television.

The Bank of England will lower its benchmark rate by a half-percentage point to 1 percent at its Feb. 5 meeting, a separate Bloomberg survey shows. The chance the ECB will cut its 2 percent main rate by a quarter point the same day was 71 percent yesterday, up from 16 percent on Jan. 20, according to a Credit Suisse Group index.

‘Closely Monitoring’

Gains in the yen were tempered after Japan’s top currency official commented on the foreign-exchange markets.

“We are closely monitoring movements in the currency market,” Naoyuki Shinohara, vice finance minister for international affairs, told reporters in Tokyo today. Asked whether Japan will intervene to curb the yen’s advance, Shinohara said he had no comment.

Japan’s exports plunged a record 35 percent in December from a year earlier, data from the Finance Ministry showed today. China’s economy expanded 6.8 percent last quarter from a year ago, the slowest pace in seven years, the nation’s statistics bureau said. South Korea’s economy shrank a larger-than-expected 5.6 percent in the fourth quarter, the Bank of Korea said.

Toyota, Sony

Exports from Japan to the U.S., China and Europe slumped the most ever, as the global recession sapped demand for cars and electronics. Toyota Motor Corp., Sony Corp. and Honda Motor Co. are shedding thousands of workers and closing production lines as profits and sales dwindle.

China’s yuan traded at 6.8365 per dollar from 6.8378, while the Korean won was at 1,372.90 from 1,373.25. The yen was little changed after the Bank of Japan kept the benchmark rate at 0.1 percent in a unanimous vote today. The decision was expected by economists surveyed by Bloomberg.

The last time Japan intervened in the currency markets on its own, it sold a record 20.4 trillion yen ($229 billion) in 2003, and 14.8 trillion yen in the first quarter of 2004. Central banks buy or sell currencies when they seek to influence exchange rates.

“The yen at current levels is really hurting Japan’s business,” John Richards, head debt-market strategist for the Asia-Pacific region at Royal Bank of Scotland Plc in Tokyo, said in an interview with Bloomberg Television. “Exchange-rate intervention might be the last arrow in their quiver.”

Manipulation

Timothy Geithner, U.S. President Barack Obama’s nominee for Treasury Secretary, said at his confirmation hearing yesterday that it’s important for America’s biggest trading partners to refrain from setting or manipulating exchange rates.

The euro approached a six-week low against the dollar on speculation the French government will say consumer spending dropped in December for the second time in three months.

“The euro-area economy is in the doldrums and may deteriorate further,” said Tsutomu Soma, a bond and currency dealer at Okasan Securities Co. in Tokyo. “The bias for the euro is to the downside.”

Europe’s single currency may weaken to $1.2913 and 114 yen today, Soma said.

Spending by consumers, which accounts for about 15 percent of France’s economy, fell 0.2 percent in December from the previous month, according to a Bloomberg survey. Insee, the national statistics office, will release the report at 8:45 a.m. in Paris.

Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601102&sid=ap.v92_V7T0g&refer=uk#

Finally, 1 Euro=112 Yen, 1 UK Pound=119 Yen, 1 US Dollar=87 Yen..

UK Pound and Euro, along with US Dollar, used to be overappreciated until recently. Now the exchange rates are finally being normalized, reflecting the actual economic power and productivity...

Maybe it's good for Japanese travellers going to UK and Europe. Until 2007, UK Pound and Euro were too high against Yen, and restaurant prices/hotel rates/public transportation fares in UK and Europe used to be almost double the prices of Japan's. In other words, European and British travellers to Japan could enjoy cheap prices of Japan until 2007.

Now I guess it's Japanese people's turn to travel to Europe for lower prices although their prices are still higher than Japan's.

Fox-Tale

January 22nd, 2009, 09:49 AM

From London:

Hackers accused of plot to swindle Japanese bank

By Megan Murphy, Law Courts Correspondent

Published: January 22 2009 02:00 | Last updated: January 22 2009 02:00

Computer hackers used sophisticated passworddetection software in an attempt to swindle £229m from one of Japan's largest banking groups, a court heard yesterday.

In a plot seemingly cribbed from a Hollywood film, a "dishonest, bold" gang of cyber-crooks raided the City premises of Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporationat night to install "keylogger" programmes to record employees' log-in details, prosecutors allege.

Assisted by an "inside man" who worked as a security supervisor at the bank, the thieves then attempted to make more than 20 electronic transfers involving multi-million pound sums from the accounts of big Su-mitomo customers, including Nomura Asset Management and Toshiba, it is alleged.

The money was intended for accounts set up in locations such as Dubai and Singapore, but the men failed to realise that the keylogging software had inadvertently captured an error, jurors at Snaresbrook Crown Court in east London were told.

Several members of the gang, including two computer experts and the Sumitomo security guard, have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal.

The Crown is now pursuing three other people suspected of serving as "fronts" for the companies and bank accounts set up to receive the stolen funds in September and October 2004.

"The attempt was made by surreptitiously entering the bank at night, by corrupting its computer system and by attempting to electronically transfer money," said prosecutor Simon Farrell, QC. "A number of people were involved in different ways to steal the money and some were closely connected to its distribution around the world."

Hugh Rodley, David Nash and Inger Malmros deny the charges in what is expected to be a six-week trial. Bernard Davies, another defendant, died last weekend.

Jurors were told how the keylogger software could capture staff passwords and log-in details surreptitiously by taking frequent pictures of their computer screens. The fraudsters would then return to the bank to re-trieve the screen shots and plug the information into electronic transfer requests.

"Fortunately for the bank, those transfers failed," said Mr Farrell. Staff discovered the plot after realising their computers had been tampered with.

The case continues.

http://www.independent.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00116/Pg-11-bank-robbery-_116159t.jpg
Hugh 'Lord' Rodley, who preferred to be known as Lord Rodley, a title which he had purchased, leaves the court in London yesterday

Source: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/86ece184-e827-11dd-b2a5-0000779fd2ac.html

What an evil "gentleman"!

japanese001

January 22nd, 2009, 05:31 PM

次世代携帯電話：参入希望の４社に周波数帯割り当てへ

　総務省は２２日、早ければ１０年にサービス開始予定の次世代携帯電話について、最大４社に周波数帯を割り当てる方針を決めた。参入を希望しているＮＴＴドコモとＫＤＤＩ（ａｕ）、ソフトバンクモバイル、イー・モバイルの４社すべてが参入できる見通しになった。

　同省は２３日、周波数帯の割当枠を含む審査基準案を公表する。当初は最大３社までの割り当てを想定していたが、新サービスに対応する周波数帯を広げ、最大４社にした。４月から事業者の申請を受け付け、６月に正式決定する。

　次世代携帯は「ＬＴＥ」と呼ばれる通信技術を使い、光回線並みに通信速度が速い。現在の第３世代携帯に比べ、受信速度は３０倍以上、送信速度は１００倍以上で、動画など大容量のデータを瞬時にやり取りできる。ＬＴＥは欧米でも採用される見通しで、日本の携帯電話端末メーカーの世界進出の契機にもなると期待されている。

ukiyo

January 23rd, 2009, 02:16 AM

From London:

What an evil "gentleman"!
http://www.independent.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00116/Pg-11-bank-robbery-_116159t.jpg

:lol:彼は愚かだ

次世代携帯電話：参入希望の４社に周波数帯割り当てへ

　総務省は２２日、早ければ１０年にサービス開始予定の次世代携帯電話について、最大４社に周波数帯を割り当てる方針を決めた。参入を希望しているＮＴＴドコモとＫＤＤＩ（ａｕ）、ソフトバンクモバイル、イー・モバイルの４社すべてが参入できる見通しになった。

　同省は２３日、周波数帯の割当枠を含む審査基準案を公表する。当初は最大３社までの割り当てを想定していたが、新サービスに対応する周波数帯を広げ、最大４社にした。４月から事業者の申請を受け付け、６月に正式決定する。

　次世代携帯は「ＬＴＥ」と呼ばれる通信技術を使い、光回線並みに通信速度が速い。現在の第３世代携帯に比べ、受信速度は３０倍以上、送信速度は１００倍以上で、動画など大容量のデータを瞬時にやり取りできる。ＬＴＥは欧米でも採用される見通しで、日本の携帯電話端末メーカーの世界進出の契機にもなると期待されている。

めっちゃすごい！日本の携帯はとてもいい:)

coldstar

January 24th, 2009, 02:48 AM

Japan launches rocket with greenhouse-gas probe
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Associated Press

The first satellite dedicated to monitoring carbon dioxide emissions was launched into space Friday from a center in Japan, where officials hope to gather information on climate change _ and help the country compete in the lucrative satellite-launching business.

The satellite _ named "Ibuki," which means "breath" _ was sent into orbit along with seven other piggyback probes on a Japanese H2A rocket. Japan's space agency, JAXA, said the launch was a success but officials there said they were monitoring the satellites to make sure that they entered orbit properly.

Ibuki, which will circle the globe every 100 minutes, will store information on greenhouse gas levels around the globe for the next five years. The data will be shared with NASA in the United States and other space and scientific organizations.

Officials said the Ibuki satellite mission was the first of its kind. It is equipped with optical sensors that measure reflected light from the Earth and check the density of carbon dioxide and methane, two gases that are considered to be the main contributors to global warming.

"Global warming is one of the most pressing issues facing the international community, and Japan is fully committed to reducing CO2," said Yasushi Tadami, an official working on the project for Japan's Environment Ministry. "The advantage of Ibuki is that it can monitor the density of CO2 and methane gas anywhere in the world."

There are currently 282 land-based sites to monitor carbon dioxide, and Ibuki's capabilities will boost that substantially, especially in developing nations where monitoring is difficult.

"So far, the number of ground-based carbon dioxide observation points has been limited, and they have been distributed unequally throughout the world," JAXA said on its Web site. "Ibuki will enable the precise monitoring of the density of carbon dioxide by combining global observation data sent from space with data obtained on land, and with simulation models."

Ibuki, which will orbit at an altitude of about 415 miles (670 kilometers), will monitor the levels of carbon dioxide and methane from 56,000 locations. It was launched from a site in Tanegashima, a remote island about 600 miles (970 kilometers) southwest of Tokyo.

Along with its scientific mission, the launch of the piggyback satellites was seen as crucial to Japan, which is trying to demonstrate its domestically developed H2A rocket can compete in the global commercial launching business.

Japan has long been one of the world's leading space-faring nations and launched its first satellite in 1970.

JAXA says the latest launch itself cost about 8.5 billion yen ($96 million), the lowest ever. The standard for a competitive launch _ set by Russia's Proton rocket _ used to be around 7 billion yen, but has now risen to around 9 billion.

JAXA officials said the agency has already selected four other piggybacks for a launch in 2011.

Earlier this month, Japan got its first commercial order to launch a satellite on an H2A. The agreement _ which plans to liftoff after April 2011 _ is with South Korea.

http://media.timesleader.com/ap/Japan_Rocket_139625288.jpg
An H2A rocket, carrying the world's first greenhouse-gas monitoring satellite, takes off from the Tanegashima Space Center, southern Japan, Friday, Jan. 23, 2009.

Watching the World Breath : Ibuki
BBC World
Friday, January 23, 2009

The Japanese have become the first to launch a satellite into space specifically designed to monitor greenhouse gases. Once in place, this tool will be able to more clearly spot and define gas emission right down to 10 km. Sq areas. This means that urban areas can be examined for city planners, oilsand development impact can be assessed, and mankind can have a clearer picture of CO2 and its truer effect on immediate and global atmosphere.
Global warming is slowly turning to climate change, people are jumping in and out of the issue, and the science is strangely in and out of focus on exactly what may be happening. This sort of tool could prove extremely beneficial for everyone, no matter what answers it returns to us.
http://www.jaxa.jp/countdown/f15/index_e.html
If you’re a tech geek, this site has plenty to offer as well.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7KeUfp40QDo/SXmX6Z9kMTI/AAAAAAAAAk8/aLsRSs_LEPA/s400/P-029-0002-11965.JPG

jDXvnfO0Zfk
(H2A launched past 7 mins)

coldstar

January 24th, 2009, 04:01 AM

coldstar

January 24th, 2009, 04:45 AM

SANYO and Nippon Oil confirm thin film solar JV
pv-tech.org daily news
23 January 2009

SANYO Electric and Nippon Oil have finalized plans to form a 50/50 joint venture thin film solar manufacturing company, which will be called SANYO ENEOS Solar Co., Ltd. The JV will develop a cell technology based on SANYO’s, Heterojunction with Intrinsic Thin layer (HIT) solar cells, currently used in its crystalline solar cells. The companies did not disclose any details regarding equipment and material suppliers or the planned manufacturing location.

SANYO ENEOS Solar has been given ambitious production targets based on an initial capital injection of approximately US$225 million. The JV is projected to start volume production in Fiscal Year 2010 with a nominal capacity of 80MW and reached 1GW in production sales by FY2015 and approximately 2GW by FY2020.

The new thin film producer will be run by Michito Igarashi, the former General Manager of SANYO Semiconductor Co., Ltd.
related news
三洋電機、大阪・貝塚市に太陽電池セルの新工場棟を建設
日刊工業新聞
2009年01月23日

三洋電機は二色の浜工場（大阪府貝塚市）敷地内に太陽電池セルの新工場棟を建設する。２月中旬に着工、０９年度内の稼働を目指す。設備導入は２期に分け、１期分の年産能力は１００メガワット、投資額１００億円規模とみられる。島根県雲南市の工場でも０９年度に太陽電池セルの増産を検討しており、２０１０年度までに年産能力６００メガワット以上への増強を目指す。
　三洋は太陽電池セルを国内２拠点で生産している。年産能力は０８年度で３４０メガワット。うち二色の浜工場が２１０メガワットで、０８年１１月に新工場が稼働した子会社の島根三洋電機（島根県雲南市）が１３０メガワット。島根の新工場は０９年度にも２階部分に生産設備を導入、年産能力を二色の浜工場と同等の２１０メガワットに高める。二色の浜工場の新工場が完成すれば年産能力は合計６００メガワットを超える。

coldstar

January 24th, 2009, 05:08 AM

Asahi buying Tsingtao stake
International Herald Tribune
January 23, 2009

Anheuser-Busch InBev, the largest beer maker in the world, said Friday that it had agreed to sell the majority of its stake in the Chinese brewer Tsingtao to Asahi Breweries of Japan for $667 million to help reduce debt.

Asahi will acquire 19.9 percent of Tsingtao, reducing Anheuser's stake to 7 percent, the Belgian company said. The sale price is 19.78 Hong Kong dollars, or $2.55, per share, it said, which is 38 percent above Tsingtao's closing price Thursday, 14.38 dollars.

Asahi is expanding outside Japan as beer sales drop at home. It agreed in December to buy the Australian beverages unit of Cadbury.

Anheuser-Busch InBev, which is based in Belgium, aims to sell noncore assets to help repay $45 billion of debt taken on in when InBev took over Anheuser-Busch last year. The company has also issued bonds to help repay a $7 billion bridge loan that is due in November.

"This is a substantially higher price than I had anticipated and a very good result" for Anheuser, said Andrew Holland, an analyst at Dresdner Kleinwort in London. "The Japanese market is in long-term decline, and Asahi are finally realizing they need to look outside the country." Holland has a "hold" recommendation on Anheuser shares.

Anheuser-Busch InBev "remains strongly committed to China, the largest beer market in the world," its chief executive, Carlos Brito, said in a statement. Anheuser also has the Harbin and Sedrin beer brands in the Chinese market.

A Tsingtao spokeswoman, Yuan Lu, did not answer calls to her office seeking comment.

Shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev were flat in midday trading in Brussels. The sale of the stake was announced after Asian markets closed.

relevant old topics
Cadbury Sells Schweppes Australia To Asahi For $813 Million
iStockAnalyst.com
December 24, 2008

British confectionary conglomerate Cadbury plc (LSE: CBRY, NYSE: CBY) said on Wednesday that it had agreed to sell its Australian drinks arm to Asahi Breweries of Japan for 550 million pounds or $811 million.

The sale marks the end of the confectionery company’s interest in beverages business. In May this year it spun off its North American beverages business under the Dr Pepper Snapple name and dropped the Schweppes from its own name.

"The successful sale of Schweppes Australia will complete Cadbury's divestment of its beverage operations. As a result, Cadbury will focus solely on growing its chocolate, gum and candy portfolio, in line with the Vision Into Action strategy, announced in June 2007," said Cadbury Chief Executive Todd Stitzer.

Cadbury had already begun a strategic review of its Australian drinks arm in July 2008. The company had announced on Dec. 16 in a trading update that it had decided to sell it. Analysts on average had expected the deal could raise between £400m and £525m.

The agreement is subject to a right of negotiation granted to Coca-Cola (KO.N) in 1999, under which Coca-Cola has the right until March 2009 to negotiate with Cadbury regarding a potential acquisition of the business. "If Coca Cola makes an offer during this period, Cadbury will carefully consider such offer, including the price and likelihood of receiving necessary regulatory and other consents," the company said in a statement.

The Australian drinks arm had a turnover of £394m in 2007 and earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization of £40m. However, the termination of a contract to supply Red Bull, reduced those figures to £313m and £33m.Schweppes Australia is the second largest non-alcoholic beverages business in Australia. The cash proceeds from the deal will be utilised repaying a 600 million euro bond which matures in June next year, the company said in a statement.

Asahi, the second largest Japanese beer maker was seeking to diversify by expanding overseas and into non-alcohol beverages and food.
and

Kirin eyes Aussie Coke takeover
The Japan Times
Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2008

Kirin Holdings Co. said Monday its Australian brewer subsidiary, Lion Nathan Ltd., is in discussions to acquire Australia's top soft drinks group, Coca Cola Amatil Ltd., for 8 billion Australian dollars, or about ¥488 billion.

Kirin said it will facilitate the proposed takeover by buying A$3.76 billion, or about ¥229.4 billion, worth of new shares to be issued by Lion Nathan.

Kirin, which bought a 45 percent stake in Lion Nathan in 1998, will buy up to 327 million of the company's new ordinary shares for A$11.50 per share, 28.5 percent over its closing share price Friday.

If the merger takes place, Kirin said it will raise its stake from the current 46.1 percent to 47.5 percent in the combined company, which would be the largest comprehensive beverages group in Oceania.

Kirin has been actively seeking merger and acquisition deals abroad, particularly in Asia and Oceania, on the back of a stronger yen and said it will aim for "further growth" by merging with Coca Cola Amatil.

The proposed offer will be made with a mix of cash and Lion Nathan's shares, and Coca Cola Amatil's shareholders will receive consideration of about A$4.5 billion in cash and about 346 million of Lion Nathan's ordinary shares.

and
Kirin to buy National Foods in Australia
Business Day
November 8, 2007

Japanese brewer Kirin Holdings said today it would buy Australian dairy and fruit juice producer National Foods for $2.8 billion from Philippine partner San Miguel Corp, its latest move to offset stagnating beer sales.

The purchase price includes interest-bearing debt of about 200 billion yen ($US1.8 billion) held by National Foods, Australia's largest processor of milk, dairy products and juice.

Kirin, which is also strong in soft drinks, has made a string of acquisitions in the past few years, including its latest $US2.6 billion bid for control of Japanese drug maker Kyowa Hakko Kogyo.

The Japanese brewer also owns around 46 per cent of Australian brewer Lion Nathan and may try to seek synergy effects in distribution and procurement from the purchase of National Foods.

Kirin had said in July it was in preliminary talks to invest in San Miguel's Australian food and drink assets. It owns some 20 per cent of San Miguel.

In a related deal, Lion Nathan is buying Tasmanian brewer, James Boags from San Miguel for $325 million.

coldstar

January 30th, 2009, 05:06 PM

JAL Flight Brings Aviation One Step Closer to Using Biofuel
JCN Newswire
Jan 30, 2009
Today, Japan Airlines (JAL) became the first airline to conduct a demonstration flight using a sustainable biofuel primarily refined from the energy crop, camelina. It was also the first demo flight using a combination of three sustainable biofuel feedstocks, as well as the first one using Pratt & Whitney engines.

The results of the flight are expected to conclusively confirm the second-generation biofuel's operational performance capabilities and potential commercial viability.

The approximately one and half-hour demo flight using a JAL-owned Boeing 747-300 aircraft, carrying no passengers or payload, took off from Haneda Airport, Tokyo at 11:50am (JST). A blend of 50% biofuel and 50% traditional Jet-A jet (kerosene) fuel was tested in the No.3 engine (middle right), one of the aircraft's four Pratt & Whitney JT9D engines. No modifications to the aircraft or engine were required for biofuel, which is a 'drop-in' replacement for petroleum-based fuel.

The JAL cockpit crew onboard the aircraft checked the engine's performance during normal and non-normal flight operations, which included quick accelerations and decelerations, and engine shutdown and restart. A ground-based preflight test was conducted the day before the flight to ensure that the No. 3 engine functioned normally using the biofuel/ traditional Jet-A fuel blend. Captain Keiji Kobayashi who piloted the aircraft said, "Everything went smoothly. There was no difference at all in the performance of the engine powered by the biofuel blend, and the other three engines containing regular jet fuel."

Data recorded on the aircraft will now be analyzed to determine if equivalent engine performance was seen from the biofuel blend compared to typical Jet A fuel. The initial analysis of the data will take several weeks and will be conducted by team members from Boeing, Japan Airlines, and Pratt& Whitney.

The biofuel component tested was a mixture of three second-generation biofuel feedstocks: camelina (84%), jatropha (under 16%), and algae (under 1%). Second-generation feedstocks do not compete with natural food or water resources and do not contribute to deforestation practices. The primary benefit of using biofuels in a commercial jetliner is their ability to reduce greenhouse gases throughout their entire lifecycle, while also helping to improve the environmental performance of commercial aviation and the planes that are flying today.

JAL Group President and CEO, Haruka Nishimatsu applauded the flight saying, "Today is an extremely important day for Japan Airlines, for aviation, and for the environment. The demonstration flight brings us ever closer to finding a 'greener' alternative to traditional petroleum-based fuel. When biofuels are produced in sufficient amounts to make them commercially viable, we hope to be one of the first airlines in the world to start powering our aircraft using them."

Boeing Japan President, Nicole Piasecki said, "We are hopeful that within the next 3-5 years, commercial aircraft will begin flying revenue passenger flights using sustainable next-generation biofuels. There are remaining hurdles to overcome, including gaining the support of regulators, airports, fuel distributors and others, as well as increasing the production of environmentally and socially responsible fuel sources. Our industry is already working to secure its fuel future supply by establishing firm sustainability criteria to ensure that the environmental impacts and carbon dioxide emissions from biofuels are significantly lower than fossil fuel-based kerosene fuels."

The fuel for the JAL demo flight was successfully converted from plant-based crude oil to biofuel, then blended with typical jet fuel by Honeywell's UOP, a refining technology developer, using proprietary hydro-processing technology. Subsequent laboratory testing by Boeing, UOP, and several independent laboratories verified the biofuel met the industry criteria for jet fuel performance.

Jennifer Holmgren, General Manager of UOP Renewable Energy and Chemicals said, "We have proven that we can produce renewable jet fuel from sustainable resources that is a drop in replacement eliminating the need for costly changes to the fuels infrastructure and transportation fleet. This technology can be utilized to begin making an impact on the aviation fuel supply in as little as three years."

"Ground-based jet engine performance testing last year by Pratt & Whitney of similar fuels further established that the biofuel blend either meets or exceeds the performance criteria that is in place for commercial aviation jet fuel today," added Greg Gernhardt, Asia Pacific Region Vice President, Pratt & Whitney Commercial Engines & Global Services.

Sustainable Oils, Inc., a U.S.-based provider of renewable, environmentally clean, and high-value camelina-based fuels sourced the camelina used in the JAL demo flight. Terasol Energy sourced and provided the jatropha oil, and the algae oil was provided by Sapphire Energy. Nikki Universal, a joint venture of UOP and JGC, supplied the biofuel used in the flight, which had been produced in the U.S by UOP.

Also known as gold-of-pleasure or false flax, camelina is good candidate for a sustainable biofuel source, given its high oil content and ability to grow in rotation with wheat and other cereal crops. The crop is mostly grown in more moderate climates such as the northern plains of the U.S and Canada, and originally hails from northern Europe and Central Asia. Test plots are also underway in Malaysia, South Korea, Ukraine and Latvia.

"There are currently a few thousand acres under management, with an expectation of hundreds of thousands of acres within three years. Within 5 years, projections are for between 100 million and 200 million gallons of camelina-based sustainable jet fuel," said Tom Todaro, CEO of Sustainable Oils.

About JAL
The JAL Group is Asia's biggest airline group in terms of sales revenues and 2nd largest in Asia in terms of passengers carried annually after ANA.
JAL Group airlines serve 216 airports in 34 countries and territories, including 60 airports in Japan. The international network covers over 246 passenger routes and 37 cargo routes, and the domestic network covers 154 routes. JAL and its seven subsidiary airlines make a total of up to 1,200 domestic and international routes passenger flights a day. In the year ending March 31, 2008, JAL Group airlines carried over 55 million passengers.

With around 23,000 employees in the air transport segment, JAL Group operates a fleet of some 270 aircraft including Boeing 747s and B777s and is now in the process of a major fleet renewal, introducing more fuel-efficient small and medium aircraft such as the B737 New Generation series and in the future the new high-tech Boeing 787 "Dreamliner".

JAL First Class offers fully reclining Skysleeper or New Skysleeper Solo seats. "JAL Executive Class - Seasons," introduces the concept of "quality time" spent on board and features the award-winning JAL Shell Flat Seat that reclines to almost the horizontal and provides a high degree of personal privacy. From December 2007 JAL started offering JAL Premium Economy on key business routes, and from August 2008 started introducing on US routes a luxurious new suite to JAL First Class and the JAL Shell NEO, a leading-edge seat for JAL Executive Class.

Top quality in-flight service has always been the hallmark of JAL's reputation. Cuisine offered in all classes is a combination of Western and Asian food. JAL carries a fine selection of award-winning wines and sake in First Class and JAL Executive Class - Seasons, JAL's business class. Quality in-flight entertainment systems are a feature of JAL's international fleet aircraft.

A member of the oneworld global alliance since April 2007, JAL offers customers many benefits, such as the JAL Mileage Bank frequent flier program.
http://www.japancorp.net/topimg/Low_090130JAL.jpg

coldstar

January 30th, 2009, 05:15 PM

The good news has come!!!!

Japanese researchers develop all-round flu vaccine
AFP
29/01/2009

Tokyo - Researchers in Japan said Thursday they had developed an influenza vaccine that works against multiple viruses and could prevent a deadly pandemic of bird flu mutations.

The research team has tested the vaccine on mice implanted with human genes, confirming that it works even if flu viruses mutate, according to Tetsuya Uchida, researcher at the National Institute of Infectious Diseases.

Currently flu vaccines use a protein covering the surface of viruses but the protein frequently mutates to make the vaccines ineffective.

The newly developed vaccine is based on common types of protein inside the bodies of flu viruses as they rarely change, Uchida told AFP. The viruses used are the Soviet-A and Hongkong-A along with the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu.

"We expect this will also be effective on new variations" of the much-feared H5N1 strain in addition to conventional flu viruses, he said.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) warns that millions of people could die worldwide if the avian influenza virus mutates into a form easily transmissible among humans.

Uchida said it would likely take several years to put the vaccine to practical use as the research team needs to confirm the vaccine's safety with further experiments on mice and possibly larger animals before tests on humans.

The study is being jointly conducted by researchers from the national institute, Hokkaido University, Saitama Medical University and NOF Corp., a chemicals company based in Tokyo.

NOF shares jumped 20.79 percent to 366 yen on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Thursday.

Influenza that affects humans is caused mostly by the Soviet-A, Hongkong-A and type B viruses, according to experts.

Uchida said the experiment had been done with the type A viruses but the method should also be effective on the type B.

Many people who were affected by the Soviet-A strain in Japan this winter were found to be resistant to widely used flu medicine Tamiflu, Japan's health ministry has warned.

Tamiflu has been controversial in Japan after authorities said children jumped off buildings or ran into traffic after taking it. But authorities have found no direct link between the drug and the abnormal behaviour.

Similar vaccination studies on attacking the inside of the virus body rather than its surface are also under way abroad, including at Oxford University in Britain, Uchida said.

About 250 people have died of avian flu since 2003, according to the WHO.

Indonesia is the country worst-hit by avian influenza with 115 deaths officially recorded since 2003.

Five deaths have been reported in China this month, compared with just three in the whole of 2008, alarming health officials.

China is considered one of the nations most at risk of bird flu epidemics because it has the world's biggest poultry population and many chickens in rural areas are kept close to humans.

Human victims consist mostly of people in close contact with sick birds. There is no evidence so far that the deadly strain of bird flu has mutated into a form that could set off a pandemic.

AdamChobits

January 30th, 2009, 05:42 PM

2co2co

January 30th, 2009, 07:14 PM

It is nice that not everybody come to this forum only to post bad news from Japan. I think I could guess what would happen if I did the same if I went to their local forums to do the same :bash:

.....if you watch all that "analysis of current issues " waidosho- TV programs going on in Japan, you don't need any particlar sentiment to post just the bad news.
Runaway pessimism among masugomi (mass media)
is nothing new. Shut up Koreans and Chinese and there will still be an overwhleming posts of bad news, from Japanse themselves:bash:

The fall in consumer confidence is the biggest while least hit by the financial crisis - thanks masugomi

Skybean

January 30th, 2009, 08:26 PM

Sensationalist media around the world has probably contributed to a fall in consumer confidence in almost all countries around the world. This is certainly not something which occurs only Japan. I would hope that news in local threads is not only limited to "good" news. Rather, it should be truthful news.

coldstar

January 30th, 2009, 08:55 PM

Thanks, several good news! Specially that about biofuel. My father has invested a lot of money in producing biofuels.:cheers:

It is nice that not everybody come to this forum only to post bad news from Japan. I think I could guess what would happen if I did the same if I went to their local forums to do the same :bash:

Our country is still fibrous and our economy is still relatively strong, that's why Japanese yen is much stronger than any other currency on the earth.
Japanese might not be so active, but surely patient and speculative. I'm keeping on posting good news. We all are fed up with everyday bad news. Venomous calumnies by some chinese forumers here in Japan forum are beyond our comprehension. Maybe joblessness in china mainland is terrible and hong kong economy has completely stalled. Anyway, just ignore.

ukiyo

January 31st, 2009, 02:00 AM

tiger

January 31st, 2009, 08:05 AM

Our country is still fibrous and our economy is still relatively strong, that's why Japanese yen is much stronger than any other currency on the earth.
Japanese might not be so active, but surely patient and speculative. I'm keeping on posting good news. We all are fed up with everyday bad news. Venomous calumnies by some chinese forumers here in Japan forum are beyond our comprehension. Maybe joblessness in china mainland is terrible and hong kong economy has completely stalled. Anyway, just ignore.

^^Recent appreciation of the Yen is not because Japan's economy is strong but by coming back of the money used for carry trades. Several good news will not change the overall weakness of the Japanese economy as most of it doesn't run well. Actually Japanese companies are facing growing competitions from its neighbors particularly from South Korea.

If you have something to speak about Chinese economy, welcome to Chinese sub-forums, we'll be glad to see our Japanese friends discuss with us. Europeans can deal with their historical disputes partly because they're active and prefer discuss with eath other. If Japanese are always like you, we will never be mutually understood and hence never get along well. As a whole, we need more communications.

Moreover, I'm not hostile towards Japan despite bad news I posted, neither towards Japanese. When I read from the media that most of Japanese are hard working even in China, I really loved you people and feel happy that East Asia's got a developed country.

ukiyo

January 31st, 2009, 08:11 AM

^^Recent appreciation of the Yen is not because Japan's economy is strong but by coming back of the money used for carry trades. Several good news will not change the overall weakness of the Japanese economy as most of it doesn't run well. Actually Japanese companies are facing growing competitions from its neighbors particularly from South Korea.

If you have something to speak about Chinese economy, welcome to Chinese sub-forums, we'll be glad to see our Japanese friends discuss with us. Europeans can deal with their historical disputes partly because they're active and prefer discuss with eath other. If Japanese are always like you, we will never be mutually understood and hence never get along well. As a whole, we need more communications.

Moreover, I'm not hostile towards Japan despite bad news I posted, neither towards Japanese. When I read from the media that most of Japanese are hard working even in China, I really loved you people and feel happy that East Asia's got a developed country.

I appreciate your honesty but there is absolutely no reason at all for japanese to post in chinese forums. Have you seen some of the members in chinese forum? Many are extremely nationalistic and anti japanese, if we go there it will be just we say our opinion then get bashed nonstop, and not us as a person bashed as in our country and us personally. Many chinese even bash japan in the world skybar. It would be nice to post japanese opinion in chinese subforum trust me I'm sure many would love to, but at the time it's impossible unless we want to get into huge arguments (1 vs many) and probably get banned. I have seen even american forumers post their opinions there and get bashed...

ANyways this is offtopic, you're welcome here and there's nothing wrong with your news since they are true, but you know theres also tons of other news about japan that doesnt have to do with economy.

tiger

January 31st, 2009, 08:38 AM

Have you seen some of the members in chinese forum? Many are extremely nationalistic and anti japanese,

^^Not so many. If your original post is about bad news, it will easily get wrong as what happened here. We are all patriotic and it's the culture of the whole region.:lol: But I think if Japanese forumers are consistently over there, people will get used to and they will begin to discuss with you normally. Anyway, we've got to go beyond the first stage.:)

ukiyo

January 31st, 2009, 02:07 PM

^^Not so many. If your original post is about bad news, it will easily get wrong as what happened here. We are all patriotic and it's the culture of the whole region.:lol: But I think if Japanese forumers are consistently over there, people will get used to and they will begin to discuss with you normally. Anyway, we've got to go beyond the first stage.:)

Going beyond the first stage won't be done through a internet forum. It is done like japans massive contributions and aid efforts during the chinese earthquakes, or japan being the biggest aid donor, giver of technology, largest investor in china since 1979 is how you get "beyond" the first stage - and also getting rid of idiots like Taro Aso. And as we both know vapour is a cool and relaxed moderator and japanese forum is usually peaceful, but chinese forum is much more active with much more active mods.

We both know the truth, if a japanese forumer even post one single article that is slightly bad or bad news about china how it will turn out.... there's alot of personal insults thrown around there, at least from what i've seen. Any slight criticism is taken too personally..

I don't want to give any examples of posts etc because this is japan forum and our current conversation has absolutely nothing to do with the thread topic :P. We like it peaceful here! Anyways sorry for these long posts, i don't think youre anti-japanese since i don't know you but i think many forumers here are just saying that there is much more news in japan then just bad economical news and besides we already have a seperate thread here for economical news.

AdamChobits

January 31st, 2009, 04:47 PM

^^ Agreed.

Although in what I agree with tiger is that I'm sure you would not get negative or offensive replies by forumers like Snow is red, Oliver999 or dingyunyang179. What a nice forumers, a pleasure to read them ;)

AdamChobits

January 31st, 2009, 05:10 PM

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nb20090130a7.html
Japan films rake in record revenue
Kyodo News

A hit animated film by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki helped boost box office revenues for Japanese movies to an all-time record in 2008, an industry group said Thursday.

