5 children missing, 4 bodies found after house fire
January 3, 2006HIMEJI, Hyogo -- Four bodies were found in the debris of a house here that burned down in a fire early Wednesday morning, police said.
Heavy snowfall causes multiple avalanches, derailment
January 3, 2006A low-pressure system brought heavy snowfall to northern Honshu and the Hokuriku region along the Sea of Japan coast Tuesday evening to Wednesday morning, causing avalanches and a train derailment.
US skate champ says 15-year-old Asada's Olympic ban 'sad'
January 3, 2006NEW YORK -- Sasha Cohen, the silver medallist of the 2005 figure skating world championship, said it was sad that Japanese skater Mao Asada is unable to take part in the Turin Olympics because of age regulations.
Koizumi defends Yasukuni Shrine visits
January 3, 2006Japan's Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Wednesday defended his visits to a shrine honoring the country's war dead, a practice which has outraged Asian countries that suffered under Japanese wartime atrocities.
Cycle race punter wins 2.4 million yen with 100 yen bet
January 3, 2006KUMAMOTO -- A lucky bet at the Kumamoto Keirin cycling races here earned a racegoer over 2.4 million yen in winnings from a 100 yen ticket, race officials said.
World's biggest bank opens for business in Japan
January 3, 2006The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, the world's largest bank formed by a merger of two major Japanese financial groups, opened for business Wednesday with a tape-cutting ceremony at Tokyo headquarters.
Truck driver busted over fatal hit-and-run accident last month
January 3, 2006KAWAGOE, Saitama -- A truck driver has been arrested over a fatal hit-and-run accident that killed a young girl here last month, police said.
1 dead, 20 injured after elderly driver collides head-on with bus
January 3, 2006TAKAYAMA, Gifu -- A man died and 20 other people were injured, one seriously, after a car collided with an oncoming bus on a national highway here Monday afternoon, police said.
4-year-old beaten by her father for candy 'crime' dies in hospital
January 3, 2006A 4-year-old Tokyo girl, who suffered serious head injuries after being abused by her father for 'stealing' candy from the refrigerator, has died at a hospital, police said.
4 Kanto residents choke to death on sticky rice cakes
January 3, 2006Four elderly people died in the Kanto region around Tokyo after choking on sticky mochi rice cakes during the New Year's period, police said.
Teenage girl found dead on bank of Sapporo river
January 3, 2006SAPPORO -- A young woman has been found dead at a park on the bank of a river here, police said.
Asia University wins annual 'ekiden' relay race
January 3, 2006Tokyo's Asia University won the time-honored, collegiate ekiden relay race on Tuesday, organizers said.
Woman with zero income racks up 6.5 million yen in loans for shopping
January 3, 2006OSAKA -- An Osaka Prefecture woman has asked for a consumer protection center's help after she was talked into buying an expensive kimono, a belt and other accessories, her lawyer said.
9 caught in deadly bus crash on way to hospital
January 3, 2006AOMORI -- A man died and eight others were wounded in a head-on collision between a van and a hospital bus here Tuesday morning, police said.
Skater Ando changes her tune ahead of winter Olympics
January 3, 2006Miki Ando, the popular female figure skater who will take part in the Turin Olympics in February, has decided to change her choice of music for her routine in the free program from "My Funny Valentine" to Giacomo Puccini's "Madame Butterfly," sources close to her said.
'Kohaku' gets thumbs-up from viewers
January 3, 2006Viewer ratings in the Kanto region for NHK's annual "Kohaku" Red and White Singing Contest aired on New Year's Eve reached 35.
Residents of scandal-tainted 'twin towers' condo divided over demolition
January 3, 2006Residents of a two-building condominium in Tokyo, built based on forged structural data, are wavering between choosing "total" and "partial" reconstruction, because quake-resistance levels of the two structures are significantly different.
Inn workers hospitalized after failed attempt to rescue gassed family
January 3, 2006YUZAWA, Akita -- Two inn employees were hospitalized for hydrogen sulfide poisoning they suffered while trying to rescue a family of four who died after inhaling the gas coming out of the ground here late last year, it has emerged.