Yomiuri Shimbun/Daily Yomiuri articles from December 2009

Yomiuri Shimbun/Daily Yomiuri archives from December 2009

Legal option urged for JAL rehabilitation.
December 31, 2009... Legal option urged for JAL rehabilitation Yomiuri A state-backed corporate turnaround body has proposed putting Japan Airlines into court-administrated legal liquidation while throwing a cash lifeline to the ailing carrier to enable it to...

Strategy lacks tactics for growth.
December 31, 2009... Strategy lacks tactics for growth Masami Yamamoto / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer Yomiuri The administration of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, since its launch in September, has been criticized for lacking an overall strategy aimed at...

Govt seeks 3% growth over 10 years / New strategy plan to.
December 31, 2009... Govt seeks 3% growth over 10 years / New strategy plan to boost demand, jobs Yomiuri The government of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama on Wednesday decided the basic policy on a new growth strategy aiming at boosting the growth rate of...

Noguchi starts research on ISS.
December 31, 2009... Noguchi starts research on ISS Yomiuri Astronaut Soichi Noguchi, currently aboard the International Space Station, has begun an experiment in Japan's Kibo laboratory module. The project involves growing a "space garden" of mint,...

Research whaling going well / Japan fleet managing to keep.
December 31, 2009... Research whaling going well / Japan fleet managing to keep Sea Shepherd vessel at arm's length Mikoto Hata / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer Yomiuri Japan's research whaling in the Antarctic Ocean has gone with barely a hitch in the...

EDITORIAL / Govt's new growth strategy short on details.
December 31, 2009... EDITORIAL / Govt's new growth strategy short on details Yomiuri Having an ambitious goal alone is not enough to ensure a bright future. The government's newly unveiled growth strategy for a "shining Japan" lacks vital substance in that it...

IN THE NEWS / Inventor's love for technology blossomed in.
December 31, 2009... IN THE NEWS / Inventor's love for technology blossomed in primary school Ryuichi Sato / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer Yomiuri FUKUSHIMA FUKUSHIMA--About 20 years ago, when cell phones were still the size of lunchboxes and carried on...

Smile of unborn baby photographed.
December 31, 2009... Smile of unborn baby photographed Yomiuri A picture of a smiling baby in the womb has been photographed--reportedly for the first time ever--by a research team led by Prof. Kiyobumi Kawakami of Sacred Heart University in Tokyo. The team...

Tiny twosome, grandpa rise to 100 mountains challenge.
December 31, 2009... Tiny twosome, grandpa rise to 100 mountains challenge Yomiuri Two brothers aged 8 and 6 recently conquered all 100 summits of Nihon Hyaku-meizan (100 famous mountains in Japan) with their grandfather, taking just two years and four months...

Pensions body faces tough test / Funding for records check.
December 31, 2009... Pensions body faces tough test / Funding for records checks cut; sacked officials planning to sue Takeshi Yonekawa and Takashi Koyama / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writers Yomiuri Japan Pension Service, an organization set up to take over the...

Bubble era a bygone memory / Nikkei's closing price Wednes.
December 31, 2009... Bubble era a bygone memory / Nikkei's closing price Wednesday 73% lower than that of Dec. 29, 1989 Yomiuri Wednesday's closing price of the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average--10,546.44--was a whopping 73 percent lower than the record high of...

Industries expect recovery in demand.
December 31, 2009... Industries expect recovery in demand Takamasa Miyake and Koichi Uetake / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writers Yomiuri With businesses in the country expecting a recovery in demand, many industries are projecting an increase in production and...

Toyo faces tough battle: Waseda, Nichidai stand in way of.
December 31, 2009... Toyo faces tough battle: Waseda, Nichidai stand in way of Toyo's Hakone title defense The Daily Yomiuri Yomiuri Toyo University will face a tough task in defending its prestigious Tokyo-Hakone Collegiate Ekiden title, even if its "king...

Matsui returns to Japan The Daily Yomiuri.
December 31, 2009... Matsui returns to Japan The Daily Yomiuri The Daily Yomiuri Yomiuri For Hideki Matsui, winning the World Series MVP was only a bonus to achieving his main goal. As bonuses go, he concedes, it was a pretty good one. "It's added to the...