Revenues for Japanese movies rose 22.4 percent from the previous year to ¥115.86 billion, while those for foreign movies declined 23.9 percent to ¥78.98 billion, the Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan said. Combined revenues slid 1.8 percent to ¥194.84 billion.

The revenue surge for Japanese movies was attributed to Miyazaki's "Gake no Ue no Ponyo" ("Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea"), which alone raked in ¥15.5 billion.

"Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" was the top hit among foreign movies, with ¥5.7 billion.

Japanese movies had a 59.5 percent share of overall box office revenues in 2008, to 40.5 percent for foreign movies.

2co2co

January 31st, 2009, 07:35 PM

To start with, there are not many actual Japanese forumers here because they all go to 2ch or Nicodou (primarily due to language issues and difference in interest). I mostly see jp-gaijin halves or foreign expats in Japan.:shifty:

The tone of Chinese here? They grew up with "aiguo" education reinforced (or, initiated?) by Jiang Zemin, and not surprisingly, some shallow net-uyoku people get their nerve touched by their tone.:lol::lol:

ukiyo

February 3rd, 2009, 10:57 AM

aiguo？なんて意味？

2co2co

February 3rd, 2009, 03:47 PM

aiguo？なんて意味？

aiguo=愛国, "patriotic/nationalist"

coldstar

February 6th, 2009, 11:24 AM

Asahi Breweries in talks to buy stake in SKorea's OB
Friday February 6
AFP

Japan's biggest beer maker Asahi Breweries is in talks to acquire a stake in South Korea's Oriental Brewery (OB) Co., a Japanese business daily reported Friday. Asahi and South Korea's Lotte confectionery giant are discussing jointly acquiring South Korea's second-largest brewer for an estimated 100-150 billion yen (1.095-1.643 billion dollars), the Nikkei said without naming its sources. An Asahi spokesman was not immediately available for comment. OB, a subsidiary of the industry's global leader Anheuser-Busch InBev, controls about 40 percent of the South Korean beer market. Its annual sales are estimated at 62 billion yen, the Nikkei said. Should Asahi and Lotte agree on a joint acquisition, a likely scenario would be Lotte buying OB from Anheuser-Busch InBev and the Japanese brewer taking a stake later on, the Nikkei said. But even if a deal is reached, Asahi's interest in OB would probably not exceed 30 percent because the acquisition of a major South Korean firm by a Japanese company is likely to trigger a public backlash, the Nikkei said. Asahi has steadily expanded its overseas operations. Last month it agreed to purchase a 19.99 percent stake in China's Tsingtao Brewery, also from Anheuser-Busch InBev, while in December it announced a plan to buy Schweppes Australia from British confectionery maker Cadbury.
http://sg.yimg.com/xp/afp/20090206/01/3621980277.jpg

relevant news

Kirin seeks 43 percent stake in San Miguel beer unit
Mon Jan 19, 2009
Reuters

Japan's second-largest brewery, Kirin Holdings Co, said it plans to buy a 43 percent stake in the beer unit of Philippine conglomerate San Miguel Corp, in a deal that could cost over $1.26 billion.

Japan's top beer makers, which include industry leader Asahi Breweries and No. 3 Suntory, have been snapping up overseas assets to grow outside a shrinking domestic market and diversify further into food and non-alcoholic drinks.

Kirin has been the most aggressive of the group. Two months ago its Australian unit, Lion Nathan Ltd, bid A$7.6 billion ($5.2 billion) for soft drinks group Coca-Cola Amatil, one of several deals over the past few years.

In the latest transaction, Kirin said on Monday that it will enter exclusive negotiations with Sanguel Miguel Corp for a 43.25 percent stake in San Miguel Brewery, the leading player in the Philippines beer market.

San Miguel Corp, which is one-fifth owned by Kirin, plans to retain a 51 percent stake.

"This investment will significantly contribute to Kirin's further growth in its alcohol business in Asia and Oceania," Kirin said in a release.

Kirin said terms of the deal, including the price, still need to be ironed out. It aims to reach a final agreement by the end of February.

San Miguel Brewery shares listed on the Philippine stock exchange last traded at 8.8 Philippine pesos.

At that price Kirin would have to pay about 59 billion Philippine pesos ($1.26 billion) for a 43.3 percent stake, though Kirin may end up paying more if it is forced to offer a premium for the shares.

Kirin, which bought San Miguel Corp's Australian dairy and juice manufacturer National Foods for $2.6 billion in 2007, has said previously that it was interested in taking a stake in San Miguel Brewery.

The sale of the stake to Kirin comes as the San Miguel group has been diversifying its operations into industries like mining, power and infrastructure.

The Japanese beer industry has been under intense pressure to secure future growth drivers in overseas markets or non-beer businesses given a steady decline in the country's beer market, which shrank 15 percent by volume over the past decade.

Asahi Breweries said last month it had agreed to buy British confectionery maker Cadbury Plc's Australian beverage business for $811 million.

Kirin said Nomura is its financial advisor on the San Miguel negotiations. Royal Bank of Scotland is advising San Miguel, a person familiar with the matter said.

coldstar

February 6th, 2009, 11:37 AM

Mitsubishi withdraws from Dakar Rally
February 4, 2009
International Herald Tribune

Mitsubishi will no longer compete in the Dakar Rally for financial reasons, the company announced Wednesday.

The announcement came as Japan's fourth-largest automaker said its group net loss will amount to 60 billion yen ($670 million) in the fiscal year through March 2009.

"The sudden deterioration of the global economy made it necessary for the company to focus its resources more tightly," Mitsubishi Motors said in a statement.

In its 26 entries in the Dakar Rally, Mitsubishi Pajeros won the rally a total of 12 times, including seven consecutive victories from 2001-2007.

The Japanese manufacturer finished seventh in the car section of the 2009 race.
The withdrawal of Mitsubishi from the Dakar Rally is the latest move by a Japanese company to pull out of auto racing.

Japanese manufacturers Subaru and Suzuki pulled out of the World Rally Championship in December shortly after Honda, Japan's second biggest car manufacturer, withdrew from Formula One, while Kawasaki has withdrawn from Moto GP.

http://lejournalduweb.canalblog.com/images/dakar_mitsubishi_11_big.jpg
Boy, the emperor of Paris- Dakar disappears!

coldstar

February 6th, 2009, 12:33 PM

Michelin to issue Le Guide Vert Japon 2009 (French) and Green Michelin Japan 2009 (English) soon !
press release
http://www.michelin.co.jp/media_center/news/corporate/090131.html
Le Guide Vert Japon 2009
http://www.michelin.co.jp/media_center/news/corporate/images/090131_001.png

now available
http://thumbnail.image.rakuten.co.jp/@0_mall/book/cabinet/190/001901242.jpghttp://multimedia.fnac.com/multimedia/images_produits/ZoomPE/3/9/3/9782067121393.jpg

coldstar

February 7th, 2009, 10:53 AM

TOKYO ranked 7th tallest city in the world by latest Forbes
source:http://www.forbes.com/2009/01/30/new-york-shanghai-dubai-business-logistics_0130_tallest_cities.html

World's tallest cities, by Forbes

TOP 10 rankings

1: New York
2: Hong Kong
3: Dubai
4: Shanghai
5: Chicago
6: Shenzhen
7: Tokyo
8: Houston
9: Singapore
10: Los Angeles

coldstar

February 10th, 2009, 03:32 PM

interesting article
America's New Rescuer: Japan
By David M. Smick
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Washington Post

Here's a disillusioning thought: Solving the financial crisis may be beyond the capacity of government finances. The likely $3 trillion price tag, give or take, of both saving the banks and stimulating the economy is causing interest rates to inch up. U.S. Treasury long-term rates have already risen from 2.1 percent just before Christmas to nearly 3 percent.

This is happening because the rest of the world, which is also in trouble, is following in our fiscal footsteps. Financial markets envision a coming global credit Armageddon. And a scenario of rising interest rates, with rates really jumping once our economy starts to recover, could kill any chance that the recovery is sustainable.

The Obama team needs to do some quick, creative, global thinking. To escape a potential credit straitjacket, they should go where the money is. Today, the money is in Japan, still the world's largest source of excess savings.

It's true that we can rely on the hope of financing this new debt through tax increases. But because of the sheer size of the debt we're undertaking -- by comparison, our gross domestic product is only $14 trillion -- taxes as a percentage of GDP would have to roughly double, jumping from today's 20 percent to potentially more than 40 percent of GDP. And don't forget about the coming entitlement nightmare and the likelihood that more bailouts will be necessary.

Washington can do nothing here. Financial markets will conclude that the Federal Reserve will eventually monetize, or devalue, the debt by letting inflation soar. Such an expectation of future inflation will produce, in the near term, further increases in market interest rates -- again, smothering recovery.

Even though the United States needs to become less dependent on foreign capital, for now at least we still need a banker -- and one in sync with our long-term economic and security goals. Our choice: China or Japan.

During his confirmation hearings, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner fixated on China. But Beijing is sitting on its own social and political bubble, which is about to burst. When that happens, China will be tempted to draw massive amounts of its global savings back home if only to buy off the angry mobs in the streets. Japan is a more logical focus.

Unlike China, Japan is a mature, predictable, structurally stable economy. Geithner knows its financial system well. Tokyo is sitting on a mountain of savings in the form of official reserves, private savings and public pensions, and it is potentially open to a win-win deal on the issue of currencies and the purchase of our debt.

Consider the situation: Tokyo has lost control over its soaring currency. The yen has risen nearly 30 percent against the dollar in just the past 18 months, despite the dollar strengthening against most other world currencies. This dramatic surge (the result of once-aggressive Japanese buyers of foreign bonds bringing their savings back home as the world slashes interest rates to Japanlike levels) is killing Japan's global competitiveness. Locked in its own currency straitjacket, the export-dependent Japanese economy is in freefall. The collapse of Japanese exports to China hasn't helped matters. To put it simply, Japan is as desperate for currency relief as we are for credit relief.

So here's the deal: Tokyo agrees to ample enough additional purchases of U.S. debt and other financial assets to bring sustained downward pressure on U.S. long-term interest rates. This influx of capital would give the United States some breathing room to recover economically and eventually get our financial house in order. In return, Washington agrees to a weaker yen against the dollar. Achieving such a currency adjustment may seem farfetched, but the yen-dollar exchange rate historically has been heavily influenced by the market's perception of the U.S. and Japanese governments' comfort level for the currency relationship.

A new "G-2" deal would have its complications. For starters, Washington and Tokyo would have to cobble together a joint venture to protect American car companies from currency risk of their own.

A case can be made, however, that a joint international effort is really the only means of achieving advances such as a "next generation" environmentally friendly propulsion system. Japanese strategists would also need to be convinced that America has a long-term plan for financial reform.

It may turn out that even Japan's savings are not enough to finance our ballooning debt. But an attempt at a "G-2" deal is better than financial suffocation. Moreover, if such an alliance is a no-go, the Obama team quickly needs an alternative plan. No matter how much we hate it, America needs a banker. Timothy Geithner and Larry Summers are smart, and smart guys don't allow their boss to dive off the financial high board without knowing the depth of the credit waters below.

Fox-Tale

February 11th, 2009, 01:31 AM

^^
Isn't America the richest country in the world..? I think their own rich citizens should help their own country first before asking for help from abroad.
Although I understand they are between a rock and a hard place right now Japan isn't an ATM of the U.S and shouldn't get the short end of the stick.
The plan seems to work on paper but in reality it will only continue to increase the debt of the U.S. and postpone the fundamental solution to the future generations.

2co2co

February 11th, 2009, 03:38 PM

^^
Japan isn't an ATM of the U.S

what!!?? That sounds quite new to me!:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

coldstar

February 12th, 2009, 01:04 PM

At Yokohama's Nissan Stadium last night, Japanese football fans offered donations and condolences for victims of the devastating wildfires in Australia
産経新聞　２月１２日
日本サッカー協会は１２日、豪州の山火事を受けて集まった救援金が、
協会からの寄付２００万円を含め総額２３４万２７０円に達したと発表した。
豪州サッカー連盟に渡される。
　１１日のＷ杯アジア最終予選の豪州戦では会場内５カ所に募金箱を設置。
選手入場後、１分間の黙祷（もくとう）がささげられ、豪州の選手は喪章をつけてプレーした。

ASIAN WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS
JAPAN VS AUSTRALIA (2009/2/11) scoreless draw
http://www.asahi.com/sports/update/0211/images/TKY200902110203.jpghttp://www.asahi.com/sports/update/0211/images/TKY200902110234.jpg

coldstar

February 13th, 2009, 06:15 PM

Britain chooses Hitachi for intercity trains deal

Friday, February 13, 2009
Reuters

LONDON -- Britain has chosen Japanese train maker Hitachi, banking group Barclays and project management group John Laing to supply a fleet of intercity trains for £7.5 billion ($US10.8 billion), the government said.

The Department for Transport (DfT) said it had selected the Agility Trains consortium as preferred bidder to build and maintain the new "super-express" trains for the UK's Great Western and East Coast main lines.

The new rolling stock will replace an existing electric fleet and the UK's diesel High Speed Trains, which are now 20-30 years old, the DfT said in a statement.

The DfT said Agility would also build a new train factory in the UK, new depots in Bristol, Reading, Doncaster, Leeds and west London, and would modernise existing depots.

The government said the investment would create or protect about 12,500 manufacturing jobs.

The first of the new trains will begin running on the East Coast line between London and Edinburgh in 2013.

Trains will enter full service from 2015, on the East Coast and the Great Western line from the capital to south west England and South Wales.

Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon said: "This announcement demonstrates this government is prepared to invest, even in difficult economic times, by improving our national infrastructure."

The news is likely to come as a blow to a rival consortium bidding for the contract, which included Canada's Bombardier Inc and Germany's Siemens, as well as leasing firm Angel Trains and Australian investment group Babcock & Brown.

However, there was a consolation for Bombardier in the announcement, with ministers saying the firm was preferred bidder to build 120 new carriages in the UK for the Stansted Express airport service, which runs between London and Stansted Airport to the northeast of the city.

The government said it was in advanced talks about the trains with Stansted Express operator National Express Group.

render of Hitachi's hybrid rapid train
http://f.hatena.ne.jp/images/fotolife/a/amaimikan/20090213/20090213022137.jpg

FYI:
French Eurostar and Hitachi Class395 (Javelin) welcoming Queen Elizabeth.
(opening ceremony for St Pancras International on November 6, 2007)
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2036/1904700669_9784176de0.jpg

coldstar

February 13th, 2009, 08:00 PM

Square Enix to buy Eidos
12th February 2009
custompc (UK)

Directors of both companies approve a cash offer from Square Enix

As some pundits predicted last month, Eidos has now revealed that Japanese RPG specialist Square Enix has put in a serious offer to buy Eidos plc, and the directors of both companies are in favour of the deal going ahead.

In a statement detailing the recommended cash offer released today, the directors of both companies said that they ‘are pleased to announce that they have reached agreement on the terms of a recommended Offer under which SQEX, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Square Enix, will acquire the entire issued and to be issued share capital of Eidos.’

The decision is now in the hands of Eidos’ shareholders, and the Eidos directors say that they will ‘unanimously recommend that Eidos Shareholders vote in favour of the resolutions to be proposed.’ In order for the buyout to go ahead, the scheme needs to be approved by the holders of at least 75 per cent of the shares in Eidos, either in person or by proxy.

Eidos’ chairman, Tim Ryan, said that ‘we believe that this cash offer provides Eidos Shareholders with an attractive price and certainty in today’s challenging market backdrop and economic outlook.’ He also added that the acquisition would ‘complement Square Enix’s expansion into Western markets.’

Previously, Square Enix was mainly known for its large-scale Japanese RPG series, such as Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy, but it’s recently made a number of attempts to sprawl out into other gaming areas in the West. In November last year, the company also announced that it would be publishing Supreme Commander 2. In a statement, Square Enix explained that it ‘has previously worked exclusively with Japanese development companies, so the decision to form strategic partnerships with developers located outside of Japan serves as a new cornerstone of its strategy to create games targeted primarily at consumers in Europe and North America.’

The decision to purchase Eidos is undoubtedly a further element of this strategy to crack the western games market. Square Enix’s president, Yoichi Wada, implied that the Tomb Raider franchise was one of the main clinchers of the deal, saying that ‘Eidos is a talented developer and publisher of interactive entertainment products with a broad portfolio of highly successful mass market franchises, led by Tomb Raider, one of the most successful videogame franchises of all time.’ He also added that the buy-out would ‘accelerate our aggressive expansion into Western markets.’

http://img.jeuxvideopc.com/wallpaper/33240-xbox360-tomb-raider-underworld-2_640.jpg

coldstar

February 13th, 2009, 08:14 PM

Vietnam chooses Japanese Shinkansen
US$55.8Bln Needed for North-South Express Railway: Experts

Thursday, February 12, 2009
Vietnam & World Economy

Construction on a new north-south express railway will cost US$55.8 billion, said experts from Vietnam-Japan Consulting Joint Venture (VJC) at a recent conference held by Vietnam Railway Corporation (VRC).

Of the figure, US$35 billion, or approx. 63 per cent of the sum will come from the state budget and loans guaranteed by the Government to build infrastructure, and the remaining from VRC and other developers to acquire land and set up facilities.

The new rail line, planned to begin at Hanoi station and end in Hoa Hung Station in HCM City, will be 1,555km long with 27 stations, allowing trains to travel at 350km per hour. It will be built alongside the current track.

The route’s sections from Hanoi to Vinh City in central Nghe An Province and from HCM City to Nha Trang are expected to be in use by 2020. The Hanoi -HCM City stretch is scheduled to open in 2035. It is hoped that the train fares will cost the same as flights.

VJC reported that if the plan stays on schedule, the travel times in 2020 will be slashed to one hour and 24 minutes for the Hanoi – Vinh section and one hour and 30 minutes for the Saigon – Nha Trang section.

By 2030, the section of Hanoi – Danang will need only three hours to cover, while the travel time between Hanoi and HCM City will be reduced to between five hours 26 minutes and six hours and 33 minutes.

Around 4,170 hectares of land will be required for the project, about two-thirds of which are agricultural and forest land, 20 per cent rural land, and 10 per cent urban land. Up to 10,000 houses must be relocated to clear the space for the project, the experts said.

The venture gathered experts from Vietnam’s Transport Investment and Construction Consultant Joint Stock Company, and three partners from Japan, including Japan Transportation Consultant Inc, Japan Railway Technical Service and Nippon Koei.

The current north-south railway was opened in 1936 and has seen various changes over its lifetime. In recent times, the VRC has continuously upgraded the infrastructure and trains to reduce travel times between HCM City and Hanoi from 42 hours to 40, 36, and now to 29 hours.

We hope our shinkansen will be liked by the peoples of Brazil, India, and Russia, as well.

coldstar

February 14th, 2009, 03:18 AM

Flights between Haneda Airport & Taipei's Songshan Airport to resume
羽田－台北松山：定期チャーター便開設へ
朝日新聞
2009年2月14日
台湾の航空当局は、羽田空港の拡張工事が終わる10年10月をめどに
羽田―台北・松山空港間の定期チャーター便を開設する方針を固めた。実現すれば羽田発着の
アジア向け定期チャーター便はソウル、上海、香港に次ぐ4路線目になる。

　来週東京で行う日台航空当局の非公式会合で詰めの協議を行う。日本航空と全日空、
台湾側の中華航空とエバー航空が参入する見通しで、各社1日1往復ずつを軸に調整を進める。

　現在、成田と台湾・桃園国際空港との間では週に100便前後が往来する。桃園国際空港から
台北市内までは車で1時間～1時間半かかるが、松山空港なら10分程度の近さだ。
台湾側では｢ドル箱路線になるのは確実｣(台湾の航空会社）と期待されている。

　台湾の馬英九(マー・インチウ)総統は08年の総統選公約に羽田―松山便の実現を掲げ、
就任後も強力に日本に働きかけた経緯がある。

related article
Foreign ministry to promote special ties with Japan
Taipei Times
Jan 21, 2009

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has set this year as the year to boost Taiwan's “special partnership” with Japan, it said yesterday.

Describing Japan as one of Taiwan's staunchest friends, Minister of Foreign Affairs Francisco Ou (歐鴻鍊) said that despite the absence of formal diplomatic relations, the two countries enjoy a “strong, unique partnership at many levels,” including history, culture, economy and security.

In September 2005, Japan extended a 90-day visa waiver program for Taiwanese passport holders. Last year, Japan and Taiwan mutually recognized each other's drivers' licenses. Japan is also expected to sign an agreement to include Taiwanese youth in its working holiday program.

In 2004, Japan and the US were the only two non-allies that supported Taiwan's bid to become an observer at the World Health Assembly.

According to the ministry, Japan has given the green light for Taiwan to set up a representative office in Sapporo, Hokkaido, but no date has been set yet.

Ou said the Executive Yuan had asked the ministry to fund the establishment of the new office from its own budget. It is estimated that more than 280,000 Taiwanese tourists visit Hokkaido annually.

Taiwan and Japan are also negotiating on possible regular direct flights between Taipei Songshan Airport and Haneda Tokyo International Airport.

However, these will have to wait until after next year, when Haneda completes its fourth runway, Ou said.

Taiwan is also vying to boost cultural exchanges between the two sides by inviting more Japanese dance and theater troupes featuring traditional Japanese arts to perform in Taiwan, the ministry said.

ukiyo

February 14th, 2009, 09:30 AM

僕は日本と台湾がとても友好的だとは知らなかった。けど今、選挙の後、台湾は中国と友好的になっている?

ukiyo

February 16th, 2009, 09:42 AM

G7での酔った中川
8uTLYmQSLu8
:ohno:
TOKYO - Japan's Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa has denied being drunk at a G7 meeting on the financial crisis and has blamed cold medicine for appearing drowsy and slurring his speech at a press conference.

Nakagawa's performance after the weekend Group of Seven meeting in Rome came under fire from the media and the opposition called for him to be sacked.

One tabloid headline blared "Drunk!?" while television shows said they worried not just about the health of the global economy, but also of the finance minister, who is reputed to be a hard drinker.

Nakagawa, 55, looked drowsy and could not speak clearly during Saturday's joint press conference with Bank of Japan governor Masaaki Shirakawa after the G7 meeting.

"Something like a joint statement was issued...," he told reporters as he appeared to struggle to keep his eyes open.

"Interest rates, uh, set by the BoJ are between zero and 0.25 per cent and very low ...," he said to the visible dismay of the central bank chief sitting next to him. The BoJ's target rate is now 0.1 per cent.

He also mistakenly thought a question for Shirakawa was directed at himself.

"This should deserve immediate firing. It's a scandalous act," the secretary general of the main opposition Democratic Party, Yukio Hatoyama, told reporters.

Nakagawa denied he had been drunk.

"I had a cold. Honestly, the cold medicine kicked in too much," he told reporters early on Monday. "I did not drink before the G7," he added, sniffing loudly.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura, the top government spokesman, said what happened in Rome was "extremely regrettable" while noting the minister had apologised by telephone.

Nakagawa's bungling came as government data showed on Monday that Japan's economy shrank at the fastest pace since 1974 in the October-December quarter of 2008.

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/world/minister-denies-being-drunk-at-g7/2009/02/16/1234632721644.html

tiger

February 16th, 2009, 11:20 AM

^^15 hours' plane trip will definitely make people exhausted.

2co2co

February 16th, 2009, 11:24 AM

G7での酔った中川
8uTLYmQSLu8
:ohno:

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/world/minister-denies-being-drunk-at-g7/2009/02/16/1234632721644.html

Another dangerously low-standard mass media....

It is simply not the right time to do childish squabbles like "can't read Kanji" or "how much does a Cup Noodle cost?" or in this case "he's drunk?", facing one of the worst economic crisis in history!!!!!!!! HELL, IMMEDIATELY, GO TO KOKKAI AND TALK OF THAT F*CKING STIMULUS PACKAGE!!!!

Hour by hour, someone is going banckrupt and businesses going bust, and what are they doing? Testing Aso's Kanji proficiency in the parliament? 教育勅語にも書かれている国難とはまさに今のような事なのに、こんな低俗な話題しか提供できないマスゴミの体たらくは何だ

ukiyo

February 16th, 2009, 03:39 PM

Another dangerously low-standard mass media....

It is simply not the right time to do childish squabbles like "can't read Kanji" or "how much does a Cup Noodle cost?" or in this case "he's drunk?", facing one of the worst economic crisis in history!!!!!!!! HELL, IMMEDIATELY, GO TO KOKKAI AND TALK OF THAT F*CKING STIMULUS PACKAGE!!!!

Hour by hour, someone is going banckrupt and businesses going bust, and what are they doing? Testing Aso's Kanji proficiency in the parliament? 教育勅語にも書かれている国難とはまさに今のような事なのに、こんな低俗な話題しか提供できないマスゴミの体たらくは何だ

Testing kanji profficiency for the idiot Aso in japan is one thing but having the minister of finance of japan go to g7 and meet with the other countries drunk is ridiculous. We are in a financial crisis and our minister of finances goes to one of the most important meetings of the worlds developed nations drunk and useless.

coldstar

February 23rd, 2009, 11:58 AM

Japan's 'Departures' beats 'Waltz with Bashir' in foreign language Oscar
Feb 23, 2009

The Japanese film Departures won the Academy Award for best foreign language film on Sunday night in Los Angeles.

The film was directed by Yojiro Takita, and marked the twelfth Oscar nomination for Japan.
http://ca.c.yimg.jp/news/20090223171555/img.news.yahoo.co.jp/images/20090223/jijp/20090223-00000030-jijp-int-view-000.jpg
http://ca.c.yimg.jp/news/20090223144854/img.news.yahoo.co.jp/images/20090223/jijp/20090223-00000026-jijp-int-view-000.jpg

and
Japan's Pieces of Love won the Academy Award for best short film !
http://ca.c.yimg.jp/news/20090223145600/img.news.yahoo.co.jp/images/20090223/jijp/20090223-00000028-jijp-int-view-000.jpg

double crowns for Japanese movies!! wonderful night !

coldstar

February 24th, 2009, 02:34 PM

Japan's Takashimaya to open Shanghai store in 2012

Feb. 24, 2009
China Newswire

Takashimaya Co Ltd, the third largest chain department store in Japan, will open its first store in China mainland in 2012, said the company on Tuesday.

The company will spend ¥4 billion (US$42.3 million) to build the new eight-floor store, which is to be located in an affluent residential area of Shanghai.

Takashimaya, a Japan-listed company with a history of 180 years, has over 20 chain stores in its domestic market.

In 2007 the company's sales revenue topped that of other Japanese department stores. However, sales fell 10% last year due to the global financial crisis.

Takashimaya has stores in New York, Taiwan and Singapore, all of which perform well.

I didn't know Takashimaya Paris had been closed...

Nick.Yeah

February 25th, 2009, 07:49 AM

This is a random question, but may I ask; do Japanese have a good opinion of New Zealanders?

japanese001

February 26th, 2009, 10:38 AM

　総務省はインターネットアドレスの末尾につけるドメイン名（ネット上の住所）に「．東京」「．関西」「．富士山」といった地名や地域名などを導入するためのルール作りに着手したことを明らかにした。ドメイン名を管理する非営利の国際組織（米カリフォルニア州）が、漢字表記の国名「．日本」とともに、６月にも地名入りドメインの申請受付を開始する見通しであることから、専門家で構成する作業部会で４月をめどに報告書をまとめる。なお中国も漢字ドメインを導入することになっており世界に普及させて行くことになる。

Fox-Tale

February 28th, 2009, 04:15 PM

This is a random question, but may I ask; do Japanese have a good opinion of New Zealanders?

You mean if the Japanese people have positive views of New Zealanders? Then of course yes.

Although some Australian people have been known to be badly-behaved and anti-Japanese(always bringing up anti-whaling and WWII issues) in recent years, New Zealandars are still regarded relatively modest and manner-abiding.
Beautiful nature, along with good-natured people of NZ, are well known in Japan, especially among those who actually travelled to NZ before. But honestly many people who have never been there only associate Kiwi fruit with NZ...(at least it's a healthy fruit and good image..).

D51

March 3rd, 2009, 03:47 PM

Fox-Tale

March 10th, 2009, 04:19 PM

ANA Introduces New Costume For Female Pilots
March 10, 2009

ANA announced today that it had introduced a new costume for its female pilots on March 5, 2009.
In the new costume the pilots can choose either to wear a skirt or trousers.
There are 19 female pilots out of 2,500 in ANA group, and those female pilots had to wear the conventional male costume before because there was no costume designed for female pilots. They said the new costume is not only aesthetically pleasant, but also much more comfortable than the previous one.
http://sankei.jp.msn.com/photos/life/trend/090310/trd0903102001015-p1.jpg http://sankei.jp.msn.com/photos/life/trend/090310/trd0903102001015-p5.jpg
http://sankei.jp.msn.com/photos/life/trend/090310/trd0903102001015-p4.jpg

Photos: Female pilots of ANA posing for cameras

Fox-Tale

March 12th, 2009, 10:42 AM

French lads held over game thefts

Friday, March 6, 2009
Staff report

Three French boys have been arrested on suspicion of stealing video game consoles and software from venders and exchanging them for cash at used game shops in Tokyo's Akihabara district, police said.

The boys, all French nationals attending an international high school in Tokyo, were taken into custody earlier this week. They allegedly made ¥490,000 by selling seven game consoles and 92 games.

The three, whose names are being withheld because they are minors, brought the stolen items to secondhand game shops on 18 occasions since November, the police alleged.

The boys have owned up to the thefts, the police said, quoting one of the three, a 16-year-old, as saying: "All my classmates are rich. So I thought I got to get some money to burn, even if I have to get my hands on dirty stuff."

Source:http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20090306f2.html

Three French Teens Arrested In Akihabara For Stealing Games And Consoles

Police have arrested three sixteen year-old French males for suspected larceny. The teens, who attend an international school in Japan, are accused of stealing games and consoles from Akihabara retailer Sofmap.

On 18 separate occasions starting last November, the trio walked out of Sofmap with a grand total of 92 games and seven consoles — nobody tried to stop them. Then then used phony college identity cards to resell the loot at another nearby store, which is also owned by Sofmap.

One of the suspects stated that their international school classmates were affluent. Money could have been a motivation for these crimes.

It's estimated that the boys made 1 million yen (US$10,000) in their swindle. "Stealing is simple in Japan," says one of the suspects in a sworn statement. "Japanese people shouldn't be so easily trusting of people."

http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/kotaku/2009/03/sofmap_akiba.jpg

Source:http://kotaku.com/5164049/three-french-teens-arrested-in-akihabara-for-stealing-games-and-consoles

What a blatant shoplifting...I wonder how they managed to steal big Nintendo "Wii" and other consoles.

They shouldn't have gone to the international school but should have attended the local public school. Vanity often drives people to crimes.

japanese001

March 12th, 2009, 04:07 PM

　清水建設は北見工大や北大と共同で、ロシア・バイカル湖の湖底にあるメタンハイドレートからガスを取り出す実験に成功した。海底や湖底の深層部ではなく、表層部に閉じこめられたメタンハイドレートからガス回収に成功したのは世界初という。同社は表層資源の埋蔵調査などを経て、四年以内に実用化に向けた技術確立を目指す。

　次世代エネルギー資源として期待されるメタンハイドレートは、国などが二〇一八年ごろの商業化を目指して調査研究を進めている。ただ一二年度に産出試験が予定される静岡－和歌山県沖の海溝「東部南海トラフ」をはじめ、各国の回収プロジェクトは埋蔵量が豊富な海底深層部が主流となっている。

　表層部に着目したのは、近年の調査研究で日本近海ではオホーツク海などの海底表層部でもメタンハイドレートが確認されたため。海水に近い表層部のメタンハイドレートは温度が低く安定状態にあるため、効率的な回収が難しかった。

　バイカル湖での実験は科学技術振興機構の委託を受けて実施。メタンハイドレート研究の第一人者である北見工大未利用エネルギー研究センター長の庄子仁教授、北大大学院工学研究科地盤物性学研究室の田中洋行教授らと共同で、昨年八月に十日間行った。

　開発した技術は《１》内側に水噴射機を取り付けた茶筒状の装置（チャンバー）を水深四百メートルの湖底に接地させる《２》水を噴射して表層部のメタンハイドレートを掘削し、装置内でメタンハイドレートと水をかき混ぜる《３》この溶解水をポンプでくみ上げる過程で水圧が減少し、ガスが自然に分離する－という仕組み。

　同社は「エネルギーの安定供給には資源の多様化が必要。表層部のメタンハイドレートの資源化は有望な選択肢の一つで今回の実験成功は大きな意味を持つ」としている。
http://www.hokkaido-np.co.jp/news/environment/152058.html
http://img527.imageshack.us/img527/92/113334055949347.jpg

Vapour

March 13th, 2009, 04:53 AM

What a blatant shoplifting...I wonder how they managed to steal big Nintendo "Wii" and other consoles.

They shouldn't have gone to the international school but should have attended the local public school. Vanity often drives people to crimes.

I say kick them out.

japanese001

March 16th, 2009, 08:42 PM

　歩くしぐさはモデル並み!?――。産業技術総合研究所は16日、表情や歩き方が人間によく似ているロボットを発表した。日本人の若い女性の平均値を基にサイズや関節の位置を設計し、ファッションモデルが歩く様子を計測してコンピューターに取り込み、ロボットの二足歩行を制御している。娯楽分野などでの利用を見込む。

　このロボット「ＨＲＰ―４Ｃ」は身長が158センチ、体重はバッテリーを含めて43キロ。42個のモーターを内蔵。動きはゆっくりだが、従来のロボットに比べ人間に近い動きで歩いたり、向きを変えたりすることが可能。音声認識機能も持ち、名前などを答えるほか「ほほ笑んで」と指示すればニッコリほほ笑むことも可能。

　まだぎこちなさも残るが、展示会などでの利用を見込み、まず23日開催の「東京発　日本ファッション・ウィーク」のファッションショーの一つに“出演”する予定。
Ho0lIy2Kld8

Fox-Tale

March 17th, 2009, 02:08 AM

^^wow, looks so realistic!!

2co2co

March 17th, 2009, 09:18 PM

http://kita.kitaa.net/10/s/10mai140015.jpg

:baeh3:

ukiyo

March 22nd, 2009, 03:58 AM

「東京マラソン」始まる、市民ランナーは３万５千人
３万５０００人の市民ランナーが東京の都心を駆け抜ける「東京マラソン２００９」が２２日朝、始まった。

　スタート地点の都庁前（西新宿）では、大会会長を務める石原慎太郎都知事が午前９時過ぎに合図の号砲を鳴らすと、ランナーが一斉に出発した。

　今年で３回目を迎えた大会には、計３万５０００人の定員に計２６万１９８１人が応募し、当選確率は７・５倍の高倍率だった。スタートに先立つセレモニーでは、石原知事が「大会は日本の名物になりつつある。みなさん気をつけて走ってください。頑張りましょう」とあいさつした。
http://ca.c.yimg.jp/news/20090322092359/img.news.yahoo.co.jp/images/20090322/yom/20090322-00000300-yom-spo-thum-000.jpg
http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20090322-00000300-yom-spo

35,000 running in tokyo today

ukiyo

March 23rd, 2009, 08:29 PM

A fed ex plane crashed at narita airport killing 2.

The pilot and co-pilot aboard a FedEx cargo plane were killed when the plane burst into flames Monday while landing at Tokyo's Narita airport in Japan, airport and hospital officials said.

