Japan

Stories Checked for Students of English by Jamaby

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Accused Akihabara killer said fit for trial

Prosecutors believe the 26-year-old man arrested over the June vehicle and stabbing rampage in Tokyo's Akihabara district is mentally competent and can be charged with murdering seven people and wounding 10 others, investigative sources said Monday. Tomohiro Kato will be charged with murder and attempted murder by Friday, the deadline for his detention. (Japan Times)

What do you miss about Japan when you go abroad?

Yuki KannoEngineer, 23I miss Japanese alcohol, especially Asahi and Ebisu beer. Foreign beer doesn't taste like Japanese brands. I really don't like the flavor. It's very different. Rikako YagiTOEFL student, 19People eat too much junk food overseas. It's hard to get healthy food. Japanese food is delicious and good for you. It's difficult to find nice sushi, rice and tofu abroad. (Japan Times)

'Nurk', 'A Beginning, A Muddle, and An End'

What makes "Nurk" such a readable little tale? There's nothing tingly and new about an adventure story in which the hero is a reluctant adventurer. A quiet homebody finds himself thrown into a situation where he must display his inner courage (if he has any) — we've all heard that one before. (Japan Times)

A year after privatization

Oct. 1 marked the first anniversary of the privatization of the nation's postal service. In April 2003, the Postal Service Agency became Japan Post, a public corporation. Then, in January 2006, Japan Post created Japan Post Corp., a stock company. On Oct. 1, 2007, Japan Post Corp. became Japan Post Holdings Co., consisting of four units: Japan Post Bank Co., Japan Post Insurance Co., Japan Post Service Co. (mail delivery firm) and Japan Post Network Co. (over-the-counter services). These four firms are not yet very stable, as they struggle to find ways to survive and grow. Given this situation, opposition lawmakers are calling for a review of privatization. (Japan Times)

Pressures on health system

The introduction in April of the health insurance system for people age 75 or over is exerting so much financial pressure on health insurance societies that some of them have dissolved themselves. As the graying of the population progresses, the government must reconstruct and set the nation's medical services system on a sound financial base. Health insurance societies that mainly insure employees of large companies and their families, and those intended for employees of small companies, public servants and their families are now required to offer "support money" to fund the medical costs of people age 65 and over. Half of the cost of the new health insurance system is funded by tax money, 40 percent by this support money and the rest by premiums from program participants. (Japan Times)

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Creamer completes happy homecoming

HALF MOON BAY, Calif. (AP) Paula Creamer could finally look to all those supporters who have seen her through every stage of her young golf career and know she'd made them proud while playing right in her backyard. Creamer calmly won her biggest LPGA Tour title yet, holding off a large pack to win the Samsung World Championship on Sunday about 1 1/2 hours west of where she grew up in Pleasanton. (Japan Times)

Survival now arcades' most pressing game

Once viewed as dens of delinquency, game center arcades are diversifying their entertainment fare, and in the process, attracting not only youths but families, high school girls, couples and video game fans. Basic information about game centers follows: (Japan Times)

Rest-area dog runs unleashed

OSAKA — People who take their dogs on long expressway rides can now give them some respite by unleashing them in grassy areas exclusively established for their pleasure. These so-called dog runs have been flourishing since the government privatized the state-backed highway corporations in 2005. Since dogs face air- and train-travel restrictions, the new expressway companies are setting up canine rest areas at highway service and parking areas in an effort to increase profits. (Japan Times)

Billionaire's run-down, vermin-rife estates irk Oahu neighbors

HONOLULU (AP) Neighbors of billionaire Genshiro Kawamoto are urging the Honolulu government and the Japanese Consulate to force him to clean up 20 of his properties. The City Council tentatively agreed to ask the consul general of Japan in Honolulu to talk with Kawamoto about resolving his dispute with the 1,700 members of the Kahala Community Association, The Honolulu Advertiser reported. The dispute is over unkempt yards, broken walls and vermin infestations. (Japan Times)

