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16 injured after sightseeing boat hits rock in sea
2008-05-20 00:00:00
{mosgoogle right}SHIOGAMA, Miyagi -- Sixteen people were injured after a sightseeing boat hit a rock in the sea on Monday morning, coast guard officials said.At around 11:25 a.m., a local coast guard office received an emergency call from a crewmember of the sightseeing boat Yamabiko, saying that the bottom of the vessel hit a rock in the sea while cruising in Matsushima Bay, and that some passengers were injured.The boat returned to the port at around 12:10 p.m. Of abou ...
More About: Rock , Boat , Hits , Sightseeing , Injured

8 injured when 2 leisure fishing boats collide off Hokkaido
2008-05-20 00:00:00
{mosgoogle right}HABORO, Hokkaido -- Two leisure fishing boats collided with each other off the coast here over the weekend, injuring eight passengers, coast guard officials said.The area was covered with dense fog at the time of the accident. The Rumoi Coast Guard Office is investigating the cause of the accident.The "Tomi Maru" and "Hokuto Maru No. 8" leisure fishing boats collided with each other about nine kilometers north of Haboro Port in Haboro at around 6:30 a.m. ...
More About: Fishing , Fishing Boats , Boats , Leisure

Hibakusha: 'Is the government just waiting for us to die off?'
2008-05-20 00:00:00
{mosgoogle right}"Well, I'm pleased to hear that more people will be eligible for government help. Still ... "Yoko Nakano, 62, is referring to new and less rigid standards for the official recognition of hibakusha. The revised standards went into effect in April, extending government medical compensation to many atomic bomb victims who had long had their claims rejected. Thus in April alone the number of people permitted to claim their symptoms stemming from the bombings exceeded t ...
More About: Government , Waiting

Knife-wielding man robs Fukuoka book store of 1.5 million yen
2008-05-20 00:00:00
{mosgoogle right}FUKUOKA -- A knife-wielding man robbed a book store here of about 1.5 million yen in the early hours of Monday, police said.Nobody was injured in the incident. Police are searching for the robber, who was about 160 to 165 centimeters tall and wearing a balaclava.At around 1 a.m., the assistant manager and four other employees of the book store in Sawara-ku, Fukuoka , closed the store and came out through the backdoor when a man suddenly ambushed them and ...
More About: Book , Store , Knife , Million

Fukuoka police officer arrested for involvement in child prostitution
2008-05-20 00:00:00
{mosgoogle right}FUKUOKA -- A Fukuoka Prefectural Police officer has been arrested for his role in child prostitution, becoming the fifth officer in the force to be apprehended over the past year, police officials said.Hideaki Maeoka, 56, a sergeant, stands accused of violating the Anti-Prostitution Law and the Child Welfare Law. He is the third Fukuoka police officer to be arrested since the beginning of this year.Maeoka conspired with Eriko Ishimatsu, 45, a sex shop ow ...
More About: Arrested

Comatose boxer dies in Tokyo hospital following ring disaster
2008-05-20 00:00:00
{mosgoogle right}Professional boxer Mikio Takeuchi, a Chinese national, lost his fight to survive, dying Sunday night in a Tokyo hospital where he had been in a coma since suffering a brain hemorrhage in a May 3 fight, hospital officials said. He was 22.Takeuchi, of Akashi, Hyogo Prefecture, fell unconscious after being defeated in a match on May 3, and underwent surgery.Takeuchi is the grandson of a Japanese national left behind in China at the end of World War II. He a ...
More About: Hospital , Disaster , Ring , Boxer

Toyota joint venture auto plant restarts in China after weeklong halt from
2008-05-20 00:00:00
{mosgoogle right}TOKYO (AP) -- Production has restarted at Toyota 's joint venture auto plant in China after it was halted for a week after a deadly earthquake struck nearby.Toyota Motor Corp.'s joint venture with Chinese carmaker FAW Group has only restarted the daytime shift and is taking things "one step at a time" before restarting the night shift, said Paul Nolasco, a Toyota company spokesman in Tokyo.None of the employees were injured and all family members were acc ...
More About: Venture , Auto , Plant