Making the grade / Takagi becomes 1st middle schooler on J.
December 31, 2009... Making the grade / Takagi becomes 1st middle schooler on Japan Olympic speed skating team The Daily Yomiuri Yomiuri With third-places finishes on the first two days, teen phenom Miho Takagi earned consideration for an historic selection...

Aeon to overhaul supermarket business.
December 30, 2009... Aeon to overhaul supermarket business Yomiuri Leading supermarket chain operator Aeon Co. will drastically review the structure of supermarkets under its umbrella, according to the company. The firm plans to overhaul 55 stores, or about...

Turnaround body to decide on JAL aid plan in mid-Jan.
December 30, 2009... Turnaround body to decide on JAL aid plan in mid-Jan. Yomiuri A state-backed corporate turnaround body has begun coordinating views with concerned parties with an eye to deciding on its financial assistance to the cash-strapped Japan...

China eases IT import info demand / Codes to be asked on g.
December 30, 2009... China eases IT import info demand / Codes to be asked on govt purchases only Yasushi Kouchi and Akihiro Okada / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondents Yomiuri The Chinese government likely will cut back a plan that would force IT-related...

SIA to dismiss 525 in largest postwar layoff.
December 30, 2009... SIA to dismiss 525 in largest postwar layoff Yomiuri The Social Insurance Agency plans to dismiss 525 personnel when it becomes the Japan Pension Agency on Jan. 1, marking the first layoff of government workers since 1964. A dismissal...

U.S. forces to repair Futenma runways.
December 30, 2009... U.S. forces to repair Futenma runways Yomiuri The public affairs office of the U.S. Marine Corps in Okinawa Prefecture announced Monday that the marine corps would begin on Jan. 10 repairing the runways at its Futenma Air Station in...

Ozawa aides 'hid use of funds' / 400 mil. yen time deposit.
December 30, 2009... Ozawa aides 'hid use of funds' / 400 mil. yen time deposit said used as collateral in 2004 land purchase Yomiuri Democratic Party of Japan Secretary General Ichiro Ozawa's fund-management organization may have used a 400 million yen time...

EDITORIAL / 2009 provided plenty of grist for media mill/.
December 30, 2009... EDITORIAL / 2009 provided plenty of grist for media mill Yomiuri It has been a busy year. From a pandemic of a new type of influenza that hit the world this year to the struggles of the global economy to get out of recession to the...

From walking to sleeping, robots may be helping you in you.
December 30, 2009... From walking to sleeping, robots may be helping you in your old age Atsuaki Suzuki / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer Yomiuri As Japan nears the threshold of what has been dubbed a super-graying society--there are already more than 40,000...

Ruling may redraw electoral map / Osaka court's decision c.
December 30, 2009... Ruling may redraw electoral map / Osaka court's decision could force constituency reshaping by 2011 Shinya Yamada and Yutaka Ito / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writers Yomiuri Monday's ruling by the Osaka High Court that declared vote...

ANALYSIS / Aeon crafts new business model / Discards 'jack.
December 30, 2009... ANALYSIS / Aeon crafts new business model / Discards 'jack-of-all-trades' approach in favor of specialization Chihiro Sato / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer Yomiuri Aeon Co.'s decision to drastically overhaul its supermarket chain,...

JAL plan seeks to ease debts / Liquidation idea seen as wa.
December 30, 2009... JAL plan seeks to ease debts / Liquidation idea seen as way to lighten load on cash-strapped airline Yomiuri A state-backed corporate turnaround body tasked with a plan to rehabilitate cash-strapped Japan Airlines has cited options that...

HPT to build waste water plant in UAE.
December 30, 2009... HPT to build waste water plant in UAE Yomiuri Hitachi Plant Technologies, Ltd. announced Monday that it will build a mobile waste water treatment plant in the United Arab Emirates. The product is expected to help the company beat...

