Mainichi Daily News articles from March 2006

Mainichi Daily News archives from March 2006

Boy found dead near condo apparently pushed off building.
March 31, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) YOKOHAMA -- A 9-year-old boy who was found dead after apparently falling from the 15th floor of his apartment block is believed to have been pushed off the building, police said. Kanagawa Prefectural Police...

Nifty to limit use of Winny following personal information leaks.
March 31, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Major Internet service provider Nifty Corp. has decided to limit the use of Winny by its members following a series of incidents in which confidential personal information was leaked to outsiders through the...

Tattoo artist handed 10-year prison term for fatally abusing newborn daughter.
March 31, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) MAEBASHI -- A tattoo artist was ordered Thursday to spend 10 years behind bars for fatally abusing his newborn daughter last year. The Maebashi District Court convicted Etsunaga Inoue, 37, of inflicting...

Gov't to list IT-based child protection measures on Web site.
March 31, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) plans to list on its Web site over 200 measures to protect young children through information technology, it has been learned. The ministry...

Woman admits injecting husband with insulin in attempted insurance-murder case.
March 31, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) CHIBA -- A woman accused of trying to kill her husband with a potentially fatal dose of insulin has admitted that she injected the drug into him, police said. The woman, Shiori Suzuki, 33, a naturalized...

Bicycle stuck on railway crossing brings trains to halt.
March 31, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Train services on the two railway lines in Tokyo were brought to a halt after a high school student's bicycle got stuck on a railway crossing, forcing him to abandon it, railway officials said. Officials...

Police look to crack down on harmful and illegal websites.
March 31, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) An advisory panel to the National Police Agency (NPA) has worked out detailed proposals to crack down on harmful and illegal websites, agency officials said on Thursday. The NPA will open a hotline in June...

Gov't names 'vintage products' exempted from PSE safety mark.
March 31, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Vintage guitar amps and other old musical instruments have been included in the government's online list of "vintage products" that will be exempted from a controversial law banning the sale of certain...

Man suspected of fatally throwing boy off building premeditated crime.
March 31, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) KAWASAKI, Kanagawa -- A man suspected of fatally throwing an elementary school boy off his apartment block here earlier this month had apparently premeditated the crime as a security camera shows he was wearing...

Drunk dies mysteriously after bar brawl.
March 31, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) SAPPORO -- A drunken bar patron, who was subdued by three other customers after punching one of them, was confirmed dead after being taken to hospital, police said. The man, who appeared to be in his 40s,...

Ex-LDP bigwig found not guilty in dentists' group donation scandal.
March 31, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Former ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) bigwig Kanezo Muraoka was found not guilty on Thursday of hiding a 100 million yen donation from a dentists' group to an intraparty faction, of which he was a...

Livedoor buy-out was too risky, Rakuten boss tells shareholders.
March 31, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Major online shopping mall operator Rakuten Inc. once considered taking over scandal-stricken Livedoor Co., Rakuten President Hiroshi Mikitani told a shareholder meeting Thursday morning. "However, we...

Bicycle stuck on railway crossing brings trains to halt.
March 31, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Train services on the two railway lines in Tokyo were brought to a halt after a high school student's bicycle got stuck on a railway crossing, forcing him to abandon it, railway officials said. Officials...

Slow Life, Slow Sex: Dr. Kitamura says hot sex starts from a lover with a slow.
March 30, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) hand As this column starts anew under the title of Slow Life, Slow Sex, I realize that I'm already 55! I've been traveling on regular trains and bullet trains from Gunma Prefecture to Tokyo now for 18 years....

Sumo wrestler Hakuho officially promoted to ozeki.
March 30, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) OSAKA -- The Japan Sumo Association has promoted Mongolian wrestler Hakuho to ozeki, the sports' second highest rank after yokozuna. Hakuho, 21, is the second Mongolian to reach the rank of ozeki after...

Japanese banking hits the road.
March 30, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) OGAKI, Gifu -- Ogaki Kyoritsu Bank will launch a mobile microbus branch to help customers in emergencies such as major earthquakes. The refitted microbus is equipped with an ATM connected via satellite to...

Travel agency ordered to compensate 'yakuza' deported from Philippines over.
March 30, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) tattoos KYOTO -- A travel agency must compensate four clients, who were deported from the Philippines because two of them had tattoos, for failing to provide them with information on the country's immigration...

