Yomiuri Shimbun/Daily Yomiuri articles from January 2009

Yomiuri Shimbun/Daily Yomiuri archives from January 2009

Refugee applications hit record 1,600 in 2008.
January 31, 2009... Refugee applications hit record 1,600 in 2008 Yomiuri The number of foreign nationals who applied for refugee status in Japan marked an all-time high in 2008 since the recognition system was introduced in 1982, nearly doubling from...

3 power cable makers searched over cartel.
January 31, 2009... 3 power cable makers searched over cartel Yomiuri The Fair Trade Commission has searched three manufacturers of high-voltage power transmission cables on suspicion of forming a price cartel, sources said. The three Tokyo-based...

Layoffs creating dire situation / Nonregular workers can't.
January 31, 2009... Layoffs creating dire situation / Nonregular workers can't find new jobs, urged to look to other fields Yomiuri Employment data released Friday by the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry highlighted the increasing difficulties...

Hospital patient, staff info exposed on Internet.
January 31, 2009... Hospital patient, staff info exposed on Internet Yomiuri The personal information of 640 staff and inpatients of Bokuto Hospital in Sumida Ward, Tokyo, was exposed on the Internet via Winny file-sharing software a male clerical...

Kampo inn resold for 60 mil. yen gain.
January 31, 2009... Kampo inn resold for 60 mil. yen gain Yomiuri TOTTORI TOTTORI--A Kampo no Yado inn in Iwamicho, Tottori Prefecture, which was sold by Japan Post in March 2007 after being assessed as having a value of just 10,000 yen was resold...

Ministry notice bars cell phones at schools.
January 31, 2009... Ministry notice bars cell phones at schools Yomiuri The Education, Science and Technology Ministry on Friday issued a notice calling on primary and middle schools to prohibit students from bringing cell phones to school in principle....

IN THE NEWS / Cancer prof counsels terminally ill.
January 31, 2009... IN THE NEWS / Cancer prof counsels terminally ill Masaru Fujita / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer Yomiuri Okio Hino, a professor and cancer researcher of Juntendo University's School of Medicine in Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo, provides...

More stores covering magazines.
January 31, 2009... More stores covering magazines Kenji Iwaasa / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer Yomiuri Magazines and books wrapped in plastic bags or with rubber bands around them have recently become a common sight at convenience stores. Such...

Musings / Jan. 28, 2009.
January 31, 2009... Musings / Jan. 28, 2009 Yomiuri The following is a translation of the Henshu Techo column from The Yomiuri Shimbun's Jan. 28 issue. * * * The late writer Kuniko Mukoda never simply pocketed money she happened to come...

No progress seen in northern territories row.
January 31, 2009... No progress seen in northern territories row Hiroaki Matsunaga and Toshikazu Seguchi / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writers Yomiuri Dark clouds are gathering on the horizon of Japan-Russia relations as a result of a newly emerging...

Disembarkation card dispute 'not political'.
January 31, 2009... Disembarkation card dispute 'not political' Yomiuri Masaru Sato, former chief information analyst of the Foreign Ministry, said the current dispute over Russia's insistence that members of a humanitarian mission to the northern...

Recent rocket launch fires Kansai satellite boom.
January 31, 2009... Recent rocket launch fires Kansai satellite boom Yomiuri OSAKA OSAKA--The recent launch of lightning observation satellite SOHLA 1, created by small and midsize firms in Higashi-Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, has fueled interest among...

Thermal lunch boxes 'hot' for savings, health.
January 31, 2009... Thermal lunch boxes 'hot' for savings, health Yomiuri Thermal lunch boxes are becoming popular nowadays, not only with those who take lunch to work to avoid eating out in these economically tough times but also with people who prefer...

EDITORIAL / Russia must keep pledge on northern territorie.
January 31, 2009... EDITORIAL / Russia must keep pledge on northern territories Yomiuri Moscow has moved to unilaterally cancel an agreement reached between Japan and Russia that allows so-called visaless visits by Japanese nationals to the four...