Musings / Dec. 29, 2009 issue.
December 30, 2009... Musings / Dec. 29, 2009 issue. Yomiuri The following is a translation of the Henshu Techo column from The Yomiuri Shimbun's Dec. 29 issue. * * * Shortly after the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake, poet Utsubo Kubota (1877-1967) wandered...

Toyo star Kashiwabara to run 5th Hakone leg.
December 30, 2009... Toyo star Kashiwabara to run 5th Hakone leg The Daily Yomiuri Yomiuri Ryuji Kashiwabara, who led Toyo University to its first-ever Tokyo-Hakone Collegiate Ekiden title last year, will again run the grueling fifth-leg of the race,...

Teen Takagi all but assured Olympic spot.
December 30, 2009... Teen Takagi all but assured Olympic spot The Daily Yomiuri Yomiuri Super-teen Miho Takagi was poised to become the first-ever middle schooler to make a Japan Olympic team in speed skating after she posted her second third-place finish...

RANTZ N RAVES / So much to gain from going away.
December 30, 2009... RANTZ N RAVES / So much to gain from going away Ken Marantz / Daily Yomiuri Sportswriter Yomiuri Others may see it differently, but it seems the hardest part about living in another country is making the decision to move there in the...

Gamba to meet Grampus in final.
December 30, 2009... Gamba to meet Grampus in final Shintaro Kano / Daily Yomiuri Sportswriter Yomiuri Gamba Osaka lost twice to Nagoya Grampus this season. Coach Akira Nishino swears there won't be a third time on New Year's Day. Gamba reached the...

'Antiseismic work likely won't be done on 2,800 schools'.
December 29, 2009... 'Antiseismic work likely won't be done on 2,800 schools' Yomiuri The education ministry's budget for construction work to improve the earthquake-resistance of about 5,000 public middle and high school buildings has been cut by about 63...

Court rules Aug. poll not constitutional / Result will sta.
December 29, 2009... Court rules Aug. poll not constitutional / Result will stand despite vote disparity Yomiuri OSAKA OSAKA--The Osaka High Court ruled Monday that August's House of Representatives election was unconstitutional because the disparity in the...

Turnaround body considering liquidation among options for.
December 29, 2009... Turnaround body considering liquidation among options for JAL Yomiuri A state-backed corporate turnaround body has presented to Japan Airlines and its main banks options for a rehabilitation plan, one of which is legal liquidation, sources...

EDITORIAL / Japan should cement ties with new big power In.
December 29, 2009... EDITORIAL / Japan should cement ties with new big power India Yomiuri Despite the hectic political calendar at year-end, Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama chose to schedule a trip abroad, to South Asian major power India. India, which has...

Interest repayment suits on rise / Overpaying debtors incr.
December 29, 2009... Interest repayment suits on rise / Overpaying debtors increasingly taking firms to court to regain cash Yomiuri Lawsuits demanding consumer loan companies and other moneylenders refund money paid by debtors as excessive interest have been...

'Donburi summit' serves up challenge to B-class grub.
December 29, 2009... 'Donburi summit' serves up challenge to B-class grub Yomiuri A "summit meeting" in Kanazawa next month will have some unique items on the menu for discussion. In fact, menus will be on the menu. About 20 restaurants from four areas...

Public schools turn to non-Japanese teachers.
December 29, 2009... Public schools turn to non-Japanese teachers Hiroyuki Mochizuki / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer Yomiuri OSAKA OSAKA--Third-grade students at Osaka municipal Kita-Nakajima Primary School get insights into culture on the Korean...

Suntory to expand soft drinks business in China.
December 29, 2009... Suntory to expand soft drinks business in China Yomiuri Suntory Holdings Ltd. plans to expand its soft drinks business in China by utilizing sales channels of its trade partner PepsiCo Inc., the company said Monday. By using the...

Auto output marks 1st rise in 14 mths.
December 29, 2009... Auto output marks 1st rise in 14 mths Yomiuri The nation churned out a total of 859,677 cars, trucks and buses in November, increasing 0.5 percent from the same month last year and marking the first year-on-year rise in 14 months,...