Both crew members were American men, an official at Narita Red Cross Hospital told CNN.

Video from the landing showed the plane bouncing at least twice on the runway and veering left as it turned on its side before bursting into flames. The fire destroyed the aircraft, which was identified by FedEx as a McDonnell Douglas MD-11.

Japan's Ministry of Transport said it was the first fatal crash at Narita, which opened in 1978.

Strong winds may have played a role in the crash, said Masaru Fujisaki, an airport official.

FedEx Express Flight 80 took off from Guangzhou, China, and crashed at Narita about 7 a.m. Monday (6 p.m. Sunday ET), said FedEx spokesman Matt Ceniceros.

According to observations at the airport, wind gusts were reported to be between 30 to 50 mph around the time if the crash.

Japan's Kyodo news agency reported that Narita firefighters had worked through the flaming wreckage to try to rescue two people believed to be the crew.

The news agency said the cargo plane was landing on Runway A, the longer of the two runways at Narita, a major international airport.

The National Transportation Safety Board in Washington said Sunday night it was sending a team to Japan to assist in the investigation of the crash

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/03/22/japan.planecrash/index.html

Skybean

April 1st, 2009, 10:53 PM

Japan pays jobless foreigners to go home

YURI KAGEYAMA

Associated Press

April 1, 2009 at 11:05 AM EDT

TOKYO — Japan is offering $3,850 for a plane ticket home to some foreigners who have lost their jobs, a sign of just how bad the economic slump has become.

The program, which began Wednesday, applies only to several hundred thousand South Americans of Japanese descent on special visas for factory work. The government's motivation appears to be three-fold: help the workers get home, ease pressure on the domestic labour market and potentially get thousands of people off the unemployment rolls.

“The program is to respond to a growing social problem,” said Hiroshi Yamashita, an official at the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, referring to joblessness, which has climbed to a three-year high of 4.4 per cent.

But there may not be too many takers for the ¥300,000 ($3,850) handout, plus ¥200,000 for each family member. The money comes with strings attached: The workers cannot return to Japan on the same kind of visa.

Given Japan's strict immigration laws, that means most won't be able to come back to work in Japan, where wages are higher than in Latin America.

“It is not necessarily a totally welcome deal,” said Iwao Nishiyama, of the Association of Nikkei & Japanese Abroad, a government-backed organization that connects people of Japanese ancestry.

The government's offer – as well as the backdrop of history that has given birth to a vibrant community of South Americans of Japanese ancestry here – highlight this nation's complex views on foreigners and cultural identity.

Many Japanese consider their culture homogeneous, even though there are sizable minorities of Koreans and Chinese, as well as Ainu, the indigenous people of northern Japan.

In the early 1990s, Tokyo relaxed its relatively tight immigration laws to allow special entry permits for foreigners of Japanese ancestry in South America to make up for a labour shortage at this nation's then-booming factories.

They took the so-called “three-K” jobs, standing for “kitsui, kitanai, kiken” – meaning “hard, dirty, dangerous” – jobs Japanese had previously shunned.

Before their arrival, many such jobs had gone to Iranians and Chinese. But the government saw their influx – much of it illegal – as a problem and was eager to find a labour pool it felt would more easily adapt to Japanese society, said Mr. Nishiyama of Japanese Abroad association.

So by virtue of their background, these foreigners of Japanese descent – called “Nikkei” in Japanese – were offered special visa status.

“They may speak some Japanese, and have a Japanese way of thinking,” Mr. Nishiyama said. “They have Japanese blood, and they work hard.”

The workers are mainly descendants of Japanese who began emigrating to Latin America around the turn of the last century.

Brazil has the biggest population of ethnic Japanese outside Japan, numbering about 1.5 million. Last year marked the 100th year of Japanese immigration to Brazil. Initially many ventured to toil in coffee plantations and other farms.

Brazilians are the most numerous of such foreigners in Japan, totalling about 310,000 overall in 2007, the latest tally available. Peruvians are next at 59,000. Those from other South American nations were fewer at 6,500 Bolivians, 3,800 Argentineans and 2,800 Colombians.

Nearly all work manufacturing jobs, many through job referral agencies. Major companies, like Toyota Motor Corp., have relied on contract employees to keep a flexible plant work force.

Foreign workers in Japan are entitled to the basic unemployment and other benefits that Japanese workers get. Though rates vary, Japan provides about ¥7,000 a day in unemployment.

Still, Nikkei are sometimes victims of discrimination in Japan, as they are culturally different and aren't always fluent in Japanese. As a result, many have had a hard time blending into Japanese society.

Now, as the economy worsens, many find themselves out of jobs.

The government doesn't track the number of jobless foreigners, but the number of foreigners showing up at government-run centres for job referral has climbed in recent months to 11 times the previous year at more than 9,000 people, according to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

Overall, the government estimates that some 192,000 temporary workers who had jobs in October, including Japanese, are expected to be jobless by June. Experts fear such numbers are growing.

In addition to the handout offer the government is also helping Nikkei find jobs in Japan.

“These are like two sides of the same effort to assist people of Japanese ancestry,” said Mr. Yamashita of the Labour Ministry.

Tokyo has already allocated ¥1.080-billion for training, including Japanese language lessons, for 5,000 foreign workers.

Fausto Kishinami, 32, manager at a Brazilian restaurant in Oizumimachi, a city with a large Japanese-Brazilian population, said none of his friends are applying for the government money because of the no-return condition.

“I don't think people should take that money,” he said, adding that he hasn't gone home in eight years, and is focused on his work in Japan.

Some 20 per cent to 30 per cent of the South American foreigners of Japanese ancestry are estimated to have already returned home, said Mr. Nishiyama. They have paid their own way back and may return, once a recovery brings fresh opportunities, he said.

source: http://business.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090401.wjapan0401/BNStory/Business/home

Fox-Tale

April 2nd, 2009, 01:33 AM

^^ I feel sorry for them.
In Japan, it is quite difficult to find job opportunities, especially white-collar jobs, without a very high command of Japanese language in addition to the knowledge of Japan's business/social cultures. Those two abilities are prerequisite for people finding jobs in Japan, except for expats who were dispatched from their home countries.
With or without Japanese blood, people without the ability to speak Japanese and cannot adapt to the Japanese culture and custom will have no choice but to get a blue-collar job which doesn't require Japanese speaking ability but is quite unstable. Or, some people prone to choose to work as a foreign language teacher at a direct teaching method class, which is also an insecure job.

Tokyo has already allocated ¥1.080-billion for training, including Japanese language lessons, for 5,000 foreign workers.

That's good. I hope the both sides(Nikkei and the government) will do their best to overcome the crisis.

japanese001

April 2nd, 2009, 08:30 AM

ゴミ置き場をアートにするプロジェクト　http://www.maq.co.jp/gba/
http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/3570/001iqv.jpg

http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/5474/002ixr.jpg

http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/448/003nxt.jpg

http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/1610/004bal.jpg

http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/819/005dqk.jpg

http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/9430/006wai.jpg
ゴミは楽しく持って帰ろうよプロジェクト
http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/9287/007fya.jpg

http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/1764/008dfs.jpg

http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/4680/009yrd.jpg

http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/5456/010gnk.jpg

http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/748/011luv.jpg

japanese001

April 2nd, 2009, 08:44 AM

　頭で考えたイメージどおりにロボットを動かす新技術を、日本の研究チームが開発した。脳波と脳血流のデータを解析することで、装置を使う人の意思を把握する。「右手を挙げる」「足を動かす」など４種類の動作について、９割の正答率で人間型ロボット「アシモ」に再現させることに成功した。

　両手に荷物を抱えていても念じるだけで車のドアやトランクが開いたり、炊事で手が離せないときに家事ロボットに配膳（はいぜん）してもらったり――。まだ先だが、そんな技術につなげたいという。

　ホンダ子会社のホンダ・リサーチ・インスティチュート・ジャパン（埼玉県和光市）、国際電気通信基礎技術研究所（ＡＴＲ、京都府精華町）、島津製作所（京都市）の共同研究チームが開発した。装置を使う人はヘルメット型のセンサーを頭にかぶる。体は動かさず、ロボットにさせたい動作を頭の中で念ずるだけだ。

　人がものを考えるとき、脳では微弱な電流や血流の変化が起きる。そこで、研究チームは脳の血流変化を近赤外線を使って計測する装置と、脳の活動によって生じる電気信号を測定する脳波計のデータを組み合わせて解析。その結果を手足を動かす電気信号に変え、無線でとばして「アシモ」を動かした。

　今回の技術は将来、「暑いと感じただけで部屋を涼しくしてくれるエアコン」などの開発にもつながるという。ただ、装置は約３００キロの重さがある。研究チームは「小型化を進めるとともに、判別できる動作の種類をさらに増やしたい」としている。

http://www.asahi.com/science/update/0331/TKY200903310318.html
http://img244.imageshack.us/img244/6472/200904010176631l.jpg

Fox-Tale

April 4th, 2009, 04:40 AM

A 64-year-old man arrested for entering a public bath disguised as a woman

Shigeo Nakajima, 64, a resident of Hokkaido's Asahi City and of unknown occupation, was arrested on April 3 for trespassing on the women's section of a public bath.

Police said Nakajima entered the changing room and the bath in the female-only section of a public bath located in Otoe Town, Fukagawa City at around 6:40 p.m. on the same day after disguising himself as a woman with a brown wig, skirt, and makeup. There were several female customers in the bath at the time of the crime.

Nakajima allegedly wrapped a towel around his body and entered the bathtub at around 5:30 p.m. pretending as a woman, but a female customer later noticed he was actually a man, after the steam removed his makeup and revealed his beard.

He said "I wanted to enter the bath as a woman."

Source:http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/national/news/20090404-OYT1T00007.htm

Occit

April 6th, 2009, 09:10 PM

Hello Japanese firiends! :D

Japan, Venezuela sign broad oil, gas cooperation

TOKYO, April 6 (Reuters) - Japan and Venezuela agreed on Monday on a broad cooperation to develop oil and gas projects in the Latin American nation, deepening bilateral relations to help diversify sources of energy for the resource-poor Asian country.

State-affiliate Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corp (JOGMEC), Inpex Corp and Mitsubishi Corp will pursue a joint feasibility study with Venezuela on the Orinoco oil belt in the next two years, Energy Minister Rafael Ramirez said at a signing ceremony in Tokyo.

The oil belt may potentially have reserves of up to 6 billion barrels, and the ability to produce about 200,000 barrels per day, said Ramirez, who is also the head of the state oil company PDVSA [PDVSA.UL].

Venezuela also agreed with four Japanese trading houses, Mitsubishi, Itochu Corp, Mitsui & Co and Marubeni Corp, to begin participating in the development of a gas field for liquefied natural gas, Ramirez said.

If realised, it could allow much of the LNG to be brought over to Japan beyond 2013, he said.

Separately, Venezuela signed a memorandum of understanding with Japan Bank fo International Cooperation (JBIC), Mitsubishi and Itochu for loans totalling $1.5 billion to finance the upgrade of two refineries.

This follows a credit line of $3.5 billion opened in 2007. [ID:nN26514286]

The Venezuelan delegation, including President Hugo Chavez and Ramirez, was visiting Tokyo on Monday.

PDVSA is struggling to pay providers and partners following a tumble in oil prices over the last six months, and may need to seek financing this year for new projects in the Orinoco belt. (Reporting by Chang-Ran Kim, Yuko Inoue, James Topham; Writing by Chikako Mogi)

_______________________________________________________________

Japanese, Venezuelan leaders agree to deepen ties
By MARI YAMAGUCHI – 9 hours ago

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez agreed Monday to deepen ties in energy, investment and trade, with Japanese companies ready to participate in gas and crude production in the Latin American country.

Aso and Chavez decided to set up a working team to discuss details of Japanese investment in heavy crude production in Venezuela's oil-rich Orinoco River basin, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Chavez, on a two-day visit to Tokyo, has expressed hopes to get Japanese companies to participate as minority partners in a joint venture with state-run Petroleos de Venezuela SA in the Orinoco project.

Baseball topped the agenda before the two leaders got down to business.

Chavez, known as an avid baseball fan, promised that his country, which lost to South Korea in the semifinal in the World Baseball Classic last month, will be the winner next time. Japan won the title for a second time in a row.

Chavez canceled a scheduled news conference later Monday for an unspecified reason, an embassy official said on condition of anonymity, citing department rules. The president also postponed his departure, initially scheduled for later Monday, until Tuesday.

Japanese officials said they were not informed of the reason for the changes.

Chavez was accompanied by top officials including Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez. The Venezuelan government, which relies on oil for about 93 percent of its exports, has been hit by a fall in oil income and is seeking foreign investment for its oil industry.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/media/ALeqM5guHXTTzXh0RCnfqtgdYVB-bUpPyg
Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez, left, shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso at the latter's official residence in Tokyo Monday, April 6, 2009. (AP Photo/Kazuhiro Nogi, Pool)

Chavez met with Japanese executives from energy companies interested in investing in oil production in the South American nation, according to the president's office.

Chavez has said Venezuela expects $500 million in Japanese investment to help upgrade Venezuela's Puerto La Cruz refinery.

Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Fox-Tale

April 7th, 2009, 02:24 AM

^^Good news. :) Speaking of natural oil/gas resources, Japan itself may become a resource-rich country like Venezuela in the future.

Japan aiming to commercialize new ocean resources in 10 years

TOKYO, Mar. 24, 2009 (Kyodo News International) -- The government approved a roadmap Tuesday to aim for the commercialization of new seabed energy and mineral resources by around fiscal 2018.

To this end, Japan will launch an in-depth survey of methane hydrate, an ice-like compound that burns, and rare metal deposits in the seabed surrounding the country from fiscal 2009 staring in April, government officials said.

The government's headquarters for ocean policy, led by Prime Minister Taro Aso, endorsed the marine project to reinforce Japan's capacity to secure energy and mineral resources, including oil and natural gas.

''An image that Japan lacks resources has been established. But thanks to technological advances, we have started to know that the sea around Japan is rich in resources,'' Aso said at a meeting of the marine policy headquarters.

Some experts estimate that the seabed surrounding Japan has methane hydrate reserves equivalent to its consumption of natural gas for 100 years.

Exploring for rare metals, including germanium and gallium, is also highly important to Japan as many of them are needed for the production of high technology products, one of the major sources of its economic growth.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cf/Methane_hydrate_around_Japan_Ilands.PNG/220px-Methane_hydrate_around_Japan_Ilands.PNG

(Source: iStockAnalyst )
http://www.istockanalyst.com/article/viewiStockNews/articleid/3141670

Even if Japan should become very rich in the future, I hope Japanese people will keep working and studying hard. Too much money gained without efforts often spoils people.

coldstar

April 7th, 2009, 03:55 PM

You mean if the Japanese people have positive views of New Zealanders? Then of course yes.

Although some Australian people have been known to be badly-behaved and anti-Japanese(always bringing up anti-whaling and WWII issues) in recent years, New Zealandars are still regarded relatively modest and manner-abiding.
Beautiful nature, along with good-natured people of NZ, are well known in Japan, especially among those who actually travelled to NZ before. But honestly many people who have never been there only associate Kiwi fruit with NZ...(at least it's a healthy fruit and good image..).

Fully agree.
Japanese feelings towards Aussie have deteriorated remarkably now (Australia is always listed as one of the most hated nation for the Japanese on the web), but NZ is OK. Don't worry.

Occit

April 9th, 2009, 04:22 AM

^^Good news. :) Speaking of natural oil/gas resources, Japan itself may become a resource-rich country like Venezuela in the future.

Even if Japan should become very rich in the future, I hope Japanese people will keep working and studying hard. Too much money gained without efforts often spoils people.

You could do like Norway with its oil in a future, using this resources to avoid problems like the international crisis, saving more money...and so on :yes:

ukiyo

April 9th, 2009, 07:57 AM

Fully agree.
Japanese feelings towards Aussie have deteriorated remarkably now (Australia is always listed as one of the most hated nation for the Japanese on the web), but NZ is OK. Don't worry.

Yes let's rage on australia :poke::llama::llama::guns1::gunz:

:lol: jk, let's all get along :)

But i have to admit, i really do hate the australian media and all the "issues" it makes up with japan :ohno:.

2co2co

April 9th, 2009, 01:11 PM

Naive yet aggressive under-educated "lefties" quite common in the west always cause problems LOL

One may want to look into the militant UK animal rights activists

coldstar

April 9th, 2009, 03:53 PM

Yes let's rage on australia :poke::llama::llama::guns1::gunz:

:lol: jk, let's all get along :)

But i have to admit, i really do hate the australian media and all the "issues" it makes up with japan :ohno:.

Especially, Aussie government and its PM sucks.
Australia had better not underestimate Japan's current strong anti-aussie sentiments.
What is worse, not a few aussies in Japan are extremely crap and silly anti-Japan activists.
Thus, more and more Japanese are quitting traveling Australia now.

Fox-Tale

April 9th, 2009, 05:06 PM

I understand how you guys feel about Australia.
I think some Australians are just jealous of Japan and want to find every opportunity and excuse to bash Japan with a plausible reason/cause.

However, I don't think it's very wise to keep overreacting to some extreme activists and disparage Australians in general since there are also good-natured Australian people at the same time.
Ranting and raving about a few cases will only bring more antagonism towards Japanese and might end up adding fuel to the flames, just like the anti-Japanese demonstrations and campaigns that took place in China in 2005 provoked even the ordinary or pro-Chinese Japanese people. In short, friendly attitude brings friendly people, but hostile attitude will only bring hostile people. I think it's important to keep your composure and reply to outrageous claims with a resolute attitude.
Or it might be better to simply ignore such silly opinions. You don't need to reach an agreement all the time.

Anyway, let's keep an open-minded stance since the graces of Japanese culture are "tolerance", "flexibile attitude", and "forgiveness". :)

coldstar

April 9th, 2009, 06:47 PM

Yup, we are tolerant and calm as usual and now just ignoring them.
But how long do we have to endure aussie's insolent and arrogant bad behaviors? Acually, our country is not so weak.

coldstar

April 10th, 2009, 12:04 PM

Tokyo named hottest city for food lovers -
Food & Wine magazine names Tokyo world's best "restaurant city" AGAIN
10/04/2009
Reuters (New York)

Tokyo is the hottest city for food lovers for a second consecutive year because of its abundance of innovative restaurants and superb ingredients, according to a US food magazine.

Barcelona came in second, followed by Copenhagen, London and New York in Food & Wine Magazine's fourth annual list of top cities to go for cutting-edge cuisine and vibrant food scenes.

"Tokyo is the best food city hands down," Jen Murphy, the magazine's travel editor, said.

"That's where chefs are going for innovations. There's also a history of food traditions. They are so far ahead of us."

All the top cities on the list offer "fantastic food at all price points," Murphy added.

In a surprise move, Paris with its abundance of Michelin-star restaurants fell off the list after placing second last year.

While this was not a slam against French cuisine, which remains top-notch, Murphy explained, "Right now, there's no new excitement to the food scene there."

The global dining scene, meanwhile, has been adversely affected by the economic downturn.

For example, Moscow was in contention for a spot on the magazine's list this year, but it dropped out of the running as the Russian economy soured, according to Murphy.

While diners may be eating out less, chefs around the world are still creating dishes with unusual ingredients.

"There will always be die-hard foodies who will fly to Copenhagen to taste them," Murphy said.

Top Ten Restaurant Cities in the World 2009
(TOP5)
1. Tokyo
2. Barcelona
3. Copenhagen
4. London
5. New York

Top Ten Restaurant Cities in the World 2008
1. Tokyo
2. Paris
3. New York
4. London
5. Barcelona
6. Sydney
7. Madrid
8. Chicago
9. Stockholm
10. Vancouver

2co2co

April 10th, 2009, 02:43 PM

Top Ten Restaurant Cities in the World 2009
(TOP5)
1. Tokyo
2. Barcelona
3. Copenhagen
4. London
5. New York

Top Ten Restaurant Cities in the World 2008
1. Tokyo
2. Paris
3. New York
4. London
5. Barcelona
6. Sydney
7. Madrid
8. Chicago
9. Stockholm
10. Vancouver

It would be quite interesting if we have
"Top Ten Under-$20-Budget Restaurant Cities in the World"

ukiyo

April 10th, 2009, 08:50 PM

I always think Osaka has better food than tokyo. But i guess tokyo has more quality food if you have more money..

D51

April 10th, 2009, 09:08 PM

トリップアドバイザーが「外国人が最も注目した日本の観光スポット2008」を発表
2009/04/01

１位はダントツで築地市場、都心エリアの日帰り入浴施設も人気！

　世界最大の旅行クチコミサイト「TripAdvisorR」の日本法人であるトリップアドバイザー株式会社(本社：東京都港区、代表取締役：山本考伸、http://www.tripadvisor.jp)は、外国人ユーザーのサイト利用動向やクチコミ投稿件数などをもとに、「外国人が最も注目した日本の観光スポット2008」を発表しました。ランキングでは築地市場が他の観光スポットに倍以上のポイント差を付けて1位となり、外国人観光客の圧倒的な注目度を表す結果となりました。

　ランキングは、トリップアドバイザーに登録されている国内約10,000件の観光スポットへの注目度を、トリップアドバイザーの海外7カ国（アメリカ、イギリス、フランス、イタリア、ドイツ、スペイン、インド）のサイトにおけるユーザーの利用動向（ページビューや閲覧時間、クチコミ件数）をもとに集計したもの。各国のランキングを集計した総合ランキングでは、「築地市場」が1位になったほか、「ポケモンセンター東京」や「スパワールド」「大江戸温泉物語」など、国内の観光スポットランキングでは見られない意外な施設が上位に登場する結果となりました。
http://release.nikkei.co.jp/detail.cfm?relID=216876&lindID=5

http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/6248/001tal.jpg

http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/2037/002ta.png

新宿伊勢丹:lol:

Fox-Tale

April 11th, 2009, 12:10 AM

^^ All I can say is the results of the rankings of popular tourist attractions among foreign travellers in Japan are quite different from that of Japanese domestic travellers.
For foreigners, super-modern fun spots or very traditional spots that "wow" them are popular.

1. Tsukiji Fish Market...the largest fish market with arrays of big tuna fish wows them.
2. Tokyo Disney Land...the large fantasy world wows foreigners, especially Asian travellers
3. Pokemon Center Tokyo...it wows kids.
4. Roppongi Hills...its view and large modern architecture wow them.
5. Tokyo Disney Sea...its adult-oriented European atmosphere wows foreigners, especially Asian travellers.
6. Asakusa Sensoji Temple...the long shopping street full of Japanesque souveniors wows foreigners.
7. Golden Pavillion...its gorgeous yet calm atmosphere and reminiscence about Mishima Yukio's novel wow them.
8. Fushimi Inari shrine...a giant shrine with countless red-colored torii gates wow them.
9. Spa World...the giant bath building where you can enjoy different themes of baths wows them.
10. Universal Studio Japan...one of the largest amusement parks in the region wows them.
11. Ooedo Onsen Monogatari...the Edo-themed large hot spring in Odaiba where you have to wear yukata wows them.
12. Kiyomizu Temple...the view from the famous high stage wows them.
13. Spa Laqua...the giant spa wows them.
14. Osaka castle...one of the largest castles of Japan wows them although the current one is a reconstructed one after the WWII.
15. Meiji Shrine...the largest shrine in the middle of Tokyo wows them although the current one is a reconstructed one after the WWII.
16. Takaragawa Hotspring...the largest open-air hotspring wows them.
17. Kaiyuukan...the large aquarium in Osaka wows them.
18. Shitennoh-ji Temple...one of the oldest temples of Japan founded in 593 by Prince Shotoku wows them.
19. Hokkaido-jinguu shrine...the largest shrine in Hokkaido wows Singaporians and Taiwanese travellers who directly travel to Hokkaido, skipping other parts of Japan.
20. Shinjuku-Gyoen...the huge park in the middle of Shinjuku, Tokyo, wows foreign shoppers.
--------------
I have noticed "large" or "huge" things tend to wow them.
But it's no surprise, since travellers always seek for unrealistic things not in their lives.

coldstar

April 11th, 2009, 10:20 AM

イギリスの旅行雑誌『ワンダーラスト(Wanderlust)』が毎年実施している「トラベル・アワード2009(Travel Award)」で、国別部門の第1位に日本が選出された。

同アワードは、トップカントリー、トップシティをはじめとする全13部門で構成され、読者投票で選出された満足度の高い世界の観光地をランキングで示したもの。今回の投票は、2007年9月から2008年11月までの間、同誌の読者を対象に行われ、読者自らの旅行経験に基づき、4つの優秀候補とその評価が投票された。

その結果、2009年の国別部門のトップに輝いたのは日本。97.42%という高い満足度を獲得し、初のトップ10入りにして、堂々の1位に選ばれた。

同誌によると、日本が評価された理由について「近代と古代が共存したユニークな文化の意外性に観光客は魅了された」と説明。また「ミシュランガイドは東京が世界一の食通都市であると評価しているとおり、日本の食文化はバラエティに富んでいるのでどんな人をも満足させることができる」と述べている。

その他、都市別部門では、1位アンティグア(グアテマラ)に続いて、京都が2位にランクインした。

国別満足度トップ10（順位／国／満足度）
1. 日本　97.42%
2. ナミビア　96.21%
3. ニュージーランド　95.75%
4. ブータン　95.71%
5. シリア　95.38%
6. ペルー　95.36%
7. エクアドル　95.11%
8. ベトナム　95%
9. インドネシア　94.12%
10. ラオス　94.05%

都市別満足度トップ10（順位／国／満足度）
1. アンティグア(グアテマラ)　97.78%
2. 京都(日本)　95.56%
3. ボストン(アメリカ)　95%
4. クラクフ(ポーランド)　94.67%
5. ハバナ(キューバ)　94.29%
6. ダマスカス(シリア)　93.33%
7. ルアンパバーン(ラオス)　93%
8. クスコ(ペルー)　92.73%
9. シドニー(オーストラリア)　92.06%
10. タリン(エストニア)　91.43%

http://journal.mycom.co.jp/news/2009/03/02/024/

http://www.wanderlust.co.uk/article.php?page_id=2416

thanx!

Japan wins Wanderlust Travel Awards 2009 - Top Country
(Wanderlust -the magazine for people with a passion for travel)

After years of neck-and-neck jostling between New Zealand and Namibia, this year’s winner has shot into the top ten like a bullet (train). And perhaps that’s appropriate, because it’s Japan’s unique combination of wild unpredictability and smooth efficiency that has made it your top country this year.

You were mesmerised by its man-made attractions: Tokyo’s ‘fluorescent skyscapes’, its indoor rollercoasters, hi-tech loos and hotels boasting ‘unbelievable levels of service and comfort’.

But you were also moved by the country’s ancient culture and underlying serenity – the peak of Mount Fuji viewed from a snow-chilled pool; the tranquil temples and gardens of Kyoto; the cherry blossom and family-run ryokans.

Even the country’s wildlife bowled you over: reader Louise Markus marvelled at the ‘endlessly fascinating’ snow monkeys of the Japanese Alps, and the ‘amazing sight of flocks of overwintering cranes doing their mating dance’.

The Michelin guides rate Tokyo the best foodie city in the world, and you whole-heartedly (and full-belliedly) agreed. ‘The food comes in so many varieties it is easy to please anyone,’ drooled Gill Coles. ‘There are restaurants where you barbecue meat and vegetables, simple dumpling bars, or dining in a ryokan, seated on tatami mats, while numerous succulent dishes are served.’

Emily White summed it all up: ‘If you want to experience a true assault on all your senses, then Japan is the place for you.’

2co2co

April 11th, 2009, 12:07 PM

I seriously want something like KYOTO NINTENDOLAND

Nick.Yeah

April 12th, 2009, 10:15 AM

Okay, let me talk about a few things that have been said here regarding Australia

1.The average Australian does not hate Japan ( I would know, I have spent much of my life there, even though I'm a New Zealander). Young and middle aged Australians don't really have any bad feelings towards Japan. In fact, when I travelled around Japan, most other tourists we met there were Australian. Anti-Japanese sentiment is mainly held by older generations.

2. I don't mean to sound horrible, but the Anti-Japanese sentiment held by older Australians is quite understandable. Australian soldiers (and NZ soldiers, for that matter) suffered greatly at the hands of Japanese soldiers in WW2 (does the Kokoda trail, Burma railway, Changi Prison, or the Darwin Bombings ring any bells?). Please do not trivialise their suffering or make it seem insignificant.

3. Someone mentioned that Australians are jealous of Japanese. Australians, for your information, enjoy higher living standards AND a higher average per-capita income than Japanese; what do they have to be jealous about?

4.Australia and NZ are brother countries. We have similar histories, we have faught side by side many times, we have overlapping cultures and alot of inter-immigration, so, if you say bad things about Australia, you're basically saying bad things about NZ aswell. Please, don't bash my country.

5. I hope this post doesn't give the impression that I dislike Japan, as it is not true. I LOVE Japan and so do most Australians and NZers. Also, it's good to know that Japanese have good opinions of NZers. :)

Fox-Tale

April 12th, 2009, 12:47 PM

^^
Why are you so mad?
We just answered your question.

But anyway it's good to know your opinions too. :)

coldstar

April 12th, 2009, 02:29 PM

2. I don't mean to sound horrible, but the Anti-Japanese sentiment held by older Australians is quite understandable. Australian soldiers (and NZ soldiers, for that matter) suffered greatly at the hands of Japanese soldiers in WW2 (does the Kokoda trail, Burma railway, Changi Prison, or the Darwin Bombings ring any bells?). Please do not trivialise their suffering or make it seem insignificant.

Do know the tragedy in Cowra POW Camp, New South Wales, Australia, during WW2?
or what do you think of many atrocities to Japanese by Aussie soldiers during WW2, such as in Burma?
(Aussies, not Americans!, were by far most notorious as slaughters during WW2. Most of cruel behaviors by the aussies were caused by the racism without doubt.)

Anyway, current strong anti-aussie sentiment among Japanese people are not Japan's fault. Only Australia is to be blamed, since current, not historical, frictions between the two countries. are the cause of Australia only.

First of all, Aussie government must stop protecting this barbarous terrorist cult!
http://image.blog.livedoor.jp/msoku/imgs/1/0/10da86ea.jpeghttp://ivote.jp/photo/entry/71_1SBNpq6lUv.jpg

FML

April 12th, 2009, 03:21 PM

2. I don't mean to sound horrible, but the Anti-Japanese sentiment held by older Australians is quite understandable.

Japanese posters here talked about the recent (possible) anti-Japan feeling among Australians because of whaling, not because of WWII.

Sorry to say this, but considering the recent events (Japanese whaling and Australian anti-whaling activities), your question was a bit of a troll bait to begin with.

3. Someone mentioned that Australians are jealous of Japanese. Australians, for your information, enjoy higher living standards AND a higher average per-capita income than Japanese; what do they have to be jealous about?

About this, I completely agree with you. Australia is a very developed country, so that logic didn't really make sense.

Treasure

April 12th, 2009, 08:20 PM

Nick.Yeah

April 13th, 2009, 04:36 AM

Do know the tragedy in Cowra POW Camp, New South Wales, Australia, during WW2?
or what do you think of many atrocities to Japanese by Aussie soldiers during WW2, such as in Burma?
(Aussies, not Americans!, were by far most notorious as slaughters during WW2. Most of cruel behaviors by the aussies were caused by the racism without doubt.)

Anyway, current strong anti-aussie sentiment among Japanese people are not Japan's fault. Only Australia is to be blamed, since current, not historical, frictions between the two countries. are the cause of Australia only.

Yes, I'm well aware of the happpinings at Cowra prison, it was a terrible event. But please explain to me, how is an attempted breakout on the part of Japanese soldiers an attrocity caused by Australians? Many of those who died had committed suicide.
Furthermore, a later enqiury into the conditions of the camp found that Camp Cowra treated Japanese soldiers relatively well, in accordance with Geneva conventions. Also, no Japanese soldiers had complained about their treatment at the camp prior.
Australians wern't racist towards the Japanese at the time. The Japanese soldiers who died are even honoured in Australia, with a Cemetary and a garden made to remember them.
And no, modern sentiment in Australia isn't for no reason; it is not purely the fault of Australians. Japanese whaling around South pacific waters are putting at risk Austalia's (and NZ's) tourism industry. Also, Australians are very proud of their natural environment, and they don't want it ruined. It's just like someone going around Kyoto or Nara and burning down all the temples and shrines in the name of 'research'. You would object to that, wouldn't you?
Let me say again that most Australians hold good views of Japan. Even the ones who object to whaling hold Japan in good regard, they just object to whaling. A common slogan for many anti whaling groups is : "Ï love Sake, but whaling breaks my heart".
Let me also say that I am not expressing my own personal opinion. Again, I LOVE Japan. I am merely trying to explain the viewpoints of Australians.

Sorry to say this, but considering the recent events (Japanese whaling and Australian anti-whaling activities), your question was a bit of a troll bait to begin with.

No, I am not a troll; debate isn't trolling. My original question had nothing to do with Australia, I was asking about NZ. But thank-you for agreeing with me about Australia's living standards :)

Does Hot weather and nice beaches indicate high living standards? Also what about all the Australian workers in japan? In regards to the higher average income Australians earn that you mentioned.

http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(PPP)_per_capita

http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Development_Index

What about Australian workers in Japan? Many Australians have an interest in Japan and want to experience Japanese culture, which backs up my previous comments that Australians hold Japan in good regard.

ukiyo

April 13th, 2009, 05:52 AM

2co2co

April 13th, 2009, 05:11 PM

I sincerely ask you to please stop trolling our forum and either post about japanese news or go somewhere else!

No one here cares about your GDP per capita, or how you pollute the most in the world, go post that in your own thread.

By the way for those of you who can read japanese go here for japanese news
http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?c=pol&t=l
Most japanese use Yahoo.

As long as some narcissist people think it's heroic/cool to (aggressively) drum their views, (e.g. Net-uyoku, online activists and internet-toughguy) it's not gonna stop:lol::lol::lol::lol:

Nick.Yeah

April 14th, 2009, 03:21 PM

Vapour

April 14th, 2009, 06:20 PM

Please, keep it clean guys.

ukiyo

April 14th, 2009, 11:34 PM

Please, I am not trolling. Just because I have a different opinion to your's doesn't mean that I am a troll. I was merely trying (calmly and rationally) to present BOTH sides of an argument. If I'm a troll, then you most certainly are one aswell, for making comments such as "Let's all rage on Australia".
Also, please, let's not stoop to throwing personal insults at each other. I am not narcissistic. I am not trying to 'drum' my views into anyone else's head. A place that is very special to me, a place where I have spent many years living in, a place where much of my family still lives, was becoming the subject of unneeded negative comments instigated by OTHER members of this forum and, as I said above, I was merely trying to give BOTH sides of an argument.
I find it funny that I am not allowed to present a detailed and rational debate, but comments like "Australia's government and it's PM sucks" are allowed. If you would go back and read my argument properly, I was trying to envoke a sense of harmony between the Japanese forumers here and Australians by explaining that most Australians have good views of Japan and giving the proper reasoning for (a few) Australian's negative sentiments. But, ah, I guess that was just too much to ask for :)
This thread is Japanese News. We don't want to hear about ww2 which most of us have absolutely nothing to do about, don't want to hear about your per capita stuff, don't want to hear about whaling. Just japanese news. First of all you asked your question in the wrong thread, second of all your question was a trollbait so of course many japanese will respond as such. Basically you just created a "discussion" that could go on for pages so I'm asking you to just end it. Most of us don't care about this so let's just talk about japanese news.

