Mitsukoshi takes stake in Shochiku
January 1, 2006Department store chain Mitsukoshi Ltd. has begun taking a stake in movie company Shochiku Co. to reinforce relations over some of Shochiku's strong points -- Kabuki and other traditional Japanese entertainment, Mitsukoshi officials said Sunday. Mitsukoshi aims to take about a 1 percent stake in Shochiku at the request of the latter, estimated at more than a billion yen, they said.
Princess Masako attends New Year's ceremony for 1st time in 3 yrs
January 1, 2006Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko received New Year's greetings from other imperial family members and state dignitaries Sunday, with Crown Princess Masako, who is recuperating from a stress-induced illness, taking part in the annual ceremony for the first time in three years. Other participants in the ceremony at the Imperial Palace included Crown Prince Naruhito, Prince Akishino and his wife Princess Kiko, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Cabinet ministers.
Web search temporarily suspended on Yahoo! Japan portal
January 1, 2006Web search service was suspended for five and a half hours Sunday on the Yahoo! Japan portal due to a computer server glitch, Yahoo Japan Corp. said. The company said it has already taken measures to prevent a recurrence and that the problem was not caused by a cyber attack.
Japan rebuts China's claims about diplomat's suicide
January 1, 2006A diplomatic spat between Japan and China over the suicide of a Japanese Consulate General staff member in Shanghai rippled further Sunday as Tokyo issued a statement saying Beijing's claims made a day earlier were untrue and also that there were ''regrettable actions'' taken by the Chinese side. Regarding a statement issued by the Chinese Embassy in Japan on Saturday that asserted Japan said the suicide was due to job stress, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said, ''The Japanese side has not expressed such a position.''
Electricity failure halts bullet trains on Joetsu Shinkansen Line
January 1, 2006Bullet train operations were suspended Sunday afternoon on the Joetsu Shinkansen Line between Echigoyuzawa and Nagaoka stations in Niigata Prefecture due to electricity failure, East Japan Railway Co. said. After the outage at around 2:20 p.m., the railway operator known as JR East found an electric cable broken off near Urasa Station in the prefecture.
Soccer: Maric strike lifts Urawa to victory in Emperor's Cup final
January 1, 2006Croatian striker Tomislav Maric struck the winner to give Urawa Reds their first Emperor's Cup title in 25 years with a 2-1 defeat of Shimizu S-Pulse in the final on Sunday. Defender Satoshi Horinouchi put Urawa on their way to victory with a header late in the first half at a sold-out National Stadium and Maric scored what turned out to be the decider 17 minutes from time with his sixth goal in five matches.
Taiwan fishing boat skipper arrested for fleeing from inspection
January 1, 2006The Japan Coast Guard in Okinawa Prefecture on Sunday arrested the 51-year-old skipper of a Taiwanese fishing boat on suspicion of fleeing from inspections off Miyako Island Saturday evening and violating the fisheries law, officials said. Tseng Chi-chuan allegedly ignored the Coast Guard's order to halt the 34.4-ton Tsengchinshun 206 and fled from Japan's exclusive economic zone about 90 kilometers south-southeast of Miyako Island around 7:35 p.m. Saturday, according to the officials.