Teacher sacked for sending 921 e-mails to female student.
March 30, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) YOKOHAMA -- A teacher who sent 921 cell-phone messages to a female student over six months, including e-mails that said he loved her, has been sacked, local education officials said. Fired by the Kanagawa...

Man pinched for puncturing tires 'to relieve stress'.
March 30, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) KITAMOTO, Saitama -- A man who punctured the tires of numerous cars around his home "to relieve stress" has been arrested, police said. Arrested on suspicion of destruction of property was Nobuyuki...

Unidentified habitual thief handed prison term.
March 30, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) A habitual thief who was being tried without his identity confirmed was handed a two-year prison term on Wednesday. The Tokyo District Court convicted the man, who has been indicted as "Ueno Police Station...

Trendy Ginza abuzz with beehives on building's roof.
March 30, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Three beehives containing 30,000 honeybees have been placed on the rooftop of a building in Tokyo's Ginza shopping district. The bees that are active in an area within a radius of three kilometers from...

Mercy killing surgeon admits his actions were 'imprudent'.
March 30, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) IMIZU, Toyama -- A surgeon accused of committing several mercy killings admitted Wednesday that his actions were inappropriate. "I removed artificial respirators from the patients in view of the mutual...

Pop group KAT-TUN earns triple crown on Oricon charts.
March 30, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) J-pop group KAT-TUN made a successful appearance in the April 3 Oricon chart announced on Wednesday, becoming the first newcomer to top the music rankings for a single, album and DVD at the same time. ...

Diet agrees to summon Nishizawa over fake e-mail.
March 30, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) The Lower House Disciplinary Committee decided Wednesday to summon former weekly tabloid magazine journalist Takashi Nishizawa on April 4 to face questioning over a fake e-mail that was used to make allegations...

Used bank notes recycled into 'Money Tree' flowerpots.
March 30, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) FUKUSHIMA -- Used bank notes that were to be incinerated at the local branch of the central bank have been recycled into flowerpots. The Fukushima branch of the Bank of Japan (BOJ) commissioned a workshop...

Former NTT Data worker turns self in over bank account thefts.
March 30, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) YOKOHAMA -- A former NTT Data Corp. worker wanted by Miyagi Prefectural Police on suspicion of illicitly withdrawing millions of yen from individuals' bank accounts using stolen data has been arrested, police...

Tell everybody about "your" Japan.
March 30, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) You can now tell everybody about your slice of Japan -- and win prizes at the same time -- thanks to the new My Japan column on the MSN-Mainichi Daily News site. Every week from Sunday, April 2, 2006,...

Elderly woman found dead in bathtub.
March 29, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) AOMORI -- An elderly woman has been found dead in a bathtub at her home here, police said. At around 9:15 p.m. on Monday, pensioner Keiko Miura, 78, was found lying in a bathtub at her home in the Yaeda...

Police to set up section to handle abduction of Japanese nationals by North.
March 29, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Korea The National Police Agency (NPA) is set to establish a new section that specializes in handling the abduction of Japanese nationals by North Korea, NPA officials said. The abduction countermeasures...

Pyongyang issues arrest warrants for Japanese NGO execs accused of abduction.
March 29, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) SEOUL -- Law enforcers in North Korea have issued arrest warrants for four executives of Japanese nongovernmental organizations on suspicion of abducting North Korean citizens, the Korean Central News Agency...

Asahi Shimbun President's son busted for drugs.
March 29, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) The eldest son of the president of the Asahi Shimbun, a national daily newspaper, was arrested for possessing illegal drugs in Tokyo earlier this month, it was learned Tuesday. Ryuta Akiyama, 35, son of...

Police question colleague after chief surgeon admits to mercy killings.
March 29, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) IMIZU, Toyama -- Police have questioned a colleague of a surgeon at a municipal hospital who is suspected of committing several mercy killings, police sources said Tuesday. Investigators have asked the man...

Japan to get broadcast of total solar eclipse from Turkey.
March 29, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) The National Astronomical Observatory of Japan and other organizations have joined hands to link Turkey and Japan and provide live images of a total solar eclipse that will be seen in Africa and Central Asia on...