If you really want to pursue your agenda of talking about how Australia is better to live in and how we are so bad for ww2, then open a seperate thread on it, but don't be suprised if it gets locked quickly. I'm not trying to be rude but japan forum every few months gets attacked and trolled by nationalists and our threads get wayyy off topic so i don't want that to happen again. However if you want to continue the discussion here i won't interfere again.

Skybean

April 22nd, 2009, 06:39 AM

Hayashi Rice!

Japan 'curry killer' loses appeal

http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/6293/45684900masumiafp226b.jpg
Masumi Hayashi (file photo dated 1998)
Masumi Hayashi's case has gripped the Japanese public

A Japanese woman who killed four people and poisoned 63 with arsenic-laced curry has lost her appeal against a death sentence at the Supreme Court.

A judge upheld the verdict, calling the crime "cruel and despicable".

Masumi Hayashi, 47, was convicted of killing two adults and two children at a village fete in 1998 in the western Japanese prefecture of Wakayama.

The case has gripped Japan. At the time, it sparked a rash of copycat incidents across the country.

The Supreme Court's presiding judge, Kohei Nasu, said although there was no direct evidence to prove her involvement in the poisonings, circumstantial evidence left no room for doubt.

Upholding the rulings of two lower courts, he said that Hayashi bore a heavy responsibility for taking four innocent lives, Japanese broadcaster NHK reported.

Prosecutors had argued that Hayashi was enraged after being shunned by her neighbours, and put arsenic in the curry when she was alone in the garage where it was being prepared.

Chemical experts had testified that the arsenic was "the same product" as that kept at Hayashi's house by her husband, who worked as a termite exterminator.

Hayashi had denied being involved in the deaths.

source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8009808.stm

2co2co

April 22nd, 2009, 09:02 AM

I still remember when irreponsible sensationalist media fanned "chain of poisonings (毒物連鎖)" and incited similar incidents all over the country.

coldstar

April 22nd, 2009, 01:08 PM

Les Créations de Narisawa in Tokyo won the best restaurant in Asia
20th April 2009

Restaurant Magazine announces the list of The S.Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants 2009.

Ferran Adrià holds on to number one spot whilst witnessing a host of young talent racing up the list
For the fourth year in a row Ferran Adrià has topped a worldwide poll of 806 chefs, critics and other industry experts, whilst Heston Blumenthal's The Fat Duck retains second place. Below these perennial favourites however it's all change in the eighth annual listing of The S.Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants.

The growing influence of Japanese chefs on the global restaurant scene has also been recognised by the voters in the Nespresso Worlds 50 Best Restaurants Academy. Les Créations de Narisawa in Tokyo is a new entry at 20.

The Acqua Panna Best Continental Awards are bestowed upon the highest-ranking restaurant in Europe, Asia, The Middle East and Africa, North America, South America and Australasia. This year those awards went to El Bulli (Europe), Les Créations de Narisawa (Asia), Per Se (North Amercia), D.O.M. (South America), Tetsuya's (Australasia) and Le Quartier Français (The Middle East and Africa).

World's Top 50 Best Restaurants

1 El Bulli Spain
2 The Fat Duck UK
3 Noma Denmark
4 Mugaritz Spain
5 El Celler de Can Roca Spain
6 Per Se USA
7 Bras France
8 Arzak Spain
9 Pierre Gagnaire France
10 Alinea USA
11 L'Astrance France
12 The French Laundry USA
13 Osteria Francescana Italy
14 St John UK
15 Le Bernardin USA
16 Restaurant de l'H？tel de Ville Switzerland
17 Tetsuya's Australia
18 L'Atelier de Jo？l Robuchon France
19 Jean Georges USA
20 Les Créations de Narisawa Japan (Tokyo)
21 Chez Dominique Finland
22 Ristorante Cracco Italy
23 Die Schwarzwaldstube Germany
24 D.O.M. Brazil
25 Vendôme Germany
26 Hof van Cleve Belgium
27 Masa USA
28 Gambero Rosso Italy
29 Oud Sluis Netherlands
30 Steirereck Austria
31 Momofuku Ssa¨m Bar USA
32 Oaxen Ska¨rga°rdskrog Sweden
33 Martin Berasategui Spain
34 Nobu UK
35 Mirazur France
36 Hakkasan UK
37 Le Quartier Francais South Africa
38 La Colombe South Africa
39 Asador Etxebarri Spain
40 Le Chateaubriand France
41 Daniel USA
42 Combal Zero Italy
43 Le Louis XV France
44 Tantris Germany
45 Iggy's Singapore
46 Quay Australia
47 Les Ambassadeurs France
48 Dal Pescatore Italy
49 Le Calandre Italy
50 Mathias Dahlgren Sweden

As far as I know,
Tetsuya's (17th) in Sydney,
Masa (27th) in New York ,
Momofuku (31st) in New York,
Nobu (34th) in London,
are all Japanese restaurants.

Les Créations de Narisawa
Japanese-French restaurant in Aoyama, Tokyo
http://image.blog.livedoor.jp/luliecross/imgs/a/c/acc07d93.jpg
(Michelin Guide Tokyo 2009 regards the restaurant 'average' though)

Fox-Tale

April 22nd, 2009, 04:18 PM

coldstar

April 22nd, 2009, 05:57 PM

As I expected, Latin European cuisines, namely French, Spanish, and Italian, are dominating the ranking.
I think their foods are quite good and artistic too.

Personally, I hope other types of Japaense food will be more popular, not only sushi/tempura/Kobe beef...
but Japanese chefs will need to develop more sophisticated menus for that to happen.

Japanese chefs of 'nouvelle japonaise' are cutting edge on global scale and remarably creative, I think.

The S.Pellegrino World's Best Restaurants
Part2: world's top 51 - 100

51 Zuma China (Hong Kong)
68 RyuGin Japan (Tokyo)
70 Wasabi India (New Delhi)
92 Zuma UK (London)

These restaurants are all Japanese. Aside from RyuGin of Tokyo (traditional Japanese food), Zuma's and Wasabi are contemporary Japanese fusion cuisine.

ukiyo

April 22nd, 2009, 07:10 PM

Wasnt tokyo ranked as having the best cuisine recently?

Fox-Tale

April 23rd, 2009, 12:00 AM

Japanese chefs of 'nouvelle japonaise' are cutting edge on global scale and remarably creative, I think.

The S.Pellegrino World's Best Restaurants
Part2: world's top 51 - 100

51 Zuma China (Hong Kong)
68 RyuGin Japan (Tokyo)
70 Wasabi India (New Delhi)
92 Zuma UK (London)

These restaurants are all Japanese. Aside from RyuGin of Tokyo (traditional Japanese food), Zuma's and Wasabi are contemporary Japanese fusion cuisine.

I think some Japanese chefs are great. But most of them gained popularity abroad first with new types of Japanese food(fusion), and some are now reimported to Japan.
Inside Japan, Japanese chefs respect tradition and apprentice system, and they are quite conservative. Among them, avant-garde Japanese food is looked down on with scorn.
So I think inside Japan, the prospect of development of Japanese food is quite low, coupled with the lowest salary/hardest work in Japan's job hierarchy (in Europe, chef sometimes is a respected job with higher salary). I hope they will be more tolerant of new attempts and be more rewarded financially. :)

Momo1435

April 23rd, 2009, 07:15 PM

SMAP's Kusanagi arrested for indecency

SMAP member Tsuyoshi Kusanagi (34) has been arrested for public indecency after causing a disturbance and running around naked in Hinokicho Park near Tokyo Midtown late on Wednesday night.

At around 3:00am on April 23, residents in that area notified police that a naked man was making a lot of noise in the park. Officers arrived to find a drunken Kusanagi, and after he refused to heed their warnings, they arrested him on the spot for public indecency. Kusanagi is said to have openly defied the officers, answering them with "What's wrong with me being naked?" According to police, a breath analysis test taken 5 hours after Kusanagi's arrest detected a BrAC of 0.8 mg/L, well over the legal limit.

Kusanagi has been part of the super-popular group SMAP since 1988. As he is one of the industry's biggest stars, the incident is likely to have a big impact. He is already being pulled from several advertisements, including commercials promoting Japan's transition to all-digital broadcasts by 2011.

One of the most recent reports says that he has lost his somewhat regular role on NHK's "PythagoraSwitch." Fuji TV will likely have the toughest decision to make, as Kusanagi is a regular on four of the network's popular shows.

Kusanagi also has a starring role with Yui Aragaki in the movie "Ballad: Namonaki Koi no Uta" (directed by Takashi Yamazaki). Filming has already wrapped up and the picture was scheduled for a September 5 release, putting distributor Toho in a difficult spot. TV Asahi is also considering their options, as it had planned to run some TV specials about the film on weekends from April 25 to May 18.
http://www.tokyograph.com/news/id-4688

oliver999

April 24th, 2009, 05:56 AM

英语阅读困难．

2co2co

April 24th, 2009, 08:25 AM

英语阅读困难．

中文阅读困难．

But gossips on TV celebrities is so intellectually substandard!!!:lol::lol::lol:

Momo1435

April 24th, 2009, 05:26 PM

This is not really gossip anymore, especially when you realize that it could cost him and his agency "Johnny & Associates" up to 3 billion yen in losses.

３億円規模！？草“脱ぎ”剛で大損失

ＳＭＡＰ・草なぎ剛容疑者が２３日、公然わいせつ容疑で逮捕されたことを受け、テレビ各局、スポンサーなどは急きょＣＭの放送中止を決めるなど対応に追われた。阪神優勝時の経済効果試算でおなじみの関西大学・宮本勝浩教授（６４）は「大きな損害が見込まれる」と分析。損害額は３億円規模に上る可能性もあり、トップスターの逮捕に大きな波紋が広がった。

　　◇　　◇

　現役アイドルのまさかの事件に衝撃が走った。

　２００６年７月から地上デジタル放送普及推進のテレビコマーシャルに起用している社団法人「デジタル放送推進協会」は、ＣＭ放送を中止するようＮＨＫと民放各社に要請した。

　トヨタ自動車は、トヨタレンタリースのＣＭや店頭ポスターなどをすべて打ち切ることを決定。Ｐ＆Ｇも、衣料洗剤のＣＭ放送を取りやめることを決めた。

　夏と冬に放送を控えていたヤマサ醤油は「夏のＣＭは８割程度撮り終えているが、中止します。１０年間、出演していただいた。事実を把握し、関係者と話し合って今年の契約を考えたい」と悔しさをにじませた。

　続々と続く打ち切りに宮本教授は「経済波及効果は宣伝予算の２・１倍というのが基本。今回の場合、ＳＭＡＰの人気、イメージというのもあり、もっと大きな損害が見込まれる」と推測した。

　広告代理店の関係者によると、草なぎクラスのＣＭ契約料は推定で１本約５０００万円近くになり、不況の昨今においても３０００万円は下らないとされる。４本打ち切られることで、計約１億２０００万円となり、これを２・１倍すると約２億５０００万円。「もっと大きな損害」（同教授）となると、３億円超に及ぶことも考えられる。

　被害が少ないケースとしては公共広告機構（ＡＣ）のＣＭ。昨年７月から放映していた韓国女優のチェ・ジウとの共演ＣＭ「日韓共同キャンペーン・エコライバルになろう」の中止を発表し、「遺憾な事態ととらえ中止しました」と話した。ただ、無償で広告を提供しており、被害はほぼないという。

　４月末まで契約を残していたＮＴＴ東日本は、首都圏では３月中旬まで放送していたものの「今後流す予定はない」といい、こちらも事件の影響はないという。
http://www.daily.co.jp/gossip/2009/04/24/0001852992.shtml

OK, it's gossip, but it's not just some small time idol doing something stupid of course.

Fox-Tale

April 26th, 2009, 09:33 AM

^^Speaking of digital TV...
Peru chooses Japanese-Brazilian standard for digital television system

23 April, 2009
Andina

Peru has chosen the Japanese-Brazilian standard for its digital terrestrial television system that will be implemented starting in 2011, according to the announcement made today by Enrique Cornejo, Minister of Transport and Communication.

The decision was taken based on the recommendations of the commission assigned by the government to evaluate which digital standard would be the best (ATSC - U.S.A, ISDB-T - Japan or DVB-T - Europe) for Peru.

In March this year, the National Radio and Television Society (which is made up of four private television stations and seventeen radio stations) stated it had done a detailed commercial and economic analysis and had come to the conclusion that the Japanese-Brazilian standard would be the best for the country.

I hear Japanese authorities are rejoyced to hear the decision, and going to sell its sytem to other South American countries.
The total population of Brazil and Peru dominates 57 percent of the South American population.

Maybe in the future we can watch OneSeg TV using Japanese mobile phones in Brazil and Peru. Good news for Japanese mobile phone manufacturers too.

coldstar

April 26th, 2009, 02:35 PM

Japan tightens measures against swine flu threat after outbreak in Mexico

2009-04-26 Xinhua (China)

Japan has tightened preventive measures against the threat of swine flu as the deadly outbreaks in Mexico claimed more than 60 human lives.

At a meeting of ministry and agency section chiefs Saturday, the government decided to strengthen measures to prevent the virulent strain of swine flu from spreading to Japan and issued an advisory for travelers to Mexico and the United States, where eight people were infected with the disease, that urges precautions such as wearing masks and washing hands, and called on all people returning from either country to report unusual symptoms.

The health, labor and welfare ministry held an emergency press conference Saturday to warn the public of the flu threat and announced preparations to tackle the potential influenza pandemic.

It is not yet clear whether the World Health Organization (WHO) will certify the swine flu as a new strain of influenza, said Yoshio Nanba, chief of the ministry's office for pandemic influenza. But the ministry has begun preparations together with ministries and agencies concerned to take joint actions if the WHO's confirmation comes.

Nanba called on the public to respond calmly and act on correct information.

Meanwhile, the foreign ministry established a liaison office and begun around-the-clock gathering of information on the outbreak and urged those who are bound for the swine flu-stricken country to abort their trips.

At Kansai and Narita international airports, the quarantine station used thermographic imaging to check the temperatures of passengers coming from Mexico to detect fevers that could be caused by swine flue infections.

The Agriculture, forestry and fisheries ministry also instructed animal quarantine offices across Japan to check live pigs brought into Japan for possible infection.

In Mexico City, where a total of 24 new suspected cases were reported on Saturday, the Japanese Embassy said there were no reports of deaths from the flu or infections among the more than 5,000 Japanese living in Mexico. The embassy said it is too early to recommend evacuation from the country.

The swine flu is believed to have killed as many as 68 people and sickened more than 1,000 across Mexico.

thermography quarantine at airports
http://mainichi.jp/select/wadai/news/images/20090426k0000m040028000p_size5.jpg

coldstar

April 26th, 2009, 02:46 PM

^^Speaking of digital TV...

I hear Japanese authorities are rejoyced to hear the decision, and going to sell its sytem to other South American countries.
The total population of Brazil and Peru dominates 57 percent of the South American population.

Maybe in the future we can watch OneSeg TV using Japanese mobile phones in Brazil and Peru. Good news for Japanese mobile phone manufacturers too.

We hope Argentine and Philippines, as well as Brazil and Peru, will adopt Japanese digital terrestrial television system.

coldstar

April 30th, 2009, 10:18 AM

Japan ranked top in a "Global Innovation Index" of world countries AGAIN
China, India and Turkey make strides in a ranking of the world's most innovative countries

Economist (UK)
Apr 24th 2009

DEVELOPED countries occupy the top spots in the Economist Intelligence Unit's latest Global Innovation Index. But the biggest gainers are emerging markets: China has moved from 59th to 54th in the ranking, a gain that was expected to take five years instead of two; and India and Turkey have also made steady progress. Their success contrasts with Russia and Brazil, both of which lost ground during 2004-8.

The index, which measures innovation performance in 82 countries, is based on the number of patents granted to people from different countries by patent offices in the United States, European Union and Japan. It also takes in factors that help and hinder the ability to innovate, such as the amount of research and development undertaken and the technical skills of the country's workforce.
http://media.economist.com/images/rankings/GlobalInnovation.jpg

coldstar

May 2nd, 2009, 05:51 PM

Freedom of the Press 2009 Survey Release
May 1, 2009

Freedom of the Press 2009 identifies the greatest threats to independent media in 195 countries and territories. Released in advance of World Press Freedom Day May 3, the report shows a seventh straight year of decline in global media freedom, with twice as many losses than gains. There are particularly worrisome trends in East Asia, the former Soviet Union and the Middle East and North Africa. Given an economic climate that is certain to further strain media sustainability and diversity in rich and poor countries alike, pressures on media freedom are increasingly threatening the considerable gains of the past quarter century. Below are several critical tools to highlight data from the annual survey of global press freedom, and to help explain the newest findings in their historical context.

Freedom of the Press 2009
The Global Press Freedom Rankings
Top 10

1. Iceland
2. Finland
3. Norway
4. Denmark
4. Sweden
6. Belgium
6. Luxenbourg
8. Andora
8. Netherlands
8. Switzerland

Japan is in the lead in the whole Asia, but ranked 33th.:ohno:
North Korea is at the bottom of the list, 195th.

http://www.freedomhouse.org/uploads/fop/2009/FreedomofthePress2009_tables.pdf

2co2co

May 4th, 2009, 06:25 PM

North Korea is at the bottom of the list, 195th.
http://www.freedomhouse.org/uploads/fop/2009/FreedomofthePress2009_tables.pdf

:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:
I remember the nice comments the surveyers made several years ago. "Journalism does not exist in North Korea"

Japan is in the lead in the whole Asia, but ranked 33th.:ohno:

........Chosen Souren, Soka Gakkai, Kisha Club:tongue::tongue::tongue::tongue::bleep::bleep::moods:
To be honest, it was rather surprising that Japan ranked that high.

Fox-Tale

May 6th, 2009, 04:43 AM

Kotoōshū Announces Marriage with Japanese Woman

Kotoōshū Katsunori (Kaloyan Stefanov Mahlyanov), a 26-year-old Bulgarian sumo wrestler from Sadogatake stable and is currently ranked as an ōzeki or 'champion', the second-highest level in the sumo ranking system behind only yokozuna, announced on May 5 that he was going to marry Ms. Asako Ando, a 29-year-old woman living in Matsudo City, Chiba.
Their marriage ceremony will take place next February.

According to their accounts they have been dating since 5 years ago, when the wrestler happened to see Asako and said hi to her on a street near his dormitory in Nagoya.
After dating for years he eventually asked her to marry him on last year's Christmas. He said "She is so kind, and I feel peaceful when I'm with her. We will make a good family together." with his handsome face wrinkled up in a big smile.
Asako said "He is very sincere and serious. I am not sure if I am capable of supporting him perfectly but I will do all my best."

He also said "I'll think about it in a positive light." about acquiring Japanese citizenship in the future.
Kotonowaka, the head coach of Sadogatake stable said "It will be perfect if he obtains not only his wife but also promotion to yokozuna." and encouraged Kotoōshu in his further efforts.
http://yamagata-np.jp/news_core/photo/PN2009050501000504.-.-.CI0002.jpg
The 205cm-tall giant wresler takes his wife up in his arms.

http://www.chunichi.co.jp/chuspo/article/sumo/news/images/PK2009050602100071_size0.jpg

Souce: http://yamagata-np.jp/news_core/index_pr.php?kate=Sports&no=2009050501000487

http://www.chunichi.co.jp/chuspo/article/sumo/news/CK2009050602000154.html

He is one of the most popular sumo wrestlers in Japan.

coldstar

May 7th, 2009, 12:06 PM

Japan has started developing swine flu vaccine

May 4th, 2009 The Yomiuri Shimbun

The Japanese Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry announced Saturday the start of vaccine development against swine flu.

It is expected to take about six months before the vaccine will be on the market, officials said.

The NIID will first create a "seed" from the virus strain that is suitable for vaccine development. The seed is a virus modified to easily multiply in a chicken egg.

The modified virus will be distributed to four vaccine makers and institutions in the country so they can start manufacturing the vaccine against the new type of flu.

However, the vaccine makers already are producing vaccines on some of their manufacturing lines for the annual seasonal influenzas, which become rampant every winter.

Therefore, it will be necessary to adjust the manufacturing process before the facilities can start producing the new vaccine.

The government will decide the quantity of the new vaccine to be produced after closely monitoring the new virus to determine its virulence, according to a health ministry official.

The newly obtained virus strain is also expected to help public health officials speed the process of determining whether a patient has contracted the virus, the officials said.

Currently, confirmation of infections suspected of being the new type of flu takes place at three levels -- first at local hospitals, then local public health institutes and eventually the NIID.

Though the NIID developed a test kit to detect the infection at the local public health institute level, it turned out having a strain of the new virus itself was necessary for a detailed confirmation.

The virus strain will make it possible for local public health institutes to confirm the infection of the new type of flu, according to the officials.

Currently, 16 companies in the world belonging to ＩＦＰＭＡ can develop and manufacture flu vaccines, and 4 of them are Japanese companies.

japanese001

May 8th, 2009, 11:46 AM

アフガニスタン西部のファラ州政府当局者と赤十字国際委員会は５日、同州の複数の村落に対して同日、米軍の空爆があり、多数が死亡したと発表した。詳しい犠牲者数は不明だが、赤十字は現地要員の話として女性や子供を含む「数十人」としている。

空爆で被害を受けた家屋にいた赤新月社のアフガン人ボランティアと家族１３人が死亡したとしている。被害を受けたのは２カ所の村落。誤爆の可能性も出ており、アフガン政府と米軍が共同調査を決めた。

訪米中のカルザイ・アフガン大統領と会談したクリントン米国務長官は、民間人の犠牲者に強い遺憾の意を表明しながらも、空爆に関するすべての状況の把握は出来ておらず、調査すると述べた。

アフガンでは、米軍の誤爆が相次ぎ、住民の反米感情を煽っている。結婚式会場が標的となった例もある。

http://www.tokyo-np.co.jp/article/world/news/CK2009050702000046.html

coldstar

May 8th, 2009, 01:01 PM

Forbes releases latest World's Most Reputable Company Rankings

Friday May 8 2009
World's Most Reputable Companies
Reputation Institute's annual survey rated 600 companies. Here's who made the top 20.

1. Ferrero, Italy
2. Ikea, Sweden
3. Johnson & Johnson, United States
4. Petrobras, Brazil
5. Sadia, Brazil
6. Nintendo, Japan
7. Christian Dior, France
8. Kraft Foods, United States
9. Mercadona, Spain
10. Singapore Airlines, Singapore
11. Tata, India
12. UPS, United States
13. General Mills, United States
14. El Corte Inglés, Spain
15. Panasonic, Japan
16. FedEx, United States
17. Grupo Bimbo, Mexico
18. Honda Motor, Japan
19. Whirlpool, United States
20. Votorantim, Brazil

compare with another recent survey

Harris Interactive Reputation Quotient Study in America: The Reputations of the Most Visible Companies
April 29, 2009

The RQ surveys more than 25,000 American consumers in a two-step process, through online and telephone interviews, to first identify the 60 most visible companies and then to rank these companies based on their reputation in six different categories: Emotional Appeal, Products & Services, Social Responsibility, Vision & Leadership, Workplace Environment, and Financial Performance.
The top 20 companies on this year’s list:

1. Johnson & Johnson
2. Google
3. Sony
4. Coca-Cola
5. Kraft Foods
6. Amazon.com
7. Microsoft
8. General Mills
9. 3M
10. Toyota
11. Berkshire Hathaway
12. Procter & Gamble
13. Walt Disney
14. Apple Computer
15. Unilever
16. Pepsico
17. Lowe's
18. Whole Foods Market
19. Honda
20. Southwest Airlines

Fox-Tale

May 8th, 2009, 01:26 PM

^^
I'm surprised that Sony is not even on the top 20 list of the worldwide survey and Panasonic is on the list instead.
I can understand Sony is popular in America because it owns a movie company(Columbia) & music company(with popular singers like Britney Spears, Beyonce, Shakira), in addition to PS3 or digital cameras.

I personally like Panasonic better, though.
Panasonic and Sharp are both based in Osaka, and their businesses are pretty good with the pioneer spirits and hospitality of Osakan business people.

Fox-Tale

May 8th, 2009, 01:45 PM

Artists of Sony Music Entertainment:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Sony_Music_Entertainment_artists

You'll see big names all over the world including Asia, Europe, and the Middle East and many of them are popular in Japan too.

Sony didn't lisense music of those artists to iTunes before because iPod was an rival of Walkman but after complaints from the artists Sony started to lisense their songs to iTunes.
I hear Sony released a new version of Walkman recently and it's pretty good.

coldstar

May 8th, 2009, 02:23 PM

yup, Sony is a kind of entertainment company now both in Japan and in US.
Sony Music entertainment (former Sony BMG Music Entertainment) is one of the 'Big 4' labels that dominate global music industry.
Sony Pictures Entertainment is also media conglomerate that owns Columbia Pictures, MGM, and TriStar.

I personally like Panasonic better, though.
Panasonic and Sharp are both based in Osaka, and their businesses are pretty good with the pioneer spirits and hospitality of Osakan business people.

agree. Sharp is quite unique and ingenious company.

Forbes lists Sharp 40th in the list above.

Fox-Tale

May 9th, 2009, 11:19 AM

Swine Flu Reaches Japan

Saturday, May 9, 2009 As of 1:41 PM (GMT +9 hours) Associated Press
TOKYO -- Japan confirmed its first cases of swine flu Saturday in three people who recently returned from Canada, even as the disease's spread appeared to slow in the rest of the world.

Health and Welfare Minister Yoichi Masuzoe said the three Japanese were quarantined upon arrival in Tokyo after testing positive in preliminary checks performed on all travelers flying from countries hit by the virus.

The three – a high school teacher in his 40s and two teenage boys – had been on a school trip to Canada. They were isolated and recovering at a hospital near Tokyo's Narita International Airport, officials said.

"I ask the people to stay calm," Mr. Masuzoe told a hastily called news conference televised live on national news.

The virus, which began its global spread from Mexico, has now been found in 30 countries, killed at least 47 people and sickened more than 3,100 worldwide.

The three were among about 390 passengers on a Northwest Airlines flight from Detroit that arrived Friday.

The Japanese government has been collecting information and addresses on people returning from abroad to monitor possible illnesses.

It has also been sending in teams of hundreds of masked doctors to the nation's major airports to check passengers for signs of the illness.

But Masuzoe acknowledged it was unclear how effective his ministry would be in tracking the other passengers on that flight from Detroit because it included a number of tourists and non-Japanese whose personal information wasn't available.

"There are limitations to what we can do, but we will continue to monitor the situation and strengthen or relax such measures as needed," he told reporters.

Public broadcaster NHK TV urged people who were aboard the flight to call a special telephone number for consultations. So far, 49 have been traced and taken to a facility near the airport to be monitored for 10 days, officials said.

The three diagnosed with the new flu strain had visited Canada's Ontario province on a homestay program with about 30 other students, taking part in various programs hosted by a local high school in the town of Oakville since April 24.

A lab at the National Institute of Infectious Diseases confirmed they had swine flu.

Japan had previously been free of swine flu while the virus spread to several countries in Asia, including Hong Kong and South Korea.

Australia also confirmed its first case of swine flu on Saturday, but the woman is no longer infectious and has a weak strain the virus, the health minister said.

Test results on the woman in her 20s from New South Wales state came back positive Saturday from the World Health Organization laboratory in Melbourne, federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon told reporters.

The woman, who was not named, first noticed symptoms on April 27 while in the United States but got better before returning to Brisbane in Queensland state on Thursday, Roxon said.

"She has recovered. She is doing well and she is of no risk to anyone in the community or to herself," said Dr. Jeannette Young, Queensland's chief health officer.

Eighteen people in Australia are still awaiting test results to determine if they have swine flu.

Very scary news...

Fox-Tale

May 9th, 2009, 01:52 PM

◇Iranian woman wins author award

April 24, 2009

http://mainichi.jp/life/weekly/news/images/20090427wek00m040009000p_size3.jpg

The 108th Bungakukai Shinjinsho, or new author's prize, has been won by Shirin Nezammafi of Iran for her novella "Shiroi Kami," written in Japanese.

The prize, awarded by the Bungei Shunju publishing company, was last given to a foreigner in 2007 when Yang Yi of China was judged best new writer. This is the first time an author from a country that does not use Chinese characters has won the award.

Nezammafi, 29, who was born in Tehran, learned Japanese after arriving in Japan nine years ago. In 2006, she graduated from the Kobe University Graduate School of Engineering, and is currently living in Osaka and working at a major electronics manufacturer as a system engineer.

The prestigious new author's award was established in 1955, and famous recipients include current Tokyo Gov. Ishihara Shintaro, Shiroyama Saburo and Yoshida Shuichi.

http://mainichi.jp/life/weekly/news/20090427wek00m040019000c.html

She must be very smart, starting learning Japanese at 20 years old and getting one of the most prestigious Japanese literary awards at 29, beating many other native Japanese writers.

coldstar

May 9th, 2009, 04:12 PM

Japanese beat off all to nail the World Masturbate-a-thon title! :nuts:
San Francisco sfweekly.com
5/9/2009

The 9th Annual Masturbate-a-thon 2009 took place in San Francisco and despite the stiff competition the Japanese beat off all comers to nail the World Masturbate-a-thon title!
Back in May of 2008. the 3Yen reported about how Japan beats all in the Masturbate-a-thon! Once again, Japanese champ of last year, Masanobu Sato, is the winner. Yes, the Japanese are world beaters, again.

World Champion Masanobu Sato flew in from Japan for the event, where he attempted to beat his own record from last year of 9 hours and 33 minutes. When the event officially started at 3:00, Sato had already been busy for nearly five hours.

:bash:^^:ohno:

coldstar

May 9th, 2009, 04:44 PM

Very scary news...

stupid high schools:ohno:

I firtst thought Japan and Australia are the safest countries of all the developed countries. But both countries have infected by Swine Flu at the same moment!

coldstar

May 14th, 2009, 01:16 PM

Mercer's Quality of Living Reports 2009
Vienna scores highest for overall quality of living, Baghdad the lowest
United Kingdom
London, 28 April 2009

Vienna has passed Zurich to take the top spot as the world’s city with the best quality of living, according to the Mercer 2009 Quality of Living Survey. Geneva retains its position in third place, while Vancouver and Auckland are now joint fourth in the rankings.

Overall, European cities continue to dominate the top locations in this year’s survey. In the UK, London ranks at 38, while Birmingham and Glasgow are jointly at 56. In the US, the highest ranking entry is Honolulu at position 29. Singapore (26) is the top-scoring Asian city followed by Tokyo at 35. Baghdad, ranking 215, remains at the bottom of the table.

Asia Pacific
Auckland (4) retains its position as the highest ranking city for quality of living in the region. Sydney follows at 10 and Wellington in New Zealand at 12. While the majority of the region’s cities retain a similar ranking to last year, Singapore (26) is the region’s highest riser, up six places since 2008. The city has gained importance as a financial centre and offers a wide range of international and private schools to cater to its expatriate community. Beijing has also moved three places in the ranking, up from 116 to 113, mainly due to improvements in public transport facilities from the Olympic Games last August.

Dropping down in the rankings, mainly due to a decline in stability and security are Bangkok (from 109 in 2008 to 120) and Mumbai (from 142 to 148). Thailand’s political turmoil continued throughout 2008 and 2009 with frequent and violent demonstrations and rallies taking place in Bangkok. Terrorist attacks in Mumbai have led to the city’s decline in quality of living for expatriates. Dhaka in Bangladesh holds the lowest ranking in the region at 205.

Mr Parakatil commented: “As a region, Asia Pacific is highly diverse. Recent political unrest and terrorist attacks in some cities in the region have negatively impacted the quality of living there. In addition to providing an appropriate hardship allowance, companies need to make sure they review their expatriate strategies by implementing specific safety measures such as ensuring their expatriates’ accommodation is under surveillance and providing effective channels of communication should evacuation be necessary.”

For city infrastructure, Singapore has the highest score world-wide (109.1). The city boasts an airport with excellent facilities and connections, as well as an efficient and extensive public transport network. Other high rankers in the region include Hong Kong (8), Sydney (11) and Tokyo (12). Dhaka ranks lowest in the region at 197.

Mercer Quality of Living Survey - Worldwide Rankings, 2009
TOP 50

rank2009 rank2008 city country index2009 index2008
01 02 Vienna Austria 108.6 107.9
02 01 Zurich Switzerland 108.0 108.0
03 02 Geneva Switzerland 107.9 107.9
04 04 Vancouver Canada 107.4 107.6
04 05 Auckland New Zealand 107.4 107.3
06 06 Dusseldorf Germany 107.2 107.2
07 07 Munich Germany 107.0 107.0
08 07 Frankfurt Germany 106.8 107.0
09 09 Bern Switzerland 106.5 106.5
10 10 Sydney Australia 106.3 106.3
11 11 Copenhagen Denmark 106.2 106.2
12 12 Wellington New Zealand 105.9 105.8
13 13 Amsterdam Netherlands 105.7 105.7
14 14 Brussels Belgium 105.4 105.4
15 15 Toronto Canada 105.3 105.3
16 19 Ottawa Canada 105.0 104.7
16 16 Berlin Germany 105.0 105.0
18 17 Melbourne Australia 104.8 104.8
19 17 Luxembourg Luxembourg 104.6 104.8
20 20 Stockholm Sweden 104.5 104.5
21 21 Perth Australia 104.3 104.3
22 22 Montreal Canada 104.2 104.2
23 23 Nurnberg Germany 104.1 104.1
24 24 Oslo Norway 103.7 103.7
25 25 Dublin Ireland 103.6 103.5
26 32 Singapore Singapore 103.5 102.9
26 25 Calgary Canada 103.5 103.5
28 27 Hamburg Germany 103.4 103.4
29 28 Honolulu US 103.1 103.1
30 29 San Francisco US 103.0 103.0
30 29 Helsinki Finland 103.0 103.0
30 29 Adelaide Australia 103.0 103.0
33 32 Paris France 102.9 102.9
34 34 Brisbane Australia 102.4 102.4
35 35 Tokyo Japan 102.2 102.2
35 37 Boston US 102.2 101.8
37 36 Lyon France 101.9 101.9
38 38 Yokohama Japan 101.6 101.6
38 38 London UK 101.6 101.6
40 40 Kobe Japan 100.9 100.9
41 41 Milan Italy 100.8 100.8
42 48 Portland US 100.6 100.2
42 42 Barcelona Spain 100.6 100.6
44 44 Washington US 100.3 100.3
44 44 Osaka Japan 100.3 100.3
44 44 Lisbon Portugal 100.3 100.3
44 44 Chicago US 100.3 100.3
48 43 Madrid Spain 100.2 100.5
49 49 New York US 100.0 100.0
50 50 Seattle US 99.8 99.8

Mercer City Infrastructure Survey - Worldwide Rankings, 2009
TOP 50
rank2009 city country index2009
01 Singapore Singapore 109.1
02 Munich Germany 106.5
03 Copenhagen Denmark 106.2
04 Tsukuba Japan 105.5
05 Yokohama Japan 105.1
06 Dusseldorf Germany 105
06 Vancouver Canada 105
08 Frankfurt Germany 104.8
08 Hong Kong Hong Kong 104.8
08 London United Kingdom 104.8
11 Sydney Australia 104
12 Tokyo Japan 103.4
13 Paris France 103.1
14 Zurich Switzerland 102.6
15 Atlanta United States 102.3
15 Bern Switzerland 102.3
15 Montreal Canada 102.3
18 Toronto Canada 101.9
18 Vienna Austria 101.9
20 Hamburg Germany 101.5
20 Helsinki Finland 101.5
20 Oslo Norway 101.5
20 Stockholm Sweden 101.5
24 Brussels Belgium 101.2
24 Washington United States 101.2
26 Amsterdam Netherlands 101
27 Nurnberg Germany 100.5
28 Chicago United States 100.3
29 Berlin Germany 100.1
29 Nagoya Japan 100.1
29 Osaka Japan 100.1
32 New York City United States 100
33 Boston United States 99.9
34 Kobe Japan 99.4
35 Dubai United Arab Emirates 99.2
35 Geneva Switzerland 99.2
35 Melbourne Australia 99.2
38 Adelaide Australia 98.9
38 Brisbane Australia 98.9
38 Perth Australia 98.9
41 Honolulu United States 98.6
42 Ottawa Canada 98.5
43 Auckland New Zealand 98.1
43 Madrid Spain 98.1
45 Birmingham United Kingdom 97.8
45 Glasgow United Kingdom 97.8
47 Miami United States 97.3
47 Wellington New Zealand 97.3
49 Houston United States 96.5
49 Milan Italy 96.5
49 Seattle United States 96.5

Base City: New York, US (=100)

Fox-Tale

May 14th, 2009, 02:21 PM

^^ That shows a list of American-friendly countries.
Mercer's Quality of Living Reports are used as a basis of the amount of overseas allowance
when American companies dispatch their employees to foreign countries.

