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Man's body found in mysterious circumstances hours after fires razes home
2008-06-04 00:00:00
{mosgoogle right}OSAKA -- A man was found dead in an apartment here, several hours after a fire was extinguished in the home and firefighters had already gone through the rooms to check for victims, it has been learned.The man, who appeared to be aged about 80, was found by a member of Nishinari Fire Station, lying on his back in a room of the apartment at about 11:15 a.m. on Sunday.It is thought that the man died after inhaling smoke from a fire that broke out in a room ...
More About: Body , Home , Mysterious , Fires , Hours

Submarine sonar suspected in deaths of whales washed ashore in Hokkaido
2008-06-04 00:00:00
{mosgoogle right}NEMURO, Hokkaido -- Corpses of two rare Cuvier's beaked whales were washed up on the Pacific Ocean side of the Nemuro Peninsula in Hokkaido, just three weeks after another whale believed to be of the same kind was found dead in northern Hokkaido, it has been learned.The cause of death in each case remained unknown, but researchers say it is possible the whales' ears were damaged internally by active sonar from submarines, causing them to suddenly rise to the surfac ...
More About: Deaths , Sonar , Submarine , Whales

Star takes witness stand to try and save son on drug charges
2008-06-04 00:00:00
{mosgoogle right}Actress Mayumi Ozora told the Tokyo District Court Monday that she would look after her son if it decides not to jail him over the drug charge he faces.Ozora, 68, pledged to take care of her 33-year-old son, Motohiro Nakata, who is being tried on a charge of breaking the Stimulants Control Law."Once he is back in society, I'll spend more time with him and give him the mental support he needs," she said.Nakata has entered a guilty plea in the t ...
More About: Witness , Star , Drug , Save , Stand

Aomori village holds ceremony beside 'Christ's' grave
2008-06-04 00:00:00
{mosgoogle right}SHINGO, Aomori -- The "Christ Festival," marking a town which claims to be the location where Jesus Christ spent the rest of his life after avoiding crucifixion, was held over the weekend.Shingo's association with Christ began in the 1930s with the discovery there of a letter claiming to contain the last testament of Christ.The writer said Christ had lived in the village until dying, aged 106. The letter claimed Christ's younger brother, Isukiri, had bee ...
More About: Grave , Village , Ceremony , Holds

Family Mart releases snack-flavored rice balls
2008-06-04 00:00:00
{mosgoogle right}Convenience store chain Family Mart Co. and Calbee Foods Co. will offer rice balls filled with snacks like consomme and pizza-potato flavored potato chips, the companies said.The snack-flavored rice balls will be available at Family Mart convenience stores until June 9 and sell for 128 yen apiece.Rice balls using the slightly modified snack flavors will be packed in a way that resembles the traditional product.FamilyMart and Calbee are hoping t ...
More About: Balls , Snack

Woman's skeletal remains found in traveling bag
2008-06-04 00:00:00
{mosgoogle right}SHIOYA, Tochigi -- Skeletal remains believed to belong to a woman have been found in a traveling bag dumped on the side of a road here, police said.The remains were clad in women's underwear, a black skirt and a blackish shirt, while the long hair on the body also adds to the likelihood the victim was a woman.Police said a man cleaning trash from the side of a road on Sunday morning moved an abandoned sofa and found the black travel bag with castor wheel ...
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Itoman HA-RE
2008-06-04 00:00:00
Itoman fishing port(Itoman City)Itoman HA-RE executive committee098-992-201106/07/2008

Nikkei hits highest level in 5 months as weakening yen spurs buying of expo
2008-06-04 00:00:00
{mosgoogle right}TOKYO (AP) -- Tokyo stocks rose Monday, with the benchmark index reaching its highest point in nearly five months, driven by futures buying and the weakening yen.The Nikkei rose 101.60 points, or 0.7 percent, to 14,440.14, its best finish since Jan. 9. The Topix index of all the Tokyo Stock Exchange First Section issues rose 1.2 percent to 1425.10 -- its highest level this year.Investors were awaiting the release later in the day of the Institute for Supply ...
More About: Buying , Expo , Spurs , Hits