HOKKAIDO / Dentist offers low-calorie chocolate for Valent.
January 31, 2009... HOKKAIDO / Dentist offers low-calorie chocolate for Valentine's Day Yomiuri A dentist in Bihorocho, Hokkaido, has begun selling chocolates that include a fruit to provide sweetness and two compounds to reduce cholesterol and prevent...

EHIME / Closed schools reborn as public inns.
January 31, 2009... EHIME / Closed schools reborn as public inns Yomiuri Public inns established in former school buildings on an island in Imabari, Ehime Prefecture, have become popular for their nostalgic atmosphere and reasonable rates, while also...

SAITAMA / NPO pushes govt to protect rare plants.
January 31, 2009... SAITAMA / NPO pushes govt to protect rare plants Yomiuri At the insistence of a nonprofit organization, the central government has moved a number of plants--some of which are on the Environment Ministry's Red List--from a site when...

NAGASAKI / Volunteers hope rickshaw meet will help drive l.
January 31, 2009... NAGASAKI / Volunteers hope rickshaw meet will help drive local economy Yomiuri A volunteer group offering free rickshaw rides for tourists in the historic district of Nichinan, Miyazaki Prefecture, will hold a "rickshaw summit" in...

WBC adopts novel, disputed extra-inning rule.
January 31, 2009... WBC adopts novel, disputed extra-inning rule Yomiuri Don't expect to see classic extra-inning finishes at the 2009 World Baseball Classic. The tournament's steering committee opted for a version of the novel extra-inning rule...

Juryo wrestler busted for pot.
January 31, 2009... Juryo wrestler busted for pot Yomiuri Sumo is facing another drug scandal after wrestler Wakakirin was arrested Friday for possessing cannabis, the Kanagawa prefectural police said. The 25-year-old juryo division wrestler, whose...

Okada calls in big guns for key Aussie clash.
January 31, 2009... Okada calls in big guns for key Aussie clash Shintaro Kano / Daily Yomiuri Sportswriter Yomiuri Takeshi Okada can't forgive himself for losing to Bahrain again. And he's ready to take it out on Australia. "Australia's the...

JAL 747 makes test flight using biofuel.
January 31, 2009... JAL 747 makes test flight using biofuel Yomiuri Japan Airlines on Friday conducted a test flight using plant-derived biofuel at Haneda Airport in Ota Ward, Tokyo. Shortly after noon, a Boeing 747-300 jet flew over the Pacific...

Nonregular job toll at 124,800.
January 31, 2009... Nonregular job toll at 124,800 Yomiuri The number of nonregular workers who have lost or are expected to lose their jobs in the October to March period amid the economic downturn stood at 124,802 as of Monday, according to a Health,...

City to give Mitsubishi vehicle buyers 100,000 yen.
January 31, 2009... City to give Mitsubishi vehicle buyers 100,000 yen Yomiuri OKAYAMA OKAYAMA--The Soja municipal government in Okayama Prefecture will offer city residents 100,000 yen subsidies to purchase new cars made by Mitsubishi Motors Co.,...

Aso, Obama agree to hold summit soon.
January 30, 2009... Aso, Obama agree to hold summit soon Yomiuri Prime Minister Taro Aso agreed with U.S. President Barack Obama in a telephone talk Thursday to arrange through diplomatic channels a summit meeting soon, according to the Foreign...

Indonesians training at nursing homes.
January 30, 2009... Indonesians training at nursing homes Yomiuri About 100 Indonesian trainees who came to Japan last year under the bilateral economic partnership agreement to obtain the Japanese care worker's license were dispatched to about 50...

Researchers develop universal flu vaccine.
January 30, 2009... Researchers develop universal flu vaccine Yomiuri A group of researchers has developed a new vaccine effective against many types of influenza, a breakthrough that could be a possible silver bullet against new strains of the virus....

Inn sales plan to be reviewed.
January 30, 2009... Inn sales plan to be reviewed Yomiuri Japan Post Holdings Co. President Yoshifumi Nishikawa said Thursday he intends to review the firm's planned sale of Kampo no Yado inns to Orix Corp. "We'll put to one side our plans to sell...