They don't look at prices from the viewpoints of local people. Instead, they compare prices of American foods sold in the target cities/countries, and the rent of condominiums in American size, so no wonder those prices/rent tend to look very high in Tokyo/Japan. They probably sample extremely expensive condos and supermarkets in Hiroo, Roppongi, etc. (So-called Embassy/foreigners area)
Convenient for expats living in Tokyo who wanna get as much allowance as possible, but you need to take it with a grain of salt.

pause

May 14th, 2009, 10:29 PM

What are the best and most exclusive residential areas in Japan?

Fox-Tale

May 15th, 2009, 02:12 PM

^^
Depends on your priority.
If you mean "rich" areas for Japanese, Den'en Cho-fu in Setagaya/Ota wards of Tokyo
and Ashiya City in Hyogo are among the most exclusive areas.

Hiro'o, Roppongi, Azabu are expensive areas exclusive to Westerners, by the way.

Price-wise, One Hundred Hills in Chiba Prefecture is the highest and most prestigious but it is almost a ghost town now and is dysfunctional as a town, since it costs you about 7,000 USD per month for electricity & gas & water costs only. The price per residence is about 3 million USD now, discounted from 10 million USD of 17 years ago.

yaluman

May 15th, 2009, 02:44 PM

He is one of the most popular sumo wrestlers in Japan.http://www.chunichi.co.jp/chuspo/article/sumo/news/images/PK2009050602100071_size0.jpg

Domo arrigato, Fox-Tale! This is definitely a good news. Hubby and I have been fans of Kotooshu even before he was promoted to oseki.

Congrats to both handsome Kaloyan and pretty Asako! May their tribe prosper. :banana:

pause

May 15th, 2009, 07:19 PM

RyukyuRhymer

May 16th, 2009, 11:35 AM

Fox-Tale

May 16th, 2009, 11:49 AM

What about Osaka, do most of the citizens earn a high income? ive heard that Osaka has a bad reputation compared to other cities.

I had a list somewhere on per capita gross prefectural product. Osaka still ranks high. I believed the worst was Nara.. but these are just per capita numbers and they don't take into account other factors.

Depends on how you look at statistics,
but if you are talking about GDP per capita,
Osaka is ranked 8th among the 47 prefectures of Japan.

The prefecture that is ranked 47th(the poorest) is Okinawa, with GDP per capita that is less than half of Tokyo's.

Tokyo is ranked 1st on this ranking, by the way, followed by Aichi.
http://www.edi-s.co.jp/pdf/kenminsyo.pdf

Fox-Tale

May 16th, 2009, 12:42 PM

^^Excerpt of
GDP per Capita Ranking

(Prefecture) (GDP per Capita in JPY)

１.Tokyo 東京都4,267,000
２.Aichi 愛知県3,403,000
３.Shizuoka 静岡県3,226,000
４.Shiga 滋賀県3,205,000
５.Kanagawa 神奈川3,184,000
６.Chiba 千葉県3,085,000
７.Tochigi 栃木県3,054,000
８.Osaka 大阪府3,042,000
９.Toyama 富山県3,024,000
10.Ibaraki 茨城県2,977,000
11.Mie 三重県2,940,000
12.Gunma 群馬県2,911,000
13.Saitama 埼玉県2,909,000
14.Fukui 福井県2,898,000
15.Ishikawa 石川県2,853,000
16.Gifu 岐阜県2,851,000
17.Hiroshima 広島県2,849,000
18.Tokushima 徳島県2,845,000
19.Kyoto 京都府2,839,000
20.Yamaguchi 山口県2,821,000
21.Nagano 長野県2,737,000
22.Niigata 新潟県2,705,000
23.Yamanashi 山梨県2,651,000
24.Kagawa 香川県2,649,000
25.Oita 大分県2,647,000
26.Nara 奈良県2,641,000
27.Fukushima 福島県2,637,000
28.Okayama 岡山県2,629,000
29.Fukuoka 福岡県2,629,000
30.Hyogo 兵庫県2,624,000
31.Hokkaido 北海道2,545,000
32.Wakayama 和歌山2,535,000
33.Miyagi 宮城県2,521,000
34.Saga 佐賀県2,479,000
35.Tottori 鳥取県2,438,000
36.Kumamoto 熊本県2,422,000
37.Iwate 岩手県2,412,000
38.Shimane 島根県2,387,000
39.Yamagata 山形県2,377,000
40.Miyazaki 宮崎県2,347,000
41.Akita 秋田県2,343,000
42.Ehime 愛媛県2,324,000
43.Kagoshima 鹿児島2,239,000
44.Kochi 高知県2,238,000
45.Nagasaki 長崎県2,187,000
46.Aomori 青森県2,160,000
47.Okinawa 沖縄県2,042,000

Fox-Tale

May 16th, 2009, 12:52 PM

As you see, GDP per Capita is almost meaningless when you measure and compare the national/prefectural power and richness.

Lower GDP per Capita is partly because of larger number of kids/senior people who aren't working and less revenues from corporate taxes.

And nobody will agree that Shizuoka, Shiga, and Tochigi have better standards of living than Osaka has simply because those prefectures' GDP per Capita are higher than Osaka's.
There is always "advantage of scale" (the more people your prefecture/nation has, the better infrastracture, facilities, lower costs/volume discounts you can enjoy) so GDP per Capita is often meaningless and doesn't reflect real richness of people's lives.

Fox-Tale

May 16th, 2009, 04:24 PM

Toshiba announces world's first 512GB SSD laptop
May 14, 2009 2:29 PM PDT

by Dong Ngo

While it's now easy to get a desktop with a terabyte or more of storage, it's still pretty hard to find a laptop with even 300GB. That's why I am very impressed with the Portege R600-ST4203 laptop that Toshiba announced Thursday.

The Portege R600-ST4203 is one of world's first laptops with 512GB of storage and it's definitely the first with that much storage in the form of a solid-state drive (SSD). Until now, most SSDs for laptops have remained in the 32GB to 128GB capacity range.

The Portege R600-ST4203 is the newest model in Toshiba's Portege R600 ultraportable series. It weighs just 2.4 pounds and is only 0.77 inch thin, which is about as thin as the Macbook Air. It has a durable, shock-absorbing chassis, and a 12.1-inch wide-screen LED display. The laptop includes Windows Vista Business and is powered by Intel's Ultra Low Voltage Core 2 Duo SU94005 processor.

The SSD used in the Portege R600-ST4203 is Toshiba's newest second-generation SSD, which features SATA standard and multilevel cell (MLC) NAND flash memory technology. The MLC NAND technology helps increase the density of the SSD, thus allowing more storage space. However, this means it is not the fastest SSD you can find. High-speed SSDs normally use single-level cell NANDs, like the Intel X-25E Extreme does. Nonetheless, Toshiba's 512GB SSD will likely be faster than traditional 5400rpm hard drives found in most notebooks.

Toshiba expects the new machine to provide customers with an enhanced level of protection, portability, reliability, and fast data access. The company claims that the adoption of this 512GB solid-state technology enables the user to enjoy shorter boot times, faster application loading, and access times that are 300 percent faster than 128GB or smaller SSDs.

While those claims still need to be verified, one thing is for sure: the new laptop isn't cheap. It's going to be available for purchase early next month exclusively on Toshiba's Web site for an estimated $3,500.

http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/i/bto/20090514/Toshiba_Portege_R600_270x179.jpg
A Protege R600 laptop from Toshiba.

(Credit: CNET)

Only about 1kg in weight and 12 hours of battery operation.
Toshiba is always ahead of other competitors in the laptop pc field, with more advanced technologies.
:)

coldstar

May 17th, 2009, 12:01 PM

British army receives 50 Toyota Priuses for service
autobloggreen.com
2009/05/16

What's the perfect military vehilcle? Humvees? The original Mini Moke? Nope. The British army has leased 50 Toyota Priuses for the White Fleet, the Army's 6,600 non-deployable administrative fleet of cars for administrative uses - did you think they would install a canon on top of it? The cars replace 50 Vauxhall Vectras, which emit 154 grams of CO2 per kilometer compared to 104 from the Prius. White Fleet is determined to reduce emissions in 2011, reaching a 130g/km average target, something all British administrations have aimed to reach. The British Ministry of Defence says that the Prius purchase is a significant step towards reducing the Army's emissions.

http://images2.carview.co.jp/news/car/images/imgres124700_2_r.jpg
http://images2.carview.co.jp/news/car/images/imgres124700_5_r.jpg
http://images2.carview.co.jp/news/car/images/imgres124700_6_r.jpg

Fox-Tale

May 17th, 2009, 01:31 PM

^^
Umm...I thought governmental organizations are normally supposed to buy their own countries' products first. Especially the most patriotic organizations like military..

Shouldn't they at least procure their vehicles from the Common Wealth countries like India..?

U.S. and Japanese governments buy their countries' cars for official use by the way.

pause

May 17th, 2009, 03:18 PM

lol what British car still exists today?

Skybean

May 17th, 2009, 11:03 PM

Canada, Japan to strike deal aiding relief flights
Tokyo to provide safe refuelling stop at Hokkaido airport for Canadian Forces cargo planes delivering humanitarian goods

CAMPBELL CLARK

From Thursday's Globe and Mail

May 14, 2009 at 4:01 AM EDT

OTTAWA — Japan and Canada will clear away a diplomatic hurdle that has in the past tangled efforts to deliver aid to Asia when Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon visits Tokyo today.

Defence officials found themselves scrambling for a pit stop when a Canadian Forces C-17 loaded with aid for victims of Myanmar's cyclone Nargis tried to deliver the goods last May, because they couldn't get a quick approval from friendly Japan to touch down at one of their airports.

Today, Mr. Cannon will ink a deal with Japan to ensure Canadian Forces planes on humanitarian missions will get a quick okay to use a Hokkaido airport for its stopovers.

Although it's not the sort of deal that will be used every day, it can ease logistic difficulties if Canada seeks to send emergency aid planes to East Asia, as it did after the 2004 tsunamis in Sri Lanka.

After last year's cyclone Nargis in Myanmar, planners needed not only to organize aid and a plane, but also make routing plans, including parking the jet in Bangkok, before Myanmar's military junta even agreed to let foreign deliveries into the country.

Cargo planes flying to Asia often need a refuelling stop, and safe, strategically located Japan, with advanced airports that can accommodate huge aircraft, is viewed as ideal.

The move to clear away the diplomatic irritant is part of efforts on both sides to revive Canada's largely neglected relationship with Japan, which boasts the world's second-largest economy. Mr. Cannon's visit today, after a five-day mission to China, follows Trade Minister Stockwell Day's visit last month.

The Conservatives, whose first-term foreign policy focused mainly on Canada-U.S. relations and Afghanistan, have broadened their trade-and-relations efforts since last year, and have taken a new interest in Asia, sending ministers on repeated missions to India, China, and now Japan.

In Prime Minister Stephen Harper's first term, the government's interest in Japan was mainly in pressing Tokyo to negotiate a free trade agreement. The Japanese, sensitive to opening some specific markets and ticking through a series of short-lived prime ministers, have resisted high-level talks on a broad trade pact.

But Mr. Cannon will make trade ties and economic exchanges a key priority for meetings with Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso and Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone.

The two sides will also discuss international efforts to stabilize the problem region of Afghanistan and Pakistan - now garnering international efforts as a joint worry.

Canada has troops and aid projects in Afghanistan, but has resisted calls to boost aid to Pakistan; Japan does not conduct combat missions abroad, but recently pledged $1-billion in aid to Pakistan.

Mr. Harper made a brief side trip to Tokyo last July after the summit of G8 leaders in northern Japan, for meetings with then-prime minister Yasuo Fukuda.

Japan's Emperor Akihito will make a rare visit to Canada in July, in a sense reliving the cross-Canada trip he took as the 19-year-old Crown Prince in 1953, on his way to Queen Elizabeth's coronation.

source: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090515.warctic16/BNStory/International/home?pageRequested=all

Ryuhei

May 19th, 2009, 12:09 AM

Do you japanese forumers think the government has acted disproportionately after the swine flu cases in Japan? All of them are mild, this flu is not life threatening in countries with developed health services.
The economy is going to be very affected if they temporally close companies, cinemas, etc.

Fox-Tale

May 19th, 2009, 03:51 PM

Better safe than sorry.

But you are right, it's not that serious so far.

coldstar

May 20th, 2009, 11:07 AM

Japanese man sets record for paper plane flight
The Daily Telegraph (UK)
18 May 2009

A Japanese engineer has set the world record for the longest flight for a paper airplane, keeping his design aloft for 27.9 seconds.

After his record flight, Takuo Toda said that his achievement was merely the next step in his ambition of launching a paper plane from space.

Mr Toda, who is chairman of the Japan Origami Airplane Association, performed his feat at a competition in Hiroshima Prefecture in April and it has now been confirmed by Guinness World Records as the longest ever flight by a paper plane.

"I had thought that the world record was impossible to break, but the key to breaking the record is how high you fly it," Mr Toda told The Daily Telegraph.

Made of a single sheet of folded paper with no cuts, his design measured 10 cm from tip to tail. He plans to use the same shape to try to break his own record at another event for paper plane enthusiasts in September.

His ultimate aim, however, remains having one of his aircraft launched from the space shuttle.

"Thirty years ago, I saw a space shuttle - with a similar shape to a paper airplane - returning to Earth," said Mr Toda, who traces his hobby back to the two years he spent convalescing after a climbing accident while at university. He claims to have had made a paper plane with an almost identical triangular configuration three or four years before NASA unveiled its shuttle.

"I thought it would be possible for a paper aircraft to do the same thing, but back then no-one would listen seriously to my ideas," he said.

Founder of the association in 1980, he has lobbied scientists and professors to take his proposal seriously and was finally rewarded last year when the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency announced that it would fund a three-year, 90 million yen (£617,000) study into the feasibility of launching paper darts from the International Space Station and, hopefully, recovering them when they return to Earth about a week later.

"If it is proven that a paper plane can re-enter the Earth's atmosphere and glide back down safely then the scientific community could gain very valuable data about aerodynamics," said Mr Toda says. "That knowledge could even lead to improvements in the design of spacecraft in the future as it would prove that even ultra-light materials are able to withstand the demands of the upper atmosphere."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01405/Takuo-Toda_1405513c.jpg

coldstar

May 21st, 2009, 01:02 PM

IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2009
2009 results
The IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook measures 57 countries on the basis of 329 criteria.

2009 (2008)
1. USA (1)
2. Hong Kong (3)
3. Singapre (2)
4. Switzerland (4)
5. Denmark (6)
6. Sweden (9)
7. Australia (7)
8. Canada (8)
9. Finland (15)
10. Netherlands (10)
11. Norway (11)
12. Luxembourg (5)
13. Germany (16)
14. Qatar
15. New Zealand (18)
16. Austria (14)
17. JAPAN (22)
18. Malaysia (19)
19. Ireland (12)
20. China (17)
21. United Kingdom (21)
22. Belgium (24)
23. Taiwan (13)
24. Israel (20)
25. Chile (26)
26. Thailand (27)
27. South Korea (31)
28. France (25)
29. Czech (28)
30. India (29)

The IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook is considered as the leading annual report on the competitiveness of world economies and has been published since 1989.

Can you belive that Japan used to rank No.1 until several years ago in IMD lists?:ohno:

japanese001

May 25th, 2009, 12:33 PM

　北朝鮮は二十五日、国営朝鮮中央通信の報道文を通じ、「地下核実験を成功裏に行った」と発表した。核実験は二〇〇六年十月九日に続き二回目。実験場所は前回と同じ北東部とみられるが、核爆弾の個数、規模は不明。日本政府は直ちに首相官邸の危機管理センターに官邸対策室を設置、同日午後にも国連安全保障理事会の緊急会合開催を要請する。韓国の李明博イミョンバク大統領も同日午後、国家安全保障会議を開く方針だ。

　追加的な核実験をしないよう求めた国連安保理の制裁決議を無視した行動で、制裁の強化・拡大により北朝鮮包囲網づくりが進むのは確実。北朝鮮は今年四月五日、国際社会の反発を押し切って「人工衛星」として長距離弾道ミサイル発射に踏み切ったばかりで、朝鮮半島をめぐる緊張が一層激化するのは必至だ。

　朝鮮中央通信の報道文は「核兵器の威力をさらに高め、核技術を絶え間なく発展させる上での科学技術的問題を円満に解決した」と表明、実験は「爆発力と操縦技術において、新たな高い段階で安全に行われた」と強調した。

　聯合ニュースは二十五日、外交筋の話として、北朝鮮が同日昼、日本海側の舞水端里ムスダンリから地対空短距離ミサイルを発射したと報じた。

　北朝鮮は兵器開発に不可欠な実証データを収集、「核保有国」としての立場を既成事実化し、日米の圧力に対抗する狙いとみられる。今回も前回と同じくプルトニウム型原爆の可能性が高い。前回は爆発規模が一キロトン未満と小さく、失敗に終わったとみられている。

　韓国の李東官イドングァン大統領報道官は二十五日、北東部の咸鏡北道ハムギョンプクト吉州郡キルジュグンで同日午前九時五十四分ごろ、地震波が観測されたと発表。一方、日本の気象庁はマグニチュード（Ｍ）５・３の地震を観測したと発表した。震源地は前回の核実験とほぼ同じ場所で、震源の深さは非常に浅いという。

　北朝鮮の核問題をめぐる六カ国協議は昨年十二月、核計画検証をめぐり首席代表会合が決裂。北朝鮮は、国連安保理が今年四月のミサイル発射を非難する議長声明を採択したことに反発し、六カ国協議からの離脱と核開発の再開を宣言した。

　さらに、寧辺の実験用黒鉛減速炉から取り出した使用済み核燃料棒の再処理に着手したと表明したほか、安保理の謝罪がなければ「核再実験や大陸間弾道ミサイルの発射実験を含めた自衛的措置を講じる」と警告していた。

coldstar

May 27th, 2009, 07:40 PM

Mitsubishi Lancer EVO X FQ-400 with 403HP Officially Revealed: 0-62mph in just 3.8 Sec!

Carscoop.com
May 26, 2009

The fastest and most powerful production version of the Lancer Evolution X to date, the FQ-400, has been officially introduced by Mitsubishi's British arm. Set to on sale in the UK in June, the new FQ-400 comes with a retuned 2.0-liter turbocharged engine producing 403bhp at 6,500 rpm and 525Nm or 387lb/ft of torque at 3,500 rpm sending the sports sedan from standstill to 62mph (100km/h) in a mere 3.8 seconds before reaching an electronically limited top speed of 155mph or 250km/h.

The power increase from the standard 2.0-liter turbocharged MIVEC engine's 293bhp was achieved through a series of upgrades that include among other things, high-flow fuel injectors, a new turbocharger featuring low-friction bearings, a high temperature turbine and strengthened thrust, an enhanced intercooler, a new exhaust system and the remapping of the Engine Control Unit (ECU).

To ensure that all that power finds its way on the road, Mitsubishi tweaked the EVO X's chassis. Changes include a wider track and lowered suspension featuring Eibach springs and Bilstein shock absorbers plus new lightweight 18-inch, nine spoke alloy wheels fitted with Toyo Proxes R1R tires. Furthermore, the FQ-400 is equipped with a revised braking system that uses aerospace grade aluminum alloys and floating sealed discs grabbed by high performance pads.

The standard EVO X's advanced Super-All Wheel Control (S-AWC) four-wheel-drive system with Active Stability Control and Active Centre Differential, Active Yaw Control and Sport ABS, remains of course unchanged.

The mechanical upgrades are accompanied by a more aggressive styling kit that comprises of a heavily vented bonnet, a new lightweight composite front bumper featuring carbon-fibre elements on its leading edges, a rear wing incorporating a gurney strip and a roof-mounted 'Vortex Generator', composite side skirts, a re-styled rear bumper with a carbon fibre diffuser plus additional lighting and High Intensity Discharge (HID) lights.

Inside, aside from the Recaro bucket sports seats, the range-topping Lancer Evolution X also gains an FQ-400 liveried handbrake handle and carbon fibre gearknob..

The Lancer Evolution FQ-400's price has been set in the UK at £49,999 ($79,400 US or €57,100) with the sport sedan's standard equipment including Bluetooth hands-free telephone connection, a CD-tuner with 30 Gig hard drive, DVD satellite navigation and privacy glass plus remote central locking, automatic headlamps and windscreen wipers. We're pretty sure that those interested in the FQ-400 wouldn't have mind at all if Mitsubishi removed most of these convenient features thus lowering the car's price and most importantly, shaving a few pounds off the FQ-400's weight.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_FoXyvaPSnVk/ShxIcV89lvI/AAAAAAAByIE/-mKR689lFM4/s1600/Mitsubishi-Lancer-EVO-X-FQ-400-2.jpg

coldstar

June 7th, 2009, 01:42 AM

Japan first to qualify !
FIFA.com
Saturday 6 June 2009

Japan have become the first team to qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ after beating Uzbekistan 1-0 in an Asian Zone Group 1 qualifier.

Shinji Okazaki struck the only goal early in the game to secure Japan's place at their fourth finals. The Blue Samurai were also the first team through to the 2006 tournament in Germany.

Japan will be joined by Australia if the Socceroos avoid defeat by Qatar in Doha later today.

Blue Samurai at Uzbekistan
http://ca.c.yimg.jp/news/20090607020424/img.news.yahoo.co.jp/images/20090607/jijp/20090607-00000005-jijp-spo-view-000.jpg

ukiyo

June 7th, 2009, 02:41 AM

:banana::cheer:

coldstar

June 9th, 2009, 12:53 PM

20-year-old Blind pianist wins competition !!
Tokyo pianist wins prestigious award
Assocaited Press
Tuesday, June 9, 2009

A blind pianist from Tokyo won a gold medal Sunday at the 13th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. He was joined by a teenager from China in getting the top prize, making them the first winners from Asia.

Nobuyuki Tsujii, 20, also made history as the first blind pianist to win.

Tsujii shared the award with Haochen Zhang, 19. It was only the second time in the 47-year history of the competition that there have been dual winners.

After Tsujii's name was announced and his translator escorted him onto the stage, he wrapped his arms around Cliburn, grinning from ear to ear as the audience gave him a lengthy standing ovation, cheered and whistled.

The competition is named for Van Cliburn, an acclaimed pianist from Fort Worth. After winning a prestigious Moscow music competition at the height of the Cold War in 1958, Cliburn quickly gained international fame and millions of fans.

Zhang said he was "really happy" to be, along with Tsujii, the first from Asia to win the Cliburn.

The trend of more Cliburn competitors from Asia was noticeable in 2005 — nearly a third of those competing. This year, almost half of the pianists in the contest were from Asia.

Zhang, who turned 19 last week, was the youngest pianist in the competition. He moved from China at age 15 to study at Philadelphia's Curtis Institute of Music.

Tsujii, who was born blind and started playing the piano at age 2, memorizes music after listening to his teacher's recordings.

He had performed with orchestras, but in the Cliburn semifinals he had to play with a chamber music quartet, which has no conductor, and had to figure out how to cue the other musicians.

He got rave reviews for his Schumann piece that begins with all instruments playing simultaneously in the first movement.

"I want to give my deepest gratitude to the American audiences who have such a warm heart and gave me long-lasting standing ovations," Tsujii, who attends Ueno Gakuen University, said through a translator. "It made me so happy."
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/img/05-09/0601cliburn.jpghttp://www.cliburn.org/uploads/images/competitors/tsujii_lg.gif
:applause::applause::applause::applause:

coldstar

June 9th, 2009, 06:05 PM

World's most liveable cities 2009

EIU.com
Tuesday, June 09, 2009

The Economist Intelligence Unit's 2009 Liveability survey has ranked the liveability of 140 of the world's major centres - and whilst Australian cities put up a valiant battle, nabbing five of the top 20 places - it was Vancouver in Canada that reigned supreme as the world's most liveable city...

The survey assessed 140 cities based on stability, health care, education, infrastructure and culture and environment, giving each one a rating out of 100.

Canada triumphed, with Vancouver nabbing the top spot and Toronto taking fourth place and Montreal 17th.

Australian cities also performed well, with Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and Brisbane amongst the cities ranked highly. That long standing rivalry between Sydneysiders and Melbournites is about to get even more heated as the rankings hit home - Melbourne nabbed third place whilst Sydney had to settle for ninth.

The Economist Intelligence Unit's survey comes just two months after another quality of living survey covering 215 cities placed the New Zealand cities of Auckland 4th (equal with Vancouver) and Wellington 12th.

The Economist survey placed Auckland and Wellington in 12th and 23rd respectively.

US centres were well down the list. Pittsburgh ranked highest, in 29th place.

The highest-ranked Asian city was Osaka in Japan (13th).

European cities nabbed four of the top ten places, with Vienna, Austria in second; Helsinki, Finland in seventh; Geneva, Switzerland in eighth and Zurich sharing ninth place with Sydney.

Harare, the strife-torn capital of Zimbabwe, was ranked the worst city to live in.

EIU Spokesman Jon Copestake said, "The performance of Asian cities reflects the diverse levels of development throughout the region.

"Australian cities represent many of the best aspects of liveability, while instability in countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh means that cities in South Asia fare much worse," he added.

Top 10 cities to live in according to The Economist Intelligence Unit's survey 2009:

1. Vancouver, Canada
2. Vienna, Austria
3. Melbourne, Australia
4. Toronto, Canada
5. Perth, Australia and Calgary, Canada
7. Helsinki, Finland
8. Geneva, Switzerland
9. Sydney, Australia and Zurich, Switzerland

13. Osaka, Japan
19. Tokyo, Japan
39. Hong Kong
54. Singapore
58. Seoul

Aussie and Canada rule!
hmmm, but Osaka??????????????

where is Kobe, Sapporo, Fukuoka, or Yokohama????

Fox-Tale

June 10th, 2009, 04:07 PM

I think Osaka is compact and the shopping area is concentrated and easy to walk around, while shopping districts are dispersed in Tokyo.
Also, you can go to world-famous Kyoto or Kobe within 30 mins from Osaka station, giving the city a geographical advantage.
For travellers, Osaka is more cheerful and full of hospitality than Tokyo in my opinion.

Fox-Tale

June 10th, 2009, 04:10 PM

From another thread:
Asia’s Top Ten Luxury Hotels
http://vietnambefriend.blogspot.com/2009/06/asias-top-ten-luxury-hotels.html

Randy Lynch, founder and seasoned traveller of U.S. based luxury travel firm Kipling & Clark has compiled a list of his favourite hotels in the Asian region which has now been released by the guide.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2481/3609622504_4bd20c4257_o.jpg

The list features the top ten luxury hotels in all of Asia where wary travellers can rest their bodies after a hard day of sightseeing or shopping. We have listed them in order of rank below:

1. Tawaraya Ryokan and Hiiragiya Ryokan (tie) - Kyoto, Japan

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3633/3608808369_ca3b529348_o.jpg

These two hotels belong to the most famous Japanese ryokans (inns) in the historical city of Kyoto, and are located directly across the alley from each other. Since both of these represent the highest levels of service, it would be difficult to distinguish them from one another.

Both Tawaraya Ryokan and Hiiragaiya Ryokan successfully integrate the fine Japanese traditions and wabi-sabi philosophy we hear so much about in the Western world. Known to emphasize simplicity and purity, the added contemporary conveniences offered make for the perfect combination seasoned travelers expect. Both of these Ryokans also offer an optional Geiko or Maiko geisha dinner.

2. Four Seasons, Chiang Mai Thailand

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3275/3609622298_890395854c_o.jpg

While this hotel is somewhat smaller in scale than the much more expansive Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi in Chiang Mai, the Four Seasons lures travellers with its understated sense of luxury. It encompasses an intimate air that has been compared to a Zen-like feel. To make you feel right at home, the Four Seasons staff are truly sincere and kind. Whatever your wishes, nothing seems too much or too hard. The added Four Season’s Kid’s Club offers families a luxury travel experience rarely found elsewhere. Hotel guests can also choose to partake in the heavenly Spa or cooking classes.
http://www.fourseasons.com/chiangmai/

3. Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong and Mandarin Oriental Bangkok (tie)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3331/3609622188_f86c6380e7_o.jpg

The Mandarin hotel in Hong Kong represents understated luxury. Travellers find this peaceful within a noisy, bustling city. Recent renovations has seen the Mandarin’s former balconies being converted to lounge/study area extensions, offering stunning Victoria Harbour views to boost.

The hotel also boasts a 130-year old history of tradition and has long held its own as a hotel with the highest level of service. It’s breakfast buffet is legendary and many say it might be the largest, varied breakfast buffet in all of Asia.

4. Gora Kadan Ryokan - Hakone, Japan

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3568/3609622078_939dab89f1_o.jpg

The Gora Kadan hotel is situated a 45-minute bullet train ride from Tokyo. It is a quiet, Shinto-Buddhist like oasis. The hotel offers its guests rejuvenating hot mineral springs. The Gora Kadan is the perfect blend of traditional Japanese ryokan hospitality with modern Western design. The hotel’s original building dates back some 300 years and used to be the summer home of the Kan’in-No-Miya imperial family.

5. Raffles Grand Hotel D’Angkor and Amansara - Siem Reap, Cambodia (tie)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3337/3608807965_0f96aaeb8e_o.jpg
Usually described as a luxury five-star hotel/resort, the Raffles Grand Hotel D’Angkorwhile Amansara, part of the Aman Resorts, fits into a higher - elite - category.

The majestic hotel sports an early 20th Century French colonial style while the Amansara is the former guesthouse of Cambodia’s King Sihanouk. The Raffles offers guests many opportunities to mingle with others and is open and airy, while the Amansara is an altogether more private hotel, ideal for those wishing for a bit of privacy after their travels.

6. Peninsula Hotel - Tokyo, Japan

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3561/3608807883_20620667d8_o.jpg

The Peninsula hotel has the best luxury hotel location in Tokyo. It is situated directly across from the lovely Hibiya Park, on the Imperial grounds. Nearby is the popular Ginza shopping district, offering travellers every conceivable wares. The 24-storey hotel was designed by architect Kuzukiyo Sato to look like a giant Japanese lantern. The Peninsula is a successful fusion of traditional Japanese hospitality with understated luxury.

7. Four Seasons - Shanghai, China

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3379/3608807795_b34a6af8e1_o.jpg

The Four Seasons offers a calm interior against the bustle of the outside world, with a high level of service. You can be assured of resting in comfort while your needs are being taken care off. Executive travellers accompanied with their kids can enjoy the range of suites with extra room for kids.

8. Banyan Tree Lijiang — Yunnan, China and Hotel of Modern Art - Guilin, China (tie)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3606/3609621588_b22169d051_o.jpg

Situated outside the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Lijiang is the Banyan Tree Lijiang hotel. All 55 of its villas overlook the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, allowing guests to enjoy a spiritual soul-searching atmosphere. The hotel’s Spa offers massages from its Thai staff.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3633/3609621708_9787403840_o.jpg

Founded by a Taiwanese business entrepreneur in 1997, the Hotel of Modern Art was and represents a lovely balance of world class sculpture, architecture, and art. It is set against the backdrop of lush grounds. The hotel offers a relaxed, warm ambiance, making you feel right at home.

9. Sofitel Metropole - Hanoi, Vietnam

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2430/3608807523_d53938380b_o.jpg

The Metropole was built in 1901 and combines wonderful French colonial architecture with Vietnam’s cultural traditions. While all rooms are not created equal, the best of them all is the Opera Suite for sure.

10. Maison Souvannaphoum Hotel — Luang Prabang, Laos

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3616/3609621412_ddba18cd4f_o.jpg

Maison Souvannaphoum used to once be the residence of Prince Souvannaphouma. The small hotel is a boutique French-colonial inspired property that is the perfect place to immerse oneself in the local Laotian culture. A friendly, intimate service offers guests a chance to rest their bones with the knowledge they are being taken care off just like with close relatives. Visitors might be delighted to be located on the street for the daily early morning Buddhist monks’ rice offerings.

Credits. MSNBC

Photo credits:

Hiiragiya Ryokan
Four Seasons, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong
Gora Kadan hotel
Raffles Grand Hotel D’Angkor
Peninsula Hotel Tokyo Japan
Four Seasons Shanghai
Banyan Tree Lijiang
Sofitel Metropole – Hanoi
Maison Souvannaphoum

Four hotels of Japan are ranked in the top 10 luxury hotels of Asia.
I'm surprised the traditional inns (ryokan) are at the top of the list...

Fox-Tale

June 10th, 2009, 04:20 PM

Speaking of hotels,
the world's oldest hotel is located in Japan, too.

Hōshi (法師) is a ryokan (Japanese traditional inn) in the Awazu Onsen area of Komatsu, in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. Founded in 718, it is the world's oldest hotel still in operation according to the Guinness World Records and the world's oldest continuously operating company after the liquidation of Kongō Gumi in 2006. The hotel has been operated by the same family for forty-six generations.

They have been operating about 1300 years...wonder how they manage their customer database(must be huge)?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoshi_Ryokan

Fox-Tale

June 10th, 2009, 05:26 PM

(Media-Newswire.com) - NEW YORK - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement special agents arrested a United Nations employee for allegedly possessing images and videos of child pornography on computer equipment in his Manhattan home.
Jose Antonio Ortega-Osona, 40, of Spain, faces charges for possession of child pornography under Title 18 United States Code ( USC ) Section 2252( a ).