Structural problems reported in public garbage facility linked to Aneha.
March 29, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) GOTENBA, Shizuoka -- A public garbage recycling facility in Shizuoka Prefecture whose structural calculations were overseen by scandal-plagued former architect Hidetsugu Aneha has problems with its ability to...

Ochanomizu University professor fired for sexually harassing student.
March 29, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) A professor at a prestigious women's university in Tokyo was dismissed Monday for sexually harassing a student in April last year, university officials said Tuesday. The professor at Ochanomizu University...

Police peeping tom resigns over failed photo attempt in ladies' loos.
March 29, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) SAPPORO -- A police officer was forced to resign late last year after sneaking into a women's restroom at a police station where he worked in an unsuccessful bid to secretly photograph a woman inside, it...

Fingerprint data collected at airports to be used in criminal investigations.
March 29, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Fingerprints collected from Japanese and special long-term foreign residents at automatic immigration gates that the government plans to introduce at airports in Japan will also be used in criminal...

Wife of scandal-tainted architect Aneha leaps to her death.
March 29, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) ICHIKAWA, Chiba -- The wife of scandal-hit former architect Hidetsugu Aneha leapt to her death from a housing complex near their home, police said. At around 5:35 a.m. on Tuesday, the owner of a van parked...

Doctor found not guilty over death of boy with chopstick in brain.
March 29, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) A doctor accused of professional negligence resulting in death after failing to notice a chopstick lodged in a boy's brain was declared not guilty in a ruling at the Tokyo District Court on Tuesday. Hideki...

Hakuho says it feels 'weird' to be called 'Ozeki'.
March 28, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) SAKAI, Osaka -- Hakuho, whose dazzling performance in the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament that ended over the weekend ensured his promotion to sumo's second-highest rank, says it feels "weird" to be called...

Yokohama Mayor Nakada re-elected.
March 28, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) YOKOHAMA -- Mayor Hiroshi Nakada, who drastically streamlined the municipal government during his first term, has been re-elected for a second four-year term, election administration officials said Monday. ...

Woman arrested for hiding body of baby son in closet.
March 28, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) HAKODATE, Hokkaido -- A woman has been arrested for hiding the body of her baby son in a closet at her home, police said. Local police will also charge her with murdering her son, after she confessed to...

Ruling upheld ordering publisher to pay damages for defaming TV production firm.
March 28, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) A major publishing house must pay damages to a TV program production company for publishing a story in its magazine that defamed the plaintiff, the top court ruled on Monday. The Supreme Court dismissed an...

Lawyer for Nagata's source asks Diet not to question client over Horie email.
March 28, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) scandal The lawyer for Takashi Nishizawa, the man accused of sending a faked e-mail to Diet member Hisayasu Nagata and sparking a huge political scandal, has written to the Diet asking it not to call in his...

Strong quake jolts Kyushu.
March 28, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) A relatively strong earthquake jolted Oita Prefecture and surrounding areas in Kyushu on Monday morning, the Meteorological Agency said. There was no immediate report of casualties, police said. The agency...

Tochigi dad fighting for his life after mystery stabbing.
March 28, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) ASHIKAGA, Tochigi -- A man is fighting for his life in a hospital here Monday after he was mysteriously stabbed overnight, police said. Futoshi Moro, 38, was found early Monday morning on his front...

Kyoto University professor faces sack for receiving money under pretext of R&D.
March 28, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) funds KYOTO -- A professor at prestigious Kyoto University faces dismissal for accepting 55 million yen from two medical equipment companies without approval from the university, it was learned Monday. The...

Man handed 10-year term for killing freelance writer.
March 28, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) A man was handed a 10-year prison term Monday for fatally stabbing a freelance writer in 2003 and dumping his body into the sea. The Tokyo District Court convicted Ryoichi Fujii, 36, a jobless man, of...

Meat boss slapped with 8-year prison term for mislabeling imported beef.
March 28, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) NAGOYA -- A local meat boss was slapped with an eight-year prison term and 300 million yen in fines on Monday, after swindling the government out of subsidies under a beef buyback program and dodging a massive...

13 injured when truck crashes into bus on expressway.
March 28, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) SENDAI -- Thirteen people were slightly injured after a truck crashed into a bus on an expressway here early Monday, police said. At around 4:20 a.m., a 13-ton truck driven by Masamichi Kamiyama, 42,...