Shipping company denies workers stole whale meat, says it was gift
2008-05-19 00:00:00
{mosgoogle right}A shipping company has denied that some of its employees stole a large amount of whale meat after their vessel returned from Antarctica.Kyodo Senpaku Kaisha, Ltd., which is commissioned by the Fisheries Agency to carry out research whaling off Antarctica, made the claim as they compiled an interim report on an in-house investigation into the case. The company will further file a report to the agency soon.According to the company based in Tokyo's Chuo-ku, ...
More About: Meat , Workers , Company , Gift , Shipping

Popular band Southern All Stars to take a break
2008-05-19 00:00:00
{mosgoogle right}The Southern All Stars , arguably Japan's most loved band, will take an indefinite break at the end of this year, their record company announced over the weekend."We hope to get together as Southern All Stars again at some point in the future," the band said in a comment released through its record company on Sunday, while ruling out the possibility of dissolving the band.Headed by 52-year-old vocalist Keisuke Kuwata, the band debuted in June 1978 with th ...
More About: Band , Break , All-Stars , Popular

16,000 people evacuated after unexploded bomb found in western Tokyo
2008-05-19 00:00:00
{mosgoogle right}About 16,000 people were temporarily evacuated and services on a railway line were partially suspended while an unexploded bomb was being disposed of in western Tokyo on the weekend, local government officials said.The Chofu Municipal Government on Sunday morning sealed off an area within a radius of 500 meters from where the bomb was found, and a Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF) unit began to dispose of the dud at 11 a.m. The bomb was removed by noon.As ...
More About: People , Western , Bomb

Sumo stablemaster beats young wrestler with bamboo sword
2008-05-19 00:00:00
{mosgoogle right}A sumo stablemaster admitted to beating a young wrestler with a bamboo sword and apologized to the head of the Japan Sumo Association over the weekend.Stablemaster Magaki said he regrets his misconduct as a board member of the sumo association and apologized to its chairman, Kitanoumi, during a press conference held on Sunday."I went too far in beating him. It's not socially-acceptable," Magaki said.The stablemaster withheld from commenting on ...
More About: Young , Bamboo , Beats , Sword

Prowler sneaks into comedian Hitoshi Matsumoto's home in Tokyo
2008-05-19 00:00:00
{mosgoogle right}A prowler sneaked into comedian Hitoshi Matsumoto's home in Tokyo earlier this month, police sources said.Nothing was stolen from his home in Meguro-ku and police are treating the case as attempted theft.At around 2 p.m. on May 5, an alarm system at Matsumoto's home went off indicating that someone had sneaked into his home, local police said. The security company that was monitoring the system alerted police.Officers found that one of the win ...
More About: Comedian , Home

50 passengers miss early trains after workers failed to open station shutte
2008-05-19 00:00:00
{mosgoogle right}FUNABASHI, Chiba -- About 50 passengers missed trains early Sunday morning after station workers failed to open the shutter of the entrance before the first train arrived, the railway operator said.At 5:13 a.m. on Sunday, Keisei-Funabashi Station on the Keisei Railway Line received a phone call from a passenger saying that the entrance to the station was closed.The workers on night duty immediately opened the shutter at the wicket -- but only after two e ...
More About: Workers , Open , Trains , Miss

Unmanned wooden boat with Korean writing on it found drifting off Akita
2008-05-19 00:00:00
{mosgoogle right}NIKAHO, Akita -- An unmanned wooden boat with Korean writing on it has been found drifting in the Sea of Japan, coast guard officials said.At around 11:20 a.m. on Sunday, a crewmember of a ferry boat cruising off the city of Nikaho found a half submerged wooden ship drifting nearby, and alerted the local coast guard office.A patrol boat was dispatched to the scene by the Akita and Sakata coast guard offices to tow the vessel to the Konoura fishing port i ...
More About: Writing , Boat , Drifting

Wake up to domestic violence!
2008-05-19 00:00:00
{mosgoogle right}Gender disorder, domestic violence, love triangles -- "Last Friends," a drama series currently showing on Fuji TV, has got it all. But there's something about Masami Nagasawa's performance in the lead female role of Michiru, a young woman caught in a trap of domestic violence that she can't escape, that has got this old man fired up.I'd say this show is probably attracting decent ratings. What I'm worried about, though, is that the show may well be giving young peo ...
More About: Domestic , Violence , Wake , Wake up , Domestic Violence

