Mainichi Daily News articles from July 2006

Mainichi Daily News archives from July 2006

Pro baseballers' union calls for end to friendly Japan-U.S. all-star games.
July 31, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) The union of professional baseball players has called for an end to Japan-U.S. all-star friendly games. The Japan Professional Baseball Players Association (JPBPA) made the demand during negotiations...

Bloodstained rock found at murdered mother and daughter's home.
July 31, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) HIRONO, Iwate -- A bloodstained rock has been found at the home of a woman and her daughter whose bodies were found in a forest here, police said. Investigators suspect that Kazuyuki Wakabayashi, 29, a...

Robber paid 30 million yen after 542 million yen transport firm heist.
July 31, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) UTSUNOMIYA -- A Chinese man under arrest for robbing a transportation company office of over 500 million yen in cash has told investigators that he was paid 30 million yen by another Chinese man to carry out...

Small cracks missed by mechanics caused landing gear on JAS plane to break.
July 31, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Small cracks that were overlooked by mechanics during inspections caused the main landing gear of a Japan Air System (JAS) jet to break when it landed at Tokunoshima Airport in Kagoshima prefecture in January...

JTB to offer luxury private island tour.
July 31, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Major travel agency JTB will soon offer a special tour that exclusively reserves a small island in the Maldives for two people for several days for around 8 million yen, spokesmen said. "We want customers...

New kind of volcano cluster discovered on Pacific Ocean bed off Iwate.
July 31, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Prefecture A new type of volcanic cluster has been found 6,000 meters down at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean off Sanriku in Iwate Prefecture, a group of researchers have announced. A team comprising...

Woman stabs boyfriend to death.
July 31, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) MAEBASHI -- A Peruvian woman was arrested on Friday for fatally stabbing a male Peruvian friend after an argument, police said. Arrested was Yogui Castrejon Sara Sherley, 30, a Peruvian of Japanese descent...

Over half of overwork death, work suicide victims chose own working hours,.
July 31, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) report says Thirty out of the 48 people who died from overwork or committed suicide in legally acknowledged work-related incidents in Tokyo during 2005 were in a position to control their own working hours, a...

Murdered woman had told colleague 'someone appears to have sneaked into my.
July 31, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) home' HIRONO, Iwate -- A woman who was found murdered in a forest here along with her mother had told a colleague that she thought someone had broken into her house, investigators said. "Someone appears to...

Cash-strapped local government cans international film festival.
July 31, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) YUBARI, Hokkaido -- The mayor of Yubari announced Friday that the Hokkaido city would stop holding a popular international film festival because the municipal government was strapped for cash. The Yubari...

Fraud ring responsible for 4.8 million yen scam leading to victim's suicide.
July 31, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) arrested OSAKA -- Eight men who swindled a heavily-indebted man out of some 4.8 million yen, driving him to commit suicide, have been arrested, police said Friday. The eight, including Shinji Takeuchi, 27,...

Gov't to use DNA testing to crack down on suspected North Korean clam imports.
July 31, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) The Japanese government is discussing the possibility of using DNA analysis to investigate suspicions that North Korean asari clams are being falsely imported into Japan as Chinese products, sources said. ...

Junior high school boy collared for taking nude photo of junior high school.
July 31, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) girl MATSUDO, Chiba -- A junior high school boy has been arrested for taking a nude photo of a junior high school girl, police said. The 14-year-old, third-year junior high school boy, whose name is being...

Ryoko Hirosue wins payout over poor parenting, host club partying claims.
July 31, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Actress Ryoko Hirosue was awarded 4.4 million yen compensation by the Tokyo District Court after it ruled weekly magazine Shukan Gendai had defamed her with a story claiming she was a bad parent. The court...

Kano Sisters win court case over 'husband seduction' claim.
July 31, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Kyoko and Mika Kano were awarded 660,000 yen compensation after the Tokyo District Court said actress Miri Okada had defamed them by saying the siblings had tried to seduce her husband. "(Okada's) claims...

Man arrested after clubbing brother to death and hacking off his head.
July 31, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) OSAKA -- An unemployed man who cut off his elder brother's head after clubbing him to death the victim has been arrested, police said. Hiromi Yamaguchi, 21, is accused of murder. He told investigators...

