ADB gives 3 Southeast Asian nations aid to fight infectious diseases
January 23, 2006The Asian Development Bank has offered a total of $1.2 million in grants to help Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines fight the spread of avian flu, SARS and other infectious diseases, the bank said Tuesday. The Manila-based bank said the aid will strengthen the surveillance and preparedness systems of the three Southeast Asian countries in preventing and combating these highly infectious diseases.
Japan launches H-2A rocket carrying satellite
January 23, 2006Japan's space agency on Tuesday successfully launched a domestically made H-2A rocket carrying a land-observation satellite from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture. The No. 8 version of the H-2A rocket carrying the Advanced Land Observing Satellite, nicknamed ''Daichi,'' lifted off at 10:33 a.m. as scheduled, and the satellite was successfully separated at around 10:50 a.m. at an altitude of about 700 kilometers, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said.
Accused man found innocent in murder case
January 23, 2006The Nagoya District Court on Tuesday acquitted a 38-year-old man, who had been accused of kidnapping and killing a 22-month-old boy in 2002. Masaki Kawase was indicted for taking Sho Murase out of his father's car at a parking lot in Toyokawa, Aichi Prefecture, on July 28, 2002, and hurling him into the sea from a pier to drown him.
Livedoor Marketing picks new head after arrest of Okamoto
January 23, 2006Livedoor Marketing Co. said Tuesday it has appointed Director Satoshi Hoyano as its new president to succeed Fumito Okamoto, who was arrested Monday. Hoyano, 44, joined Livin' on the Edge Inc., the predecessor of Livedoor Co., Livedoor Marketing's parent firm, in 2000 as one of its board members. He became a director of ValueClick Japan Inc., Livedoor Marketing's predecessor, in 2004.
Japan's service industry activity inches up 0.1% in November
January 23, 2006Japan's service industry activity index inched up 0.1 percent in November from the previous month for the second straight monthly gain, supported by good results in the wholesale and retail businesses as well as financial services, the government said Tuesday. The tertiary industry index -- a measure of demand for services -- climbed to a seasonally adjusted 108.0 against the base of 100 for 2000, hitting the highest level since the base year, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said in a preliminary report.
ANALYSIS: Horie's arrest rings alarm bell on lax governance
January 23, 2006Monday's arrest of Livedoor Co. President Takafumi Horie was a wake-up call for Japan's economy, with critics pointing out how loopholes in financial regulations and lenient punishments allow questionable financial deals to take place. Chuo University professor Tetsuya Fujimoto said the arrest has shown that Japan should have tougher legislation to ensure that those who perpetrate wrongdoings take proper responsibility for their acts.
Japanese public reacts sharply to Livedoor head Horie's arrest
January 23, 2006The Japanese public reacted sharply to Livedoor Co. President Takafumi Horie's arrest Monday, with some critical of his scrappy business style and others sympathetic toward the high-profile entrepreneur. Horie, 33, was arrested on suspicion of involvement in spreading false financial information to deceive investors.
Chronology of events related to Livedoor
January 23, 2006Key events related to Internet business operator Livedoor Co. April 1996 -- Takafumi Horie sets up Livin' on the Edge Inc., a website design firm, in Tokyo while a University of Tokyo student.
Japan urges U.S. to prevent recurrence of risky beef shipment
January 23, 2006Top Japanese government officials on Monday used the visit of U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick to urge the United States to act promptly to find out why spinal columns banned under a bilateral agreement on beef exports to Japan were contained in a U.S. beef shipment to Japan last week, and ensure there is no recurrence. Zoellick, who refused to comment to reporters after meeting separately with Foreign Minister Taro Aso and Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe, was quoted by a Foreign Ministry official as expressing his deep regret over the incident.
Livedoor stock hits all-time low amid widening criminal probe
January 23, 2006The stock price of scandal-plagued Livedoor Co. hit an all-time low of 256 yen Monday on the Tokyo market amid a widening criminal investigation into the Internet business company's merger and acquisition activities. Livedoor stock fetched an ask-only 256 yen during the day as the number of sell orders for Livedoor shares topped buy orders by a huge margin. But some deals were struck at this level after available buy orders were allocated among sellers at the end of the session.
Prosecutors grill Livedoor's Horie over alleged financial fraud
January 23, 2006Prosecutors began questioning Livedoor Co. President Takafumi Horie on Monday afternoon for allegedly spreading false financial information to deceive investors, investigative sources said. This is the first time the prosecutors has grilled Horie, 33, a flamboyant college drop-out who has built up an Internet business empire largely through mergers and acquisitions.
Prosecutors grill Horie over misrepresentation in financial reporting
January 23, 2006Prosecutors began questioning Livedoor Co. President Takafumi Horie on Monday afternoon for allegedly spreading false financial information to deceive investors, investigative sources said. Livedoor is under investigation for irregularities concerning a group firm's takeover of a publishing house about a year ago and allegations that Livedoor itself cooked the books to show it had a profit in the business year to September 2004, when it was in the red.