News - Sat 7 Jun 2008
Japan and North Korea to hold talks Saturday
TOKYO (AP) -- Japan and North Korea have scheduled bilateral talks Saturday in China, reportedly on the communist state's nuclear weapons programs and its past abductions of Japanese citizens.Views: 13
Growing number of Japanese offenders unable to pay fines, end up in jail
TOKYO (AP) -- An increasing number of Japanese who can't afford to pay fines imposed for traffic violations and other crimes are being jailed to pay off their debt to society -- by doing unskilled labor in prison workshops.Views: 14
Premium black watermelon auctioned in Japan at record 650,000 yen
TOKYO (AP) -- A black jumbo watermelon auctioned in northern Japan fetched a record 650,000 yen (US$6,100) Friday, making it the most expensive watermelon ever sold in the country -- and possibly the world.Views: 27
Rainy season makes rare start in Kanto before northern Kyushu
The rainy season began in the Kanto region, which includes Tokyo, earlier than in northern Kyushu this year -- an unusual phenomenon that hadn't happened in 13 years, according to the Meteorological Agency.Views: 29
Restaurant owner convicted for serving alcohol to driver who caused fatal crash
SAITAMA -- A court has convicted a restaurant owner for serving alcohol to a car driver who later caused a fatal accident with two cars.Views: 17
Ex-top figure skating coach admits lying when questioned about rape
NAGOYA -- A former figure skating coach arrested on suspicion of raping a 13-year-old girl has admitted lying when he said he didn't remember the incident.Views: 28
Robber in shooting standoff with police had plan to kill himself from outset of saga
KAWAGOE, Saitama -- A suspected robber who shot himself dead on Tuesday after holing himself up in a car for more than eight hours had apparently planned to kill himself from the beginning of the standoff, investigators said.Views: 31
4 men turn selves in over beating of police officers in Fukuoka
CHIKUSHINO, Fukuoka -- Four men turned themselves in to police Friday over an incident in which two plain-clothed police officers were attacked and the police ID of one officer was stolen, law enforcers said.Views: 8
More than 500 gov't ministry members received gifts from taxi drivers
Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura revealed in a House of Representatives committee meeting Friday that 502 people from 13 government ministries and agencies had accepted gifts from taxi drivers.Views: 18
Japan to formally recognize Ainu as indigenous people
Both houses of the Diet unanimously approved a resolution on Friday urging the government to officially recognize Ainu as indigenous people.Views: 30
Giant 'Daimajin' statue a shock for boat race goers
A gigantic statue of movie character "Daimajin" has been erected in front of a boat racecourse in Tokyo.Views: 29
Mainichi reaches settlement with ex-journalist over 'con man' article
A former journalist and a weekly magazine have reached a court-mediated settlement after the publisher agreed to pay compensation for calling him a "con man."Views: 20
Yellow dust this spring at smallest level in 2000s
This past spring's yellow dust from the Chinese continent was at the smallest level in Japan so far in the 2000s, Japan Meteorological Agency data showed Friday. The yellow dust, or Asian dust, is known as a springtime meteorological phenomenon making the sky hazy and reducing visibility.Views: 29
Japan announces G-8 summit schedule involving 15 non-members
The Japanese government announced Friday key meetings scheduled to be held at the Group of Eight summit on July 7-9, which would also involve leaders from seven African countries, and eight others such as China and India. The summit will wrap up with a press conference by Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda in his capacity as chairman following the G-8 leaders' meetings, outreach sessions and the Major Economies Meeting on Energy Security and Climate Change.Views: 12
Gov't not to appeal high court rulings on A-bomb sufferers
The government does not plan to appeal two rulings that recognized plaintiffs as suffering illnesses as a result of the 1945 U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, government sources said Thursday. The government has decided not to appeal the rulings handed down last week by the Sendai and Osaka high courts apparently because the state has previously lost similar cases eight straight times, including suits handled by district courts, the sources said.Views: 15
GSDF personnel on duty fires 3 gunshots in base, Ishiba vows action
A Ground Self-Defense Force private fired three gunshots Thursday night without authorization at its base in Kyoto Prefecture while on duty, injuring nobody, and prompting Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba to pledge Friday to tighten discipline among GSDF members. The 24-year-old leading private fired one shot at the ground and the other two into the air from a type-89 rifle, while he was guarding an ammunition depot along with several others around 7:30 p.m. at the GSDF's Fukuchiyama base, according to the GSDF.Views: 28