Student busted for taking upskirt photo of high school girl.
July 31, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) FUKUOKA -- A post-graduate student at Kyushu University has been arrested for photographing up the skirt of a high school girl here Friday, police said Saturday. Yuki Shimada, 26, is accused of violating a...

Couple injured after being slashed by men armed with samurai sword.
July 31, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) NAGAHAMA, Shiga -- A couple was injured after being slashed by a group of five men armed with a samurai sword at a restaurant here Friday evening, police said. At around 6:35 p.m. on Friday, Shiga...

Girl arrested for burning woman on train with hair iron.
July 31, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) KOBE -- An 18-year-old girl was arrested for pressing a hair iron against a woman at a railway station here early Saturday, leaving the victim with burns, police said. The girl, whose name is being withheld...

Star's rape allegations continue to make the headlines.
July 31, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Fallout over the child rape allegations against comedian Keiichi Yamamoto continued to tower over entertainment coverage on the MSN-Mainichi Interactive Japanese language news site in the week from July 21 to...

Woman found dead at apartment in Aichi.
July 31, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) OTOWA, Aichi -- A woman was found dead at an apartment here Saturday morning, police said. At about 8:45 a.m. on Saturday, a woman who visited the "New City 1 East" apartment complex in the Akasaka...

Kagawa University educators punished for giving credits without classes.
July 31, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) TAKAMATSU -- Educators at Kagawa University have been punished following the disclosure that post-graduate instructors were cooking or eating past meals instead of giving classes, and also handing out credits...

Two die after being swept away while swimming at Niigata beach.
July 31, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) KASHIWAZAKI, Niigata -- Two people died after being washed away along with another while they were swimming in the sea near a beach here Saturday morning, police said. At about 9:50 a.m. on Saturday,...

Mystery surrounds farming couple found dead in paddy.
July 31, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) USA, Oita -- Mystery surrounds the deaths of an elderly farming couple whose bodies were found in a paddy here, police said. There were no visual signs of injury on either 75-year-old Sadaji Abe, whose...

Akita's udon one of Japan's most famous noodles.
July 31, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Inaniwa Wariko Tsukemen is a rare ekiben featuring Inaniwa udon, one of Akita Prefecture's local delicacies. Inaniwa udon's roots date back 300 years ago to the Genroku Era when a man called Ichibe Sato...

Slow Life, Slow Sex: Learning about your body means self-exploration.
July 31, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Find what feels good and make your mark. I'm a little worried about the negative attitude of Japanese women. According to a 2000 survey the Japanese Association for Sex Education carried out on youths'...

"jii," the Japanese word for masturbation that literally translates as "self.
July 31, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) comfort.") It's a lubricant that doesn't harm the skin and makes playing with yourself more enjoyable. (Somewhat surprisingly, sales of the women's version of Doctor G are better than the type for men.) Many...

Association at (03)3269-4727 (in Japanese).
July 31, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) [Mainichi Daily News / July 29]

Buckwheat flowers begin to bloom in Hokkaido.
July 31, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) HOROKANAI, Hokkaido -- Hills here are starting to look as if they've been dyed white as buckwheat plants begin to bloom. Horokanai is famous for producing buckwheat since the local government encouraged...

Tourists get a bite of the cherry all year round thanks to farmers' new.
July 31, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) freezing method SAGAE, Yamagata -- A souvenir shop here has begun selling a sherbet using cherries frozen by a special method to preserve their color. Cherries often turn black when they are frozen...

Tomato with 'human face' creates sensation in Kyoto.
July 31, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) KYOTO -- A tomato that resembles a disfigured human face has gained attention in the Kyoto Prefecture city of Yawata. The tomato, which is about 10 centimeters in diameter and weighs about 150 grams, is of...

Nakazawa says he intends to leave national soccer team.
July 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Japanese soccer star Yuji Nakazawa, who joined Japan's World Cup squad in Germany as a defender, has disclosed to others around him that he intends to give up playing for Japan, it has been learned. The...

Crop-spraying chopper crashes in field.
July 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) CHIKUSEI, Ibaraki -- A helicopter crashed in a paddy field while crop spraying here on Wednesday morning, police said. The helicopter was destroyed and the 62-year-old pilot from Yokohama's Sakae-ku broke...