ICE agents arrested Ortega-Osona at Newark Liberty International Airport upon his return from Canada. On May 15, 2009, acting on information provided by Canadian authorities, ICE agents conducted a search at Ortega-Osona's apartment in Manhattan. An examination of a laptop computer and external storage drives found in the apartment revealed numerous images and videos of child pornography. Forensic analysis of the file history of the images showed that they were obtained from an Internet website based in Japan.
Analysis of some of the file images by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children also identified multiple images of known child pornography on external drives found in Ortega-Osona's apartment.

"The exploitation of children is despicable, and we will go the extra mile to catch those individuals who prey on innocent victims," said Peter J. Smith, special agent-in-charge of ICE's Office of Investigation in New York. "Predators who believe that they remain anonymous in cyberspace are sadly mistaken. Pursuing this type of devious criminal is one of ICE's most important responsibilities."

Ortega-Osona was presented before U.S. Magistrate Judge Theodore H. Katz in federal court. He's charged with one count of possessing child pornography transported in interstate and foreign commerce. If convicted, Ortega-Osona faces a maximum of 10 years in prison. Judge Katz ordered Ortega-Osona detained pending trial.

The arrest of Jose Antonio Ortega-Osona was part of Operation Predator, a comprehensive ICE initiative aimed at those who prey on children, including human traffickers, international sex tourists, Internet pornographers, and foreign national predators whose crimes make them deportable. Since the initiative was launched in July of 2003, there have been more than 11,000 individuals arrested nationwide.

Additional information about Operation Predator is available on the Web at www.ice.gov. ICE encourages the reporting of suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-DHS-2ICE. This hotline is staffed around the clock by investigators. Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, at 1-800-843-5678 or http://www.cybertipline.com.

-- ICE --
http://media-newswire.com/release_1092394.html

I hope the Japanese government will crack down on all those child pornography websites ASAP.

2co2co

June 10th, 2009, 09:32 PM

I wonder how they lay stars on ryokans. No swimming pool (well, there is one, but smells sulfur and it's hot water!), and not even a bed!

coldstar

June 11th, 2009, 11:42 AM

thanx, Fox-Tale
here is differnet survey
Expedia Insiders' Select unveils latest world's hotel rankings

expedia.com
May. 21 2009

Confused about where to stay on your business trip or summer vacation at an international destination? There is help at hand! Expedia, the world’s leading online travel company, has released its annual rankings of the world’s best hotels.

Absolute Top 10 Hotels & Resorts in the Entire World by Expedia

1 Chateau Beauvallon, Quebec, Canada

2 The Prince Park Tower, Tokyo, Japan

3 Viva Marinha Hotel & Suites, Cascais, Portugal

4 Conrad Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

5 The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota, Florida, USA

6 Presidente InterContinental, Cozumel, Mexico

7 French Quarter Inn, Charleston, South Carolina, USA

8 Hotel 1000, Seattle, USA

9 Excellence Playa Mujeres, Playa Mujeres, Mexico

10 Sandpearl Resort, Clearwater, Florida, USA

Last year, Number 1 in Asia was Cerulean Tower Tokyu Hotel in Tokyo, but this year The Prince Park Tower Tokyo is named Number 1 in Asia.

coldstar

June 11th, 2009, 12:53 PM

Coca-Cola Japan Company Limited newly releases Japanese Green Tea Coke!
Coca-Cola plus catechin
Coke with Japanese Green Tea Flavour!
http://news.walkerplus.com/2009/0604/5/20090603221123_00_400.jpg
product CM character is Sara Jessica Parker.

D51

June 13th, 2009, 05:46 PM

Japanese legend Misawa dead after in-ring accident
http://www.ifight365.com/2009/06/japanese-legend-misawa-dead-after-in-ring-accident/

プロレスの三沢光晴さん、リングで頭強打し死亡
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/news/20090613-OYT1T01053.htm?from=navlp

R.I.P Misawa...
http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/7341/misawa.jpg

He was also known as Tiger Mask Ⅱ
http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/4817/tigerhwa.jpg

coldstar

June 15th, 2009, 03:24 PM

Japan's Generation XX

The Independent (UK)
Saturday, 13 June 2009

In Japan some call them herbivores, and on Saturday nights they come out to graze: a perfumed army of preening masculinity. Groomed and primped, hair teased to peacock-like perfection and bodies wrapped in tight-fitting clothes, their habitat is the crowded city where they live in fear of commitment, and the odd carnivorous female who preys on them.

For much of this decade, the older men who drove this country to the top of the economic league tables have looked on in bewilderment at the foppish antics of the generation below.

Japan's twenty- and thirtysomething males seem disinterested in careers and apathetic about the rituals of dating, sex and marriage. They spend almost as much on cosmetics and clothes as women, live with their mums and sit down on the toilet when they pee. Some have even been known to wear bras. "What is happening to the nation's manhood?" wonders social critic Takuro Morinaga.

Now they have their answer: Japanese males are transforming into grass-eaters.

Coined by columnist Maki Fukasawa, the term soshoku-danshi (herbivorous male) has become one of those cultural buzzwords that hijacks the Japanese media every couple of years. With its implied disdain for vegetarians, the term has been popularised in a bestselling new book called The Herbivorous Ladylike Men (who) are Changing Japan by Megumi Ushikubo, president of Tokyo marketing firm Infinity. Her company claims that roughly two-thirds of all Japanese men aged 20-34 are now partial or total grass-eaters, and a very long way from the classic twin stereotypes of 20th-century Japanese masculinity: the fierce, unyielding warrior and the workaholic salary-man.

"I noticed these major changes taking place between my father's generation, the 58 to 63-year-olds who are retiring now, and the under-35s," she explains. "This is just a very different breed."

Ms Ushikubo believes that the post-war corporate samurai is increasingly a carnivorous dinosaur, whose legendary dedication to the company – at the expense of family – is as much a relic as dawn calisthenics on the factory floor.

"Grass-eaters" by contrast, are uncompetitive and uncommitted to work, a symptom of their epic disillusionment with Japan's troubled economy. "People who grew up in the bubble era (of the 1980s) really feel like they were let down. They worked so hard and it all came to nothing," says Ms Ushikubo. "So the men who came after them have changed."

Like many all-encompassing buzzwords, "herbivore male" can be laughably imprecise. Among his other qualities, the herbivore is close to his mum, has a liking for deserts and foreign travel and leans toward platonic relationships with the opposite sex. He will happily share a night with a woman without laying a hand on her and doesn't waste his money on prostitutes.

But the term resonates with a generation struggling to make sense of profound social disruption rooted in economic changes. Wealth disparities are corroding Japan's meritocracy and poverty is rising. A 2007 OECD report showed that relative poverty in Japan is the second worst in the developed world, after the United States.

Business magazine Weekly Diamond recently noted that more than 80 per cent of 35-year-olds in Japan live on an annual income of two million yen – a key poverty benchmark. "I don't think the lives my parents had is an option for us anymore," laments Kai Ishii, a 26-year-old broker in Shizuoka Prefecture. "I want to eventually get married and buy a house. I just don't know when I'll be able to do that, even if I'm still in a job."

About one third of the Japanese workforce is now casual or part-time, and confidence in the future is at rock bottom. For many young men, the post-war dream of lifetime employment, home and family, with all the sacrifices it entailed, is fading. In response, some have turned their energies elsewhere, toward the once feminised sphere of consumption – or away from life altogether.

Millions remain at home as "parasite singles", meaning they live with, and off, their parents. The pressing need to find a partner has been alleviated by the ubiquity of porn, sex toys and virtual sex on bedroom computers – one reason, say analysts, why consumption of condoms has been falling for a decade. Even those who opt for conventional marriage find their old role of main breadwinner is no longer available: men and woman increasingly share the roles of work and home.

Many of these complex changes are also occurring elsewhere, and are not unwelcome, points out sociologist Yuko Kawanishi. "Japanese men had it good for a long time. They were macho and sexist, and neglected their wives, so it's good that they're discovering their feminine side, and learning to cooperate."

Ms Ushikubo also hails the rise of the ojyo-man, or ladylike men. "My generation expected that sort of traditional man to pay for everything, to get the good job and support us," the 41-year-old author recalls. "But that system put a lot of pressure on men. They don't know when they'll be fired, or restructured. The idea that they had to carry the burden by themselves is fading and I think we're seeing more equal relationships."

While sociologists debate its merits, the herbivore phenomenon has become popular media fodder. On one discussion show this year, a group of grass-eaters faced their older counterparts like opposing armies across a battlefield. "Men are turning into women," lamented critic Mr Morinaga.

The blurring of gender boundaries has been highlighted by stories appearing to demonstrate that once proud alpha-males are being symbolically castrated in the home. Toilet-maker Matsushita Electric Works reported a survey this year suggesting that more than 40 per cent of adult men in Japan sit on the toilet when they urinate – a figure that is rising year by year.

Nagging wives are also blamed for the rise of the Tenshi no Hizamakura, or Angel's Knee Pillow, a kneeling stool with an unfortunate resemblance to a church pew that brings men closer to the bowl when they pee. Designed to stop splashing around the bowl – women after all still do the vast bulk of household cleaning – the product's arrival prompted the following headline in one media outlet "Men brought to their knees by angry housewives".

Marketing experts like Ms Ushikubo, who has also written a book called The Consumption Power of Twenty-something Happy Parasites, have been quick to learn the lessons of the new herbivorous world.

Men are now leading purchasers of hair products, make-up, fashion accessories and manicures. A Tokyo-based company called WishRoom is even selling men's bras, some to middle-aged salary-men.

"They were the generation we had been told were 'manly' – they led Japan in the post-war period," WishRoom president Masayuki Tsuchiya told the Japan Times this month. He said the company had sold more than 5,000 of the bras to men who are probably reacting against the classic stereotype of stoic, silently enduring male. "They said wearing a bra just made them feel more calm, relaxed and revived."

True carnivores sigh in disgust, but could the grass-eaters be merely the latest flowering of an old tradition? Japanese culture has long had a strong element of androgyny: During the Tokugawa period (1603-1868), men played women and women dressed as men for the theatre, while erotic art celebrated bisexualism and transgender role-playing. The traditions live on in the Takarazuka Review, which features women performers in dress suits playing men, and in Kabuki theatre.

The common element between the Tokugawa era and today, says Osaka-based philosopher Masahiro Morioka, is peace. "Japan has been free from any form of conflict since the Second World War, and that has liberated men from the need to be manly."

Not that he or anyone else is advocating a return to war to give men back their symbolic cojones. "I think the changes among men are mostly healthy and are here to stay," says Ms Ushikubo. "Men are nicer to the women in their lives and happier with themselves." What can be bad about that?

rather wild opinon and superficial analysis, I think

coldstar

June 27th, 2009, 09:33 AM

World's most liveable cities 2009

Top 10 cities to live in according to The Economist Intelligence Unit's survey 2009:

1. Vancouver, Canada
2. Vienna, Austria
3. Melbourne, Australia
4. Toronto, Canada
5. Perth, Australia and Calgary, Canada
7. Helsinki, Finland
8. Geneva, Switzerland
9. Sydney, Australia and Zurich, Switzerland

13. Osaka, Japan
19. Tokyo, Japan
39. Hong Kong
54. Singapore
58. Seoul

Aussie and Canada rule!
hmmm, but Osaka??????????????

where is Kobe, Sapporo, Fukuoka, or Yokohama????

and now, Monocle publishes the survey of Top 25 Most Liveable Cities 2009

25/6/2009
Top 25 Most Liveable Cities 2009
from the July-August 09 issue of Monocle (UK magazine).

1　ZURICH
2　COPENHAGEN
3　TOKYO 　東京
4　MUNICH
5　HELSINKI
6　STOCKHOLM
7　VIENNA
8　PARIS
9　MELBOURNE
10　BERLIN
11　HONOLULU
12　MADRID
13　SYDNEY
14　VANCOUVER
15　BARCELONA
16　FUKUOKA 　福岡
17　OSLO
18　SINGAPORE
19　MONTREAL
20　AUCKLAND
21　AMSTERDAM
22　KYOTO 京都
23　HUMBURG
24　GENEVA
25　LISBON

source:http://www.monocle.com/sections/edits/Web-Articles/Top-25-Cities/

Fox-Tale

June 27th, 2009, 12:49 PM

^^
Interesting to know the difference..
Maybe that shows the difference of the tastes of Americans and the British.

Fox-Tale

June 27th, 2009, 12:55 PM

Troubles In Japan A Recurring Banking Nightmare For Citi

JUNE 26, 2009, 1:35 P.M. ET.

By Matthias Rieker
Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--A monthlong suspension of sales at Citigroup Inc.'s (C) Japanese banking unit marks the third time the global giant has stumbled in Japan.

On Friday, Citigroup's Japan regulator ordered Citibank Japan Ltd. to suspend sales activities at its retail businesses between July 15 and August 14, accusing the company of not doing enough to prevent money laundering.

Citi's prior problems also included insufficient internal monitoring of money laundering, an incident that, in 2004, led then-Chief Executive Charles Prince to bow in contrition for seven seconds.

Further, a legislative backlash against lenders--triggered in part by suicides of indebted consumers--lead to a painful retrenchment in consumer lending three years ago by Citi.

Citi's Japanese operations are a meaningful piece of the bank's global strategy -- though profits have been volatile. In the first quarter, Citi's consumer finance business in Japan generated a $36 million loss, an improvement from an $86 million loss a year earlier. Revenue fell 40%, to $162 million.

In Asia overall, including Japan, Citi's earnings fell 16%, to $645 million; Citigroup's net income totaled $1.6 billion in the first quarter.

While the impact of the suspension of sales activities, including advertising, will be temporary, the recurrence of legal troubles is a black eye for Citi.

The bank is trying to rebound from a financial crisis that forced it to seek U.S. government support twice. It has gone to great lengths stressing that its competitive advantage remains its global reach. Asia is one of the most promising growth markets for Citi; no other U.S. bank has such vast banking operations there.

Citi says its own systems detected weakness in anti-money laundering compliance, which it reported to Japanese authorities last summer.

Citibank Japan said in a statement Friday that it "would like to express our sincere apologies," and pledged to "prevent any future occurrence of the problems identified."

A spokesman in New York said Friday, "Citi remains fully committed to the Japanese market," and the bank intends to expand investment banking, business banking, and retail banking there.

On Friday, Japan's Financial Services Agency said Citibank's system for monitoring transactions, including possible transactions with crime syndicates or other antisocial groups, were inadequate.

The system was put in place following earlier surveillance problems in 2004, when the FSA reprimanded Citi's private banking operations, also over anti-money laundering procedures. Citi beefed up compliance procedures and governance. The penalty was considerably more severe back then; regulators forced Citi to shut its private banking operations in Japan.

It was a severe blow to the bank's reputation and to CEO Prince, a lawyer. Prince had been chosen to succeed Sandy Weill, the architect of Citigroup's emergence as a diversified banking giant, at least in part to clean up Citi's legal problems following the bank's involvement with Enron Corp. and other corporate scandals.

Subsequently, in 2006, Citi suffered painful losses in its Japanese consumer finance operations resulting from a legislative change limiting the interest rates it could charge. The legislation also opened the door for refund claims from customers.

Suicides by some heavily indebted consumers led to scrutiny of high interest rates by consumer finance companies in Japan. Interest rates are now caped at 18% -- down from almost 30% previously.

Citi responded by dramatically shrinking CitiFinancial Japan, which included auto lending and unsecured consumer loans. The unit had almost 700 machines making installment loans, similar to ATMs dispensing cash. Losses and restructuring charges plagued Citi's Asian results for years.

Citi's former CEO Weill used to brag about the profitability of its Japanese operations, returns that were predicated on high interest rates, said Richard X. Bove, an analyst with Rochdale Securities. But in a culture that values savings and considers debt a vice, loans from a machine ended up with the weakest of borrowers.

In a sense, Japan could be an early blueprint for what Citi is trying to accomplish elsewhere, ridding itself of businesses it considers noncore, such as brokerage and consumer finance, to become more like a traditional bank.

Citigroup is in the process of selling its Nikko Asset Management business. Citi sold Nikko Cordial Securities earlier this year to Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group.

Last week, Ajay Banga, CEO of Citi's Asia-Pacific operations, left to become president and chief operating officer of MasterCard Inc. (MA) A successor hasn't been named yet.

-By Matthias Rieker, Dow Jones Newswires; 212-416-2471; matthias.rieker@dowjones.com

(Takashi Nakamichi contributed to this report.)

http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20090626-710448.html

Citibank again..!
I wonder if this bank has any will to abide by law.

In 2004, Standard Chartered Bank's Tokyo branch was also suspended for one year after it was found helping money-laundering of Yamaguchigumi, the largest Japanese mafia.

I think those western banks should really have morals if they want to operate in Japan.

japanese001

June 29th, 2009, 09:36 AM

　「Yahoo！JAPAN」トップページの検索窓で「トランスフォーマー！」を検索すると、ぺージがガラガラと崩れ、映画の特設ページに“トランスフォーム”する――こんな企画が、7月5日まで行われている。

　映画「トランスフォーマーリベンジ」の広告企画。検索窓にトランスフォーマー！と入力して検索ボタンをクリックすると、ページに亀裂が入り、粉々に崩壊する。

　その後、黒バックのページが現れ、トランスフォーマーのロゴや2つのグレーの箱が登場。箱の中からメカっぽい部品が現れ、Yahoo！JAPANトップページにそっくりなデザインの、「トランスフォーマーリベンジ」特設PRサイトを組み上げる。

　Yahoo！JAPANでニュースを表示している「トピックス」には映画関連の情報を掲載するなど、中帯のコンテンツはトランスフォーマー仕様に。リンクをクリックすると、映画の公式サイトトップページに飛ぶ。

　検索窓は通常通り検索でき、「ショッピング」「ニュース」「オークション」などの左カラムのメニューもYahoo！JAPANのものと変わらない。

　対応Webブラウザは、Internet Explorer 6.0以上。Yahoo！JAPANトップページ以外のYahoo！検索でも対応しており、トランスフォーマー！と入力すれば、いったんYahoo！JAPANのトップページを表示した後に、ページがトランスフォームする。
http://www.yahoo.co.jp/
http://img197.imageshack.us/img197/5619/lyogyahoo02.jpg

coldstar

July 1st, 2009, 04:47 PM

Sony Walkman 30th anniversary!

Giving up my iPod for a Walkman
29 June 2009
BBC News

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/45984000/jpg/_45984325_scott_466.jpg
When the Sony Walkman was launched, 30 years ago this week, it started a revolution in portable music.
But how does it compare with its digital successors?
The Magazine invited 13-year-old Scott Campbell to swap his iPod for a Walkman for a week.

article in full
here
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8117619.stm

Blackraven

July 2nd, 2009, 06:17 PM

Sony Walkman 30th anniversary!

article in full
here
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8117619.stm

Indeed

With that said, even if the Ipod dominates (I personally prefer the Ipod Touch as my most fave portable media player), the Walkman has a title and brandname that has been well-known for many years.

Sony Walkman X-series (with the world's first usage of an OLED touch screen in a music playing device)
http://hotspotting.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/sony-walkman-x-series-32-16-gb1.jpg

The best Sony Walkman ever (hence do not underestimate this baby).

P.S.
I dream of getting this along with my upcoming Ipod Touch :D :)

Skybean

July 2nd, 2009, 07:23 PM

Japan's visiting royals

Jul 02, 2009 04:30 AM

Despite some "severely cold weather," Crown Prince Akihito of Japan seemed to enjoy his first trip to Canada as a young man of 19 more than a half-century ago. Subarashii, he said to well-wishers outside the Royal York Hotel on April 17, 1953. This is wonderful. And so it was.

Less than a decade earlier, Canadians and Japanese had been fierce enemies in World War II. To this day Akihito grieves the horrors of Tokyo, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Okinawa. But by 1953 Canada and Japan were busy forging one of the world's enduring partnerships, and Akihito traveled the country by CP Rail, to Queen Elizabeth's coronation.

When Emperor Akihito, now 75, returns to Canada tomorrow for his first official visit here as head of state, he and Empress Michiko – along with 85,000 Canadians of Japanese heritage – will have much to celebrate on their 11-day tour. The imperial couple start off in Ottawa and are in Toronto July 8-10 before heading to Vancouver.

Canada and Japan have grown to be staunch democratic allies, partners in the Group of Eight and other clubs, and $26 billion trade partners. While headlines today may focus on Canada's ties with China and India, we continue to share core interests with Japan in tackling global recession and climate change, advancing trade, aiding Afghanistan, thwarting terror and curbing nuclear weapons.

This year Canada and Japan mark 80 years of diplomatic relations. The imperial couple also are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary and the 20th anniversary of Akihito succeeding his father Hirohito to the Chrysanthemum Throne in 1989. It is a triply auspicious year.

Canadians have reason to welcome Emperor Akihito because he embodies the "New Japan" and its dramatic postwar transition from an authoritarian, militaristic state into a middle-class democracy led by Prime Minister Taro Aso's long-ruling Liberal Democratic party, with a pacifist tradition and generous foreign aid program. Though many Japanese have yet to acknowledge their past military aggression, Akihito has publicly said that Japan "inflicted great suffering" on China, something he "deeply deplores." And he has expressed kinship with Koreans. From his high school days he was schooled in democracy. His reign, labelled the Heisei era, means "achieving peace." Recalling the wartime horror he saw as a child, he still prays for peace.

During Emperor Akihito's lifetime the once-remote monarchy has grown closer to the people. Hirohito was revered as a god; Akihito talks of "walking together with the people." The Empress, Michiko Shoda, was the daughter of a flour mill president, the first commoner to marry an heir to the throne. Shattering centuries of tradition, the couple cooked for themselves, raised their children, and shared the joys and suffering of family life. The couple is immensely popular.

Akihito and Michiko, who symbolize the united Japanese state and people, have reinvented the monarchy even as Japan reinvented itself, ushering in liberal "winds of change" during lives dedicated to public service. That, too, is worth celebrating on this special occasion.
source: http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/659084

Skybean

July 4th, 2009, 06:30 AM

Emperor and Empress kick off 12-day tour

http://img194.imageshack.us/img194/1849/emperorjapanvi104604gma.jpg

Visit gives Canada a chance to shake its Japanese image as land of Moose, Mounties and mountains, says expert

Bill Curry

Ottawa — From Saturday's Globe and Mail Last updated on Friday, Jul. 03, 2009 08:53PM EDT

The Emperor and Empress of Japan, both in their mid-70s, stepped cautiously down the stairs of their jumbo jet yesterday and onto the waiting red carpet, kicking off a 12-day tour that carries the potential of refreshing Canada's outdated image among the Japanese populace.

Royal visits are old hat to Canadians, but this one is a first.

Emperor Akihito is Japan's 125th hereditary Emperor, but, until now, no head of the Japanese monarchy has ever been to Canada. The Emperor did visit in 1953 as a 19-year-old Crown Prince. He and his wife, Empress Michiko, will be touring Ottawa, Toronto, Victoria and Vancouver.

International Co-operation Minister Bev Oda, a third-generation Japanese Canadian, greeted the visitors on the Ottawa airport tarmac.

“It was very awesome,” said Ms. Oda immediately after the quick greeting. “It was quite humbling to see them coming down the stairs. They're very soft-spoken people. You could tell by the way he shook our hands, he was pleased to be here.”

Ms. Oda said the couple simply said, “Thank you,” before stepping into a waiting black limousine. Both the Emperor and the Empress can speak English, but at no point during the 12-day tour are they scheduled to say anything publicly.

Unlike the British royal family or Canada's Governor-General, the Japanese Emperor and the Empress do not often travel abroad, and are rarely seen in public at home.

Minutes before the couple stepped from their plane's front door, a flood of officials and journalists poured from the plane's back door. There are 45 Japanese reporters covering the tour, which is expected to be watched closely back home.

Experts say this heavy media coverage offers a prime opportunity for Canada to break through some of the stereotypes it faces among the Japanese, who are expected to devour coverage of the tour.

“Japan, as do most countries, has quite a limited view of what Canada is,” said Ken Coates, the president of the Japan Studies Association and a professor at the University of Waterloo. “It tends to be, ‘Let's go see some moose, some Mounties and some mountains.' So this is a marvellous opportunity.”

Dr. Coates said he's pleased to see Canada is treating the visit appropriately by peppering the itinerary with high-level officials, including cabinet ministers, the Governor-General and Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

Coupled with an increasing focus on China, Dr. Coates said the Conservative government is clearly trying to strengthen its ties with Asia.

Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon, who was also in yesterday's greeting party, said Canada and Japan are working closely in Afghanistan, and have increased their diplomatic and commercial ties. He also praised Japan's role in working diplomatically to address global tensions with North Korea.

“I think it's an extremely important moment in Canada's bilateral relations with Japan,” he said.

source: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/emperor-and-empress-kick-off-12-day-tour/article1206287/

Skybean

July 4th, 2009, 07:09 AM

Japan's fashion rebellion goes West

Manba has its own dance which is like a crazy form of line dancing
By Nina Robinson
BBC World Service, London

An underground youth culture in Japan which makes a rebellious fashion statement against traditional rules on eastern beauty, is taking hold on Britain's youth.

Manba involves devotees wearing dark tans, white make-up around their eyes and hair that is often a combination of neon colours.

British teenagers like 18-year-olds Eilish and Declan got caught up in manba after an interest in Japanese culture led them to start researching on the internet, where they came across the style.

Manba in Japan is also known as ganguro, gonguro, yamamba and mamba.

Yama-uba in Japanese is the name of a mountain hag in Japanese folklore whom the fashion is thought to resemble.

It has been around for nearly a decade and is an eye-catching statement against conformity.

When the practitioners began darkening their skin, widening their eyes and wearing blue contact lenses, they were making a rebellious statement against the traditions of fair-skinned beauty.

The rebellion has now, perhaps somewhat ironically, been taken up by Britain's naturally fair-skinned youth.

I went to spend some time with Eilish and Declan to find out why the fashion appeals them to.

Glitter

When I met them early one morning, they had already started applying their make-up as they planned to meet other British members of their Japanese circle later that afternoon in London's China Town.

http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/6803/46007300japanmanba2512.jpg
I just think it looks good - nowadays it's more popular to be tanned
Declan

They start their routine by applying self tan to their bodies.

Eilish rubs the self tan on her neck but her face is darkened much more heavily.

She smears the coffee-bean powder on her pale skin and tries to rub it in so that it does not look "patchy".

Declan explains that he buys his foundation from Afro-Caribbean shops as normal shops do not sell powders that are dark enough.

They then use black eyeliner pencils and a white marker pens to create big eyes which look like they droop, framed by false eyelashes.

The look is finished off with glitter and white lipstick.

They tell me they learnt to apply the make-up through watching make-up tutorials on YouTube.

Declan and Eilish say they have been accused of racism for darkening their skin in this way, but they say this could not be further from the truth.

Eilish insists that she is "not mocking anybody" and Declan asks, "what black person looks like this?"

Another member of the group says that she does not like her white skin and covers up if she is unable to get a spray tan.

"I just think it looks good - nowadays it's more popular to be tanned," Declan adds.

The British followers of this Japanese subculture are also into the music, which is called Eurobeat, and practise dance moves called Para-Para.

"It's kind of like line dancing," says Eilish.

"But it's a group dance where everyone does the same thing and it just uses your hands."

Group following

Eilish's mobile phone rings every time she receives a message on Facebook.

Her social networks are important as she has friends in Japan and the US who are also into the style.

We're Western girls trying to be Japanese girls, trying to be Western - it seems like a funny circle to go around
Gabby, manba follower

"There's a Japanese Facebook [type of site] called Mixi and there are a lot of manba on there and when they find out that you're manba in the UK, they're like, 'what?!'"

"They all speak in Japanese so I have to use a translator to talk to them. There are also some in America. I'm quite good friends with some of the girls who do it in America."

Eilish's father Peter thinks that his daughter might look a bit strange, but she is, he says, "learning about another culture"

Her mother insists that the style is about much more than just "dressing up".

She tells me she thinks that this is more about creative expression and that she admires her daughter for her interest.

As we all walk out the house and down the street, people look.

Brightly coloured hair, clothes and unusual make-up sets them apart from the crowds who are travelling into London on the underground.

Eilish says that people often don't want to sit next to them.

In China Town, Eilish and Declan meet some of their follow manba followers.

Gabby, 22, with her bright pink hair and sunglasses, says she loves the style.

"I think it's adorable, it looks really cute, it takes a lot of skill," she says.

"Some people have the attitude that Western girls can't do it as well, but we're doing our own thing."

Toni, 21, says she really likes to have make-up that creates really wide eyes.

She acknowledges though that it might "sound really silly" because what they are doing is trying to be like the girls in Japan who are trying to look like Western girls.

"We're Western girls trying to be Japanese girls, trying to be Western - it seems like a funny circle to go around."

source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8132726.stm

coldstar

July 10th, 2009, 05:08 AM

Japanese voted world's best tourists by hoteliers
Business-Standard.com
July 09, 2009

British and Canadians rank 2nd and 3rd among the 27 nationalities in annual global Expedia Best Tourist Survey.

The annual global Best Tourist Survey, conducted by Expedia®, the world’s leading online travel company, has ranked the Japanese as the world’s best tourists overall among the 27 nationalities surveyed.

Around 4,500 hoteliers across the globe provided their opinions on the best travellers overall, as well as on specific categories including politeness, generosity, behaviour, tidiness, fashion sense, willingness to try and speak the local language, and the propensity to complain.

Like last year, the Japanese won the top prize, with hoteliers worldwide naming them as the world’s best tourists. They were ranked not only as the quietest and most polite, but also the cleanest and least likely to complain. The British again came in second place overall, followed by the Canadians.

The survey also revealed that the French hold the unenviable reputation for being the world’s worst tourists. According to hoteliers, as well as being the most frugal and meanest tippers, they can also lay claim to being the most impolite tourists.

Arthur Hoffman, Managing Director, Expedia Asia Pacific, says: “Hoteliers are experts when it comes to interacting with tourists and the annual global Expedia Best Tourist Survey presents some interesting and intriguing perceptions about tourists from around the world.”

The Best and the Worst in this year’s Expedia Best Tourist Survey:

* Worldwide, the Japanese, British, Canadians, Germans and Australians are considered the most polite nations.
* The top three loudest nations are the Americans, Italians and the Spanish
* After the Americans and the British, the next biggest tippers are the Germans and the Japanese
* Canadians and Swiss were the other nationalities named as least likely to complain

OVERALL "best" tourist rankings, according to online travel company Expedia.

1. Japanese (three consecutive years)
2. British
3. Canadians
4. Germans
5. Swiss
6. Dutch
6. Australians
8. Swedish
8. Americans
10. Danes
10. Norwegians
10. Finnish
10. Belgians
14. Austrian
14. New Zealanders
16. Thais
17. Portuguese
17. Czechs
19. Italians
19. Irish
19. Brazilians
22. Polish
22. South Africans
24. Turkish
24. Greeks
26. Spanish
27. French

relevant news
Americans Considered Noisy And Not The Best Dressers
http://www.eturbonews.com/2829/japanese-travelers-top-list-expedias-best-tou
French tourists seen as world's worst: survey
http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSTRE56829Z20090709

coldstar

July 10th, 2009, 05:31 AM

bad news
Tokyo becomes world's most expensive city 2009, knocking Moscow off

Tokyo is priciest city for expats, Johannesburg cheapest: survey

Reuters
Tue Jul 7, 2009

Moving to Japan? It had better be on a good salary, with a global survey naming Tokyo and Osaka as the world's most expensive cities for expatriates, largely due to the strength of the yen against the U.S. dollar.

The 2009 Cost of Living survey, by consultancy firm Mercer, covered 143 cities across the world, measuring the comparative cost of over 200 items, including housing, transport, food, clothing, entertainment and household goods.

Tokyo, last year's second most expensive city, climbed to the top spot, knocking Moscow down to number 3. Geneva and Hong Kong ranked 4th and 5th, with Asian and European cities dominating the top 10 slots.

The survey, conducted in March, uses New York as the base city for the index, with currency moves measured against the dollar. New York itself
jumped to 8th from 22nd last year.

"As a direct impact of the economic downturn over the last year, we have observed significant fluctuations in most of the world's currencies, which have had a profound impact on this year's rankings," Nathalie Constantin-Metral, a senior researcher at Mercer, said in a statement on the firm's website (www.mercer.com/costofliving)

"Now that cost containment and reduction is at the top of most company agendas, keeping track of the change in factors that dictate expatriate cost of living is essential," she added.

Tel Aviv ranked as the most expensive city in the Middle East, while Caracas was top in South America, and Sydney was the priciest city for expatriates in the Pacific.

And the cheapest city? ... Johannesburg, which replaced Asuncion in Paraguay.

top-10 most expensive cities, according to the Mercer survey. Last year's rankings in brackets:

1. Tokyo (2)
2. Osaka (11)
3. Moscow (1)
4. Geneva (8)
5. Hong Kong (6)
6. Zurich (9)
7. Copenhagen (7)
8. New York City (22)
9. Beijing (20)
10.Singapore (13)

Fox-Tale

July 12th, 2009, 03:57 AM

bad news
Tokyo becomes world's most expensive city 2009, knocking Moscow off

top-10 most expensive cities, according to the Mercer survey. Last year's rankings in brackets:

1. Tokyo (2)
2. Osaka (11)
3. Moscow (1)
4. Geneva (8)
5. Hong Kong (6)
6. Zurich (9)
7. Copenhagen (7)
8. New York City (22)
9. Beijing (20)
10.Singapore (13)

Mercer again..:lol:
But isn't it better to be "the most expensive city" rather than "the cheapest city"? You can be proud of living in the most expensive city.

Expensive cities tend to attract rich tourists, but cheap cities tend to attract cheapskates.

And we all know that things are not that expensive in reality in Tokyo, unless you want to live a lavish life like those expats.

castermaild55

July 12th, 2009, 04:27 AM

Cheap hotels in Sanaya
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2co2co

July 12th, 2009, 01:35 PM

Mercer again..:lol:
But isn't it better to be "the most expensive city" rather than "the cheapest city"? You can be proud of living in the most expensive city.

Expensive cities tend to attract rich tourists, but cheap cities tend to attract cheapskates.

And we all know that things are not that expensive in reality in Tokyo, unless you want to live a lavish life like those expats.

Did you know that the price of mango is one of the parameters for that ranking?:lol:

coldstar

July 12th, 2009, 06:37 PM

Tokyo retains the 4th position in the latest World Cities Survey by Knight Frank and Citi Bank

The Knight Frank World Cities Survey assesses 40 of the world’s leading major cities based on four criteria – economic activity, political power, knowledge and influence and quality of life – to determine their overall position within the hierarchy of global cities.

Knight Frank World Cities Survey 2009
Top 10

(1 Economic activity 2 Political power 3 Knowledge and influence 4 Quality of life )

1 London 2 4 1 3
2 New York 1 2 2 8
3 Paris 4 5 5 2
4 Tokyo 3 6 4 7
5 Los Angeles 11 16 6 9
6 Brussels 16 3 15 14
7 Singapore 6 15 7 22
8 Toronto 22 22 9
9 Washington 30 10 13
10 Chicago 12 19 8 15

full rankings
http://www.knightfrank.com/wealthreport/TheWealthReport2009.pdf

coldstar

July 13th, 2009, 02:56 PM

big surprise! world's biggest beverage company?
Kirin, Suntory negotiating merger to create global beverage giant
THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
2009/7/13

Kirin Holdings Co. and Suntory Holdings Ltd. are negotiating a merger that would create one of the world's largest beverage companies, with sales surpassing those of even Coca-Cola Co., sources said Monday.

