Olympics: Uemura comes 5th, Satoya 15th in moguls final
February 11, 2006Japan's Aiko Uemura nearly missed out on a podium finish with a quality display that placed her fifth in the women's moguls final at the Turin Winter Olympics on Saturday. Uemura appeared to have a medal within grasp after executing two technically difficult ramp jumps while two-time Olympic medalist Tae Satoya finished in a disappointing 15th place under the nighttime floodlights at the Sauze d'Oulx Jouvenceaux ski slope.
Olympics: Kasai, Ito through, Harada disqualified from normal hill
February 11, 2006Japanese ski jumpers Noriaki Kasai and Daiki Ito cruised through the qualification round of the Turin Olympic normal hill event with solid jumps on Saturday. Veteran compatriot Masahiko Harada, however, was disqualified for violating the regulation over ski lengths after a jump that was good enough for the 37-year-old to appear in Sunday's main competition.
Olympics: Uemura comes 5th, Satoya 15th in moguls final
February 11, 2006Japan's Aiko Uemura nearly missed out on a podium finish with a quality display that placed her fifth in the women's moguls final at the Turin Winter Olympics on Saturday. Uemura appeared to have a medal within grasp after executing two technically difficult ramp jumps while two-time Olympic medalist Tae Satoya finished in a disappointing 15th place under the nighttime floodlights at the Sauze d'Oulx Jouvenceaux ski slope.
Olympics: Harada disqualified in normal hill qualifying
February 11, 2006Veteran Japanese ski jumper Masahiko Harada was disqualified Saturday in the qualification round of the Turin Olympic normal hill event for using skis that were too long for his weight. Harada was thrown out of the competition after leaping 95 meters on the K-95 hill to earn points which would have put him through to Sunday's final if he had not violated a regulation.
Olympics: Japan makes lackluster start to Turin Games
February 11, 2006Japan was left off the medals podium in a sub-par performance on the first full day of competition at the Turin Winter Olympics on Saturday. Four gold medals were up for grabs -- in Nordic combined skiing, women's freestyle skiing moguls, men's biathlon and men's speed skating -- but Japan, which is aiming for five medals this time out after winning just two medals in Salt Lake City four years ago, walked away empty-handed in each of the four events.
Olympics: Harada disqualified in normal hill qualifying
February 11, 2006Veteran Japanese ski jumper Masahiko Harada was disqualified Saturday in the qualification round of the Turin Olympic normal hill event for using skis that were too long for his weight. Harada was thrown out of the competition after leaping 95 meters on the K-95 hill to earn points which would have put him through to Sunday's final if he had not violated a regulation.
Surging demand pins oil prices at high levels: Tanigaki
February 11, 2006Japanese Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki said Saturday he expects global crude oil prices to stay at high levels given the surging demand from major emerging economies, such as China and India. ''Markets with large populations have continued to emerge, and their energy consumption has kept increasing,'' Tanigaki said at a news conference after a two-day meeting of the Group of Eight nations in Moscow.
Olympics: Uemura, Satoya breeze into moguls final
February 11, 2006Japanese freestyle skiers Aiko Uemura and Tae Satoya booked their respective spots in the women's moguls final in style at the Turin Olympics on Saturday. Uemura, who was fourth out of the gate, was quick on the slope and gave a near-perfect performance with a helicopter maneuver on her first aerial before executing a spectacular corkscrew, collecting a total of 24.20 points for fifth to qualify for the final in her third straight Olympics.
Olympics: Takahashi pulls out as Japan's medal hopes fade
February 11, 2006Top Japanese Nordic combined skier Daito Takahashi, who is nursing a lower back problem, withdrew from the Turin Olympic individual event Saturday after placing a disappointing 12th in the ski jumping portion. Takahashi pulled out after jumps of 97.5 and 96 meters at the K-95 hill for a time gap of one minute, 56 seconds on the leader at the start of the 15-kilometer cross country race later in the day.
U.S. presents to Japan breakdown of costs to move Marines to Guam
February 11, 2006The United States has presented to Japan a breakdown of the costs that would be incurred in transferring the U.S. Marine Corps command and about 6,000 Marines from Okinawa to Guam, Japanese government sources said Saturday. The two sides agreed in three days of senior working-level talks in Tokyo that the preparation of facilities in Guam to receive the Marines could begin by March 2007 if they can promptly come to an accord on the transfer plan, including Japan's share of the expenses, the sources said.
Olympics: Flag bearer Kato wowed by opening ceremony
February 11, 2006Speed skater and gold medal hopeful Joji Kato accomplished his first mission at the Turin Olympics on Friday night by leading Japanese athletes and officials at a three-hour gala that opened the 17-day winter sports extravaganza. The men's 500-meter world record holder carried the Japanese flag in the opening ceremony at the Stadio Olimpico, where Japan joined 79 other countries taking part in the largest-ever Winter Olympic Games.
Marines eye $5.6 bil. construction cost for relocation from Okinawa
February 11, 2006The U.S. Marine Corps has come up with a $5.6 billion estimate and a four-stage process through its preliminary studies in Guam for constructing facilities necessary to relocate 6,000 Marines there from Okinawa in seven years by 2012, U.S. defense sources said Friday. The calculations show the U.S. military has been working to determine a substantive cost estimate behind the scenes as negotiations continue during which Washington has presented an $8 billion estimate to Japan as the basis for nailing down the cost of the move and their respective shares of the expenses.
SDP set to declare defense forces are unconstitutional
February 11, 2006The Social Democratic Party is set to declare Saturday that the existence of the Self-Defense Forces violates Japan's pacifist Constitution, party members said. The declaration, which will mark a departure from the party's acceptance of the defense forces since 1994, is scheduled to be adopted Saturday afternoon during a party convention.
New landmark opens in Tokyo's Omotesando shopping area
February 11, 2006A 34,000-square-meter commercial-residential complex opened Saturday as a new landmark in Tokyo's ritzy Omotesando district, known for luxury foreign-brand boutiques and zelkova trees lining the main street. Built on the former site of the Dojunkai Aoyama Apartment building, Omotesando Hills contains 38 apartments and 93 boutiques, restaurants and other shops. Its main developer, Mori Building Co., expects that 10 million people will visit the facility and spend 15 billion yen a year.
Baseball: Taguchi returns to Cardinals with high hopes
February 11, 2006St. Louis Cardinals outfielder So Taguchi left Japan for the United States on Saturday determined to establish himself as a regular in the Cards' lineup and become a world champion. ''As far as the team is concerned our target will be to win the World Series. For me personally I want to establish myself as a regular in the team,'' Taguchi told reporters before leaving Osaka.
N. Korean delegate warns Japan about pressure tactics
February 11, 2006A North Korean delegate to bilateral talks with Japan issued a warning to Tokyo on Saturday about resorting to pressure tactics to try to solve problems between the two countries, saying that while North Korea is ready for dialogue with Japan, it is also prepared to respond to any form of pressure from Tokyo. ''Pressure would drive the two countries apart,'' Song Il Ho, ambassador in charge of diplomatic normalization talks with Japan, told reporters at Beijing's international airport before boarding a flight to Pyongyang after talks with Japan in the Chinese capital.