Ex-PCI execs found guilty of bribery.
January 30, 2009... Ex-PCI execs found guilty of bribery Yomiuri The Tokyo District Court on Thursday found former top officials of Pacific Consultants International (PCI) guilty of bribing a high-ranking official of the government of Vietnam in...

Boys find artillery shell, bring it to primary school.
January 30, 2009... Boys find artillery shell, bring it to primary school Yomiuri NAHA NAHA--Two sixth-grade boys found an unexploded artillery shell on their way to Shonan Primary School in Haebarucho, Okinawa Prefecture, and brought it to the...

4 death row inmates executed in one day.
January 30, 2009... 4 death row inmates executed in one day Yomiuri Four death row inmates, including a man convicted of killing four people in Aichi and Nagano prefectures in 2004, were executed Thursday morning, the Justice Ministry announced. ...

Tough calls await on antipiracy use of weapons.
January 30, 2009... Tough calls await on antipiracy use of weapons Yomiuri The government embarked Wednesday on preparations to dispatch Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyers to protect Japanese vessels and other ships connected with Japan from pirates...

Pedestrian deaths top fatalities among vehicle riders for.
January 30, 2009... Pedestrian deaths top fatalities among vehicle riders for first time since 1974 Yomiuri The number of people who died nationwide last year while traveling in or driving a vehicle was lower than pedestrian deaths from traffic...

Aso goes on defensive in policy speech.
January 30, 2009... Aso goes on defensive in policy speech Aya Igarashi and Makoto Miura / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writers Yomiuri Prime Minister Taro Aso cast aside the combative approach he exhibited immediately after taking office and embraced a...

Exhibition to celebrate Osamu Tezuka's life, work.
January 30, 2009... Exhibition to celebrate Osamu Tezuka's life, work Yomiuri A brief overview of an event to mark the 80th anniversary of the birth of renowned manga artist Osamu Tezuka was presented Wednesday. "Osamu Tezuka Exhibition" will run...

Local govts face handout headache.
January 30, 2009... Local govts face handout headache Yomiuri The 2 trillion yen cash handout plan contained in the second supplementary budget for fiscal 2008 approved by the Diet on Tuesday is set to cause headaches for municipal governments across...

Yodo hijackers staying put? / 6 Japanese still in DPRK cou.
January 30, 2009... Yodo hijackers staying put? / 6 Japanese still in DPRK could clear up issue of abduction links Hajime Ikekame / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer Yomiuri Of the 20 children born to the Yodo airliner hijackers who had been living in...

Wakata to take cypress fan into space.
January 30, 2009... Wakata to take cypress fan into space Yomiuri Astronaut Koichi Wakata, who is scheduled to begin an extended stay aboard the International Space Station in February, will take with him a fan made of hinoki cypress from the Kiso area...

EDITORIAL / Diet needs to give time to sales tax discussio.
January 30, 2009... EDITORIAL / Diet needs to give time to sales tax discussion Yomiuri It is imperative that the Diet now deepen discussions about a suitable consumption tax rate for the nation, even though the task is thought of as a medium-term...

Funny beyond words! Silent comic duo Gamarjobat need no la.
January 30, 2009... Funny beyond words! Silent comic duo Gamarjobat need no language but laughter Ikuko Kitagawa / Daily Yomiuri Staff Writer Yomiuri Two slender men in tight black suits and sunglasses stand side by side, looking almost as cool as...

COMICS REVIEW / Struggling to pedal uphill, and loving eve.
January 30, 2009... COMICS REVIEW / Struggling to pedal uphill, and loving every second Hiroshi Hirai / Daily Yomiuri Staff Writer Yomiuri Shakariki! By Masahito Soda 7 volumes, complete Shogakukan Inc. 456-472 pp and 750 yen each...

Vaughan imagines life of last man on Earth.
January 30, 2009... Vaughan imagines life of last man on Earth Tom Baker / Daily Yomiuri Staff Writer Yomiuri The phone line went dead just as Yorick Brown, in Brooklyn, New York, finally worked up the nerve to propose to his girlfriend, Beth...