The deal, the first merger of Japanese brewers in more than a century, would also produce the world largest beer maker, a title currently held by Anheuser-Busch InBev.

Kirin and Suntory, Japan's two largest food and beverage makers, have yet to finalize the form, conditions and timing of the merger. They have already been cooperating in the distribution of soft drinks in some areas.

According to sources in Kirin and Suntory, the presidents of the two companies have set up a team to discuss further tie-ups, including a possible merger. The companies are also trying to ensure the merger does not violate the Anti-Monopoly Law.

Through the merger, the two companies plan to solidify their profit base in the shrinking domestic beverage market and establish themselves overseas.

Both companies have been buying beverage companies abroad in recent years.

With combined consolidated net sales of 3.82 trillion yen in 2008, the merged company would hold a 50-percent stake in the domestic beverage market, dwarfing Asahi Breweries Ltd., currently No. 3.

In postwar Japan, four companies--Kirin, Asahi, Suntory and Sapporo Breweries Ltd.--have dominated the beer market.

In the first half of 2009, Kirin's share in Japan's beer and related market was 37.4 percent, followed by Asahi's 36.8 percent, Suntory's 12.7 percent and Sapporo's 12 percent.

Kirin Holdings, whose corporate history dates back to 1907, operates a number of companies, including Kirin Brewery Co., wine maker Mercian Corp. and Kirin Beverage Co.

Kirin bought Australian dairy and beverage producer National Foods Ltd. in 2007.

With a work force of 37,000, Kirin reported consolidated net sales of 2.3035 trillion yen and consolidated operating profits of 145.9 billion yen in 2008.

Suntory Holdings, which started as a store that opened in 1899, holds the top share in Japan's whiskey market. It is also No. 2 in the soft drink market and No. 3 in the beer market.

Last October, the company announced it would buy major New Zealand beverage maker Frucor Beverages Group Ltd.

Suntory employs 22,000 people and had consolidated net sales of 1.5129 trillion yen and consolidated operating profits of 81.3 billion yen last year.

With Kirin's "third-beer" products, made with malt substitutes, and Suntory's premium beer selling well, both companies increased their operating profits in 2008 despite the recession.

However, Japan's beer industry faces serious problems, such as the country's aging population and the lower beer consumption among younger generations.

http://thumbnail.image.rakuten.co.jp/@0_mall/hishimasamune/cabinet/bee/b002-350.jpghttps://www.hoodo.jp/image/store/parts/jibasan/goods/00610198s.jpg

Fox-Tale

July 13th, 2009, 05:44 PM

^^ Beers and alcoholic beverages are not a "must" in life.
Less young people in Japan drink alcohol on a daily basis these days.

Their merger is not only for alcoholic beverages. They also aim to strengthen
their suppliment business. They are already in the health food business and
trying to expand it, instead of the shrinking alcoholic business.

Fox-Tale

July 13th, 2009, 05:58 PM

Did you know that the price of mango is one of the parameters for that ranking?:lol:

Is mango a "must" in their lives?

I wonder if they eat mangos every day back in their own home country (U.S).
And do they live in expensive districts equivalant to Hiroo, Roppongi, etc. back home?

I guess expats tend to expect to live far above their standard back home here in Japan..:dunno:

RyukyuRhymer

July 13th, 2009, 09:36 PM

Is mango a "must" in their lives?

I wonder if they eat mangos every day back in their own home country (U.S).
And do they live in expensive districts equivalant to Hiroo, Roppongi, etc. back home?

I guess expats tend to expect to live far above their standard back home here in Japan..:dunno:

I think for many western expats, they come to Japan and try to maintain many of their regular diets (i.e. eating beef, drinking certain brands of beverages, etc), yet although Tokyo sells such things, they are generally much more expensive than if they tried to eat more traditional Japanese.

Skybean

July 14th, 2009, 01:29 AM

Miniskirt Police idol Hachisuka catches groper
Mon, July 13, 2009 (12:10pm EDT)
Gravure idol Yukiko Hachisuka (23), a member of the current "Miniskirt Police," has revealed that she was groped on a train on the evening of July 10th. Fortunately, she was able to capture the perpetrator.

According to Hachisuka, at around 6:50pm she was returning home from gravure work, riding the Odakyu express train from Shimokitazawa Station. While standing, she was groped from behind. "Right when I boarded the train, I felt my behind being touched with the back of someone's hand. Then, it turned to the palm of their hand, and they were moving their fingers in an unnatural way," explained Hachisuka.

Looking over her shoulder, Hachisuka saw the culprit was a salaryman in his forties. To keep him from escaping, Hachisuka first grabbed the man's wrist and then his shirt, holding him until they reached Mukogaoka-Yuen station in Kawasaki. Hachisuka then handed the man over to station authorities.

At the time, the man tried to escape, but to no avail due to Hachisuka's grasp. During questioning, the man initially claimed that it was only his bag touching Hachisuka. But after the idol gave her own detailed account, the man admitted his actions.

"Even though I was afraid, I thought about what to do based on what I've seen on TV," Hachisuka said. In a police-like fashion, she declared, "If you do something bad, it's natural that you'll get caught."
source: http://www.tokyograph.com/news/id-5019

coldstar

July 16th, 2009, 03:39 PM

Investment firm unveils Paramount Resort Osaka plan
Jul 16 02:52 AM US/Eastern
Breitbart.com

An Osaka-based investment firm said Thursday it will cooperate with an affiliate of U.S. movie company Paramount Pictures Corp. to develop a theme park named Paramount Resort Osaka in Suita, Osaka Prefecture.

The theme park, including entertainment facilities and a five-star hotel, will be built on the site of the failed Expoland amusement park, Sun Capital Management Corp. said.

The companies are now working out details and inviting investment for the plan, it said.

Osaka Gov. Toru Hashimoto welcomed the plan the same day as "the possible core of Osaka's entertainment city initiative." Hashimoto unveiled an outline of the theme park scheme last December.

The Commemorative Organization for the Japan World Exposition '70, a public corporation that owns the Expoland site, said it has received no notice about the plan.

The prefecture already has the Universal Studios Japan theme park, which opened in the city of Osaka in 2001.

Paramount has been talking with the Osaka city government about turning the old abandoned Expoland amusement park into a theme park that would rival the city’s other Hollywood studio-owned theme park, the Universal Studios Japan (USJ Osaka).

USJ in Osaka bay area
http://image.mapple.net/img/user/00/00/01/68/H0000016847.jpg

Blackraven

July 16th, 2009, 09:24 PM

Japan is the most expensive place in the world...........but on the bright side, it is most expensive because Japan is modern and sophisticated (you can see this whenever you visit Roppongi Hills, Tokyo Midtown Area, NACT museum, those modern structures in Central Japan, Japanese companies.........and their blazing fast internet among other things). There is progress hence why quality of life and living standards in Japan is really high.

Just my opinion on this :)

Fox-Tale

July 17th, 2009, 06:02 AM

Nara City Commends Its Temp For Saving A Spanish Girl From Accident

毎日新聞　2009年7月16日　地方版

表彰状：外国人観光客の女児救出　奈良市臨時職員・勝間さんに　／奈良
　◇「まさにスーパーマン」
　◇不審者逮捕に協力、田中さんと馬場さんも
　大型トラックにはねられそうになったスペイン人観光客の女児を救ったとして、奈良市の定額給付金担当の臨時職員、勝間仁さん（４８）が市から表彰された。表彰状を手渡した藤原昭市長は、女児の家族からの言葉を引用して「まさにスーパーマン」とたたえた。このほか県警と連携してわいせつ目的の不審者逮捕に貢献した青少年指導課指導主事、田中寿昭さん（５０）と馬場浩行さん（４８）も表彰された。【泉谷由梨子】

　市によると、勝間さんは４月６日の昼休み、市役所東側の横断歩道で、反対側の歩道から、走行中の大型トラックの手前に飛び出した３歳ぐらいの女児を発見。とっさに駆け寄って抱きかかえ、植え込みを飛び越えて歩道へ避難させた。家族から「お礼がしたい」と名前を聞かれたが、勝間さんは名乗らず立ち去った。

　この日は、同市の定額給付金の申請受け付けが始まった日だった。その夜、女児の家族が偶然、申請受け付け開始を報じるテレビニュースで、勝間さんが映っているのを見つけた。日本語のできる知人を通じて感謝の気持ちをつづり、市役所にメール送信。救出劇を知った市が表彰を決めた。

　メールには「定額給付金のスーパーマンが命を助けてくれた。奈良は神様のいるスペシャルな大好きな都市になった」などと書かれていた。勝間さんは「とっさに体が動いた。奈良が好きになってくれたらうれしい」と話した。勝間さんの任期は９月３０日までという。

　一方、田中さんと馬場さんは６月９日、市立三笠中周辺に出没した不審者情報を県警から提供され、似顔絵を持ってパトロール。そっくりな男を見つけ、追跡しながら県警に通報した。男は駆け付けた奈良署員に女子中学生への暴行容疑で逮捕された。藤原市長は「公務員は厳しい目で見られる時代。模範になりうれしく思う」と３人に話した。

http://mainichi.jp/area/nara/news/20090716ddlk29040668000c.html

ukiyo

July 18th, 2009, 06:53 AM

この男の人は外国人に対して本当にいい人だね:)

Momo1435

July 19th, 2009, 11:26 AM

I don't have a problem with underaged gravure idols at all, but this news was overdue.

「着エロ」ＤＶＤ撮影で児童ポルノ製造の疑い/神奈川県警、４人を逮捕
2009/07/19

　少女に露出度の高い水着を着せ、いわゆる「着エロ」のＤＶＤを作成したとして、県警少年捜査課と戸塚署は19日までに、児童買春・ポルノ禁止法違反（提供目的の製造）の疑いで、４容疑者を逮捕した。

　逮捕されたのは、東京都世田谷区、芸能プロダクション社長川北満（43）、東京都渋谷区、ビデオソフト製造販売会社社長落合孝介（36）、東京都世田谷区、ビデオ監督兼カメラマン、藤原克巳（31）、東京都町田市、会社役員佐藤理恵（32）の４容疑者。

　逮捕容疑は、昨年７月14日から16日までの間、沖縄県内のホテルで、横浜市内に住む県立高校１年の女子生徒（16）に水着で過激なポーズをさせ、スタッフが体を触るなどして、わいせつな映像を撮影したとしている。４人とも容疑を認めているという。

　「着エロ」と呼ばれる映像を、児童ポルノと判断したのは県警で初めて。

　県警によると、少女は同プロダクションの所属タレントで、わいせつな映像を撮られるとは知らされていなかったという。昨年10月に「恥ずかしい映像を撮られた」と県警に被害を訴え出ていた。撮影されたＤＶＤは、すでに約２５００枚が販売されたという。
http://www.kanaloco.jp/localnews/entry/entryivjul0907457/
The company involved:
http://www.over-heat.com/

ご迷惑をおかけして申し訳ありません。

ただいま、サーバーメンテナンス中です。

しばらくお待ちください。
Server maintenance, yeah right.

Also on Sankei:
水着でも児童ポルノ　ＤＶＤ販売、容疑の社長ら逮捕

１６歳の女子高生が過激な水着姿で出演するわいせつな内容のＤＶＤを製造したとして、神奈川県警少年捜査課は、児童買春・ポルノ禁止法違反（提供目的の製造）の疑いで、東京都港区のビデオソフト販売会社「レイフル」の社長、落合孝介容疑者（３６）＝東京都渋谷区＝やビデオ監督ら計４人を逮捕した。

　同課は「ポーズなどが性行為を連想させ、表現が露骨」として、わいせつ画像と判断した。

　同課によると、落合容疑者らは昨年７月１４日から１６日にかけ、沖縄県恩納村のホテルなどで、横浜市戸塚区の当時１６歳だった高校２年の女子生徒（１７）の過激な水着姿を撮影し、ＤＶＤを製造した疑いが持たれている。レイフルは平成１５年の設立で、ＤＶＤをこれまでに２２５作品製造し、約９万枚を販売。昨年はＤＶＤで約２億５９００万円の売り上げがあった。
http://sankei.jp.msn.com/affairs/crime/090719/crm0907191744010-n1.htm

They also give the sales agency Layfull that makes the popular "EIGHT" series DVDs.

It's good that Japan finally doing something about the excesses of the idol business. Even if it's all Non-Nude it's still pornographic, and it's too much with 16 and 17 year old girls doing some of the poses.

ukiyo

July 21st, 2009, 10:36 AM

皆既日食まであと1日　鹿児島・トカラ列島の悪石島は観測者らでにぎわう
7月21日13時17分配信フジテレビ

今世紀最大の皆既日食が、いよいよ22日に迫った。
観測時間が最も長い鹿児島・トカラ列島の悪石島は、観測者たちでにぎわっている。
いよいよ皆既日食を22日に控え、観測場所となる鹿児島・悪石島の小中学校グラウンドは、だいぶにぎわってきた。
22日の日食を前に、観測者たちは、観測機器のチェックに余念がない。
午前10時56分現在、24時間後は皆既日食の最中ということもあり、観測者たちはリハーサルを行っている。
観測者は「2009年、日本で見られるというのは子どものころから楽しみにしてたんで。今回、この日食にあわせて、この機材はそのために買ったんですけど。40万ぐらい」、「ダイヤモンドリングを見たいです」、「天候次第ですね」と話した。
22日、種子島・屋久島地方、午前11時は曇り、そして奄美大島は晴れの予報が出ている。
そして、悪石島の22日の予報は曇りベースとなっている。
21日は雲が多いものの、時折、晴れ間ものぞき、観測者らは、22日もこの一瞬の晴れ間に期待している状況となっている。

http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/videonews/fnn/20090721/20090721-00000485-fnn-soci.html
^ リンクにビデオを載せたよ

coldstar

July 21st, 2009, 02:26 PM

Moon in Google Earth launched
Google Earth Adds Moon To Celebrate Apollo 11 Landing
Mahalo.com

Moon in Google Earth is a project between Google, NASA and JAXA. The program allows users of Google Earth to tour a 3D model of the Apollo 11's "Eagle" in the position it was in when it landed on July 20, 1969. Moon in Google features panoramic images, videos and models and allows users to take a virtual tour of the landing sites on the moon with narration by the Apollo astronauts

「Moon in Google Earth」にJAXAがかぐやの観測データを提供
マイコミ・ジャーマル
2009/07/21
宇宙航空研究開発機構(JAXA)は、Googleが本日からサービスを開始した「Moon in Google Earth」に、月周回衛星「かぐや」のデータを提供したことを明らかにした。

かぐやは、月の起源と進化を解明する目的で、2007年9月14日、H-IIAロケットによって打ち上げられた。そして、2009年6月11日に運用を終え、月面に制御落下した。

JAXAがGoogleに提供したのは、レーザ高度計(LALT)によって得られた月の全球形状および南極や北極にあたる月の極域地形図。これによりGoogleでは、これまで平面だけたった月の地形を、3Dで立体的に表現することができるようになった

今回の「Moon in Google Earth」プロジェクトは、1年ほど前、Googleの20%ルールによって生まれたという。20%ルールとは、勤務時間の20%を自分の好きなことに利用して良いというGoogleの社内ルール。今回のプロジェクトは、ある社員のアポロ計画の40周年を記念して何かをやりたいう発案のもと、賛同者と募り開始されたという

今回のかぐやのデータの提供にあたって、JAXAはかぐやデータの広報、普及、啓発を目的に、今年の7月Googleとコンテンツライセンス契約を締結。これにより、3次元の月の全球データ閲覧が可能になったほか、地形カメラの特定領域画像などが公開された。

そのほか、かぐやのハイビジョンカメラの映像は、これまでYouTubeのJAXAチャンネルで公開されてきたが、今後は「Moon in Google Earth」とも連携される。そして、現在は1/16度のデータ提供に留まっているが、今年の11月には1/64度の、より解像度の高いデータも提供されるという。

JAXAでは、今後も宇宙開発、地球環境保全において、Googleの協力関係を続けていくほか、Google 製品開発管理担当副社長のジョン・ハンキ氏も、今後はGoogle Earthで森林や砂漠化をモニターできる機能を搭載していきたいと述べた。

moon images of Google Earth donated by Japan's JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency)
http://journal.mycom.co.jp/news/2009/07/21/043/images/001l.jpg
http://journal.mycom.co.jp/news/2009/07/21/043/images/002l.jpg

coldstar

July 21st, 2009, 03:50 PM

Live broadcast of solar eclipse planned
Yomiuri Shimbun

The first total solar eclipse that can be seen from Japan in 46 years will occur on July 22. It will only be visible from such southern islands as Amami-Oshima, but efforts are under way to broadcast the celestial spectacle to other parts of the nation.

A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the sun and the Earth, blocking almost all of the sun from view. When envisioning a total solar eclipse, most people think first of the solar corona, a halolike ring that can be seen around the sun at such times. According to Prof. Masami Okyudo of Wakayama University, however, "the true beauty of a total solar eclipse lies in the changes it causes in the entire landscape."

When the sky darkens during a total solar eclipse, the horizon takes on a red glow like that of a sunset. Observers sometimes can see stars and birds return to their nests, mistakenly believing that night has fallen.

"I want to show people [not just the covered sun] but the entire sky during a total solar eclipse," Okyudo said. To that end, he and others are planning to relay video of the eclipse to dome-shaped screens in other parts of Japan.

First, the entire sky over Amami-Oshima island will be filmed with a high-precision video camera equipped with a fish-eye lens. The eclipse will be visible on the island at about 11 a.m.

The high-precision camera offers resolution four times higher than ordinary high-definition video cameras. It will record 30 frames a second--each frame containing 8 million pixels--and the video will be transmitted to viewing facilities via fiber-optic cables.

There, the video will be projected through another fish-eye lens onto the ceiling of the domes.

Because this method can display high-definition images of the entire sky, it will create a highly realistic environment--as if audience members were seeing the eclipse in person. They will be able to watch the shadow of the moon move in from the west and to see the corona and the diamond ring effect, which occurs when the sun is just disappearing or emerging from behind the moon. The sun looks like a diamond attached to the ring of the corona at that moment, hence the name.

Audiences also will see stars in the sky, and perhaps animals surprised by the eclipse.

Okyudo and his team have done similar dome shows in the past using still images. They began preparing for the video presentation about 1-1/2 years ago, utilizing data-compression technologies to efficiently transmit the images and adopting the latest high-definition video technologies.

Video of the eclipse will be shown on dome-shaped screens at Keihanna Plaza in Seikacho, Kyoto Prefecture, ABC Hall in Osaka and Tsukuba Expo Center in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture. Details are posted on the Web site of the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (www.nict.go.jp).

These facilities can only accommodate a limited number of people, but Live!Universe, a nonprofit organization chaired by Okyudo, also will broadcast live footage of the eclipse on the Internet from four locations--Amami-Oshima island, the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecture, a suburb of Shanghai and Kiribati in the Pacific Ocean. Details are posted at www.live-eclipse.org.

Comparing the progress of the eclipse from the four different locations will entertain the viewers.

Comprising researchers and fans of solar eclipses, Live!Universe began airing solar eclipses in 1997. July 22 will mark their 16th broadcast.

Members of another project also are attempting to transmit high-definition images of the solar eclipse--in their case from a remote island where Internet access is not available.

Masafumi Oe, assistant professor of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, and his team will air scenes of the eclipse from Iwoto island, about 1,200 kilometers from central Tokyo, using a high-speed Internet satellite named Kizuna. The satellite will make it possible to transmit images as clear as those sent via fiber optics.

Oe's team is aiming to transmit highly realistic images of both the sun and the surrounding landscape.

The video will be sent to science museums and other facilities, where attendees will be able to see footage of both the total eclipse from Iwoto and of the partial eclipse that will be visible around the country. Events will also be held to explain the mechanics of solar eclipses.

The July 22 eclipse has attracted international attention for its length--it will last for as long as 6 minutes 44 seconds, making it one of the longest solar eclipses of the 21st century.

The next total solar eclipse visible from Japan after that will occur 26 years from now, in 2035. Even those who cannot see the eclipse as it happens can watch the fascinating images sent from the southern islands.

On July 22, 2009, the longest total eclipse of the 21st century will pass over Asia. The eclipse will have its peak duration over southern Japan (6'38"), and will be visible from the Tokara Islands.
If you have mobile phones such as iPhone, you can see live streaming from the Tokara Islands (6'25").

Longest Total Solar Eclipse in the Century
in Asia/Pacific
http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~jander/tot2009/map1.png
and in Japan
http://www.rainbowsymphony.com/imagesweb/eclipse2009/TSE2009-fig04.gif

coldstar

July 22nd, 2009, 03:50 AM

Total solar eclipse has just passed through rainy Shanghai. Now it comes in Japanese territory.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f2/Solar_eclipse_animate_%282009-Jul-22%29.gif

coldstar

July 22nd, 2009, 06:10 AM

Show ended in Japan
Total Solar Eclipse in Iwo Jima (硫黄島)
Iwo Jima in the Pacific (1400km away from Tokyo Central)
http://wpcontent.answers.com/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dc/Iwo_jima_location_mapSagredo.png/220px-Iwo_jima_location_mapSagredo.png
pics are all from NHK Live

complete total solar eclipse
http://nhk.upkita.net/up/nhk3895.jpg

http://nhk.upkita.net/up/nhk3890.jpg

corona
http://nhk.upkita.net/up/nhk3894.jpg

http://tv2ch.net/3/jlab-tv/3/s/tv1248229631870.jpg

solar flares, prominence (super hi-vison camera)
http://nhk.upkita.net/up/nhk3896.jpg

diamond ring
http://nhk.upkita.net/up/nhk3897.jpg

http://nhk.upkita.net/up/nhk3904.jpg

http://nhk.upkita.net/up/nhk3905.jpg

360-degree sun set in the Pacific Ocean!!
http://tv.dee.cc/jlab-maru/s/maru1248230272400.jpg

http://nhk.upkita.net/up/nhk3893.jpg

solar eclipse and Venus
http://nhk.upkita.net/up/nhk3900.jpg

Vapour

July 22nd, 2009, 08:22 AM

It was cloudy in Tokyo, I couldn't see a thing :cry:

coldstar

July 22nd, 2009, 11:46 AM

It was cloudy in Tokyo, I couldn't see a thing :cry:

Instead, you'll see a perfect annular eclipse in Tokyo on May 21, 2012 .

map of annular eclipse in 2012
Tokyo is the best location!!
http://homepage2.nifty.com/turupura/nissyoku/2012kinkan/map_small.jpg
expected images
http://homepage2.nifty.com/turupura/nissyoku/2012kinkan/image_tokyo.jpg

coldstar

July 23rd, 2009, 08:49 AM

Rome restaurant in hot soup for inflated lunch tab of almost $1,000
Reuters
July 2, 2009

Italian authorities have shut down a historic Roman restaurant days after it charged a Japanese couple nearly 700 euros ($987.70) for a seafood lunch to become an unwitting symbol of tourist rip-offs in the capital.

The tourists filed a fraud complaint with police after being surprised with a bill for 579.50 euros plus 115.50 euros in tip for downing pasta and lobster with wine and gelato at the Il Passetto restaurant just off the popular Piazza Navona square.

Health inspectors arrived within days to shut down the 149-year old restaurant — which has served stars ranging from Charlie Chaplin to Grace Kelly — citing hygiene reasons.

Restaurants in Rome’s centre have long been notorious for overcharging or serving overcooked pasta to the millions of tourists that flock here each year, and news of the pricey lunch sparked sharp criticism from consumer groups and city officials.

“As far as I’m concerned, this restaurant should never reopen again and operating licenses should be revoked for things of this nature,” Mayor Gianni Alemanno said, adding that he had ordered police to make surprise checks to uncover such fraud.

Consumer group Codacons said such rip-offs were frequent in the capital, while the head of an Italian business association also called for “maximum punishment” to be meted out.

But Il Passetto’s owner said he was surprised by the complaint, adding that it was the Japanese couple’s decision to leave the tip. Tipping is not obligatory in Italy, but is often demanded from foreigners anyway.

“They ordered 12 oysters, two kilos (kg) of lobsters, wine, 1.5 kg of seabass and even took photos with the waiters before leaving,” Franco Fioravanti told Rome’s Il Messaggero daily.

Today, Italian Tourism Minister publsihes an open letter named 'Dear, Japanese friends' and asked the Japanese couple to come to Rome again at the expense of the Italian government.

ぼったくり被害夫妻よ、再訪を　伊観光相「政府が費用」
7月23日
朝日新聞　
イタリアのブランビラ観光相が、日本人観光客がローマの有名レストランで法外な値段を請求された「ぼったくり」事件について謝罪し、イタリア政府の費用負担で再びローマを訪れてくれるよう被害者に呼びかけている。観光立国で知られるイタリアだが、日本人の旅行者はピーク時に比べて半減しており、政府は悪い印象を振り払うのに懸命だ。

観光相は２１日、「親愛なる日本と世界の観光客の友人へ」と題した手紙を公表。「政府はホテルやレストランなどの価格やサービスをチェックし、観光客の権利を守るため監視委員会をつくる」とし、
ぼったくり対策に本格的に取り組む姿勢を示した。

また、６月にローマの有名レストラン「パセット」でランチ代として約７００ユーロ（約９万３千円）を支払わされた日本人カップルに「とても申し訳なく思う」と謝罪。「政府はレストランをすぐに閉店させ、
この店を訴えた」と迅速な対応も強調した。

そのうえで「政府が費用を負担するので、ひどい経験をした２人をローマにもう一度招待したい。
イタリアは最高だということを分かってもらうためだ」とした。観光相の事務所は「２人の連絡先が分からないので、名乗り出てほしい」としている。

In 1997, over 1.3 million Japanese enjoyed traveling in Italy, but , from that time on,the number has been drastically reduced to one-third (2008) because of the fraudulent image of Italy.

Fox-Tale

July 23rd, 2009, 10:09 AM

^^ Interesting consequence.
Although I hope Mr. and Mrs. Yamada(the victims) will respond to that offer, they may be busy with their work and cannot take holidays from work.

I opened a thread about that news before in SkyBar if you are interested:
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=907934

Fox-Tale

July 23rd, 2009, 10:13 AM

Also from another thread:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=40179426

July 23, 2009
Fujifilm Unveils World's First 3D Digital Camera

TOKYO — Japan's Fujifilm unveiled Wednesday a compact digital camera that can be used to shoot three-dimensional (3D) photos and movies that can be viewed without special glasses.

The FinePix REAL 3D W1 uses a "groundbreaking" system comprising two lenses whose images are merged in a single 3D picture or movie, the company said.

Users can view the images on the camera's rear display screen or a larger separate monitor. Fujifilm said it would also offer a special 3D photo printing service.

"Viewed with just the naked eye, 3D images come alive with breathtaking reality and natural beauty," Fujifilm said in a statement.

The gadget will go on sale in Japan early next month with a price tag of 60,000 yen (640 dollars), followed by overseas markets in late August.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/media/ALeqM5hmmYa1vU9aKVhgkFJYbxp-4gT2IA?size=l

http://www.fujifilm.co.jp/corporate/news/pack/images/articleImg/articleffnr0305_img_01.jpghttp://www.fujifilm.co.jp/corporate/news/pack/images/articleImg/articleffnr0305_img_02.jpghttp://www.fujifilm.co.jp/corporate/news/pack/images/articleImg/articleffnr0305_img_03.jpg

Source: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jVC9gmRlOddNG0UIyghuAY_Lz8dA
------------------------------------
You can watch the official demo movie here: http://finepix.com/movie/real3d_w1/en/

Ryuhei

July 25th, 2009, 08:08 PM

Questions for forumers residents in japan :)
What´s the economic situation in Japan right now? Is the worst of the crisis over? What are the forecasts for the end of the year and for 2010?

Skybean

July 26th, 2009, 04:09 AM

Another idol sacked.

Nanami Nishikawa dismissed from AKB48
Sat, July 25, 2009 (4:53am EDT)

Nanami Nishikawa (16), a member of AKB48's "kenkyuusei" ("research students"), has just been dismissed by her agency, AKS. As a result, her departure from the idol group was announced through a post on the AKB48 blog.

Nishikawa's management explained that she had done something careless, due to her "lack of self-awareness" as an AKB48 research student. Although the exact reason was not mentioned, other sources indicate that Nishikawa had taken a purikura photo with some male fans that was later spread online.

It is not yet known whether Nishikawa has plans to continue in show business outside of AKB48.
source: http://www.tokyograph.com/news/id-5064

Fox-Tale

July 26th, 2009, 12:50 PM

Miss Universe Japan's Emiri Miyasaka Boasts Modest Beauty of Japanese Women

July 24, 2009

Emiri Miyasaka, the Miss Universe Japan model unveiled the "national costume" today.

She said "I want to show modest beauty of Japanese women to the world.", wearing half-naked kimono on the stage.

http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/2820/pn2009072201000854ci000.jpg

LOL

ukiyo

July 26th, 2009, 03:47 PM

九州豪雨　３日間の降水量、各地で観測史上最大に
7月26日21時51分配信毎日新聞

那珂川があふれ、水没した那珂川町役場＝２００９年７月２６日午前１１時１９分、那珂川町役場提供
http://ca.c.yimg.jp/news/20090726215101/img.news.yahoo.co.jp/images/20090726/maip/20090726-00000025-maip-soci-view-000.jpg

Krattle

July 27th, 2009, 08:14 PM

source: http://www.tokyograph.com/news/id-5019

I saw this on TV, and some guy gut to touch her butt in a reenactment. So, it's Chikan on the train but you're fine letting some news guy touch your butt? Cool, can I be that guy?

ukiyo

July 28th, 2009, 01:13 AM

Eww why? I don't think she has a nice butt to touch anyways.

Skybean

July 28th, 2009, 01:22 AM

Eww why? I don't think she has a nice butt to touch anyways.

Honestly I had no idea who Yukiko Hachisuka was until I did a quick Google of her. I think it's easy to see where Krattle is coming from. Point well made.

ukiyo

July 28th, 2009, 01:24 AM

I saw too..it's not that nice :P

Fox-Tale

July 28th, 2009, 07:12 AM

Ayumi Hamasaki is the new Asia spokesperson for Rimmel London

Singer Hamasaki Ayumi (30) is top make-up brand Rimmel's first Asia "image character". She was promoted as spokesperson on the 27th of this month. For the popular brand that's expanding into 56 countries, Ayu will be shooting the advertisements with her strong eyes and sparkling eye-color.

In the beginning of August she will have an interview / stage debut in every country in Asia. The young women in Asia will be fascinated with the "utahime" (singing princess), who will display beauty with great force.

http://i28.tinypic.com/987ihv.jpg

Ayu on being with an English brand: "I've never been to England, so I thought maybe this is an opportunity to try and go there," Ayu said about expanding into Europe pro-actively. The Singing Princess has turned to yet another big dream she'll be running towards.

http://community.livejournal.com/ohnotheydidnt/37639589.html

Rimmel doesn't understand this type of strong eye-makeup only scares off Asian men...

coldstar

July 28th, 2009, 05:28 PM

Japan hosts the 2019 Rugby World Cup!!!
good news!
First Rugby World Cup hosted by Asian nation!

opeing: Sep. 6, 2019
Final: Oct. 20, 2019
venues:

Nissan Stadium, Yokohama (72,000)
Nagai Stadium, Osaka (50,000)
Olympic Stadium, Tokyo (57,000)
Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium, Tokyo (27,000)
Yurtec Stadium Sendai, Sendai (20,000)
Level-5 Stadium, Fukuoka (23,000)
Toyota Stadium, Toyota (45,000)
Sapporo Dome, Sapporo (41,000)
Home's Stadium, Kobe (34,000)
Hong Kong Stadium, Hong Kong (40,000)
Singapore Sports Hub, Singapore (U/C 50,000)

yup, some games will be allocated to Hong Kong and Singapore.

ukiyo

July 29th, 2009, 07:24 AM

日本にはラグビーのいいチームがありますか？

coldstar

July 29th, 2009, 08:39 AM

日本にはラグビーのいいチームがありますか？
Japan has the fourth largest population of rugby union players in the world, and has been always by far the best in Asia over the century.

Currently there're two major cups in Japanese rugby football.

1. Microsoft Cup of Japan Top League (Top League is the nationwide professional rugby league in Japan)
TOSHIBA Brave Lupus won the cup last year
http://www.top-league.jp/team/images/2004_logo_bravelupus.gif

2. All-Japan Championship (Top League teams, amateur club teams, and university teams included)
SANYO Wild Knights took the title of 'All Japan Champion' last year.
http://www.top-league.jp/team/images/2004_logo_sanyo.gif

SUNTORY Sungoliath, NEC Green Rockets, RICOH Black Rams, TOYOTA Verblitz are also very strong in Top League.

'God of rugby smiled on Japan'
Telegraph (UK)
28 Jul 2009

Japan's bid leaders expressed delight at winning Tuesday's vote to stage the 2019 Rugby World Cup and become the tournament's first Asian hosts.

The International Rugby Board awarded the 2015 tournament to England after following the recommendation of organisers for the next two World Cups.

"The God of rugby smiled on us today," said Japan Rugby Football Union (JRFU) president Yoshiro Mori after the IRB's announcement in Dublin.

"I am filled with emotion to be a part of this historic day for Japan and for rugby around the world."

South Africa and Italy also tendered bids for the 2015 and 2019 World Cups but were considered outsiders.

Rugby World Cup Limited (RWCL) last month named England, bidding only for 2015, and Japan as its preferred hosts for the next two tournaments.

"I thank the IRB for taking this step towards the globalisation of rugby," Japan's bid committee chairman Nobby Mashimo said.

"Japan has much to offer the rugby World Cup. We have a superb transport system, strong infrastructure and world-class stadiums.

"We are honoured to welcome the global rugby family to our country and for the first time ever to Asia."

Japan, Asia's top rugby nation, were narrowly beaten by New Zealand in the voting for the 2011 tournament and were expected to be front-runners to host the 2015 edition.

Japanese officials expressed satisfaction at RWCL's recommendation to bring the World Cup to Asia for the first time in 2019.

A recent report conducted by Deloitte calculated that the World Cup could generate more than £2 billion pounds in economic benefits for the host nation.

coldstar

July 29th, 2009, 03:33 PM

Uighur Kadeer arrives in Tokyo
BBC NEWS
28 July 2009

Uighur activist Rebiya Kadeer has arrived in Tokyo for a visit which has prompted an angry reaction from China.

Mrs Kadeer is expected to use her three-day stay to drum up support for the mainly Muslim minority group.

Beijing says the 62-year-old was behind a recent outbreak of deadly ethnic unrest in Xinjiang province.

But Mrs Kadeer, once a businesswoman in China and now leader of the exile group the World Uighur Congress, has denied any involvement.

Wearing a traditional Uighur hat, she was greeted at the airport by a small group of supporters carrying Uighur flags.

"I came here to let the Japanese people know the terrible conditions that the Uighurs are suffering," Mrs Kadeer was quoted as saying by Japan's public broadcaster NHK.

She said she wanted to "let the people know how many Uighurs are actually killed and arrested", referring to recent unrest in Xinjiang, western China.

Mrs Kadeer's visit to Japan will include a news conference and meeting with members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

But one supporter told the AFP news agency earlier the itinerary could change according to events.

"We are a bit worried about ensuring her safety as she has been attacked by mobs in the past elsewhere," said the unnamed supporter.