New Zealand's Waitakere United tries to lure Nakata out of retirement for C
2008-06-04 00:00:00
{mosgoogle right}TOKYO (AP) -- New Zealand side Waitakere United is hoping retired Japan international Hidetoshi Nakata will play for them at this year's Club World Cup, Japan Football Association chief Saburo Kawabuchi said Sunday.Waitakere are champions of Oceania after defeating Solomon Islands club Kossa 5-0 in last month's OFC Champions League final. They must play off against the eventual winners of the current J-League season for a place in the final six-team Club World Cup ...
More About: Retirement , Lure

Nagoya subway line to introduce women-only carriages at night to thwart gro
2008-06-03 00:00:00
{mosgoogle right}NAGOYA -- Nagoya Municipal Subway 's Higashiyama Line is set to begin operating women-only carriages during evening peak hours as early as June 2, it has been learned.The women-only carriages will operate between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. on weekdays, with one carriage per train allowing only female passengers. Women -only carriages already operate in the morning on weekdays until 9 a.m.About 449,000 people use the Higashiyama Line each day, accounting for roughly ...
More About: Night

Japan's tubby tipplers drink a toast to no-sugar beers
2008-06-03 00:00:00
{mosgoogle right}Sugar -free, low-malt beer called "happoshu" is enjoying increased sales after companies began this April screening employees for metabolic syndrome as part of the regular company health checkups.Metabolic syndrome a combination of medical disorders thought to increase risk of both diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Screening is conducted as part of health checkups for people aged from 40 to 74, and anybody diagnosed as suffering from metabolic syndrome will need ...
More About: Drink , Toast , Beers , Tubby

Butter shortage bites into production of popular 'eel pie'
2008-06-03 00:00:00
{mosgoogle right}HAMAMATSU, Shizuoka -- Production of popular "Unagi Pie" (Eel Pie) biscuits is set to be cut back this summer amid a shortage of butter, one of the main ingredients, it has been learned.The biscuits are a well-known product of Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, which is a major eel farming area. The manufacturer, Shunkado, has already halted the production of its Ebishio Pie snacks, a sister product, to reduce butter consumption."We want to somehow uphold U ...
More About: Popular , Butter

Woman knifed to death by sister at family home in Miyagi
2008-06-03 00:00:00
{mosgoogle right}SHIOGAMA, Miyagi -- A woman died after being viciously attacked with a knife by her sister at their parents' home here early Saturday, law enforcers said.Police said a 65-year-old woman called for an ambulance at about 2:10 a.m. on Saturday, saying her daughters were fighting and there was a large amount of blood.When officers arrived at the home in Shiogama, Miyagi Prefecture, they found a 36-year-old woman, Hisako Masuda, collapsed in her room and blee ...
More About: Family , Home , Death , Woman , Sister

U.S. helps Japanese government search for remains of World War II soldiers
2008-06-03 00:00:00
{mosgoogle right}ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) -- Search ers digging for days found the remains of two Japanese soldiers buried in mass graves on the Aleutian island of Attu following one of the bloodiest battles of World War II.At first, old bullets and bits of barbed wire were all that emerged from beneath the grassy tundra -- until the end of the two-week mission by U.S. and Japanese representatives who traveled to the remote resting place of nearly 2,500 soldiers.On May 23, ...
More About: Government , World War

Japan decides not to send military to deliver aid to quake-hit China
2008-06-03 00:00:00
{mosgoogle right}TOKYO (AP) -- Japan has decided not to use military planes to deliver relief goods to quake-hit China , government officials said Friday, after Beijing voiced uneasiness over the mission.The Japanese government later announced more aid of up to 500 million yen (US$4.76 million) in earthquake relief, in addition to the same amount that Tokyo promised earlier this month.Beijing had been in talks with Tokyo about using Japanese military planes to deliver aid ...
More About: Military , Quake , Send

Moderate earthquake jolts Hokkaido
2008-06-03 00:00:00
{mosgoogle right}A moderate earthquake jolted eastern Hokkaido Saturday afternoon, the Meteorological Agency said.There were no reports of casualties or damage to property, police said. No tsunami warning was issued following the quake.The temblor that struck at 3:24 p.m. registered 3 on the 7-point Japanese intensity scale in Nemuro and Betsukai. The focus of the earthquake, which is estimated at 4.9 on the open-ended Richter scale, was located about 90 kilometers below ...
More About: Earthquake , Moderate

