Japan

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Cat Cafes Court Lonely Japanese

Childless Japanese turn to cafes for companionship

(Newser) - Hordes of childless Japanese are flocking to Tokyo's cat cafes to cuddle the residents and savor furry companionship along with a cup of tea. So popular are the cafes that reservations are required on weekends, GlobalPost reports. Career-minded urbanites who don't have the time or space for pets, let alone...

UN Split Over Response to N. Korea Rocket

Russia, China resist as US, Japan call for punishment

(Newser) - The US and Japan have hit international resistance as they push for a firm response to yesterday’s North Korean rocket launch over Japan, the Guardian reports. As the second day of emergency UN talks begins today, China and Russia aren’t backing a proposed statement condemning the move from...

N. Korea Launches Rocket
 N. Korea Launches Rocket 
UPDATED
Apr 4, 2009 10:07 PM CDT

N. Korea Launches Rocket

(Newser) - North Korea told the world to go stuff it today, launching a long-range rocket over Japan in defiance of international pressure. The State Department confirmed the launch, which took place Sunday morning in the North, Reuters reports. The US thinks Pyongyang is testing a Taepodong-2 missile, which could carry a...

N. Korea 'Ready' to Launch Rocket

(Newser) - North Korea said preparations to launch a satellite were complete and liftoff was imminent, as US, Japanese, and South Korean warships with radar plied waters near the communist nation to monitor what they fear is a long-range missile test. Spy satellites trained high-resolution cameras on a coastal launch pad for...

Pitcher Is First Woman to Play in Japan Pro League

17-year-old faces 2 batters, strikes out 1

(Newser) - Eri Yoshida became the first woman to play professional baseball against men in Japan today, where the pitcher had a strikeout in her debut, the AP reports. The 17-year-old, whose signing was widely viewed as a publicity stunt, faced just two batters, walking the first and allowing a stolen base....

Japan, US Ready Defenses for N Korean Missile

Navy moves ships in as Tokoy says it will shoot down debris

(Newser) - The Japanese government ordered its military to fire on a North Korean rocket if any part of it falls into Japanese airspace, reports Reuters. North Korea has said it will launch a communications satellite but is presumed to be testing a long-range missile, which is currently on a launch pad....

N. Korea Readies Missile for Launch

UN sanctions will derail disarmament talks: Pyongyang

(Newser) - As the date of a promised “satellite launch” nears, North Korea has placed a long-range ballistic missile on the launch pad used for earlier test firings, Reuters reports. South Korea, Japan, and the US plan to seek UN sanctions if the nuclear power goes forward with what analysts believe...

'Good Nazi' Film Awakens Ugly Ghosts

Biopic sure to reopen old wounds between China, Japan

(Newser) - A new film about a hero Nazi party member is threatening to stir old tensions between China and Japan, BBC reports. John Rabe relates the true story of a German businessman who saved thousands of Chinese from a Japanese massacre during the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937. China is still...

A Strikeout In (and For) US, Classic Is World of Thrills

Tournament shows the promise of international baseball

(Newser) - After watching Japan best Korea in extra innings to defend its World Baseball Classic championship, Tom Verducci is excited about the tournament’s future, he writes for Sports Illustrated. In its second go-round, the tournament is a phenomenon worldwide. Most exciting though, is the way Japan won: with pragmatic fundamentals,...

Japanese Man, 93, Survived Both A-Bombs

Was on business in Hiroshima; lived in Nagasaki

(Newser) - At 93, a Japanese man has become the first certified survivor of both atomic bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the AP reports. Tsutomu Yamaguchi was in Hiroshima on business Aug. 6, 1945, when the US bombed the city; after a night there, he returned home to Nagasaki, bombed Aug. 9....

Tokyo Accident Latest for Much-Derided Plane

(Newser) - A notoriously finicky airplane may have contributed to the Tokyo crash that killed two American FedEx pilots today, the Wall Street Journal reports. The McDonnell Douglas MD-11 is believed to handle poorly in high winds, which were reported at the time of the crash. Though problems with the flight-control systems...

2 Die in FedEx Plane Crash in Japan

Plane landed on its wing and exploded

(Newser) - A FedEx plane crashed at Tokyo's main international airport Monday, killing both pilots aboard. Caught in a gust of wind, the cargo plane landed on its left wing and skidded off the runway in a ball of fire, Reuters reports. Airlines have been rerouting passengers as firefighters clear the scattered...

In Japan, Tough Times Send Women to the Altar

Women turn to marriage as route to financial stability

(Newser) - In Japan, when the economy tanks, marriage—and two paychecks—starts to look more attractive to working women, reports Bloomberg. “I want to get married soon, hopefully by the end of this year,” says one Tokyo woman. “I’d be more stable financially if I had double...

US Warns of Japanese Drink-Spiking Epidemic

(Newser) - The US embassy in Tokyo has warned Americans to steer clear of an entertainment district that has seen a spike in the spiking of drinks, the Japan Times reports. Victims often lose consciousness and awake hours later, their credit cards gone or used. “If you, nevertheless, choose to participate...

Col. Sanders Gives Hope to Baseball Fans

Recovery of statue from river may lift 'curse' on Japanese team

(Newser) - A statue of KFC founder Colonel Sanders tossed into a river in Osaka, Japan, over 2 decades ago has been recovered, possibly ending the "curse" that's widely believed to be shadowing the Hanshin Tigers baseball team, the Mainichi Daily News reports. Jubilant fans tore the mascot from its...

S. Korean Ship Missing After Collision

Slammed into Panamanian vessel; 16 sailors disappear

(Newser) - A South Korean freighter remains missing after it collided with a Panamanian cargo ship off Japan early this morning, AFP reports. Japanese rescuers are searching for the vessel, which was carrying 16 sailors. “We believe the ship probably sank,” said a coast guard official. “We found an...

Korean Hiroshima Survivors Want $$$—from Japan

(Newser) - Hapcheon residents think they live in the unluckiest town in earth. When Japan occupied the tiny South Korean farming community during World War II, it sent locals to work in munitions factories—in Hiroshima. Thousands of Hapcheon residents died instantly when the bomb dropped. The rest were shunned when they...

Honda Hops on Bailout Bandwagon

Japanese automaker to seek government loans to pay for customer loans

(Newser) - With American credit markets dried up, Honda is seeking money from the Japanese government to help finance auto loans in the US, reports the Wall Street Journal. The Japanese government is planning to offer $5 billion through a semi-governmental organization, and Toyota is planning to seek funds as well.

Toyota Asks Japan for a Bailout

(Newser) - Toyota is reportedly seeking $2 billion in loans from Japan’s government, after forecasting its first loss in 59 years, Bloomberg reports. A Toyota Financial Services spokesman confirmed that the automaker is in talks with a state-owned bank, but wouldn’t specify a figure. The carmaker expects to report a...

In Japan, Sun Sets on Yakuza Mob Scene

Japan's criminal gangs are losing their semi-legitimate status

(Newser) - The role of the yakuza in Japanese society has always been hard for Westerners to understand. Since the 1950s the mafia-like organization has been tolerated by government and the public, trusted to run gambling and prostitution rackets with a modicum of respect for social order. But as a tough economy...

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