The BBC's Roland Buerk in Tokyo says that ties between Japan and China have improved in recent years, despite tensions over wartime history and territorial disputes.

But Mrs Kadeer's visit threatens to strain relations between the major trading partners, says our correspondent.

Japan's Foreign Ministry Press Secretary, Kazuo Kodama, said Mrs Kadeer had been granted a visa "based on the usual procedure", so the visit should not cause any diplomatic problems.

full text
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8171791.stm

and

Exiled Uighur leader Rebiya Kadeer takes protest to Tokyo
Wednesday 29 July 2009
The Guardian

Rebiya Kadeer, head of the World Uighur Congress, gives a press conference in Japan.

full text
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jul/29/uighur-leader-japan-tokyo-china

coldstar

July 30th, 2009, 06:32 AM

Row Brewing Over Britain's Strongest Beer
SKY NEWS
Tuesday July 28, 2009

Health campaigners have called for a review of the alcohol industry after a Scottish brewery launched Britain's strongest beer.

The beer, called Tokyo, has an alcohol content of 18.2%, meaning a single pint would contain 12 units, equivalent to a full bottle of wine.

But its creators have sparked fury among alcohol charities by saying it will "help alleviate the country's irresponsible binge drinking culture".

Sarah Matthews from the British Liver Trust said the organisation was appalled by the new drink.

"I do not understand the point they are trying to make in terms of allieviating binge drinking," she said.

"All we can see is that it will add to the binge drinking culture. They are promoting the high ABV [the alcohol by volume standard] which they should not be allowed to do.

"It is completely irresponsible and a real worry.

"It highlights the need for a mandatory code for the alcohol industry to prevent irresponsible drinks promotions such as this."

But James Watt, who founded the independent brewery BrewDog, is dismissive of the concerns.

"We want to change the perception towards beer and show a different side to the multinational corporations," he told Sky News Online.

"People that criticise us have no understanding of our brand or our customers.

"It is priced in a way that encourages responsible consumption and marketed to people who understand and enjoy beer.

"To get the body and flavours we needed the alcohol backbone of the beer and it is a fantastic technical achievement."

The super strength beer is on sale in 330ml bottles via BrewDog and specialist retailers.

It was brewed with jasmine and cranberries and fed with glucose every four hours for three weeks.

Around 2,000 bottles have been sold to retailers abroad, and only 1,000 remain in the UK.

It is not the first time BrewDog has courted controversy.

It was forced to abandon its Speedball drink after industry watchdog the Portman Group judged its marketing to be irresponsible.

Speedballing is the name given to the lethal combination of heroin and cocaine that is said to have killed the actor River Phoenix.

The chief executive of the Portman Group, David Poley, said all alcoholic drinks must be marketed in a socially responsible way.

"Effectively, there is already a mandatory code for drinks producers," he said.

"If we receive a complaint that a drink is being marketed irresponsibly, an independent panel will examine it.

"If a product is found in breach of the code, we ask retailers not to stock it until the marketing is amended."

The Portman Group code says the alcoholic content of a drink must not be the dominant theme.
How come Scottish brewery has named world's strongest beer 'TOKYO' ?
http://www.brewdog.com/blog_images/bf86093d288cf7cfba4ff3be6d20ce2a_4333.jpeg

Whiteeclipse

July 31st, 2009, 03:34 AM

Japan kid payouts may win votes, not up birthrate
Promises of cash for raising kids look like one reason why Japan's opposition Democratic Party is ahead in the run-up to an election next month, but many say it won't prompt them to have more babies.

That is a worry for Japan, which is aging far faster than any other developed country. More than a quarter of Japanese are set to be over 65 by 2015, a trend that could burden a dwindling workforce with unmanageable social security costs.

The Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) has vowed to hand out 26,000 yen in subsidies a month per child and to make public high school free, hoping a lighter financial burden will encourage people to have larger families.

"Policies tackling the low birthrate and aging society will be a factor in how I vote," said Narumi Okoshi, 37, who works for Koriyama Sokuryo Sekkei, a surveying and design company in Fukushima, a largely rural prefecture north of Tokyo.

"I think child allowances will be positive for the party."

Struggling to catch up with the DPJ in opinion polls ahead of the August 30 election, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is planning measures to boost disposable household income, including making pre-school education free and providing a daycare place for every child who needs it, media say.

But Okoshi's colleagues were unenthusiastic when asked whether such incentives might push them to expand their families.

"Rather than money, what we need is jobs. Somewhere to work," said 35-year-old Minoru Suzuki, the father of a one-month old baby. "As things are, even if you have kids, you worry about what will happen to them when they grow up."

His anxiety is understandable. Unemployment hit 5.2 percent in May, the highest level since 2003, and is expected to rise further as Japan struggles to climb out of its worst recession since World War Two. Many of the jobs available to young people are too poorly paid to enable them to start families.

Lack of opportunity forces many young people to head for the big cities, further depressing local economies and turning small town high streets into silent rows of shuttered stores.

MORE BABIES IN FUKUSHIMA

While the fertility rate, calculated as the average number of children a woman produces in her lifetime, has sunk to 1.09 in Tokyo, Fukushima has kept its rate at a slightly healthier 1.52. Fukushima's local governments have a long menu of programs to support those who have children or want them, ranging from help finding a partner to subsidized fertility treatment.

Some remote villages where more than half the population is over 65 offer generous cash gifts for parents of new babies. Families with children get a card entitling them to discounts on a variety of goods and services in the prefecture.

But local officials say they are not sure to what extent the higher birth rate is due to the steps, and note that Fukushima's population has fallen each year from a 1997 high of 2.14 million.

"First of all you need to find a partner," said Kiyokazu Nogawa of the family support division at Fukushima's prefectural government. "But some people don't have children after they get married. It's sometimes for economic reasons. That's why you need wide-ranging policies to stop the birth rate from falling."

In a bid to change the corporate culture of long working hours that many say is a factor in limiting family sizes, the prefecture offers incentives for local companies, like Koriyama Sokuryo Sekkei, that provide a family-friendly working environment. Such firms, for example, are given preference in bidding for public works contracts.

"My generation spent all their time at work," said managing director Kazuya Watanabe, when asked why he blazed a trail with efforts to make life easier for working parents.

"Childcare and household management were left entirely up to the wife. I am sorry about that now. I don't want the younger generation to have the same regrets as me."

But some say Fukushima's relatively high birth rate has little to do with such innovative policies and more to do with the rural tradition of living with the extended family.

"If I think of a reason, it's the environment," said Tomo Honda, 34, the youngest member of the Fukushima regional assembly, who himself lives with his parents as well as his wife and baby son in his constituency of Nihonmatsu.

"All the generations tend to live together in one big house. If my wife needs to go out to do something, the support is all there."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/30/AR2009073003813_2.html?wprss=rss_world/wires

Ryuhei

August 1st, 2009, 05:43 PM

Questions for forumers residents in japan :)
What´s the economic situation in Japan right now? Is the worst of the crisis over? What are the forecasts for the end of the year and for 2010?

No answer?
I was just curious. I don´t know if Japan is going to emerge from the economic crisis before or after the majority of the other developed countries.

Krattle

August 1st, 2009, 07:47 PM

ukiyo

August 1st, 2009, 07:49 PM

Yes, japanese have been shown to be good savers already, and i believe half the most savings of all the developed country per household. I don't know why the government would think taking money out of a paycheck and handling it themselves would be better than a Japanese doing it. I think America is facing the same problem with social security too.

Vapour

August 2nd, 2009, 07:23 AM

No answer?
I was just curious. I don´t know if Japan is going to emerge from the economic crisis before or after the majority of the other developed countries.

Sorry. Industrial output and household spending are up, among other "green shots". But anyway things are still pretty hard in my opinion :(

tiger

August 2nd, 2009, 07:39 AM

Jobless rate will be likely to record in the coming months.:(

ukiyo

August 2nd, 2009, 10:12 AM

This is from july but I finally found an english website for economic news..not sure how accurate it is though.

Japan’s consumer confidence rises for sixth straight month in June
July 13, 2009
By Ken Worsley

After bottoming out at 26.2 in December, Japan’s Consumer Confidence Index has slowly been creeping upward over the past six months. According to data released by the Cabinet Office today, the Consumer Confidence Index reached 37.6 points in June, up from 35.7 in May. This is the highest reading seen since December 2008, and the index has now risen for six straight months.

The consumer confidence index itself contains five scores, each of which is considered positive when above 50, and pessimistic when below the 50 mark. Here’s a breakdown for June figures, with the change from the previous month:
■Consumer Confidence Index: 37.6 (+0.9)
■Overall Livelihood: 37.4 (+1.1)
■Income Growth: 35.8 (+0.5)
■Employment: 31.7 (+3.7)
■Willingness to buy durable goods: 45.5 (+2.4)
Media sources have attributed the pickup in consumer confidence in part to government stimulus efforts, which may help explain why the “Income Growth” category continues to rise despite the fact that wages continue to fall on the average. The score for income growth, however, has risen much less than the others over the past few months. The employment index, to take but one example, sunk to an abysmal 14.2 points in January before climbing to the 31.7 seen last month.

Of course, despite the rise seen over the past six months, the Consumer Confidence Index remains well in the pessimistic range. The only score above 40 is willingness to buy durable goods, and this figure would be boosted the most by the government’s cash handouts to households - though an extra 12,000 yen per person may not go far towards purchasing many durable goods in most households.

Downward pressure on consumer confidence still exists. Cash handouts will either be saved or spent away soon, and Keidanren claims that average summer bonuses will be down 18.3% from last year.
http://www.japaneconomynews.com/2009/07/13/japans-consumer-confidence-rises-for-sixth-straight-month-in-june/

Whiteeclipse

August 2nd, 2009, 11:35 AM

What needs to be done to increase the birthrate?

What do people want done to increase the birthrate?

Your opinions please, thanks.

Ryuhei

August 3rd, 2009, 11:17 AM

Thanks for the answers about economy.
It seems that the worst of the crisis is over. Let´s hope for a sustained recovery.
The unemployment is near the highest, but thankfully the record rate is "only" 5.5%

castermaild55

August 3rd, 2009, 02:16 PM

What needs to be done to increase the birthrate?

What do people want done to increase the birthrate?

Your opinions please, thanks.

1)Japan needs fear like war.
2) to quit to watch AV
3)Woman's salary should be reduced....
It is a problem how to make the instinct of procreation active.
Japan should regain a good old days..
The school should educate "the good wife and wise mother" more
Japan did Three children policy like chinese one child policy..

alonzo-ny

August 3rd, 2009, 02:30 PM

5.5% is nothing! Spain is at 19% unemployed!

Vapour

August 3rd, 2009, 07:33 PM

ukiyo

August 4th, 2009, 06:57 AM

彼の考え方は、いい意味で少し昔っぽいのかな ;)

Whiteeclipse

August 4th, 2009, 08:42 AM

1)Japan needs fear like war.
2) to quit to watch AV
3)Woman's salary should be reduced....
It is a problem how to make the instinct of procreation active.
Japan should regain a good old days..
The school should educate "the good wife and wise mother" more
Japan did Three children policy like chinese one child policy..

1. I don't think that would help, some European countries worry about Russia (there is nothing to worry about) but their birthrate is still low and not at replacement levels.
2. Maybe it helps some people set the mood.
3. Don't women already make less then men in Japan? Same case for many other countries too.

1. I think providing free education (as I understand parents have to pay school fees, correct me if I'm wrong) and provide free or very cheap daycare centers to watch the kids while the parents are at work.
2. Providing free after school programs, such as sports, music, arts and so on.
3. Provide good pay leave for mothers that are pregnant and create good laws that will protect the womens jobs and position when they return to work.

4. Create a new tax system.....people with no kids pay more tax and people with kids receive a tax break for each kid.

castermaild55

August 4th, 2009, 11:02 AM

1. I don't think that would help, some European countries worry about Russia (there is nothing to worry about) but their birthrate is still low and not at replacement levels.
2. Maybe it helps some people set the mood.
3. Don't women already make less then men in Japan? Same case for many other countries too.

1. I think providing free education (as I understand parents have to pay school fees, correct me if I'm wrong) and provide free or very cheap daycare centers to watch the kids while the parents are at work.
2. Providing free after school programs, such as sports, music, arts and so on.
3. Provide good pay leave for mothers that are pregnant and create good laws that will protect the womens jobs and position when they return to work.

4. Create a new tax system.....people with no kids pay more tax and people with kids receive a tax break for each kid.

I think you are misunderstood by propaganda of social Welfare.
it is nothing to help the birthrate..
when Japan was poor, it was natural that a family has 5 children..
why?
Why did it have a lot of children in the house of poverty?

Fox-Tale

August 4th, 2009, 11:47 AM

I think you are misunderstood by propaganda of social Welfare.
it is nothing to help the birthrate..
when Japan was poor, it was natural that a family has 5 children..
why?
Why did it have a lot of children in the house of poverty?

日本は大家族が普通だったですからね～当時は。

今は核家族化が進んでいるのが一番大きな原因だと思います。
それに伴う地域の連帯の希薄化。
大家族で近所とのつながりが強いと貧しくても助け合えますが核家族で近所づきあいがなく、全て自分でやらないといけない上に年収がすくないと子供が養えないし、世話もできないですから。。

そもそも、子供以前にマスコミの報道で「挙式費用は平均400万円」「相手に希望する年収は700万円」などと報道されて、それが普通だと信じ込まされて「自分は今の年収では無理・・・」と思って結婚を諦めている人が多いと思います。

Fox-Tale

August 4th, 2009, 12:02 PM

上記に関連するオススメ書籍です。

http://ec2.images-amazon.com/images/I/41ywyKEwToL._SL500_AA240_.jpg

貧困大国ニッポン―2割の日本人が年収200万円以下 (宝島社新書 273) (新書) (http://www.amazon.co.jp/%E8%B2%A7%E5%9B%B0%E5%A4%A7%E5%9B%BD%E3%83%8B%E3%83%83%E3%83%9D%E3%83%B3%E2%80%952%E5%89%B2%E3%81%AE%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC%E4%BA%BA%E3%81%8C%E5%B9%B4%E5%8F%8E200%E4%B8%87%E5%86%86%E4%BB%A5%E4%B8%8B-%E5%AE%9D%E5%B3%B6%E7%A4%BE%E6%96%B0%E6%9B%B8-273-%E9%96%80%E5%80%89%E8%B2%B4%E5%8F%B2-%E8%B3%83%E9%87%91%E3%82%AF%E3%83%A9%E3%82%A4%E3%82%B7%E3%82%B9%E5%8F%96%E6%9D%90%E7%8F%AD/dp/4796664033)

結婚したくてもできない若者の話が多数出てきて非常に興味深いです・・・。
結婚後も子供を養うために大変な苦労をしている夫婦の話も・・・。
その他にもお年寄りの年金問題なども出てきます。
日本人として、こういった暗部にもきちんと目を向けてなんとかしていかないといけませんね。
そうしないとお先、真っ暗ですから。

castermaild55

August 4th, 2009, 12:20 PM

日本は大家族が普通だったですからね～当時は。

今は核家族化が進んでいるのが一番大きな原因だと思います。
それに伴う地域の連帯の希薄化。
大家族で近所とのつながりが強いと貧しくても助け合えますが核家族で近所づきあいがなく、全て自分でやらないといけない上に年収がすくないと子供が養えないし、世話もできないですから。。

そもそも、子供以前にマスコミの報道で「挙式費用は平均400万円」「相手に希望する年収は700万円」などと報道されて、それが普通だと信じ込まされて「自分は今の年収では無理・・・」と思って結婚を諦めている人が多いと思います。

子供や孫が多ければ老後の孤独からの不安も解消されやすいと思う。
私は大家族で育ったので母親はこま鼠のように働き、子供の世話をし苦労の連続だったと思うけどその分、今は多くの孫にも囲まれ気楽だと思うし、それを見ているから世話もできる。
世の中見てみると、40歳以上で結婚していない人たちがうじゃうじゃいる。
一人での生活は楽だろう。しかしその老後は惨め。
結局思うことは一人でも生きていける世の中になってしまったことだろう。

結婚後も子供を養うために大変な苦労をしている夫婦の話も・・・。
子供を育てるのは一人でも苦労する。　二人目は楽
金の心配ならもっと働け。　^^　
餓死するようなことはないだろう。子供の出来ない人には申し訳ないけど。。

Fox-Tale

August 4th, 2009, 01:21 PM

子供や孫が多ければ老後の孤独からの不安も解消されやすいと思う。
私は大家族で育ったので母親はこま鼠のように働き、子供の世話をし苦労の連続だったと思うけどその分、今は多くの孫にも囲まれ気楽だと思うし、それを見ているから世話もできる。
世の中見てみると、40歳以上で結婚していない人たちがうじゃうじゃいる。
一人での生活は楽だろう。しかしその老後は惨め。
結局思うことは一人でも生きていける世の中になってしまったことだろう。

そうですね、一人でも生きていける世の中・・便利なようで実は凄く不幸なことかも。

金の心配ならもっと働け。　^^　
餓死するようなことはないだろう。子供の出来ない人には申し訳ないけど。。

その本には、秋田県で夫婦で介護ヘルパーをやって月13万円で4人家族を養っている人の話も載ってました。地方は本当に仕事が無い上に、あっても信じられないほどの薄給。
一生懸命働いてもどうしようもないほど東京や大阪との地方格差が拡がっているようです・・。　都会にいると見えてこない問題ですが、日本人の9割は地方に住んでいるだけに、地方の仕事の無さと低収入はかなり深刻です・・・。

castermaild55

August 4th, 2009, 03:00 PM

その本には、秋田県で夫婦で介護ヘルパーをやって月13万円で4人家族を養っている人の話も載ってました。地方は本当に仕事が無い上に、あっても信じられないほどの薄給。

これがそもそも間違いだと思う
職種さえ選ばなければ普通に夫婦で時給800円のアルバイトで働いても30万にはなると思うけど。

Fox-Tale

August 4th, 2009, 04:01 PM

これがそもそも間違いだと思う
職種さえ選ばなければ普通に夫婦で時給800円のアルバイトで働いても30万にはなると思うけど。

時給800円のバイトなんて地方には殆どありません。しかもあってもフルタイムではありませんよ。30万円はどうやったって無理だと思います。

castermaild55

August 4th, 2009, 04:17 PM

時給800円のバイトなんて地方には殆どありません。しかもあってもフルタイムではありませんよ。30万円はどうやったって無理だと思います。

地方ってどこのことかな？山奥？
車で20分も行けば町らしいとこには着けるでしょう。
最低賃金以下の時給600円でもいいでしょう。夫婦共働きなら楽勝のはずです。　夜中も当然仕事ですよ。
無理なら昔ながらの出稼ぎだって出来るでしょう
朝昼はコンビニ、スーパー。夜は皿洗い、宅急便の集荷作業、職種さえ選ばなければなんとでもなる思うけど

Whiteeclipse

August 4th, 2009, 06:17 PM

Fox-Tale

August 5th, 2009, 03:48 AM

地方ってどこのことかな？山奥？
車で20分も行けば町らしいとこには着けるでしょう。
最低賃金以下の時給600円でもいいでしょう。夫婦共働きなら楽勝のはずです。　夜中も当然仕事ですよ。
無理なら昔ながらの出稼ぎだって出来るでしょう
朝昼はコンビニ、スーパー。夜は皿洗い、宅急便の集荷作業、職種さえ選ばなければなんとでもなる思うけど

山奥ではなく、政令指定都市以外の全ての日本の市町村のことです。

一日中、しかも夜中も夫婦で仕事・・そうしたら結局子供を生んで育てるのは無理、ということになりますね。何の解決にもなりません。:ohno:

castermaild55

August 5th, 2009, 05:41 AM

山奥ではなく、政令指定都市以外の全ての日本の市町村のことです。

一日中、しかも夜中も夫婦で仕事・・そうしたら結局子供を生んで育てるのは無理、ということになりますね。何の解決にもなりません。:ohno:

そんな夫婦はたくさんいますよ。子供は親がいなくても育ちます。この子供達は親の苦労を知って育ち立派な大人になるかもね
まずは子供を育てるとはどういうことでしょうか？　
お金がないから子供が育てられない、非常にネガティブな考え方ですね。ろくな子供は育てられないでしょう　

昔の日本は子供は働き手として考えられていたはずです。子供が大人になり、家計が安定していく、だから子供が多かった。上の子供が下の子の面倒を見、赤ん坊を背負っていた。
親のエゴかもね。まして将来のことなんかわからない

2co2co

August 5th, 2009, 09:39 AM

castermaild55

August 6th, 2009, 03:07 PM

1) Men are already under pressure from overwork (nothing new but maybe even more recently). In addition to that, due to feminism(?) women are getting more aggressive. There is enough fear around
2) So, move to 2D. Ayanami Rei or Nagato Yuki are better than "real"s.
3) Naturally achieved: women who used to be in 2) is jobless now. Statistically, the average is lowered.

:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

以前面白い記事があったので載せておきます
下村博文氏（内閣官房副長官）の日本の少子化問題に関連したコメントがFred Hiatt記者によって紹介されていた。今日、公立の幼稚園やデイケアーセンター等の入所待機児童解消策に関連して、氏は「母親が家庭で子育てに専念すれば問題は解決するのだが……」と述べたという。下村氏の言を安倍首相にぶつけたら、首相はさすがに仲間（？）に逆らうことを避け、「母親が外で仕事をすることも、また家庭に留まることも自由に選択できるような環境を作ることを目指す」と述べたと記されている。

果たして母親の子離れが少子化の原因だろうか。終戦直後は食糧難、就職難で父親は職探し、母親は食糧確保で子供のことを構っていられなかった。母親は明日の糧を得るために子供を近所に預けて遠い田舎へ買出しに行ったものだ。母親の子離れを言うなら、この時代ほど酷い時代はなかった。ところが、この時代「子沢山」であったため、政府は産児制限までして少子化に努めた。当時一家に5人や6人の子供が当たり前だった。こうした歴史的事実（現象）からすれば、残念ながら下村氏の「子育て専従主婦」は少子化改善には当たらないことになる。

そもそも人間を含めて動物はなぜ子供を生むのか。それは生物の「生存本能」のためである。つまり「少子化は人間（生物）本能の問題」である。動物実験をすれば自明の通り、「生命が危機に晒されると生殖器官の活動が盛んになり出生率が上がる」。生命に対するリスクが種の生き残りのためより多くの生命を生むのである。戦後の食糧難・生活苦の生命リスクの中で、産児制限をしなくてはならないほどの子沢山現象が起きたのは、人間本能に関わりがある。今日の日本は総じて戦後のような食糧難も経済的生活苦もない。経済でアメリカを追い越した頃から日本は種の生存本能が積極的に働く環境ではなくなった。だから、以来少子化現象が続いているのである。

今日の日本政府の少子化対策は人間の本能を無視したものだから効果など期待できない。先進国アメリカの人口が最近3億人に達した。移民効果もあるが、実際アメリカ人の出生率は上がっている。アメリカの人口増の原因は二つある。その第一は、日本の終戦直後と同じような貧困層が人口の20%以上を占め、4000万人もの国民は医療保険もなく毎日生命の危機に晒されている。第二は物理的安全問題。強盗・殺人・家庭内暴力はアメリカ社会の日常茶飯事。さらに9.11のようにアメリカ人の生命は世界のテロリストの標的！　先進国でアメリカほど生命の危機に晒されている国はないのである。だから先進国でアメリカのみ、人口が増加しているのである。

いまや少子化は安全で幸せな国家の象徴である。では、実効ある日本の少子化対策は？　いまさら終戦直後に戻れないから、日本の国民が震撼とするような生命の危機が連続的に存在すれば、生命生存本能が働きアメリカのように人口増になるはず。従って、生存本能論からすれば北朝鮮の核廃絶は日本の物理的生命危機解消に繋がり、少子化を益々加速させることになる。「北朝鮮の核の脅威が少子化問題を解消する」とは悪い冗談だが、一面真実でもある。本気で少子化問題を解決したいなら、生存本能からのアプローチが必要であることを強調しておきたい。

ところで、少子化が安全で幸せな国家の象徴ならなぜ不幸な国家を目指すのか。幸せな小人口国家のビジョンがあってもいいのでは。

訃報ですまんけど
f2MsT_KHJ0M
ご冥福をお祈りします。

Fox-Tale

August 7th, 2009, 04:01 PM

Japan issues warrant to arrest missing pop star

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/media/ALeqM5iqltDhsobqWTfcb3twEMxB-J6hzA?size=s2

TOKYO — Police in Japan issued an arrest warrant on Friday for pop star Noriko Sakai(酒井法子) who disappeared after her surfer husband was arrested for possessing illegal stimulants earlier this week, media reported.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department plans to arrest Sakai on the same charge when they locate the 38-year-old singer known for her girl-next-door image, public broadcaster NHK reported, quoting police sources.

Police declined to comment on the case to AFP, but media reports said her Tokyo home was raided after the arrest of her husband Yuichi Takaso, 41, and that police found a small amount of illegal drugs there.

Sakai, who is also popular in Taiwan and China, has vanished from public view and not answered phone calls or emails since Monday when police had also asked her to come to a police station to answer questions.

The couple's 10-year-old son, who was at first believed to be with his mother, was found with a friend of Sakai's on Thursday, said Masahisa Aizawa, president of her management agency Sun Music.

"But her whereabouts are still unknown," Aizawa told a news conference on the case which has dominated Japanese newspaper headlines and TV bulletins.

Police this week picked up her cellphone signal in Yamanashi, a town at the foot of Mt. Fuji, west of Tokyo. Jiji Press reported she called the friend Wednesday, saying: "I would like to hear my child's voice."

Sakai, who made her music debut in 1986, is still popular both as a singer and an actress and is also marketing her own line of clothes.

She recently appeared in a promotional video by Japan's Supreme Court to raise public awareness of a new jury system that was introduced this week.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iSYsIl0CpFFm4kffw68oNsr3mbDw

Drug contamination is a serious problem in Tokyo...especially among those celebrities.

She is very popular among Chinese not only among Japanese, so this incident must be very shocking to them too...

I'm pretty sure she will be put in jail in Tokyo for 1.5 years or longer.. maybe for 3 years if she keeps escaping.

D51

August 8th, 2009, 04:48 PM

kimo-wota :lol:

http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/5537/norip.jpg

Skybean

August 8th, 2009, 08:41 PM

More on this story

Noriko Sakai in Trouble Too

The saga of missing Japanese actress / singer and former idol Noriko Sakai (酒井法子) as written in my Thursday post continues and takes on a very wild twist! Tokyo police dropped a bombshell on everyone yesterday by announcing that the 38 year old mother of one is now wanted in connection with her husband’s drug charges.

This sounds almost too surreal to be true, especially because of Noriko’s idol past and squeaky clean image. Instead, it looks more like a perfect script for a movie! By the way, I wouldn’t be surprised if some studio does decide to make one later down the line.

The turning point of this investigation happened when Noriko Sakai’s husband, surf shop operator Yuichi Takaso told the police that his wife also uses the illegal stimulant he was caught with. Based on his statement Japanese police obtained a search warrant for Noriko Sakai’s residence in the posh Minami Aoyama district of Tokyo. Upon entering the police found small amount of stimulant and drug paraphernalia. As of the 7th Noriko also becomes a suspect in this case. note – Today police have confirmed Noriko Sakai’s DNA on a pipe they confiscated from her home

Let’s keep in mind that being arrested on drug charges in Japan is a much bigger deal than in the US. And if you’re an entertainer, you can just about kiss your showbiz career goodbye!

Eyewitness have also reported the Fukuoka Prefecture native tried to persuade the police when she first arrived at the station late last Sunday that the powder substance found in Yuichi’s pocket was actually for sexual enhancement and that he refused to show it because it was too embarrassing. But when test result came back showing the substance was indeed stimulant Noriko broke down and began crying.

The whereabouts of he 80s and 90s Japanese mega idol is still unknown. Record shows Noriko withdrew several thousand dollars from the ATM early Monday morning. She rang up the family friend whom she dropped off her 10 year old son with from a pay phone back on Wednesday requesting to hear her son’s voice, but that was the last contact anyone has received from her.

The Sun Music artist likely won’t be looking to her family for help. News have surfaced that Noriko Sakai’s younger brother Takeshi Sakai (酒井健), who turns out to be a member of the infamous Yamaguchi Mafia (山口組) was also picked up on drug possession in addition to extortion charges down in Fukuoka earlier last month. This story gets crazier by the minute!

Oh, you thought this story’s already intriguing enough? You’re wrong, my friend! The plot thickens…check this out!

The latest report that just came out reveals that the “family friend” Noriko Sakai dropped off her son with is no other than, get this, her husband’s mistress! And here comes the juiciest part – Noriko not only approves of the affair, the mistress was a friend of Noriko!

Don’t you just love (non-fiction) Japanese drama?

Skybean

August 9th, 2009, 03:12 AM

Finally found her

Noriko Sakai Arrested

The unthinkable has happened. Former mega idol Japanese actress / singer Noriko Sakai (酒井法子) has been arrested on drug charges Saturday evening, Japan time.

http://img8.imageshack.us/img8/1555/norikosakai10.jpg
Noriko Sakai arriving at Shibuya Police Station in an unmarked van around 9:30pm, Saturday Japan time

Tokyo police produced an arrest warrant for the beautiful 38 year old fans call “Noripi” after finding evidence in her make up case at her residence in Minami Aoyama and confirming a DNA match on drug paraphernalia discovered at the same location. The police suspect that Noriko Sakai is also a habitual illegal stimulant user.

By the way, during the search police was only able to produce 0.008 gram of the substance. That is really trivial, if you ask me.

Eyewitness reported seeing Noriko Sakai purchasing instant food, bottled water, cosmetics and underwear in Shinjuku Ward soon after her husband’s arrest last Sunday. She then was seen leaving her condo with a huge bag looking like she was about to go on a vacation.

Most have thought Noriko has since left metropolitan area but lawyer of the Fukuoka Prefecture native began contacting authority late Friday in preparation to turn herself in. Noriko turned herself in at a police station in Tokyo’s Bunkyo Ward around 8pm Saturday Japan time. She was presented with the arrest warrant and was officially arrested. After stopping by Shibuya Police Station, she was transferred to Tokyo Women Detention Center in Koto Ward shortly after midnight.

After her arrest the 80s & 90s super cute idol commented that, “I don’t remember having stimulants in my home, but if they were found then I guess it’s true.” When asked about her whereabouts since her disappearance on the 3rd she replied, “I don’t want to talk about it.”

http://img8.imageshack.us/img8/2833/norikosakai3.jpg

Noriko Sakai at the unveiling of her fashion brand “PP Rikorino” in ‘04

A2OFOZiozBY

Noriko held a concert in HK in 1998/1999. With this arrest, she has disappointed many fans.

Vapour

August 10th, 2009, 08:23 AM

Did you guys feel yesterday's earthquake? It was unusually loooooong wasn't it :eek:

Ryuhei

August 10th, 2009, 11:51 AM

Was it strong in mainland? I heard about it yesterday in the news, but they said the epicenter was in the Pacific, more than 200 km far from the coast and 300 km deep,
so it caused no damage.

Fox-Tale

August 10th, 2009, 02:13 PM

Did you guys feel yesterday's earthquake? It was unusually loooooong wasn't it :eek:

Yes it was longer than I expected.
But we were lucky it was not that strong. Only my mobile phone which was placed at the corner of my desk dropped because of the shake. :)

Vapour

August 11th, 2009, 06:18 AM

^Another quake today at 5:00 am, it woke me up.

Ryuhei

August 11th, 2009, 03:05 PM

Any damage?

Vapour

August 11th, 2009, 06:38 PM

+80 injured in Shizuoka :(

Whiteeclipse

August 11th, 2009, 10:15 PM

Japan Wants To Build Medical Tourism Market
Japan’s government has come up with a not-so-new idea for creating jobs in its healthcare sector: competing for medical tourists against Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and India. For months, a panel of experts has been meeting at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) behind closed doors to discuss the merits of luring wealthy patients from Asia and Russia to Japan for top-notch medical treatment. When I first heard of the proposal a couple of months ago, the ministry official who told me about it asked that I not write about it yet.

At the time, officials worried about a backlash. In recent years, there have been reports of hospitals turning away thousands of pregnant Japanese women who required emergency services; a few women even died because they didn’t receive the care they needed. The concern was that promoting medical tourism would seem as if the government was putting foreign patients before Japanese.

Now the ministry is moving ahead with its plans. METI hopes the idea will help Japan’s hospitals—many of which are losing money—add to their revenues, says Koji Fujimoto, the ministry’s director of the service industry. The ministry will oversee a small-scale project that’s expected to start in September at 10 of the nation’s largest hospitals. Travel agencies and translation-service companies will participate in the tour packages, which will combine medical checkups with sightseeing trips. The one- to two-year project is expected to cost about $1 million.

Japan won't have an easy time luring patients from overseas. Countries such as India, Singapore and Thailand are already a popular destination for Americans, Europeans and Japanese who are looking for specialized medical procedures but don't want to pay the high costs. Japan won't be able to compete on price. After all, a heart procedure that costs $100,000 in the U.S. or Japan can be done for a mere $10,000 to $20,000 at the top private hospitals in Asia.

But Japan thinks there's an opportunity in cancer treatments, gene analysis and other high-tech medical services that aren't available in less advanced countries. The METI panel found that even Americans would consider flying to Japan to receive medical treatment that, in some cases, costs some 60% less than similar services in U.S. hospitals. Japan's reputation for safety and cleanliness bolsters its appeal. And you can expect a lot of pampering in the way that only the Japanese have perfected.

Japanese hospitals and clinics could use the extra cash. They rely mainly on national health insurance payouts from the government. Currently about 80% of Japan's annual medical costs are paid for by the state. The result:
Many hospitals and clinics are struggling to make ends meet.

Any extra business would help Japan's medical system at this point. Japan's national insurance system is just as hard-up for money. With the population graying, the number of workers paying for insurance has dwindled, to the point where the payments no longer cover the annual costs.

There's no guarantee that the medical-tourism plan will succeed. For one thing, the country has few doctors who are bilingual. Hiring translators wouldn't be cheap. It's also unclear how patients from abroad will pay for their medical bills in Japan and whether insurance companies will offer to help out. And before hospitals in Japan offer services they are likely to require some kind of accreditation from Joint Commission International. Typically hospitals that offer services to medical tourists have been approved by JCI, which is part of the same nonprofit organization that accredits American hospitals.

Another hurdle: Japan's shortage of doctors. According to the OECD's Health Data 2009, Japan has fewer doctors per capita than most other major countries. In 2006, Japan had 2.1 doctors per 1,000 people--below the OECD average of 3. (The U.S. per capita figure is also low, at 2.4 doctors.) The scarcity is partly due to the government's annual limits on the number of spots available at the nation's medical schools. Many doctors complain about paperwork and clinical duties that have nothing to do with their field of specialty. To recruit more doctors, particularly outside the largest cities, Japan has already raised the limit and is planning to spend more public money on doctor education and recruitment programs. (How the government plans to reconcile already soaring medical costs and the higher outlays to increase the number of working doctors is unclear.)

Where patients from other parts of Asia might feel a sense of security is in the long lives that many Japanese lead. They have clearly benefited from high-quality healthcare.
http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/blog/eyeonasia/archives/2009/07/japan_wants_to.html