Officials skip work for zoo trip, end up in flower garden.
July 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) HANDA, Aichi -- Assembly members and officials of the Handa Municipal Government ignored the official schedule to go sightseeing when they visited Sapporo for a national city conference, it has been learned....

Suspect handed fresh arrest warrant over drug-overdose murder.
July 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) OSAKA -- A suspect indicted for violent behavior has been served a fresh arrest warrant on suspicion of killing an acquaintance with a lethal dose of mood-altering drugs, police said. Served the fresh...

'Harry Potter' translator busted for dodging taxes.
July 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Yuko Matsuoka, the Japanese translator of the world bestselling Harry Potter series, failed to declare 3.5 billion yen in income over a three-year period from 2002, sources said. Matsuoka, 62, registered...

Autopsy shows woman found dead with daughter was strangled.
July 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) HIRONO, Iwate -- A 52-year-old woman who was found murdered along with her 25-year-old daughter in a mountain region here died from strangulation, a police autopsy has shown. The bodies of Noriko Ueno and...

Medical school assistant warned for using govt grant on overseas trip.
July 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) SAITAMA -- A 36-year-old assistant at Saitama Medical School was handed a warning for using part of a government research grant on an overseas trip for his family, it has been learned. The assistant, whose...

Coast guard official arrested for child prostitution.
July 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) SENDAI -- A Japan Coast Guard official was arrested for illegally paying a junior high school girl for sexual services at a hotel here, police said. Police also sent Satoshi Saito, 27, who belongs to the...

Japanese declared 'brain dead' in U.S., Canada make recovery in Japan.
July 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Three Japanese people who lost consciousness while they were in the United States and Canada and were declared brain dead by local doctors made recoveries after being flown back to Japan, an insurance company...

Former Korean intelligence service's role in politician kidnapping revealed.
July 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) SEOUL -- A report by South Korea's National Intelligence Service has concluded that its predecessor masterminded the abduction of politician Kim Dae Jung from a Tokyo hotel in 1973, sources said on Wednesday....

Osaka leaves 157 bottles of vintage wine sitting in public facility.
July 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) OSAKA -- A municipal cultural facility here is storing 157 bottles of vintage wine with a combined value of about 5.65 million yen, but officials have no plans to open them, it has been learned. The wine...

Teacher drowns after rescuing student from river.
July 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) KUMAMOTO -- A teacher drowned on Wednesday after he successfully rescued a child from a deep river when he was dragged away by the current, officials said. Shinichi Tomita, 46, a teacher at an elementary...

3 out of 4 think Japan's World Cup performance matched ability.
July 26, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Nearly three in four people in Japan think that the national soccer team's failure to make it past the first round of the World Cup in Germany was a result that matched the team's ability, a survey has shown....

Four nabbed over 500 million yen heist in 2004.
July 26, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) UTSUNOMIYA -- Four men have been arrested for robbing a transport company of more than 542 million yen in 2004, police said. Arrested for the robbery was Hitoshi Ishimaru, 28, from Tokyo's Sumida-ku, Jin...

Nikkei employee arrested over insider trading.
July 26, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) A Nihon Keizai (Nikkei) Shimbun employee was arrested Tuesday, after the Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission reported him to public prosecutors on suspicion of insider trading. Kazumasa...

Man arrested in connection with murder of woman and daughter.
July 26, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) KUJI, Iwate -- A 29-year-old man has been arrested for abandoning the body of a woman who went missing along with her daughter, police said. Painting worker Kazuyuki Wakabayashi, 29, from Hachinohe, Aomori...

Man, woman leap to death from Osaka apartment after text message exchange.
July 26, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) OSAKA -- A man and woman were found dead at an apartment complex on Tuesday, apparently after they leaped to their death following the exchange of e-mail hinting at suicide, police said. Police received an...

Court dumps lawsuit over restrictions on visits to Asahara.
July 26, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) The Tokyo District Court on Tuesday rejected a 9 million yen damages lawsuit filed by the family of convicted AUM Shinrikyo cult founder Shoko Asahara over restrictions on their visits to him, saying the...

Teacher molests elementary school girl on eve of graduation.
July 26, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) KOBE -- An elementary school teacher was arrested on Tuesday for molesting a girl at their school, a day before the sixth-grader graduated, police said. Toshiaki Kawakami, 55, a teacher at a Kobe municipal...

