Japanese News & Science/Tech 日本のニュースと科学技術

[ukiyo]

U.S. says Senkaku Islands fall within scope of Japan-U.S. security treaty

The Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands, a group of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea to which China and Taiwan have both made claim, fall within the scope of the 1960 Japan-U.S. security treaty which requires the country to defend Japan in the event of armed attacks, a senior State Department official said Monday.

"The Senkakus would fall within the scope of Article 5 of the 1960 U.S.-Japan Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security because the Senkaku Islands have been under the administrative control of the government of Japan since they were returned as part of the reversion of Okinawa in 1972," the official told Kyodo News.

http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2012/07/168715.html

Japan to issue resident cards to foreigners

JAPAN - A new management system for foreign residents in Japan started Monday. As part of the changes, the previous alien registration system will be abolished and a new resident card will be issued to foreign residents in Japan.

The new system is designed to reduce the number of foreign residents staying in Japan illegally and to be more convenient for bona fide foreign residents.

The period of stay limit for foreign residents has been extended from three years to five years. Under the new system, people leaving Japan will not be required in principle to obtain a re-entry permit if they hold a passport and a resident card and return to Japan within a year and before their period of stay expires.

More: http://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2...10-358211.html

[Ryuhei]

Thanks for all these news posts, Ukiyo. Here in Europe, Japan does not exist in the media except when something bad happens.

[ukiyo]

^ You're welcome

Japan Rains Kill At Least 15, More Missing

TOKYO -- Heavy rain triggered flash floods and mudslides in southern Japan on Thursday, causing at least 15 deaths and leaving 11 more people missing.

Television footage showed residents wading through muddy, knee-deep water on streets. Others shoveled out mud from their homes.

Local officials said damage was concentrated in Kumamoto and neighboring Oita states on Japan's southern island of Kyushu. Most victims were in their 70s and 80s.

Hundreds of homes were destroyed or damaged, and tens of thousands of people had to evacuate the area threatened by swollen rivers and mudslides.

More: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/0...n_1668105.html

[ukiyo]

Evacuation Orders Issued To 240,000 People In Kyushu Due To Heavy Rain

FUKUOKA (Kyodo)--Evacuation orders have been issued to some 240,000 people from around 85,000 households in Kyushu due to overflowing rivers and possible landslides as heavy rain that has already killed 20 people continued hitting Japan's southern main island through Saturday, local authorities said.

http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20120714D14JF299.htm

[ukiyo]

Japan floods: Troops airlift supplies to Kyushu

Japanese troops are airlifting supplies to thousands of people trapped in mountainous districts cut off by floods on the southern island of Kyushu.

Rescue teams have been searching for those missing following flooding and landslides caused by record rainfall.

So far, 22 people have reportedly been killed. Hundreds of thousands have been affected. Many of them are staying in evacuation centres.

Heavy rain has also caused flooding in Japan's historic capital, Kyoto.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-18845931

[Skyrobot]

The Kyushu heavy rain and flood is all over the news. My heart goes to the people affected. Thanks for the links & videos, ukiyo.

[ukiyo]

250,000 Return After Floods in Japan

TOKYO — A quarter of a million evacuees began to return home on Monday after a letup in torrential rains over the weekend that killed at least 27 people in southern and western Japan and flooded the grounds of the famed Temple of the Golden Pavilion in Kyoto.

Most of the deaths were on the southern island of Kyushu, where rains fell at a rate of almost four inches per hour, causing flash floods that swept cars off streets and landslides that swallowed homes. Five people were still missing and at least 3,000 people have been isolated by flooding, authorities said.

Japan’s national weather agency warned that more rain may be on the way. The Japan Meteorological Agency said that while the storm’s peak had passed, there was still the possibility of heavy rains in some areas and with them the threat of more flooding. However, authorities said it now appeared safe for many of those who had fled their homes for school gymnasiums and other evacuation centers to go home.

more: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/17/wo...thousands.html

[Skyrobot]

Let there be diplomacy and talk. This islands belongs to people everywhere & natural resources found within should be given to the UN to help the poor.

[ukiyo]

Are you chinese-singaporean? Not that it matters I am just curious.

As for Taiwan I don't think it's that big of a problem. Japan-Taiwan are the best friends so unless there is a huge incident I am not too worried. As for China I think we need to keep increasing economic ties and eventually neither side can't even afford an incident, but I guess there will be more incidents in the future.

[ukiyo]

The Japanese National Police Agency just released suicide statistics for the first 6 months of 2012: http://www.npa.go.jp/safetylife/seia...jisatsusya.pdf

If it follows the current trend for the rest of the year suicides for 2012 should be below 30,000 for the first time since 1997 at around 28,000 (compared to a peak of 34,427 in 2003). That rate might take Japan out of the top 10 countries for suicide in the world. One good news is the tsunami disasters seems to have not spiked suicides.

[ukiyo]

Japan best place to be a child

The Child Development Index (CDI) released by NGO Save the Children showed that Japan is the best place in the world to be a child while Somalia is the worst.

