virtualreview: japan|world media

Australian PM Rudd on Climate Change, Copenhagen | Newsweek

vr@virtualreview.org — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 22:27:51 +0100

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has bulletproof green credentials—his first act as P.M. was to sign the Kyoto Protocol, forcing his country to slash carbon emissions. In December he'll play a key role in negotiating Kyoto's successor at t...

Japan to increase aid to Myanmar | Channel NewsAsia

vr@virtualreview.org — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 19:37:48 +0100

TOKYO: Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama on Saturday said Japan plans to increase aid to Myanmar gradually while hailing Washington's latest efforts to engage the military-ruled country.

Supreme Court upholds gallows for Aum pair in nerve gas attack | Japan Times

vr@virtualreview.org — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 03:28:35 +0100

The Supreme Court on Friday upheld the death sentences for two Aum Shinrikyo cultists convicted for their role in the 1995 sarin nerve gas attack on the Tokyo subway system that killed 12 people and left thousands injured. The top court's Second Petty...

Kajima used cheap gravel at Haneda | Japan Times

vr@virtualreview.org — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 03:28:33 +0100

Kajima Corp., one of Japan's five largest general contractors, is suspected of using low-priced gravel in the construction of a new runway at Tokyo's Haneda airport and making unfair profits, land ministry officials said Friday. The Ministry of Land,...

No bonus as carrier may go broke this month; bridge loans urged | Japan Times

vr@virtualreview.org — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 03:28:31 +0100

Japan Airlines Corp. said Friday it will not pay winter bonuses, and the government asked the carrier's main creditor banks to provide bridge loans to keep the struggling airline afloat, sources said. President Haruka Nishimatsu notified JAL's unions of...

Mura pulls out of Skate America | Japan Times

vr@virtualreview.org — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 03:28:30 +0100

Takahito Mura will sit out Skate America, the fifth event of the Grand Prix series, due to hernia of the intervertebral disk, senior Japan Skating Federation official Nobuhiko Yoshioka said Friday. Mura, who came third at the national championships last...

U.S. envoy vows to help resolve North's abductions | Japan Times

vr@virtualreview.org — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 03:28:28 +0100

WASHINGTON (Kyodo) The nominee for U.S. special envoy for North Korea human rights issues pledged Thursday to "actively" assist Japan's efforts to resolve the issue of Pyongyang's kidnappings of Japanese decades ago. "The United States continues to be...

Speaking out about domestic violence | Japan Times

vr@virtualreview.org — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 03:28:24 +0100

Just a year into her marriage, Emi Yoshida realized she might not survive it. Her violent, drug-addict husband had tried to strangle her, then beat her unconscious outside their Tokyo home. When she came to, he was threatening her with a knife. Police...

Gunman wounds three, kills self: police | Japan Times

vr@virtualreview.org — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 03:28:23 +0100

YOKOHAMA (Kyodo) A gunman who holed up in a building Friday afternoon in Yokohama after shooting and seriously wounding three men in a suspected dispute over a loan repayment apparently committed suicide, according to police. The gunman, who was...

Target high-end tourists: hotels head | Japan Times

vr@virtualreview.org — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 03:28:21 +0100

Wooing the high-end tourist market, especially travelers from China, South Korea and Taiwan, is key to achieving the government's goal of attracting 20 million foreign visitors annually by 2016, the head of Japan's hotel association said Friday. Yutaka...

Hepatitis bill likely to win passage | Japan Times

vr@virtualreview.org — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 03:28:20 +0100

A bill on hepatitis drafted by the ruling Democratic Party of Japan is expected to be passed during the current Diet session, DPJ lawmakers said Thursday. The bill says the government was responsible for the spread of hepatitis, and it is its duty to...

Supporters keep faith in Fighters | Japan Times

vr@virtualreview.org — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 03:28:18 +0100

SAPPORO — It was almost like a nightmare for the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters and their loyal fans on this northern island. Yet the supporters presented a warm welcome to their beloved team as it returned home on Friday, one day after the Yomiuri Gian...

JAL must stay aloft until January: turnaround chief | Japan Times

vr@virtualreview.org — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 03:28:16 +0100

The head of a government-backed corporate turnaround body that will oversee the reconstruction of struggling Japan Airlines Corp. said Thursday that a rescue package is likely to be compiled in January or thereafter. Hiroshige Nishizawa, president of...

Sumitomo Trust, Chuo Mitsui agree to merge | Japan Times

vr@virtualreview.org — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 03:28:14 +0100

Sumitomo Trust & Banking Co. and Chuo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. agreed to merge to create Japan's fifth-largest bank as they seek to boost profit and brace for tougher capital requirements. The lenders plan to set up a listed holding company in April...

APEC to ask Japan for proposals on regional FTA | Japan Times

vr@virtualreview.org — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 03:28:12 +0100

SINGAPORE (Kyodo) Leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum will give Japan, the next APEC chair, the task of identifying ways for the 21-member grouping to create a free-trade bloc, according to a statement they are expected to issue at...