Govt, Russia to establish panel to lift economic ties.
December 29, 2009... Govt, Russia to establish panel to lift economic ties Hideki Kawasaki / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer Yomiuri MOSCOW MOSCOW--Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada and Russian Industry and Trade Minister Victor Khristenko have agreed to...

Capital procurement hits record high.
December 29, 2009... Capital procurement hits record high Yomiuri Japanese companies raised a record 18.62 trillion yen in capital markets both inside and outside the nation this year, according to a survey conducted by a financial research company. Four of...

FHI to boost exports to N. America.
December 29, 2009... FHI to boost exports to N. America Yomiuri Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. plans to boost its commodity distribution and production system to improve its export drive targeting North America, where the automaker is basking in robust sales. ...

Lions sign reliever Sikorski, OF Brown.
December 29, 2009... Lions sign reliever Sikorski, OF Brown The Daily Yomiuri Yomiuri The Saitama Seibu Lions added a pair of foreign players on Monday, announcing the signing of veteran reliever Brian Sikorski and outfielder Dermal Brown. Sikorski will...

Vegalta face tough test in holder Gamba.
December 29, 2009... Vegalta face tough test in holder Gamba Shintaro Kano / Daily Yomiuri Sportswriter Yomiuri Vegalta Sendai will be out to slay another giant in Gamba Osaka as the J2 champions take on Akira Nishino's holders in an Emperor's Cup semifinal...

Japan aims for multiple medals.
December 29, 2009... Japan aims for multiple medals The Daily Yomiuri Yomiuri In the history of the Winter Olympics, Japan has won just two medals in figure skating. If all goes as planned in two months time, Japanese skate officials are optimistic that...

Govt targets at least 20% renewable energy by 2020.
December 28, 2009... Govt targets at least 20% renewable energy by 2020 Yomiuri The government aims to have solar power and other forms of renewable energy account for at least 20 percent of the nation's total energy generation by 2020, Environment Minister...

Prosecutors quiz DPJ pol on land buy / Group readied 400 m.
December 28, 2009... Prosecutors quiz DPJ pol on land buy / Group readied 400 mil. yen in unstated cash Yomiuri Prosecutors on Sunday questioned House of Representatives member Tomohiro Ishikawa, a former administrative manager of a political fund-management...

Police officer, 3 others 'confined, beat student'.
December 28, 2009... Police officer, 3 others 'confined, beat student' Yomiuri KOBE KOBE--A 21-year-old police officer and three others have been arrested on suspicion of confining and assaulting a male junior college student at a Kobe apartment for four...

Stores seeking New Year cheer / Some opening doors on Jan.
December 28, 2009... Stores seeking New Year cheer / Some opening doors on Jan. 1 as Tokyoites stay close to home Yutaka Ogaki / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer Yomiuri Yusuke Matsuda and his wife, Miho, have decided not to visit their parents this New Year...

Kamei suggests Emperor move Imperial residence.
December 28, 2009... Kamei suggests Emperor move Imperial residence Yomiuri Shizuka Kamei, leader of ruling coalition partner the People's New Party, revealed Sunday that he urged the Emperor during a luncheon last Thursday to move the Imperial residence to...

Govt emphasizes 6 areas in economic growth plan.
December 28, 2009... Govt emphasizes 6 areas in economic growth plan Yomiuri A governmental council has drafted a national economic growth strategy that gives priority to six areas, including the environment, health care, science and technology, it has been...

EDITORIAL / Teaching manual mustn't avoid Takeshima disput.
December 28, 2009... EDITORIAL / Teaching manual mustn't avoid Takeshima dispute Yomiuri The generations who will forge this nation's future must be accurately taught about its territories and history. However, the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and...

Flower shop reopens 15 years after quake.
December 28, 2009... Flower shop reopens 15 years after quake Yomiuri KOBE KOBE--Teruko Morimoto and her husband, Masakazu, were hours away from reopening their renovated flower shop when disaster struck. On the morning of Jan. 17, 1995, the Great...

Manga, anime aiding towns, cities /Local governments explo.
December 28, 2009... Manga, anime aiding towns, cities /Local governments exploiting, cashing in on popularity of titles set in their locales Yomiuri Manga and anime are more than just forms of entertainment for several local governments that have recently...

