Being low-paid male temp probably spells bachelorhood
Being a temp comes with a number of drawbacks: a lack of job security, often low pay - and if you're a man, anyway, little chance of tying the knot. So says the latest labor ministry survey, released Wednesday, which found that out of some 700 single, male temporary workers aged 20 to 34 who responded, only 17.2 percent of them got married between 2002 to 2008, while the marriage rate for male regular employees was nearly double that at 32.2 percent, according to the survey. (Japan Times)
Publ.Date : 2010-03-18 21:47:15

U.S. to hand over to Japan most Okinawa air control on March 31
Washington officially agreed Thursday with Tokyo to hand over to Japan on March 31 air traffic control rights around Okinawa Island that have effectively been under U.S. forces' control since 1945, the Foreign Ministry said Thursday. Okinawa was returned to Japanese rule in 1972. The two countries initially agreed in 2004 to finish the transfer of the Kadena radar approach control, known as Kadena RAPCON, within three years. But they rearranged in 2008 to set the handover for this month. (Japan Times)
Publ.Date : 2010-03-18 21:47:15

Turning Japanese
Paralysis isn't unique to Japan; it appears to be a common affliction throughout the developed world. But by looking at Japan, we can get a good idea of the damage it can do. Unwilling to make hard choices, the government simply threw taxpayer money around, attempting to keep people employed without fundamentally changing the economy. The result is government debt approaching 200% of GDP. Overly protected at home, Japan Inc. has missed out on the globalization game; its companies, unable to adapt to a changing world, are losing global market share to more nimble competitors. The nation that once led the way toward prosperity in Asia is sitting by while its influence is being usurped by China. (Time)
Publ.Date : 2010-03-18 22:05:06

Japan to boost Haiti aid to $100 mln
Japan will boost its aid to quake-hit Haiti to 100 million dollars, a report said Friday as the country's foreign minister prepared to visit the impoverished Caribbean nation this weekend. Japan, which has already pledged 70 million dollars in emergency aid and for long-term reconstruction, will raise the total sum by 30 million dollars, public broadcaster NHK said. The additional aid will pay for shelters for people left homeless after the devastating 7.0-magnitude quake struck on January 12, killing more than 220,000 people, the network said, without naming its sources. (AFP)
Publ.Date : 2010-03-19 07:03:43

Cherry blossom forecasts weather change in Japan
Japan's countdown to spring traditionally began with a government announcement on when the cherry blossom season will start, but this year, the people are taking over. Each year, forecasts of when the blossoms will open are headline news. The information is used by cities to plan cherry blossom festivals, travel agencies to schedule tours, and ordinary people to set dates for often raucous parties that involve lots of eating and drinking under the trees. This season, Japan's national obsession with the timing of the flowering of the delicate, pale pink blooms, called "sakura" in Japanese, will depend on private weather companies and their volunteer recruits, after the Meteorological Agency decided to end its official forecasts that began in 1955. (Reuters)
Publ.Date : 2010-03-19 07:04:32

Japan's low birth rate poses demographic dilemma
Tokyo doesn't have an official one-child policy like the one the Chinese government has tried to implement, but you'd never guess that by looking at the average family size here in the capital. In 2008, the latest year for which data are available from the Ministry of Labor, Health and Welfare, Tokyo had the nation's lowest birthrate, at 1.09 children per woman. The high cost of living, long working hours and scarce day-care in the capital help explain why elementary schools in some central Tokyo neighborhoods are shuttered and awaiting redevelopment, their playgrounds quiet, with only the occasional passing waterfowl visible in their algae-slicked swimming pools. (MarketWatch)
Publ.Date : 2010-03-19 07:11:11

Japan refuses to compensate victims of colonial rule
Japan has refused compensation for South Koreans who suffered during its colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula 1910-1945, Prensa Latina reported. The Japanese foreign ministry has ignored the contents of a 1965 bilateral treaty. The document, declassified recently, sets the payment of what Tokyo calls payment of unpaid wages for forced labour and recognises the legitimacy of people claiming individual compensation. (India Times)
Publ.Date : 2010-03-19 07:11:47

Crown prince, wife 'distressed' over public concern for Princess Aiko
Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako said Friday they feel distress for causing public concern about their 8-year-old daughter Princess Aiko, who stayed away from school after reportedly encountering rough behavior by boys in her grade. "We feel distress at causing people to worry about Aiko's absence from Gakushuin Primary School," the couple said in a statement released by Issei Nomura, grand master of the crown prince's household, at a press conference. (AP)
Publ.Date : 2010-03-19 11:41:07

Man, 2 sons hurt in hit-and-run involving U.S. military vehicle
A U.S. military vehicle hit a car on a road in Okinawa Prefecture and drove away Tuesday night, leaving a man and his two sons inside the car injured, police said Wednesday. The U.S. Navy in Okinawa said its military police have arrested a 25- year-old petty officer third class who is suspected of driving the vehicle, adding that she drank alcohol Tuesday evening before the incident. The Okinawa prefectural police have begun investigating the case as a hit-and-run and made a request to the Navy that she turn herself in. But the police said they have not received a reply. (AP)
Publ.Date : 2010-03-17 10:24:46

No executions carried out under Chiba's watch
During the six months since she took office, Justice Minister Keiko Chiba, a former member of the federation of Diet members promoting abolition of the death penalty, has ordered no executions. The last execution was carried out in July under former Justice Minister Eisuke Mori. The country currently has a total of 109 death-row prisoners. The highest number of death-row inmates as of year-end was 107 at the end of 2007. (Yomiuri)
Publ.Date : 2010-03-17 22:03:54

Medical tourism seen as a tonic for Japan's ailing economy
In its new economic growth strategy, the government has defined health care and nursing care as fields that are currently hindering growth in this nation. The strategy aims to generate new markets worth 45 trillion yen that would see an additional 2.8 million people employed in these fields. It points out that as society ages, medical expenditure is swelling and that this is not just a "social cost" but also something that creates huge domestic demand. Regenerative medicine, which treats diseases using cultured human cell transplants, is a new field that is expected to advance significantly. (Vancouver Sun)
Publ.Date : 2010-03-17 22:12:01

Japan's creepiest iPhone App has its eyes on the West
HourFace from MotionPortrait, one of Tokyo's hottest iPhone dev studios, has topped the charts in Japan since it launched in January and is now updated and better than ever. Using MotionPortrait's cutting-edge avatar-builder technology, HourFace analyzes a still photo and turns it into a living, breathing 3D movie that ages right there on the iPhone screen. Don't just take our word, or the screenshots', for it - these movies totally rock and will be the center of attention, whoever you apply the wrinkly brush to. Amaze and shock your friends - turn them into creaking old wrecks right in front of their eyes. Discover what you might look like 50 years from now - all in 3D! (appmodo.com)
Publ.Date : 2010-03-17 22:12:01