Myoshinji: Temple of art.
January 30, 2009... Myoshinji: Temple of art Midori Matsuzawa / Daily Yomiuri Staff Writer Yomiuri Introduced to China during the sixth century by Indian priest Bodhidharma--known as Daruma in Japanese--Zen Buddhism later split into several...

Morris exhibition showcasing Arts & Crafts movement.
January 30, 2009... Morris exhibition showcasing Arts & Crafts movement Robert Reed / Special to The Daily Yomiuri Yomiuri William Morris (1834-1896) was a figure whose vision and lifetime of tireless work at a pivotal time in modern history left a...

Sunakku 'mamas' rule the roost.
January 30, 2009... Sunakku 'mamas' rule the roost Kumi Matsumaru / Daily Yomiuri Staff Writer Yomiuri Sunakku, or snack bars, may be an institution peculiar to Japan. The bars, which can be found in any town--large or small--are run in a rather...

TROUBLESHOOTER / Man fed up with living with dad.
January 30, 2009... TROUBLESHOOTER / Man fed up with living with dad Yomiuri Dear Troubleshooter: I'm a single man in my 40s. I live with my father, who is in his 80s. Our family has been engaging in farming for generations. Last year, I became...

TROUBLESHOOTER / Mother suffering eating disorder.
January 30, 2009... TROUBLESHOOTER / Mother suffering eating disorder Yomiuri Dear Troubleshooter: I'm a mother of two children, including one who was born very recently. I have been suffering from overeating and vomiting for more than 10 years. I...

Niece takes up '20th Century' fight.
January 30, 2009... Niece takes up '20th Century' fight Cris Mark / Daily Yomiuri Staff Writer Yomiuri 20th Century Boys: Saigo no Kibo 2.5 stars out of five Dir: Yukihiko Tsutsumi Cast: Toshiaki Karasawa, Etsushi Toyokawa Takako...

'Road' to hell.
January 30, 2009... 'Road' to hell Tom Baker / Daily Yomiuri Staff Writer Yomiuri Revolutionary Road 4 stars out of five Dir: Sam Mendes Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Michael Shannon, Kathy Bates Frank and April Wheeler...

Lorna's extraordinary tale of ordinary life.
January 30, 2009... Lorna's extraordinary tale of ordinary life Ikuko Kitagawa / Daily Yomiuri Staff Writer Yomiuri The Cannes Film Festival award-winning directors, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, got the inspiration for their latest movie plot from...

TV detectives use fingerprint technology, blood-type blarn.
January 30, 2009... TV detectives use fingerprint technology, blood-type blarney Wm. Penn / Daily Yomiuri Staff Writer Yomiuri Wednesday night is mystery night on Japanese TV. To the perennial favorites Aibo and TV Tokyo's Suiyo Mystery, now add...

NATURE IN SHORT / Green-winged teals brighten up Japan's w.
January 30, 2009... NATURE IN SHORT / Green-winged teals brighten up Japan's wintering waterfowl Kevin Short / Daily Yomiuri Columnist Yomiuri As regular readers of this column know very well, I'm using this winter season to work on my birdwatching...

JSA reads riot act to Asa's stablemaster.
January 30, 2009... JSA reads riot act to Asa's stablemaster The Daily Yomiuri Yomiuri Japan Sumo Association chairman Musashigawa on Thursday reprimanded Asashoryu's stablemaster for the yokozuna's over-exuberant celebrations after he won the...

Hardly worth watching / Japan falls to Bahrain in Asian Cu.
January 30, 2009... Hardly worth watching / Japan falls to Bahrain in Asian Cup qualifier as fans back home kept in dark The Daily Yomiuri Yomiuri The Japan Football Association must now be glad the Asian Cup qualifier against Bahrain wasn't...

Sugiyama 1 win from career doubles Slam.
January 30, 2009... Sugiyama 1 win from career doubles Slam Yomiuri MELBOURNE MELBOURNE--Ai Sugiyama moved one win away from an impressive career milestone on Thursday. But it won't be easy for the Japanese veteran. Sugiyama and Slovakian...

