Mainichi Daily News articles from February 2006

Mainichi Daily News archives from February 2006

JOC says no special payout for Arakawa.
February 28, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) TURIN, Italy -- Olympic women's singles figure skating champion Shizuka Arakawa will not receive a special bonus for bringing home Japan's only medal from the Turin Winter Olympic Games that ended Sunday, Japan...

Arakawa crowned with tiara of gold and diamonds.
February 28, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) TURIN -- Japan's sole Olympic champion Shizuka Arakawa who won the gold medal in the women's figure skating has been presented with a tiara made of gold and diamonds, a gift from the local government of...

Olympic team leader blasts Japan's poor performance.
February 28, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) TURIN, Italy -- The head of the Japanese delegation to the Turin Winter Olympics has apologized for the Japanese athletes' poor performance at the games, and called for thorough analysis of the results. ...

National baseball manager satisfied with players' improvement.
February 28, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) FUKUOKA -- Ahead of the upcoming World Baseball Classics (WBC), Japan's national baseball team manager Sadaharu Oh said Monday that his players showed improvement during a recent training camp and that he is...

DPJ admits sender, recipient of 'Horie mail' may be same person.
February 28, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) The sender and the recipient of an e-mail that a Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) legislator once claimed indicated collusive relations between Livedoor Co. founder Takafumi Horie and a Liberal Democratic Party...

Missing Ise Mayor Kato found hanged in mountains.
February 28, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) ISE, Mie -- Ise Mayor Mitsunori Kato, who had been missing since Sunday evening, was found hanged in a mountain forest here Monday morning, police and municipal government officials said. Suspecting that he...

Arakawa strikes gold for networks, too.
February 28, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) TV ratings for the hour last Friday when Shizuka Arakawa was in the process of collecting Japan's only medal at the Turin Winter Olympic Games averaged 31.8 percent in the Kanto region, Video Research Ltd....

Cops plan to can vet over bird flu cover-up.
February 28, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) MITO -- Police plan to arrest at least one veterinarian working for a poultry farm in Ibaraki Prefecture, for failing to report that bird flu was detected at the farm in 2005, officials said. In June last...

Court says police officials need not return 600,000 yen pocketed from 'bogus'.
February 28, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) trips SENDAI -- An appeal court on Monday overturned a lower court ruling that ordered prefectural police officials to return to the prefectural government coffers about 600,000 yen that the plaintiffs claim...

Senior citizen slapped with suspended sentence for City Hall bomb hoax.
February 28, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) SAPPORO -- A 66-year-old man was found guilty of making a prank call to the Sapporo Municipal Government Hall, claiming to have planted a bomb there. In a ruling Monday, the Sapporo District Court sentenced...

Police officer mistakenly shoots self in arm.
February 28, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) TAKAMATSU -- A police officer mistakenly shot himself in his left arm at a police box here Monday morning, local police said. Prefectural police officials said that the officer may have been playing with...

Doorbell-ringing robber takes 37,000 yen at knife point.
February 28, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) SAPPORO -- An armed man broke into the home of a company executive and took some 37,000 yen at knife point after the executive opened the door when the doorbell rang, police said. The armed bandit rang the...

Arakawa: 'I still can't believe it'.
February 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Turin Winter Olympic Games women's figure skating gold medallist Shizuka Arakawa said she "still can't believe" she won. "I still can't believe it. I never thought I'd get a medal," Arakawa said following...

Shizuka Arakawa wins gold for Japan.
February 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Japan's Shizuka Arakawa won the gold medal in the women's figure skating at the Turin Winter Olympic Games in Turin, Italy, on Thursday. Arakawa, who was in third place following Tuesday's short program,...

Mental stress over Horie 'rich gift' claim hospitalizes DPJ bigwig.
February 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) The opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) has allowed legislator Hisayasu Nagata to take a break because of his mental stress after questions have arisen over his claim that a son of a top Liberal...

Wives of exiled hijackers accused of involvement in N. Korea abductions.
February 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) A relative of a Japanese national allegedly abducted along with another man by North Korea has filed a criminal complaint with Tokyo police, accusing the wives of two Japanese hijackers living in exile in North...

'Angry' killer gets life for random spree of violence against women.
February 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) NAGOYA -- A jobless man charged with attacking three women here, leaving one of them dead and another serious injured, was ordered Friday to spend the rest of his life behind bars. The Nagoya District Court...