Vice-principal arrested for taking misplaced cash from ATM booth.
July 26, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) SAKURAI, Nara -- An elementary school vice-principal who took a misplaced envelope containing cash from an automatic teller machine (ATM) booth was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of theft, police said. ...

Two thirds of pollees believe BOJ chief Fukui should quit over Murakami Fund.
July 26, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) scandal About two thirds of those questioned by a Mainichi opinion poll said they believed Bank of Japan Governor Toshihiko Fukui should quit after it was revealed he had invested in an investment fund formerly...

Hokkaido sees first sex change operations.
July 26, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) SAPPORO -- Two people suffering from a gender identity disorder have successfully undergone sex change operations at Sapporo Medical University, marking the first such cases in Hokkaido, officials said on...

Japanese astronaut Wakata enjoys undersea space training.
July 26, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata, a participant in a NASA underwater experiment simulating space conditions, said Tuesday that he was eager to join a manned mission into space and wanted to take part in any...

Man suspected of killing woman and daughter leads police to bodies.
July 26, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) HIRONO, Iwate -- Police on Tuesday found the abandoned bodies of two women in a mountainous area here, during a search for a woman and her daughter believed to have been murdered. Police found the body of...

23-year-old man sneaks into relatives' home, stabs four.
July 25, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) OSAKA -- An unemployed man who sneaked into the home of his relatives and stabbed four of them has been arrested for attempted murder. Hidehito Kamino, 23, has admitted to the allegations during...

Engine trouble forces NW cargo jet to makes emergency landing.
July 25, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) OSAKA -- A Northwest Airlines (NW) cargo jet made an emergency landing at Kansai International Airport Sunday night after one of its four engines developed trouble, aviation administration officials said. ...

Bloodstains found at home of missing mother and daughter.
July 25, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) HIRONO, Iwate -- Traces of blood have been found at the home of a woman and her second daughter, who are both missing, police said. Iwate Prefectural Police investigators said they suspect that the two --...

Dozens of pub goers complain of sore throats and eyes.
July 25, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) FUJIMINO, Saitama -- Dozens of people in and around a pub here complained of suffering from a sore throat and sore eyes Sunday night even though nobody noticed any strange odor, police said Monday. One of...

Poll: Majority of Japanese opposed to PM's Yasukuni visits.
July 25, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Most Japanese are opposed to the next prime minister visiting Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine, where the remains of Class-A War criminals are interred, a Mainichi opinion poll has found. The poll, held over the...

2 water heaters that caused accidents had undergone emergency repairs.
July 25, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Two of the four carbon-monoxide poisoning accidents that occurred because of deterioration of safety devices on gas water heaters produced by Paloma Ltd. happened after workers made emergency repairs to...

Train driver talking to traffic control center on radio misses station.
July 25, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) SAPPORO -- A train passed a station it was scheduled to stop at Monday morning while its driver was reporting trouble to the traffic control center on the radio, the railway operator said. At about 7 a.m.,...

Mental health problems caused by strained workplace relations on the rise.
July 25, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Consultations over mental problems caused by troubled relationships with bosses and colleagues at work are increasing, a non-profit organization has found. The Japan Labor Health and Welfare Organization...

Majority of Japanese pollees favor further punishment for North Korea.
July 25, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) A Mainichi opinion poll has found that 70 percent of pollees want the Japanese government to bring tougher sanctions against North Korea for the test-firing of missiles earlier this month. After the...

Police to supply details on suicide motives and causes.
July 25, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) The National Police Agency (NPA) has decided to supply previously unreleased information on suicide motives and causes to government authorities and research organizations to help fight the problem, agency...

Survey shows that guide dogs work hard but live longer than pets.
July 25, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) An average longevity of guide dogs in Japan is about 13 years, a little longer than that of pet dogs, two surveys have shown. Observers say that people with visual handicaps often avoid using guide dogs...

Fraud suspect accused of swindling 500 mil. yen from 7,000 victims.
July 25, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) A man suspected of swindling about 500 million yen from as many as 7,000 victims across Japan by sending them fake bills and collection notices has been arrested, police said. The 24-year-old, Yuta Sawada,...