Home invader fatally stabs elderly shop owner in front of wife
2008-06-03 00:00:00
{mosgoogle right}HAMAMATSU, Shizuoka -- A man fatally stabbed the owner of an electric appliance shop here and stole about 100,000 yen early Saturday before fleeing, police said.At around 12 a.m., Yukio Sugiura, 66, and his 64-year-old wife Emiko were asleep in their bedroom in his shop-cum-home in Minami-ku, Hamamatsu, when a man sneaked into the room, local police said.The robber demanded money from Sugiura. After the shop owner resisted, the intruder stabbed him in th ...
More About: Wife , Home , Shop , Front , Owner

High school girl hangs self after blog post tells her to die
2008-06-03 00:00:00
{mosgoogle right}KITAKYUSHU -- A high school girl hanged herself at her home here after a message telling her to die was put up on her blog, school officials said Saturday.Mihagino Girl s' High School in Kokurakita-ku, Kitakyushu, held an emergency meeting on Saturday to explain the incident to the parents of the students.Moreover, the school has offered to introduce clinical psychotherapists to traumatized students.The school received a call from the parents o ...
More About: Post , Blog , High School

Delivery worker wearing 18 million yen watch nabbed for theft
2008-06-03 00:00:00
{mosgoogle right}TOKUSHIMA -- A delivery worker who stole a luxury watch priced at 18 million yen was arrested Saturday after an acquaintance became suspicious when he saw the worker wearing it and alerted his workplace, police said.Arrested was 25-year-old Takahiro Yoshimaru, a worker at the Tokushima branch of Sagawa Express Co. The delivery firm sacked Yoshimaru, a resident of Kamiita, Tokushima Prefecture, the same day.The watch Yoshimaru allegedly stole was an Assio ...
More About: Watch , Theft , Million , Worker , Delivery

University, nursing college students shared blood equipment during training
2008-06-03 00:00:00
{mosgoogle right}YAMAGUCHI -- Yamaguchi Prefectural University and Yamaguchi Hygiene Nurse College have announced that about 900 trainees including former students shared blood collecting equipment used in training.The needles were changed but the caps that came into contact with the skin and other parts were reused after being sterilized. So far there have been no reports of health problems as a result of the repeated use of equipment.In 2006, the Ministry of Health, La ...
More About: Students , Training , Equipment

Maintenance cars narrowly avoid collision on Tokaido Shinkansen Line
2008-06-03 00:00:00
{mosgoogle right}OSAKA -- Two maintenance cars on the Tokaido Shinkansen Line between Kyoto and Shin-Osaka Stations narrowly avoided a collision after coming to an emergency halt, railway officials said.Officials said that a Shin-Osaka-bound maintenance car checking for obstacles on the tracks before the first train of the day was mistakenly directed to drive onto the same tracks as another maintenance car heading for Kyoto at about 4:45 a.m. on Friday, putting the two cars on a co ...
More About: Cars , Maintenance , Avoid , Collision

Man refuses to give name in theft trial, charged as detainee 'No. 57'
2008-06-03 00:00:00
{mosgoogle right}A man who has been convicted of crimes four times since 2001 without giving his name, refused to provide his personal details as he went on trial facing a charge of habitual theft on Friday.Since his arrest, the man has refused to reveal his name, age, or address, forcing officials to charge him as "No. 57, Gyotoku Police Station detention, Chiba Prefecture.""I will not give my name, even if that adversely affects my position," the man said during the op ...
More About: Trial , Give , Theft

Education official arrested for molesting high school girl at fast food sto
2008-06-03 00:00:00
{mosgoogle right}TOKOROZAWA, Saitama -- A former junior high school principal was arrested Saturday for molesting a high school girl at a fast food store here, police said.Manabu Sato, 62, who now serves as an education counselor at the Musashimurayama Municipal Board of Education , stands accused of violating a Saitama prefectural ordinance on the wholesome education of youths.He admitted to the allegations during questioning. "I gave in to temptation," he was quoted as ...
More About: Food , Arrested , Fast Food , School