Nihon Keizai Shimbun employee suspected of insider trading.
February 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) An employee of the Nihon Keizai Shimbun newspaper's advertising bureau is being questioned by the Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission on suspicion of insider trading, company officials said. ...

Princess Kiko expected to give birth in September.
February 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Princess Kiko is three months pregnant and is expected to give birth at the end of September, the Imperial Household Agency announced Friday. The 39-year-old princess is experiencing morning sickness, but...

Personal info leaked from court secretary's computer to Net.
February 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Personal information on 149 people was leaked over the Internet after a computer virus infected the home computer of a Tokyo District Court secretary, the Supreme Court said Friday. The information,...

Woman busted for fatally abusing 3-year-old grandson.
February 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) KUJI, Iwate -- A jobless woman has been arrested for fatally abusing her grandson at her home in Iwate Prefecture in late 2004, police said Friday. Michiko Nakagawa, 53, a resident of Hirono, Iwate...

Junior joy rider faces fresh charges for car chase hit-and-run.
February 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) NAKAMA, Fukuoka -- A junior high school boy under arrest for stealing a car faces new charges for causing a hit-and-run accident while escaping from police, leaving two men injured, police said. Local...

DPJ leader Maehara admits party slipped up with e-mail accusation.
February 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) leader Seiji Maehara has admitted that his party botched its handling of e-mail-based allegations of a cash link between former Livedoor President Takafumi Horie and a senior...

Pachinko addicts to get counseling net.
February 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Japan's nationwide pachinko industry organization is poised to set up a consultation network for pachinko addicts, officials said. The association known as Zennichi Yuren will set up the "Recovery Support...

Ando already has sights set on Vancouver 2010.
February 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Figure skater Miki Ando said she was happy to have been able to attempt a quadruple Salchow at the Winter Olympic Games despite her disappointing performance, and hinted that she already had her sights on the...

Gold medalist Arakawa shows her skills in Exhibition Gala.
February 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Japanese figure skating gold medalist Shizuka Arakawa drew applause with spins and spirals as she took to the ice in Turin on Friday in an Exhibition Gala of top figure skaters. Arakawa, who was the third...

Prosecutors demand noisy woman spend 3 years behind bars.
February 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) NARA -- Prosecutors have demanded that a woman who constantly played loud music from a CD player at her home in Nara Prefecture over a more than two-year period, sickening a neighbor, spend three years behind...

Senior yakuza busted for 200 mil. yen extortion attempt.
February 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) SHIZUOKA -- A senior gangster has been arrested for attempting to extort 200 million yen from a wrestling event organizer in 2004, police said. Kazutaka Sakamoto, 40, a high-ranking member of a gang...

Fraudster suspected of scamming billion yen from porn site visitors.
February 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) NAGANO -- A Tokyo man suspected of demanding thousands of people across the country pay bogus registration fees for accessing pornographic sites has been arrested for fraud, police said. Investigators...

Services on the JR Joban Line suspended following trouble with freight train.
February 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) MITO -- Services on the JR Joban Line were temporarily suspended Saturday morning following trouble with a freight train, inconveniencing about 3,500 passengers, the operator of the line said. At around...

ASDF soldiers killed in taxi crash.
February 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) KASUGAI, Aichi -- Two Air Self-Defense Force (ASDF) members died and another left unconscious after a taxi they were riding in collided with a van that apparently drove through a red traffic light, police...

Firing of Ichizawa Hanpu president puts brakes on bag production.
February 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Shinzaburo Ichizawa, who was fired as president of popular bag manufacturing firm Ichizawa Hanpu, has announced he plans to begin making bags under a new brand, taking most of the company's employees with him....

Air Nippon jet makes an emergency landing at island airport.
February 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) An Air Nippon jet made an emergency landing at Naha Airport in Okinawa Saturday morning after a warning lamp indicated trouble with its hydraulic system, airline officials said. At around 8:55 a.m., a...

Tax man teams up with insurance woman to scam 30 million yen of teens' assets.
February 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) A Tokyo taxation official and a life insurance saleswoman were arrested Saturday for embezzling some 30 million yen worth of assets belonging to two teenagers -- assets that had been entrusted to the official...

