Japan

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Is This Man the Next Dice-K?
 Is This Man
 the Next Dice-K? 
May 14, 2008 12:52 PM CDT

Is This Man the Next Dice-K?

Yu Darvish may be headed to the US sooner than thought

(Newser) - Japan's best pitcher is a towering 21-year-old named Yu Darvish, and the biggest question about his career is not if he will come to the US, but when, writes ESPN. With Japanese baseball strides ahead of the American institution in terms of commercialism, his team may well offer him up...

Machines Join Japanese Anti-Smoking Effort

Face-scanning system could help ensure buyers are of age

(Newser) - New face-scanning software may help Japanese vending machines decide who can buy cigarettes and who can't, Reuters reports. The system would look for wrinkles and saggy skin to identify customers over the legal smoking age of 20. As of July, vendors are on the hook for checking ID, and the...

Japan Balks at $1M Panda Price Tag

Tokyo may reject Chinese offer

(Newser) - Hu Jintao is making the first visit to Japan by a Chinese president in 10 years, and he's looking to solidify the newly amicable relationship with an offering of two giant pandas. But the rare animals aren't a gift, exactly: they're a loan, and they come at a yearly cost...

Marine Guilty of Sex 'Misconduct' in Hiroshima

But he's acquitted of raping Japanese teen

(Newser) - A US Marine was convicted of "wrongful sexual misconduct" with a 19-year-old Japanese woman, but was acquitted of the more serious charge of rape, reports CNN. The Marine, 20, is one of four accused of attacking the woman in Hiroshima. The case was heard by an American military court...

Chinese Prez Back in Tokyo After Decade Without Visit

High on the agenda: new panda for Japan

(Newser) - Chinese President Hu Jintao today began a five-day trip to Japan, where he is expected to discuss a new panda for a popular zoo—and play ping-pong with Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, the BBC reports. The visit is the first by a Chinese president in a decade, and patching up...

In Japan, Elders Outnumber Kids

Too many senior citizens, not enough children means trouble ahead

(Newser) - Monday was Children’s Day in Japan, but the holiday has a bitter irony in a land where the number of children has been waning for 27 years. Kids account for only 13.5% of Japan’s population, while the elderly make up 22%, the Washington Post reports.

Japanese Fight Over Detoxed Delicacy

Fugu liver can now be safe, but traditionalists don't want it served

(Newser) - One of Japan's prized delicacies is having an identity crisis: fugu, the pricey puffer fish that's poisonous unless prepared correctly, now has a farmed cousin that's harmless, the New York Times reports. But gourmands looking forward to eating fugu liver—the most delicious and potentially deadly part of the fish—...

World's Best Whiskey Comes From... Japan?

Yoichi is first non-Scottish brand to win top award

(Newser) - For years, Japanese whiskey has struggled for respect and praise; now, it’s on top of the world. A brand called "Yoichi 20 years old" has been voted the best whiskey in the world by Whiskey Magazine, the industry’s main publication. No non-Scottish spirit has ever won before,...

Japan Rebuilds Economic Walls
Japan Rebuilds Economic Walls
Apr 30, 2008 1:30 PM CDT

Japan Rebuilds Economic Walls

With firms ripe for takeover, gov't moves to make foreign investment tougher

(Newser) - Once, Japan was one of the world’s most closed economies, with near-impregnable barriers guarding against foreign investors. It's moving back in that direction, the Wall Street Journal reports. Companies are buying stakes in each other to complicate international takeover bids, and resurrecting the “poison pill” strategy America pioneered...

Japan's Oldest Giant Panda Dies
 Japan's Oldest Giant Panda Dies 
Apr 30, 2008 9:00 AM CDT

Japan's Oldest Giant Panda Dies

Tokyo Zoo star was 22

(Newser) - Ling Ling, the undisputed star of the Tokyo Zoo and a symbol of friendship between Japan and China, died today of heart failure, the AP reports. At 22—the equivalent of 70 human years—the giant panda was Japan’s oldest, and the fifth-oldest in the world. Ling Ling had...