Japan gets nature-themed 1,000-yen coin ahead of G-8 summit
2008-05-18 00:00:00
{mosgoogle right}A 1,000-yen coin depicting Japan ese cranes flying in front of Hokkaido's Lake Toya is to be produced ahead of the next G-8 summit, which will be held in Hokkaido.The silver coin, produced to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Local Autonomy Law, is due to go on sale in time for the G-8 summit to be held at Hokkaido's Lake Toya in July, and will be given to the leaders of each country there.The 4-centimeter coin depicts two Japanese red-crowned crane ...
More About: Nature , Summit , Ahead , Coin

New bento chain fuels takeout lunch war
2008-05-18 00:00:00
{mosgoogle right}A new bento chain named "Hotto Motto" launched operations earlier this week, fueling a takeout lunch war across the nation.Hotto Motto is operated by Fukuoka-based food business Plenus Co., Ltd., which is a splinter group from the Hokka-Hokka Tei chain that had 3,450 box lunch outlets nationwide. Of them, 2,087 outlets have decided to shift to Hotto Motto.On Thursday, Plenus President Tatsuo Shioi pledged to provide a better product than other lunch box ...
More About: Lunch , Bento , Chain , Fuels

Tokyo Gov. Ishihara questions 'excessive' rental fee for pandas at Ueno Zoo
2008-05-18 00:00:00
{mosgoogle right}Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara anti-panda crusade continues, with the object of his ire this time being the rental fee for a pair of giant pandas provided by China following the death of Ueno Zoo's Ling Ling."Just what does it mean to take money under a banner of goodwill and friendship? I think it's a rather excessive price." Ishihara complained during a scheduled briefing on Friday. The rental fee for the pandas is believed to be about 100 million yen."I ...
More About: Questions , Rental

Nintendo eyes Wii Fit success in US
2008-05-18 00:00:00
{mosgoogle right}NEW YORK (AP) -- Sumo wrestlers were the main inspiration behind Wii Fit, Nintendo 's latest attempt at getting you off the couch when you play video games.Because they are so huge, sumo wrestlers need two scales to weigh themselves. Wii Fit's balance board works kind of like two scales fused together, which, as its designers found, makes it instantly more fun than just one. The game has sold more than 2 million copies in Japan and it's been a hit in Europe. Nintend ...
More About: Eyes , Success

Hakuho extends winning streak to 7 in Summer Grand Sumo tournament
2008-05-18 00:00:00
{mosgoogle right}TOKYO (AP) -- Grand champion Hakuho extended his winning streak to seven on Saturday by knocking an opponent to the ground with a series of powerful slaps at the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament .The 23-year-old Mongolian easily beat 30-year-old Japanese Miyabiyama, staying unbeaten on the seventh day of the 15-day sumo tournament at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo.A packed audience also cheered when fellow and popular Mongolian grand champion Asashoryu appeared i ...
More About: Winning

Weekly magazine takes a pounding after featuring innocent wrestler in sumo
2008-05-18 00:00:00
{mosgoogle right}The publisher of the weekly magazine Shukan Shincho has apologized after it ran a special on the alleged fatal beating of a junior sumo wrestler last year containing a photo of a wrestler who was not involved in the incident.Officials from Shinchosha Publishing Co. apologized to the wrestler and his stable master Tokitsukaze at the Japan Sumo Association headquarters in Tokyo, and the Shukan Shincho editorial division has released a statement saying that it will ca ...
More About: Magazine , Innocent , Weekly , Featuring

Hakuho remains unbeaten at 6-0 to share lead in Summer Grand Sumo tournamen
2008-05-18 00:00:00
{mosgoogle right}TOKYO (AP) -- Grand champion Hakuho pushed out Wakanoho on Friday, adding another victory to stay unbeaten in a two-way lead at the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament.The Mongolian yokozuna grabbed No. 2 maegashira's upper arm to send him to the ringside, thrusting him in the chest to send him out of the straw ridge.Hakuho, seeking a seventh title after a final-day loss to archrival grand champion Asashoryu in March, is now 6-0. Wakanoho slipped to 2-4. ...
More About: Share , Lead