Suicidal woman throws 2-month-old daughter into sea to drown
2008-06-03 00:00:00
{mosgoogle right}ISHINOMAKI, Miyagi -- A woman has been arrested for murder after she hurled her 2-month-old daughter into the sea, killing the infant, police said.Kaori Miyamori, 25, an unemployed woman living in Ishinomaki, said she had intended to commit suicide after killing her daughter. "I had intended to die with my daughter," she was quoted as telling investigators.Miyamori hurled her daughter Haruka into the sea from the pier of Ishinomaki Port at around 12 a.m. ...
More About: Woman , Daughter , Suicidal , Month

Fugitive arrested after weeks on the run intended to commit more crime
2008-06-03 00:00:00
{mosgoogle right}OSAKA -- A man who was arrested in Saitama Prefecture on Friday for attempted murder and robbery after spending more than two weeks as a fugitive has told investigators that he had intended to commit another robbery, police said."I planned to commit one more robbery," Atsushi Ishizu, 40, was quoted as telling investigators. "I took an overnight bus to get to crowded Tokyo so I wouldn't be arrested."When he was apprehended in Ageo, Saitama Prefecture, Ish ...
More About: Arrested , Crime , Fugitive , Weeks

Hundreds evacuated as man gasses himself in hotel room with homemade hydrog
2008-06-03 00:00:00
{mosgoogle right}GIFU -- A man has gassed himself to death at a hotel here by producing hydrogen sulfide in a guestroom, sickening 12 other people, police said.The man, believed to be a 28-year-old resident of Adachi-ku, Tokyo, had stayed at the hotel in Gifu since Wednesday. Police are trying to confirm his identity.At around 12:30 p.m. on Friday, employees of Gifu Grand Palais Hotel found the man collapsed in the bathroom of an eighth-floor guestroom, and called for an ...
More About: Room

Woman excretes needle-like metal after eating store-bought bread
2008-06-03 00:00:00
{mosgoogle right}KAMEYAMA, Mie -- A woman hospitalized with acute stomach pains here is believed to have swallowed a needle after a metal object was found inside her, police said.Local police suspect that the needle may have been stuck in store-bought bread she had recently eaten and are treating the case as forcible obstruction of business.At around 9:30 a.m. on Friday, a Kameyama municipal hospital official called police reporting that a foreign object had been found i ...
More About: Metal , Store , Woman , Bread , Eating

Japan urges China to be more open about military expenditures and intention
2008-06-03 00:00:00
{mosgoogle right}SINGAPORE (AP) -- Japan does not regard China as a security threat but wants it to be more open about its military capabilities and motives to allay fears among its neighbors, the Japanese defense minister said Saturday.Shigeru Ishiba told an international audience of defense officials and analysts that China must be willing to give details of its military arsenal, including ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons.Ishiba said he is not critical of China's ...
More About: Military , Open , Intention

2 men charged with murdering wealthy siblings
2008-06-03 00:00:00
{mosgoogle right}Two men under arrest for dumping the bodies of a wealthy western Tokyo woman and her brother have been hit with new arrest warrants accusing them of murdering the victims, police said.Kazuo Okikura, 60, a former official with the Akiruno Municipal Government, and Yoriaki Imaruoka, 64, a civil engineering company owner, stand accused of robbery and murder. They admitted to the allegations against them, according to investigators.Okikura and Imaruoka ambus ...
More About: Wealthy , Siblings

Honda president intent on saving jobs, responding to small-car demand in No
2008-05-30 00:00:00
{mosgoogle right}TOKYO (AP) -- Honda will meet growing U.S. demand for small cars while maintaining North American jobs by moving production of two bigger models from Canada to the U.S. state of Alabama, Chief Executive Takeo Fukui said Thursday.Honda Motor Co.'s Pilot sport utility vehicle and Ridgeline pickup, now rolling off its plant in Ontario, Canada, will be produced in Alabama, allowing the production of the Civic sedan to be raised in Canada, he said."Gas prices ...
More About: President , Jobs , Small , Saving