Rightist ex-cop may get prison time

Prosecutors on Monday sought a one-year prison term for a former police officer who threw a bottle at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo in August, because he was holding a Japanese sword at the time, which violates the Firearm and Sword Control Law. "It was rightist activity conducted by a former police officer and the impact it has on society is significant," the prosecutors said at the Tokyo District Court's first hearing for Takashi Kuninobu, 36. Kuninobu belongs to a rightwing group. (Japan Times)

Higashikokubaru opts out of race

Miyazaki Gov. Hideo Higashikokubaru told reporters Monday he will not run in the next Lower House general election, ending speculation that he may quit his post in the middle of his four-year term in a bid to get a Diet seat. Higashikokubaru, however, did not rule out running for a Diet seat in the future. (Japan Times)

Japan, U.S. urged to join hands on green biz

Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone called on U.S. and Japanese businesses to join hands in developing and promoting innovative technologies in such fields as clean energy and energy efficiency, as he addressed an annual U.S.-Japan Business Conference in Tokyo on Monday. "Climate change is the most important issue for the international community in the 21st century," Nakasone said in a speech. "About 70 percent of investments in environmental technology development comes from Japan and the United States. . . . The (Japanese) government too will give its maximum support." (Japan Times)

Welfare swindlers hiked fraud tally to record-high ¥9.2 billion in '07

About 16,000 people illegally received ¥9.2 billion in government funds for day-to-day living expenses in fiscal 2007, the highest level on record since fiscal 1997, according to preliminary government data released Monday. The tallies rose by 1,300 cases and ¥200 million from fiscal 2006, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry said. (Japan Times)

Businesses reflect election jitters

Prime Minister Taro Aso's wavering on when he might call a general election and increasing speculation about a possible date are leaving many people in suspense, especially those whose businesses depend on politics. The concerns range from a chef near the Diet, to florists and publishers of politics-related books. (Japan Times)

Video parlor manager admits he turned off alarm in deadly arson

OSAKA (Kyodo) The manager of the building that housed the video parlor where 15 customers perished in an arson blaze last week has told authorities he switched off the fire alarm because he believed it was a false alarm, officials said Monday. Several customers who escaped said evacuation lights in the establishment were off at the time, prompting police to investigate whether the deaths were preventable, investigative sources said. (Japan Times)

Utsumi pans rate cuts, dollar props

Makoto Utsumi, a former top currency official at the Finance Ministry, said he doesn't see the need for joint interest-rate cuts and coordinated intervention to support the dollar by the United States, Europe and Japan. "There was and will be no chance for a coordinated rate cut," Utsumi, who led Japan's currency policy from 1989 to 1991 as vice finance minister for international affairs, said in a Friday interview in Tokyo. He said joint dollar buying is unlikely "at least for the next several months." (Japan Times)

MMC chief sees rough road ahead for autos

Mitsubishi Motors Corp. President Osamu Masuko said Monday that the auto industry can expect to face a harsher business environment over the next few years. Factors behind the grim outlook include global financial uncertainty, the rising cost of raw materials, and the need for greater spending on research and development, he said. (Japan Times)

Nikkei plunges to four-year low

Tokyo stocks plunged Monday, sending the Nikkei index spiraling to its lowest level in more than four years and the Topix index to its worst finish in nearly five years. Investors remained jittery about the slowing global economy despite measures to quell the ongoing financial turmoil announced by U.S. and European authorities late last week. (Japan Times)

'Gaijin' mind-set is killing rural Japan

Allow me to conclude my trilogy of columns regarding the word "gaijin" this month by talking about the damage the concept does to Japanese society. That's right — damage to Japanese society. I previously mentioned the historical fact that "gaijin" once also applied to Japanese — to "outsiders" not from one's neighborhood. But as Japan unified and built a nation-state, it made its "volk" all one "community," for political and jingoistic reasons. Anyone considered to be Japanese became an "insider," while the rest of the world became "outsiders," neatly pigeonholed by that contentious term "gaijin." (Japan Times)