Malicious dating sites snaring users with rich promises.
February 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Malicious dating sites that trick users into paying exorbitant fees by pretending to match them up with celebrities or wealthy people have started to spread over the Internet, it has emerged. The sites are...

Daydreaming driver lets 'express train' run past scheduled stop.
February 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) A local train overran a station in Tokyo by about 160 meters Saturday morning after its driver momentarily thought he was operating a rapid service train that was not supposed to stop there, the railway...

Chocolate-coated car to be displayed at Aichi museum.
February 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) SETO, Aichi -- A Fiat coated with white chocolate, which was a popular attraction at the Aichi Expo last year, will be put on display at a municipal museum here next month, city officials said. The white...

Students use 1,300 parts to assemble miniature steam locomotive.
February 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) SAPPORO -- Students at the Sapporo Technical Training School successfully manufactured a steam locomotive measuring a tiny 1/16th of a normal train by using a staggering 1,300 parts. The 1,300 handmade...

Sapporo sea cow fossil found to be world's oldest.
February 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) SAPPORO -- A fossil of a Steller's sea cow found in the bed of the Toyohira River here is the oldest such fossil in the world, it has been learned. The fossil, found in 2003, is estimated to be 8 million...

Lust is all about having sex on the mind.
February 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) When I wrote in an earlier column that "sex occurs between the ears, not between the legs," I was greeted by a bundle of e-mails almost universally expressing bewilderment. Comedienne Kuniko Yamada, who later...

Japan's last medal hopes ready to dance on the ice.
February 24, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) TURIN -- After a disastrous Winter Olympics, Japan's final medal hopes rest with Shizuka Arakawa and Fumie Suguri in the women's freestyle skating event here on Thursday. After the short program held on...

'Top secret' Maritime Self-Defense Force data leaked online.
February 24, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Secret data involving codes and exercise programs for the Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) has been leaked online through the file exchange software Winny, it has been learned. Sources said that a...

Armed bandit flees after postmaster stands his ground.
February 24, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) SAPPORO -- A masked bandit armed with a knife tried to enter a post office late at night, but fled empty handed after the postmaster blocked his entry, police said. Postmaster Yoshinori Seino left his...

Red Army member Fusako Shigenobu handed 20 years over terrorist attack.
February 24, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) The Tokyo District Court sentenced Fusako Shigenobu, a former leader of the Japanese Red Army, to 20 years imprisonment on Thursday for kidnapping and attempted murder over the seizure of the French Embassy in...

DPJ's Nagata plans to give up Diet seat after Horie rich gift claim comes into.
February 24, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) question Lawmaker Hisayasu Nagata of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) told the party he planned to give up his Diet seat after questions have arisen over his claim that former Livedoor President Takafumi...

Saitama gov't official busted for drunk driving after crashing car into sign.
February 24, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) SAITAMA -- An official of the Saitama Municipal Government was arrested early Thursday for drunk driving and fleeing an accident scene after slamming her car into a sign, police said. Kyoko Sato, 32, an...

Life sentence upheld for ex-Lotte pitcher over murder of maid.
February 24, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) A former pitcher for the Pacific League's Chiba Lotte Marines will remain behind bars after the Tokyo High Court on Thursday upheld the life sentence he received for the murder of a maid. Presiding Judge...

Crown Prince Naruhito holds news conference for 46th birthday.
February 24, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Crown Prince Naruhito turned 46 on Thursday and held a news conference to mark his birthday, saying that Crown Princess Masako was recovering from her illness steadily. In the news conference the crown...

Traditional cans of oden become surprise hit at Akihabara.
February 24, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Cans of oden, traditional Japanese working-class food consisting of vegetables and fish dumplings served in a hot soy source soup, have become a surprise hit in the Akihabara district of central Tokyo. A...

Bus driver loses appeal over life sentence for confining women.
February 24, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) A former bus driver's appeal against a life sentence for confining a young girl and several women was turned down at the Sendai High Court on Thursday. Former bus driver Akira Sugaya, 58, dragged an...

Homemade bomb explodes at Kanagawa elementary school.
February 24, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) HADANO, Kanagawa -- An explosion occurred at an elementary school here, police said, apparently after a homemade bomb was set off. No one was reported injured in the incident, which occurred at Nishi...