MSDF told to prepare for mission off Somalia.
January 29, 2009... MSDF told to prepare for mission off Somalia Yomiuri The government on Wednesday formally decided to dispatch Maritime Self-Defense Force ships to protect Japanese vessels and other ships carrying Japanese nationals or cargo from...

FLAGGING JAPAN-U.S. ALLIANCE / Unceasing effort vital for.
January 29, 2009... FLAGGING JAPAN-U.S. ALLIANCE / Unceasing effort vital for mutual trust Yomiuri The following is the last installment of a three-part series on the future of Japan-U.S. security relations in the wake of the inauguration of the new...

Panasonic sees after-tax losses of 100 billion yen.
January 29, 2009... Panasonic sees after-tax losses of 100 billion yen Yomiuri OSAKA--Panasonic Corp. is likely to suffer consolidated after-tax losses of more than 100 billion yen in the business year ending in March 2009, it was learned Wednesday. ...

Aso pledges to fix economy.
January 29, 2009... Aso pledges to fix economy Yomiuri Prime Minister Taro Aso expressed his determination to focus all the government's efforts on economic recovery in his policy speech delivered at a plenary session of both houses of the Diet on...

N. isles aid trip canceled over visa row.
January 29, 2009... N. isles aid trip canceled over visa row Yomiuri A Japanese delegation aiming to provide humanitarian aid items to residents of the four disputed Russian-held islands known in Japan as the northern territories decided Wednesday to...

Nishimatsu head admits firm's slush fund probe inadequate/.
January 29, 2009... Nishimatsu head admits firm's slush fund probe inadequate Yomiuri The president of Nishimatsu Construction Co., a firm embroiled in a slush fund scandal that resulted in the arrest of its former president, has admitted that the...

Survey: 400,000 nonregular jobs in manufacturing industry.
January 29, 2009... Survey: 400,000 nonregular jobs in manufacturing industry at risk Yomiuri About 400,000 dispatch and contract workers employed in the manufacturing industry are expected to lose their jobs by the end of March, according to an...

ANALYSIS / Aso policy speech unpersuasive.
January 29, 2009... ANALYSIS / Aso policy speech unpersuasive Kohei Kawashima / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer Yomiuri In his first policy speech during the ordinary Diet session, Prime Minister Taro Aso emphasized his determination to come up with...

Kabuki-za plans unveiled.
January 29, 2009... Kabuki-za plans unveiled Yomiuri The Kabuki-za theater, which is to be dismantled and rebuilt due to its deteriorating state, will be reborn as a 150-meter-tall theater and office complex, according to a rebuilding plan unveiled...

Russian coast guard seizes crabber, crew.
January 29, 2009... Russian coast guard seizes crabber, crew Yomiuri The Foreign Ministry has learned that a crab fishing vessel and its 10 crew members were seized by a Russian border patrol in the Sea of Japan at around 8 p.m. Tuesday. The...

Ex-company boss held over Shibuya project.
January 29, 2009... Ex-company boss held over Shibuya project Yomiuri The former president of a Tokyo-based real estate company was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of evading about 1.7 billion yen in corporate tax in connection with a land deal...

Saving the environment in exchange for everyday goods, ser.
January 29, 2009... Saving the environment in exchange for everyday goods, services Yomiuri A program in which consumers accumulate and redeem points when buying or using greenhouse gas-reducing environmentally friendly goods and services, including...

MSDF antipiracy dispatch faces questions.
January 29, 2009... MSDF antipiracy dispatch faces questions Hidemichi Katsumata Yomiuri Shimbun Senior Writer Yomiuri Although an outline of operational guidelines for a Maritime Self-Defense Force antipiracy mission off Somalia has been revealed,...

MSDF flotilla to engage in deterrence, warning.
January 29, 2009... MSDF flotilla to engage in deterrence, warning Yomiuri Currently, about 20 countries and organizations are dispatching naval ships and aircraft for antipiracy missions off Somalia. However, there is no central headquarters...

Disabled workers hit by lack of orders.
January 29, 2009... Disabled workers hit by lack of orders Yomiuri As major automakers have reduced their production amid the ongoing global economic downturn, vocational aid centers and workshops for mentally and physically disabled people, many of...