More: http://www.firstpost.com/world/japan...or-383597.html

The ranking is based off of: child health, education and nutrition

Typhoon dumps rain on flood-weary Kyushu

UKIHA —
A typhoon skimmed past sodden southwestern Japan on Wednesday dumping rain on an area already struggling to clean up after huge floods.

By late afternoon, Typhoon Khanun was sitting west of Kyushu, packing winds of up to 120 kilometers per hour, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

The storm was moving away from Japan, heading toward South Korea, but was still causing rain in Kyushu where floods and landslides have left 32 dead or missing over the last week.

http://www.japantoday.com/category/n...west-of-kyushu

Suspected buyers of child porn face prison terms for first time in Japan

KYOTO--For the first time in Japan, police will pursue criminal charges against suspected buyers of child pornography that could lead to prison sentences.

Kyoto prefectural police plan to punish four men in the prefecture under an ordinance that stipulates that buyers of pornography involving children under 13 face a maximum one-year prison term or a fine of up to 500,000 yen ($6,360)

http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_...AJ201207190094

[everywhere]

Originally Posted by Skyrobot

With regard to the Senkaku islands, my view is that China & Taiwan are opportunistic to try to lay a claim on these Japanese islands. China is in fact trying to claim the whole of the South China Sea and all territories on it. They act like a big bully sometimes.

But Taiwan shares the same stance as Mainland China concerning Spratlys and Paracels...

[everywhere]

Over a third of Fukushima children at risk of developing cancer
(Russia Today, July 20)

Over a third of children in Japan's Fukushima region could be prone to cancer if medics don’t apply more effort in treating their unusually overgrown thyroid glands and commit to international health aid and consultations, according to a new report.


*The shocking new report shows that nearly 36 per cent of children in the nuclear disaster-affected Fukushima Prefecture have abnormal thyroid growths. This is an extremely large number of abnormalities – some of which, experts say, pose a risk of becoming cancerous.


After examining more than 38,000 children from the area, medics found that more than 13,000 have cysts or nodules as large as 5 millimeters on their thyroids, the Sixth Report of Fukushima Prefecture Health Management Survey states.

more: http://www.rt.com/news/fukushima-chi...ies-632/print/

[everywhere]

Japan launches unmanned cargo carrier into orbit
(Shanghai Daily/Xinhua, July 21)

TOKYO, July 21 (Xinhua) -- An unmanned cargo carrier to supply goods to the International Space Station (ISS), "the Konotori 3", was successfully launched into orbit by an H2B rocket in southwest Japan on Saturday.

The rocket blasted off from the Tanegashima Space Center in southwestern Japan at 11:06 a.m local time, the public broadcaster NHK reported.

The cargo carrier separated from the rocket at an altitude of about 288 kilometers about 15 minutes later.

more: http://www.shanghaidaily.org/article...a.asp?id=84500

[ukiyo]

^

[Skyrobot]

Originally Posted by ukiyo

Are you chinese-singaporean? Not that it matters I am just curious.

As for Taiwan I don't think it's that big of a problem. Japan-Taiwan are the best friends so unless there is a huge incident I am not too worried. As for China I think we need to keep increasing economic ties and eventually neither side can't even afford an incident, but I guess there will be more incidents in the future.

You're right, it does not matter.

[everywhere]

U.S. Osprey aircraft in Japan despite protests
(Shanghai Daily, July 23)

TOKYO, July 23 (Xinhua) -- A ship carrying the U.S. military's latest transport aircraft Osprey arrived in Japan on Monday morning amid protests over safety issues.

Workers began unloading and assembling the 12 MV-22 Osprey aircraft in the city of Iwakuni soon after the ship arrived, according to reports. The U.S. plans to deploy the newer tilt- rotor aircraft to Okinawa to replace CH-46 helicopters.

more: http://www.shanghaidaily.org/article...a.asp?id=84731


ANA Grounds 5 of 11 Dreamliners
(WCARN.com/Australian Aviation)

All Nippon Airways has been forced to ground five of its 11 Boeing 787 Dreamliners over an engine defect.

The 787 launch customer said the aircraft were grounded after Boeing discovered an issue with the gearbox of the 787's Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engine. ANA said the aircraft were grounded as a precaution but that none had been affected by the issue, which was discovered during Boeing's ground-based endurance testing of the engine.

more: http://www.wcarn.com/cache/news/20/20470.html

[manrush]

Ichiro Ozawa, Japan's answer to Bertie Ahern or Charlie Haughey?

Japan's Ichiro Ozawa forms rival political party

Veteran Japanese politician Ichiro Ozawa, who resigned from the ruling party over plans to raise sales tax, has formed a new opposition party.

Mr Ozawa's party is now the third largest in parliament's lower house. He said he would focus on reducing Japan's reliance on nuclear power.

His exit from the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) along with 48 other MPs on 2 July was a blow to PM Yoshihiko Noda.