Kanagawa to crackdown on underage drinkers, smokers.
February 24, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) YOKOHAMA -- The Kanagawa Prefectural Government plans to equip every cigarette and alcohol vending machine in the area with a sensor to confirm the buyer is an adult in a bid to prevent minors from smoking and...

Brave Ando shows guts but falls short.
February 24, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Teen figure skater Miki Ando repeatedly tried to become the first woman to pull off a quadruple Salchow in Olympic competition during her freestyle program at the Turin Winter Olympic Games Thursday, but fell...

Mainichi correspondent wins major Japan-U.S. journalism prize.
February 23, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Sumire Kunieda, the Mainichi's Los Angeles correspondent, has won the prestigious Vaughn-Ueda International Journalist Prize for 2005, organizers said Wednesday. Kunieda receives the prize in recognition of...

Skater Suguri holds back tears after finishing fourth in short program.
February 23, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) TURIN -- Japanese skater Fumie Suguri held back tears after finishing fourth in the women's figure skating short program on Tuesday. "I want to enjoy the Olympics without showing my emotions," Suguri said....

Figure skater Arakawa takes third place in short program.
February 23, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Shizuka Arakawa edged her way into third place in the short program of the women's figure skating on Tuesday, Day 12 of the Turin Winter Olympics, ahead of fellow teammates Fumie Suguri and Miki Ando, who both...

Burglar would sniff for perfume before robbing women's apartments of brand.
February 23, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) goods YOKOHAMA -- An unemployed man who sneaked into apartments to rob brand goods sniffed for perfume in the gaps of the doors to confirm that women lived there, police said. Seiichi Shirota, 46, has...

Aoyama Gakuin University mistakenly states Korean War is over in entrance exam.
February 23, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Aoyama Gakuin University in Tokyo announced on Wednesday that a question in an entrance examination for its School of International Politics, Economics and Business mistakenly described that the Korean War is...

Personal info on 5,663 people leaked from Kyoto Prison guard's computer.
February 23, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) A leak from a Kyoto Prison guard's computer resulted in personal information on 5,663 people, including thousands of detainees, being spread over the Internet, the Ministry of Justice announced Wednesday. ...

Schoolgirl arrested for pimping 13-year-old girl to man.
February 23, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) KYOTO -- A 14-year-old schoolgirl who introduced a younger girl to a man who paid to perform obscene acts with her has been arrested, police said. The 14-year-old, a second year junior high school student...

Horie's e-mails ordering window-dressing found on ex-girlfriend's computer.
February 23, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Several e-mails in which former Livedoor Co. President Takafumi Horie apparently ordered his subordinates to window-dress the firm's accounts in a bid to pretend the company was making a profit were found in...

Biggest S. Korean online news site to form 'Oh my News International' with.
February 23, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Softbank SEOUL -- "Oh my News," the largest online newspaper in South Korea, will join hands with Japan's Softbank Corp. to launch a site in Japan called "Oh my News International." Oh my News currently...

Child killings turn spotlight on Chinese wives in Shiga.
February 23, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) NAGAHAMA, Shiga -- The fatal stabbing of two 5-year-old children by a Chinese woman in Nagahama has placed Chinese women coming to live in the area at the invitation of marriage brokerages in the media...

Students' personal info leaked from Tokyo cram school.
February 23, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Personal information on hundreds of students at the Tokyo-based Sapix Shogakubu cram school has been leaked, school officials said. Officials at the school, based in Tokyo's Chuo-ku, said it appeared that...

Livedoor Representative Director Kumagai arrested over falsified accounts.
February 23, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Fumito Kumagai, the representative director of Livedoor Co. was arrested by Tokyo prosecutors Wednesday on suspicion of violating the Securities and Exchange Law by falsifying the firm's accounts. ...

64-year-old factory worker set to graduate from high-school.
February 23, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) SAITAMA -- A 64-year-old man who runs a mold-making plant is set to fulfill a long-cherished dream and graduate from high school. Hiroshi Shimazaki quit junior high school in Yoshikawa when he was a...

GSDF member suspended after shoplifting to dodge Iraq mission.
February 23, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) A Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF) member who shoplifted because he didn't want to join an SDF mission in Iraq has been suspended from his duties, officials said. The 38-year-old sergeant, a member of the...