Little GIANTS of business / Aichi firm masters art of wash.
December 28, 2009... Little GIANTS of business / Aichi firm masters art of washing cars Masakazu Kobayashi / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer Yomiuri NAGOYA NAGOYA--I-tac Giken Co. knows how to keep your prized set of wheels looking in mint condition--and it...

Drug firms seeking panacea / Many shifting focus to emergi.
December 28, 2009... Drug firms seeking panacea / Many shifting focus to emerging economies in struggle to stay afloat Shoichi Shirahaze and Chihiro Sato / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writers Yomiuri Major Japanese pharmaceutical makers are expediting projects to...

Single moms roll up sleeves / Keen to work as breadwinners.
December 28, 2009... Single moms roll up sleeves / Keen to work as breadwinners--if workplaces let them Takashi Koyama / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer Yomiuri At 6:30 a.m. one recent morning, Eiko Nishida handed her still-drowsy 6-year-old daughter to a...

Toyota tops Kyuden to earn playoff spot.
December 28, 2009... Toyota tops Kyuden to earn playoff spot The Daily Yomiuri Yomiuri Toyota Verblitz wrapped up the fourth and final playoff spot to determine the Top League champion when it beat Kyuden Voltex 55-14 on Sunday. Ryuji Ishii's side ran in...

Tie-ups grow between trade schools, industry.
December 28, 2009... Tie-ups grow between trade schools, industry Yomiuri OSAKA OSAKA--A vocational skill training program promoted by the Osaka prefectural government that links academia and industry has garnered increasing participation from vocational...

Dream Journey runs off with Arima Kinen.
December 28, 2009... Dream Journey runs off with Arima Kinen Shintaro Kano / Daily Yomiuri Sportswriter Yomiuri FUNABASHI, Chiba FUNABASHI, Chiba--The crowd of 115,327 at Nakayama Racecourse saw a dream ending to a year of Japanese thoroughbred racing....

Independent bodies to be screened.
December 27, 2009... Independent bodies to be screened Yomiuri The government intends to fundamentally reform independent administrative institutions by screening them just as fiscal 2010 budget requests recently were, Yoshito Sengoku, state minister in charge...

PM: Futenma to Guam move 'difficult'.
December 27, 2009... PM: Futenma to Guam move 'difficult' Yomiuri Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said Saturday the idea of moving a U.S. airfield in Okinawa Prefecture to Guam was difficult, making it more likely that the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station...

Free legal consultation available for foreigners.
December 27, 2009... Free legal consultation available for foreigners The Daily Yomiuri Yomiuri The Musashino International Association will hold free legal and mental consultations for non-Japanese on Jan. 22 in Musashino, western Tokyo. A counselor, a...

Setting for Dazai's 'Shayo' razed in suspicious fire.
December 27, 2009... Setting for Dazai's 'Shayo' razed in suspicious fire Yomiuri YOKOHAMA YOKOHAMA--A two-story villa that was the setting for novelist Osamu Dazai's masterpiece "Shayo" (The Setting Sun) burned down early Saturday in what police suggested...

3 held over fatal robbery freed for lack of evidence.
December 27, 2009... 3 held over fatal robbery freed for lack of evidence Yomiuri MITO MITO--Three men arrested this month over a 1995 robbery resulting in death have been released less than a month before the statute of limitations expires due to a lack of...

Abuse of court challenges feared / Prosecution, defense re.
December 27, 2009... Abuse of court challenges feared / Prosecution, defense reject 229 lay judge candidates in 3 months Yomiuri Prosecutors and defense attorneys have rejected 229 potential lay judges since the new lay judge trial system began in...

EDITORIAL / New govt, economy top stories of 2009.
December 27, 2009... EDITORIAL / New govt, economy top stories of 2009 Yomiuri In our annual ranking of the 10 domestic news stories of the year, the change of government tops the list. The administration led by Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama was launched after...