Kobe railway failed to properly check for injuries after emergency stop
2008-05-18 00:00:00
{mosgoogle right}KOBE -- Kobe Electric Railway officials failed to check if passengers were injured after a train's automatic braking system kicked in when the train exceeded the speed limit, sending passengers toppling forward, it has emerged.Officials said a Sanda Line train entered a curve in front of Yokoyama Station at 7:51 a.m. on Thursday traveling at 80 kilometers per hour, 5 kilometers per hour above the speed limit. The high speed triggered an automatic stop system that b ...
More About: Injuries , Check , Stop , Emergency

Wing-clipped pigeons spark police investigation in Saitama
2008-05-18 00:00:00
{mosgoogle right}SOKA, Saitama -- Thirty-six pigeons with clipped wings were found on a riverbank here Saturday, prompting a police investigation, law enforcers said.The birds were found near a dry bed of the Ayase River in Soka at about 7:30 a.m. on Saturday.Investigators said the tips of the left wings of the birds had been clipped so they couldn't fly, but that there was no skeletal damage.Police said there was evidence that the pigeons' legs had been tagge ...
More About: Investigation , Wing , Spark , Pigeons

Japan gov't warns low food self-sufficiency, global shortages may lead to d
2008-05-18 00:00:00
{mosgoogle right}TOKYO (AP) -- Japan ese could face a future eating only rice and potatoes with no meat because of growing global food shortages and an alarmingly low rate of food self-sufficiency, a government report said Friday.About 60 percent of food consumed in Japan is imported from countries such as the United States, China, Australia and Canada.If the global food crisis intensifies and results in a lower availability of food imports, Japanese would see a dramatic ...
More About: Food , Global , Lead

TV Asahi reporter arrested for flashing walks free
2008-05-18 00:00:00
{mosgoogle right}A television reporter arrested Thursday for flashing his genitalia on a Tokyo street has been released, his employer said.The Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office freed the 29-year-old reporter from TV Asahi 's city news department on Friday, without giving a reason for their decision.The reporter was arrested on Thursday night, after police officers spotted him exposing his private parts to a woman in her 20s and other passers-by on a street in the M ...
More About: Arrested , Free , Reporter , Walks

Osaka garbage collectors suspected of repeatedly pulling sickies
2008-05-18 00:00:00
{mosgoogle right}OSAKA -- Thirty-two employees at the Osaka Municipal Government's environmental business centers claimed nearly a week off work at least five times during fiscal 2007 without having to submit medical certificates, it has been learned.The Environment Bureau revealed the repeated use of paid sick leave in an Osaka Municipal Assembly meeting on Friday. Of the 32 workers, 12 reportedly took sick leave of up to six days at least 10 times during the year; and repeatedly ...
More About: Garbage

Delivery firm files police complaint over stolen whale meat
2008-05-18 00:00:00
{mosgoogle right}AOMORI -- A delivery firm has filed a criminal complaint over the theft of box of whale meat, after Greenpeace Japan said it had intercepted a package that a member of a scientific whaling ship was sending home.Seino Transportation Co. filed the complaint at Aomori Police Station on Friday. Police are investigating the alleged theft.Greenpeace Japan earlier filed accusations with the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office accusing 12 crew members of th ...
More About: Meat , Stolen , Whale , Files

18 slightly injured in 2 pile-ups on Metropolitan Expressway
2008-05-18 00:00:00
{mosgoogle right}Eighteen people suffered minor injuries in a pair of pile-ups that occurred on the Metropolitan Expressway in Tokyo Saturday morning, police said.At around 8:25 a.m., a crash involving two cars and two trucks occurred on the expressway's Shinjuku route in the Matsubara district of Setagaya-ku, leaving seven people with slight injuries, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) said.Another pile-up involving five cars occurred in an expressway tunnel in Na ...
More About: Injured

MSDF sailor poses as girl online, attempts to blackmail minor into sending
2008-05-18 00:00:00
{mosgoogle right}NAGOYA -- A Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) member who posed as a minor on internet forums has been arrested for attempting to blackmail a 13-year-old girl into sending him a naked photo of herself, police said.Daisuke Noda, 29, a leading seaman stationed at the MSDF's Tateyama base, met the victim, a second-year junior high school student living in Nagoya, while posing as a girl on an online bulletin board.After exchanging e-mails for a while, he per ...
More About: Girl , Online , Sailor , Blackmail , Sending