20-year-old shochu liquor found in brewery to go on sale in Kyushu.
February 22, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) TARAGI, Kumamoto -- Thousands of liters of barley shochu found in a brewery storage tank here after more than 20 years are set to go on sale, it has been learned. The shochu -- a type of distilled liquor --...

Stork's nest removed from utility pole to avoid nasty shock.
February 22, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) TOYOOKA, Hyogo -- A nest that a pair of storks were making on a utility pole here has been removed for fear that the birds might be electrocuted, officials at a prefectural stork protection and breeding center...

Murder of 2 kindergarteners in Shiga a hot topic on Chinese bulletin board.
February 22, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) BEIJING -- The murder of two kindergarten children in Shiga Prefecture has become a hot topic on a Chinese news site's bulletin board. Many of the messages placed on the People's Daily Online bulletin...

DPJ legislator Kimata set to leave party over assault on woman at restaurant.
February 22, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Yoshitake Kimata, an opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) member of the House of Councillors, who faces charges of inflicting bodily injury to a woman, is set to leave the party Tuesday to take...

JAL's plan to cut employees' wages up in the air following internal strife.
February 22, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Japan Airlines (JAL) plans to cut employees' wages in April is up in the air in the aftermath of its bitter internal strife, sources at the company said. Reductions in personnel expenses are the core of its...

Celebrity Kaori Manabe becomes face of pimple-fighting products.
February 22, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Celebrity Kaori Manabe said she wanted to show off her pimple-free skin as she appeared at a news conference in Tokyo following her appointment as a representative for the skin-care brand Proactiv. The...

LDP politician holds copy of Horie's email ordering payment to Takebe's son.
February 22, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Diet politician Katsuei Hirasawa of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) said he has a copy of an e-mail in which former Livedoor President Takafumi Horie allegedly ordered 30 million yen be given to a son of LDP...

Church founder sentenced to 20 years for raping, abusing girls.
February 22, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) KYOTO -- A church founder accused of 22 counts of rape and sexual assault against seven girls was sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment by the Kyoto District Court on Tuesday. Handed the prison sentence was...

School principal resigns after suspension for telephoning boat races from work.
February 22, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) OKAYAMA -- An elementary school principal who telephoned motorboat race sites from his office during working hours to check on results has resigned after being suspended from work. The Okayama Prefectural...

100 dogs burned to death in Yamanashi.
February 22, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) TSURU, Yamanashi -- About 100 dogs were burned to death at a dog shed here early Tuesday morning, police said. At around 6 a.m., a fire broke out at a shed owned by a dog breeding company in the Shishidome...

Asahara's lawyers release psychiatric evaluation saying he is fit to stand.
February 22, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) trial Lawyers for condemned AUM Shinrikyo cult founder Shoko Asahara released on Tuesday a report on the Tokyo High Court's psychiatric evaluation of Asahara, which found him mentally fit to stand trial. ...

Medical student never worked on three papers he was listed as a co-author.
February 22, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) OSAKA -- A student at the Osaka University School of Medicine who has been in hot water for allegedly falsifying data in an article, was cited as a co-author in three papers although he didn't take part in...

Worker dies in explosion at fireworks plant.
February 22, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) YAME, Fukuoka -- A senior worker died in an explosion at a fireworks plant on Tuesday morning, police and firefighters said. The storehouse blew up in the Arao Kako fireworks plant in Yame at about 11:20...

Novelist Mariko Hayashi has handbag snatched in Shibuya.
February 22, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Popular novelist Mariko Hayashi had her handbag stolen by a street snatcher in central Tokyo, police said. Hayashi, 51, was on her way home in Shibuya-ku, on Sunday, when a man riding a motorbike snatched...

Takahashi falls to 8th place after unsettled free skating performance.
February 20, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Japanese figure skater Daisuke Takahashi, who achieved fifth place in the men's short program at the Turin Olympics, performed awkwardly in the free skating on Thursday, falling to eighth place overall. ...

Mom, foster dad arrested for pricking her daughter with needle for horses.
February 20, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) URAKAWA, Hokkaido -- A woman and her live-in boyfriend have been arrested for pricking her daughter with a syringe needle for horses under the pretext of discipline, police said. Hideyuki Shirai, 29, a...

4 Kyoto University students watch porno video at school library.
February 20, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) KYOTO -- Four male students at prestigious Kyoto University watched an adult video using a large television set at the institute's library, university officials have revealed. Officials at the library...