The plan to raise sales tax has caused bitter disagreement among lawmakers.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-18794030

Expect a greater proliferation of brown envelopes in the coming months.

[ukiyo]

Japanese women lose longevity crown after 2011 disaster

Japanese women lost their longevity crown last year after 26 years at the top of world life expectancy rankings, the government said on July 26, blaming the 2011 earthquake and tsunami for the drop.

The health and labor ministry said the disaster, which left nearly 20,000 dead or missing, was mainly behind a decline in average lifespan by 0.4 years to 85.90 years. That put Japanese women behind Hong Kong, in the top spot with 86.7 years.

The ministry said a rise in the number of suicides last year also contributed to the decline.

For men, average life expectancy fell 0.11 years to 79.44, leaving them tied for 7th place with Italians. Switzerland led male longevity rankings with average expectancy of 80.2 years.

http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_...AJ201207260113

[japanese001]

◆初代iPhone誕生前の“ソニー風”デザイン試作が発掘される

アップル対サムスン訴訟の裁判資料から明らかに

　米国Appleと韓国Samsung Electoronicsによる特許侵害訴訟の裁判資料から、2007年に発売された初代「iPhone」のデザインに際して、Appleの社内デザイナーがソニー製品のデザインから着想を得たり、“ソニー風”の試作デザインを行ったりしていたことが明らかになった。

　この訴訟は米国カリフォルニア州サンノゼ連邦地裁で争われているもので、SamsungがApple製品を模倣してスマートフォンやタブレットのデザインを行ったかどうかが大きな争点となっている。数カ月に及ぶ法廷での議論を経て、来週30日からは陪審団に対して両社が主張を行い、審理が始まる予定になっている。

　これに先だってSamsung側弁護士が提出した資料からは、Samsungは「製品デザインに際して他社のデザインを参照する行為は、コンシューマー・エレクトロニクス市場においては一般的なものである」と主張するのではないかということが推察される。Samsung側提出資料の中に、Appleが初代iPhoneのデザインに際してソニー製品のデザインを参照したことを裏付けるものが含まれるからだ。こうしたSamsungの主張が受け入れられるかどうかは陪審次第である。

　それはそれとして、この裁判資料は、故スティーブ・ジョブズ（Steve Jobs）氏が初代iPhoneを発表するおよそ1年前に、Apple社内で検討されていたデザインについてうかがい知ることのできる、興味深いものとなっている。

　ジョブズ氏がソニーを称賛していたことは特別な秘密ではなく、今回の裁判資料からは、Appleが社内デザイナーの1人に、次の問いに対する回答を求めていることがうかがえる。「ソニーだったらどうデザインするだろう？」。

　提出資料の中には、Appleが当時のソニーのデザイン要素を取り入れて製作した端末のCAD画像が含まれている。この端末には、ソニーがPDA端末「Clie」などで採用していた「ジョグホイール」（コントロール・ホイールとプッシュ・スイッチを統合したインタフェース）も備わっている。

　また、Apple社内で2006年3月に交わされた電子メールも資料として提出されている。メールの差出人はApple製品デザインチーム シニア・メンバーのリチャード・ハワース（Richard Howarth）氏、宛先はiPhoneのプロトタイプ・デザイン責任者であったジョナサン・アイブ（Jonathan Ive）氏だ。

　このメールでハワース氏は、Appleのデザイナーである西堀晋氏がデザインした試作モックアップのことを「ソニー風のやつ（the sony-style chappy）」と呼んでいる。

　加えてこのメールには、iPhoneの初期プロトタイプおよび西堀氏のデザインに基づくモックアップ端末と思われる写真も添付されていた。

　ハワース氏は、西堀氏がデザインした端末とAppleのプロトタイプとを比較して、「彼（西堀氏）は、見た目がよりコンパクトで、耳に当てたりポケットに入れたりしたときにより洗練された感じになるプロダクトをデザインすることができる」と記している。

　ただし、ここで十分に注意しておかなければならないことがある。それは、西堀氏はデザインの着想を得るためにソニー製品を参照しても、彼のデザインやモックアップは、当時販売されていたソニー製品とは似ていないということである。

　CAD画像やモックアップ写真の内の1つを見ると、その外見的な特徴は初代iPhoneよりもむしろ「iPhone 4」に似ているように思われる。モックアップ端末の表面と背面はフラットであり、本体の周りをシルバーの金属バンドが囲っている。

　ハワース氏のメールは、当時iPod部門のシニア・エグゼクティブであったトニー・ファデル（Tony Fadell）氏が、BusinessWeek誌のある記事をジョブズ氏やアイブ氏に転送した2週間後に送信されていた。ファデル氏が転送したのは、ソニーのクリエイティブ戦略ユニット責任者が、ソニーのデザインについて答えたインタビュー記事だった。そして、記事の中でソニーのクリエイティブ責任者は、iPodがソニー製品にもたらした影響についても語っていた。

(Martyn Williams／IDG News Serviceサンフランシスコ支局)