POLITICAL PULSE / Foggy seas ahead for MSDF.
January 29, 2009... POLITICAL PULSE / Foggy seas ahead for MSDF Tetsuya Harada Yomiuri The government will send the Maritime Self-Defense Force to waters off Somalia to deal with rampant piracy there, based on the current Self-Defense Forces Law....

EDITORIAL / Aso should fulfill govt's responsibility.
January 29, 2009... EDITORIAL / Aso should fulfill govt's responsibility Yomiuri Prime Minister Taro Aso declared in his policy speech Wednesday that he would protect the lives of the Japanese people from the global economic crisis and "return Japan to...

Educational Renaissance / Boarding students learning auton.
January 29, 2009... Educational Renaissance / Boarding students learning autonomy Koichi Yasuda and Rie Kyogoku / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writers Yomiuri GAMAGORI, Aichi Earlier this month, The Yomiuri Shimbun ran the 1,000th installment of its...

Bulletin Board.
January 29, 2009... Bulletin Board Yomiuri JALT Nagasaki meeting on shadowing The Nagasaki chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching will hold a meeting Saturday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Dejima Koryu Kaikan building in central...

Bernanke's speech shows where BOJ failed.
January 29, 2009... Bernanke's speech shows where BOJ failed Richard A. Werner / Special to The Daily Yomiuri Yomiuri U.S. Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke gave an interesting speech at the London School of Economics in mid-January....

TOURING ANCIENT TEMPLES / Zen priests' lives of discipline.
January 29, 2009... TOURING ANCIENT TEMPLES / Zen priests' lives of discipline Kenichi Okumura / Daily Yomiuri Staff Writer Yomiuri EIHEIJICHO, Fukui Eiheiji temple in Fukui Prefecture is famous for its unbending adherence to Zen principles,...

Fukuoka renamed for step up.
January 29, 2009... Fukuoka renamed for step up Yomiuri Makushita division champion Fukuoka has received a new name to mark his peerless 7-0 performance at the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament. The 23-year-old, who earned promotion to the second-tier...

Asashoryu rapped for celebrating.
January 29, 2009... Asashoryu rapped for celebrating Yomiuri Yokozuna Asashoryu is in the firing line for his arms-aloft celebration after winning the Emperor's Cup on Sunday at the New Grand Sumo Tournament. Asashoryu heaved fellow yokozuna Hakuho...

Sugiyama heads Fed Cup team.
January 29, 2009... Sugiyama heads Fed Cup team Yomiuri Veteran Ai Sugiyama and teen Ayumi Morita have been named to the Japan Fed Cup team to face Serbia next month in a Group II, first-round match, the Japan Tennis Assocation announced Wednesday. ...

THE HOT CORNER: Carp don't need that much speed.
January 29, 2009... THE HOT CORNER: Carp don't need that much speed Jim Allen / Daily Yomiuri Sportswriter Yomiuri There is a popular saying among Japan's baseball commentators that speed never goes into a slump, that it is always an asset. This is...

Vote on Landscapes of Heisei.
January 28, 2009... Vote on Landscapes of Heisei Yomiuri The Yomiuri Shimbun is inviting readers to select their favorites for 100 Landscapes of Heisei, a project to celebrate the 135th anniversary of The Yomiuri Shimbun. The project will select...

Japan-friendly figures augur well for Tokyo.
January 28, 2009... Japan-friendly figures augur well for Tokyo Yomiuri The following is the second installment of a three-part series on the future of Japan-U.S. security relations following the inauguration of the new administration of U.S. President...

MSDF to receive orders for antipiracy mission.
January 28, 2009... MSDF to receive orders for antipiracy mission Yomiuri Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada plans Wednesday to officially order the Maritime Self-Defense Force to prepare for an antipiracy mission off Somalia, according to sources. ...

Investigators to accept Atago collision ruling.
January 28, 2009... Investigators to accept Atago collision ruling Yomiuri Investigators of the Yokohama Marine Accident Tribunal decided not to appeal the tribunal's ruling handed down Thursday urging the Maritime Self-Defense Force to thoroughly...