Torch Relay Fires Up Thousands in Japan

Riot police block flame as protesters pepper pro-China crowd

(Newser) - A pro-China crowd peppered with protesters welcomed the Olympic torch relay in Japan today, BBC reports. Japan's national baseball manager kicked off the run in Nagano with 40 riot cops on each side, mostly blocking the view of thousands of onlookers. Cops nabbed one protester for trying to grab the...

US Charges Marine With Okinawa Rape

Military does own investigation after Japan drops charges

(Newser) - The US military has charged a Marine with rape of a child, adultery, and kidnapping after an assault on a 14-year-old girl in Okinawa, CNN reports. Japanese officials had released the Marine earlier this year after the girl, apparently not wanting to be in the public eye, dropped the allegations....

Health History Hidden in Urine
 Health History Hidden in Urine 
Apr 21, 2008 10:07 AM CDT

Health History Hidden in Urine

Metabolites differ across national, ethnic boundaries, could offer insight into disease

(Newser) - Urine does indeed hold metabolic clues, researchers have found, and could shed light on blood pressure and heart problems, the Times of London reports. "Metabolic profiling can tell us how specific aspects of a person’s diet and how much they drink are contributing to their risks for certain...

Dior Vogue Shoot Is Cats Pajamas for Hello Kitty

Cartoon figure to model with Galliano

(Newser) - The newest icon to model the latest Dior designs is short, pudgy, and has stubby legs and facial hair. But that doesn't seem to bother Dior designer John Galliano, Reuters reports. The ubiquitous Japanese cartoon character Hello Kitty will be featured in the upcoming issue of Japanese Vogue—sporting new...

Japan Warns of Croc Danger
 Japan Warns of Croc Danger 
Apr 18, 2008 5:46 PM CDT

Japan Warns of Croc Danger

Officials want changes to popular clogs, susceptible to escalator mishaps

(Newser) - After their research confirmed what many had complained about, Japanese officials today asked the makers of popular Crocs clogs to do something about a design that makes wearers susceptible to getting caught in escalators, the AP reports. The grip and flexibility of the plastic footwear led to several dozen incidents...

Opposition Finally Backs New Chief for Bank of Japan

Shirakawa to fill critical spot as stalemate ends

(Newser) - The Democratic Party of Japan has accepted a new central banker just in time for the crucial meeting of G7 finance leaders in Washington on Friday, reports the International Business Times. The top spot has been vacant since March 19, leaving the bank vulnerable during an unsteady economic time. Masaaki...

Japanese Women Turn to 'Geisha Guys'

Hot 'accessories' earn their pay with flattery, companionship

(Newser) - A new breed of companion is the rage in Japan, entertaining women with lavish compliments, conversation and undivided attention—the male geisha. Businesswomen pay upwards of $1,000 a night for these men, CNN reports—with, industry reps say, nothing physical being exchanged. Hundreds of such services have sprouted across...

Japan Busts US Sailor in Murder-Robbery

Navy man charged in cabbie's stabbing outside Tokyo

(Newser) - Japanese police arrested a US sailor today on suspicion of stabbing a taxi driver to death and then robbing him, Reuters reports. The 22-year-old Nigerian national serving in the American Navy was already in US custody on charges of desertion. The American ambassador to Japan was forced to apologize for...

World Attitudes Toward US Improving: Poll

Fewer believe US exerts negative influence

(Newser) - A worldwide wave of anti-Americanism appears to be abating a bit, though global views toward the US continue to be mainly negative, according to a BBC World Service poll. The average percentage of people saying the US is a negative global influence dropped to below 50% for the first time...

Japanese Swindle Could Cost Lehman $250M

Forged docs from Japanese firm secured big loans

(Newser) - Possible fraud involving forged documents from a Japanese trading firm may have cost Lehman Brothers $250 million, the Wall Street Journal reports. The investment bank loaned funds to a Japanese biotech firm last year; the transaction was secured by top trading company Marubeni Corp. But the biotech firm filed for...

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