Court denies retrial for 1984 murder.
March 28, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) OTSU -- A local court decided Monday not to retry a man who is serving a prison term for robbing and murdering a woman in 1984. The Otsu District Court dismissed a demand by 70-year-old Hiroshi Sakahara,...

Tell everybody about "your" Japan.
March 28, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) You can now tell everybody about your slice of Japan -- and win prizes at the same time -- thanks to the new My Japan column on the MSN-Mainichi Daily News site. Every week from Sunday, April 2, 2006,...

Giants' ace pitcher Uehara rams car into garbage truck.
March 28, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Police have questioned Yomiuri Giants' ace pitcher Koji Uehara over a traffic accident he caused in Tokyo that left a man slightly injured, police and baseball club officials said. The accident occurred on...

Parents of MSDF officer who committed suicide to sue over bullying.
March 28, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) The parents of a Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) officer who committed suicide in 2004 are set to sue the government and a former colleague of his, who they claim bullied their son into killing himself,...

Ekiben: Chiba's Nanohana Bento a double-colored delight.
March 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Growing up on the Boso Peninsula in Chiba Prefecture, the prefectural flower nanohana came to occupy an important spot in my heart. Even now when I visit the Boso area, I can see the flowers blooming all...

Kawasaki taken off Hawks first team after WBC injury.
March 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) FUKUOKA -- Fukuoka Softbank Hawks infielder Munenori Kawasaki was taken off the first team roster on Friday after sustaining minor injuries during the World Baseball Classic's final against Cuba a few days ago....

Lecturer's laptop containing class grades stolen.
March 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) MITO -- A computer belonging to a university lecturer, containing information including student names and their grades, was stolen from his car, police said. The 36-year-old lecturer, a member of Tokiwa...

NTV rapped on knuckles over staged news report.
March 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications issued a warning to Nippon Television Network (NTV) and ordered it to improve its operations after it was learned the broadcaster staged part of a news...

Nagata reveals source of fake email implicating Horie and LDP politician's son.
March 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Diet member Hisayasu Nagata has finally revealed the name of the person who informed him about an e-mail that suggested former Livedoor President Takafumi Horie ordered money to be sent to a Liberal Democratic...

Bereaved parents call for end to forced binge drinking.
March 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) A group of parents whose children died after being forced to drink large amounts of alcohol have grouped together ahead of the university entrance season to produce coasters with warnings against forced...

Prosecutors call for 15 years in jail after stabbing in Adachi.
March 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Prosecutors on Friday demanded that a man who stabbed another man and left the victim lying on a road, where he was fatally run over by a car, be sentenced to 15 years in prison. Toshio Miki, 56, was...

Vehicle hit by police gunfire was stolen from Chiba car dealer.
March 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Police who fired at a recklessly driven car in Tokyo's Koto-ku on Thursday have found that the vehicle was stolen from a used car dealership in Wakaba-ku, Chiba, on Feb. 8. Police said they received an...

Knife-wielding robber preys on Tokyo cabbies.
March 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) At least three taxi drivers were robbed by a knife-wielding passenger in Tokyo's Itabashi-ku in March, police said. All three cases occurred on weekends. In the first of the incidents, a male passenger...

Household assets pass 1.5 quadrillion yen for first time in Japan.
March 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Household financial assets in Japan surged past 1.5 quadrillion yen at the end of last year, the highest figure since surveys began in 1979, Bank of Japan data has shown. The bank reported assets of 1,508...

Nagano reports Gov. Yasuo Tanaka to prosecutors.
March 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) NAGANO -- Kiyoshi Hagiwara, chairman of the Nagano Prefectural Assembly, filed a complaint against Nagano Gov. Yasuo Takana with public prosecutors on Friday, accusing him of violating the Local Autonomy Law....

Japanese astronaut publishes memoirs of career in space.
March 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi has published his autobiography, documenting his childhood and his career in space. Noguchi talked to reporters about his autobiography, "Only One," on Thursday. He...

Journalist named as provider of fake e-mail faces Diet questioning.
March 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) The House of Representatives Disciplinary Committee decided Friday to summon ex-freelance journalist Takashi Nishizawa for questioning over a false e-mail that was used to make allegations implicating a senior...