IN THE NEWS / Teaching Japanese to France's future.
December 27, 2009... IN THE NEWS / Teaching Japanese to France's future Michio Hayashi / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent Yomiuri PARIS PARIS--For 22 years, Yoko Ishii has taught Japanese at an elite national science and technology school outside of Paris,...

30 dam projects come under ministry scrutiny.
December 27, 2009... 30 dam projects come under ministry scrutiny Yomiuri The construction ministry has decided to reevaluate about 30 dam projects nationwide and abandon those it deems unnecessary. The central government and the Japan Water Agency are...

New flu forces makeup entrance exams.
December 27, 2009... New flu forces makeup entrance exams Yomiuri An education ministry survey has found that 45 percent of private universities, 67 percent of national and 66 percent of public universities are planning additional entrance exams in spring for...

Town hall now L. American school.
December 27, 2009... Town hall now L. American school Yomiuri HAMAMATSU, Shizuoka HAMAMATSU, Shizuoka--A former town hall in Hamamatsu is being reborn as a school for Latin American children, whose present school building is small, old and has a leaky roof,...

Teachers--Tokyo wants you / Education board desperate to a.
December 27, 2009... Teachers--Tokyo wants you / Education board desperate to attract new recruits from across nation Yomiuri Bus tours around the sights of Tokyo are fairly common, but one recent excursion this month went slightly off the beaten track--to...

Fiscal discipline entering danger zone.
December 27, 2009... Fiscal discipline entering danger zone Tadashi Isozumi / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer Yomiuri The record-high figures in the fiscal 2010 budget make for worrisome reading: General expenditures will be 53.45 trillion yen, new government...

Sakamoto decides to return to mat.
December 27, 2009... Sakamoto decides to return to mat The Daily Yomiuri Yomiuri Hitomi Sakamoto became the latest retired former world champion wrestler who won't let her Olympic dream die. Sakamoto announced Saturday she would return to the mat, just...

Gitau gives Nihon hope in bid for elusive Hakone title.
December 27, 2009... Gitau gives Nihon hope in bid for elusive Hakone title Ken Marantz / Daily Yomiuri Sportswriter Yomiuri Should Daniel Gitau ever find himself seeking inspiration while running, he need look no farther than his wrist. It is there that...

Japan to get shot at England.
December 27, 2009... Japan to get shot at England The Daily Yomiuri Yomiuri At least one world-class team is willing to play Japan--England. England manager Fabio Capello said during an interview with Sky Sports on Friday that his team will set up a...

Buena Vista looks to end '09 with Arima glory.
December 27, 2009... Buena Vista looks to end '09 with Arima glory Shintaro Kano / Daily Yomiuri Sportswriter Yomiuri All eyes will be on 3-year-old phenom Buena Vista for this afternoon's Arima Kinen, the grand finale to a year of thoroughbred racing. ...

Suntory takes Toshiba to task.
December 27, 2009... Suntory takes Toshiba to task Rich Freeman / Daily Yomiuri Sportswriter Yomiuri What a difference a year makes--not to mention a new director of rugby. Eleven months after being hammered by local rival Toshiba Brave Lupus, Suntory...

Jobless rate rises to 5.2%.
December 26, 2009... Jobless rate rises to 5.2% Yomiuri The nation's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in November rose 0.1 percentage point to 5.2 percent from the previous month, the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry said Friday. The...

High school manual omits dispute over Takeshima.
December 26, 2009... High school manual omits dispute over Takeshima Yomiuri In what appeared to be a diplomatic gesture by the Democratic Party of Japan, a new instruction manual for high school social studies classes does not mention the territorial dispute...

Hatoyama: DPJ to revise manifesto.
December 26, 2009... Hatoyama: DPJ to revise manifesto Yomiuri Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama on Friday said his ruling Democratic Party of Japan would rewrite its manifesto to prepare a new set of policy pledges for next summer's House of Councillors election....

FY10 budget to be record 92.3 trillion yen.
December 26, 2009... FY10 budget to be record 92.3 trillion yen Yomiuri The government approved Friday the largest-ever budget of 92.3 trillion yen for fiscal 2010, up 4.2 percent from the initial budget for fiscal 2009, setting a record high figure for two...