INAX affiliate's refusal to negotiate with union ruled unfair labor practice.
July 25, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) OSAKA -- An INAX Corp. affiliate's refusal to enter negotiations with the labor union of customer engineers (CEs) constitutes an unfair labor practice, a local labor panel ruled Monday. The Osaka Prefecture...

Supporters of comedian's baseball team collect signatures to oppose breakup.
July 24, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) A group backing the Ibaraki Golden Golds, a baseball team led by comedian Kinichi Hagimoto, joined other supporters Thursday to collect signatures opposing a planned breakup of the team over an incident in...

Man arrested for dousing sons in gasoline and setting fire to one.
July 24, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) HADANO, Kanagawa -- A man has been arrested for pouring gasoline on two of his sons and setting fire to the clothes of one of them while drunk at their home here Thursday night, police said. Akio Yabuta,...

Disgraced comedian to be questioned again over rape allegations.
July 24, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) HAKODATE, Hokkaido -- Police are poised to question a disgraced comedian again next week over allegations that he raped a 17-year-old girl, police sources said. Local police questioned Keiichi Yamamoto, 38,...

Man arrested for abusing stepson hit with new arrest warrant for fraud.
July 24, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) SAPPORO -- A man under indictment for abusing his common-law wife's child has been hit with a new arrest warrant for swindling a financial institution out of over 10 million yen, police said. Jun Yamazaki,...

Fukuda unlikely to run in LDP presidency race.
July 24, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Former Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda, who was tipped to be a candidate for the Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) presidential election in September, will probably not run in the race, party sources said....

Attempted firebomb attack on Nihon Keizai Shimbun's Tokyo HQ.
July 24, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) An unlit Molotov cocktail was hurled at the back door of the Nihon Keizai Shimbun daily's Tokyo headquarters early Friday, police said. Nobody was injured. Police are investigating a possible link between...

Man on bicycle cuts off junior high school girl's hair.
July 24, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) YOKOSUKA, Kanagawa -- A man riding a bicycle suddenly cut off some of a junior high school girl's hair on her way to school Friday morning, police said. At about 8:40 a.m., a man riding in a bicycle...

Toyota given official ticking-off over SUV recall.
July 24, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) The government called on Toyota Motor Corp. to improve business practices Friday after officials were investigated for allegedly shirking recalls. Toyota Vice President Masatami Takimoto was summoned to the...

Defense for elementary schoolboy's murderer plead not guilty due to.
July 24, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) schizophrenia YOKOHAMA -- A 42-year-old man indicted for fatally throwing an elementary school boy off the 15th floor of an apartment building admitted to the charges on Friday, but his lawyers insisted he was...

Actress Mika Mifune gets ticket for platinum 'marriage in space'.
July 24, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Actress Mika Mifune showed off a platinum ring and a ticket for a "marriage in space" on Thursday as she participated in a campaign to send messages of love to the International Space Station. The...

Woman killed, girl seriously injured after being hit by train on 'problem'.
July 24, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) crossing A woman died and young girl believed to be her daughter was seriously injured Friday after being hit by a train on a busy Tokyo crossing that is known for being almost always closed, police said. ...

Police agency releases ominous report on 'cyber crime' in Japan.
July 24, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Amidst an increased number of crimes committed using online technologies, Japan's police agency has said in a white paper published Friday that the general public should discuss how the Internet is controlled....

Mitsubishi Corp. employee busted over multi-billion yen loan scam.
July 24, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) A former Mitsubishi Corp. employee and the president of a cosmetics company face arrest over a scam involving some 10 billion-yen in loans made from financial institutions to the cosmetics company, police said...

High school baseball player arrested for molesting junior high school girl.
July 24, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) AKASHI, Hyogo -- A high school baseball player has been arrested for molesting a junior high school girl near his home in mid-June, police said. The 16-year-old, first-year student at Ikuei High School in...

Hagimoto hints the Golden Golds will continue despite rape allegations against.
July 24, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) player UONUMA, Niigata -- Comedian Kinichi Hagimoto indicated Saturday that he will continue to run his baseball club, which he previously said he would disband over the allegations that a former member raped a...

Police officer faces charges for exposing his private parts to pensioners.
July 24, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) TOTTORI -- A police officer faces charges for exposing his private parts to three women in their 70s here between March and this month, police said. Tottori Prefectural Police have sent an investigation...