Lawmaker Kuniko Inoguchi resigns from Sophia University.
March 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Kuniko Inoguchi, the minister in charge of dealing with Japan's declining birth rate, has submitted her resignation as a professor at Sophia University, it has been learned. Inoguchi reportedly plans to...

Knife-wielding bandit robs 7-Eleven of 40,000 yen.
March 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) ENIWA, Hokkaido -- A man pretending to be a customer made away with 40,000 yen in cash from a convenience store after threatening an employee with a knife on Saturday, police said. The man, who looked to be...

Gang of thieves strikes six homes in succession.
March 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) SAITAMA -- Police suspect a gang of thieves was responsible for the burglary and attempted burglary of six homes here on Friday while residents were out. All six crimes were committed one after another in...

School holiday environment event roars ahead in Tokyo.
March 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) A weekend event for children to interactively learn about the environment during the spring break kicked off in Tokyo on Saturday, with a popular dinosaur robot that was unveiled at last year's Aichi expo...

Middle-aged woman busts train groper cop red-handed.
March 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) CHIBA -- An off-duty police officer was arrested for groping a woman's thighs on a commuter train Friday night, Chiba police said. Shinji Kato, 46, a Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department assistant...

Sake store owner fights alcoholic past to become chairman of teetotalers.
March 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) association Masao Takada, the 62-year-old operator of a sake store in Tokyo's Koto-ku and a former alcoholic, has been named chairman of a teetotalers association in the ward. Takada is set to become...

3-year-old survives 7-story fall after landing on flowerbed.
March 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) KAKOGAWA, Hyogo -- A 3-year-old boy fell 15 meters from the seventh floor of a condominium here, but miraculously survived practically uninjured after landing on a soft bed of flowers, police said. Police...

ATM withdrawal limit halves number of phone fraud victims at Mizuho Bank.
March 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Telephone-based fraud cases involving Mizuho Bank customers have halved since the bank lowered the daily limit on automatic teller machine (ATM) withdrawals from 5 million yen to 500,000 yen, police have...

Inner-city building plans threaten natural home of raccoon dogs.
March 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Raccoon dogs living in a nature-abundant area in central Tokyo face eviction because the housing developer that owns the land plans to build an apartment block there. The unnamed developer has already...

Surgeon suspected of mercy killings admits removing respirators.
March 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) IMIZU, Toyama -- A surgeon is suspected of euthanasia at a hospital here has reportedly told hospital officials he removed the artificial respirators of numerous patients. The 50-year-old surgeon reportedly...

Nagoya TV tower to get billion yen facelift.
March 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) NAGOYA -- Nagoya TV Tower, a favorite symbol of many Nagoya residents, is set to undergo its first major renovation since it opened in 1954. Officials decided to renovate the tower to increase its...

Mountain climber dies in freak one-meter fall.
March 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) NAGANO -- A 50-year-old mountain climber died in a freak accident after she fell one meter on a frozen waterfall and strangled herself on tape attached to spikes driven into the ice face, police said. ...

System needs adjustments to cope with puberty blues.
March 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) "Down there is all itchy and there's this funny discharge that makes me uncomfortable," junior high schoolgirl Sachiko told me in a consultation at my clinic brought about because she was worried after having...

Gov't hopes free science magazine will add chemistry to young lovers' dates.
March 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Japan's Education Ministry plans to publish and distribute a free magazine called "Science Walker" packed with scientific topics that young people can chat about with their sweethearts while on dates. The...

Amsterdam and Tokyo toast "twin stations" with tulips.
March 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) East Japan Railway Co. (JR East) has announced that Tokyo Station will form ties with Holland's Amsterdam Central Station in a "sister-station" relationship. Superficially, Tokyo and Amsterdam Central...

Famous wax models of Beatles melt hearts in Tokyo Tower.
March 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Wax models of the Beatles used on the cover of the famous rock group's "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album of 1967 have been put on public display for the first time in Tokyo. The models,...

Softbank, Nippon Ham keep winning in Pacific League baseball.
March 27, 2006... (From Mainichi Daily News) Fukuoka Softbank Hawks and Nippon Ham Fighters notched up victories Sunday to go through the Pacific League's Opening Weekend unbeaten. Softbank accounted for reigning Japan Series champion Chiba Lotte...