Record snowfall in Japan paralyzes traffic, troops deployed to shovel snow
January 8, 2006Record snowfall in northern and western Japan paralyzed traffic as soldiers were deployed to shovel snow in isolated areas on Sunday.
Bulgarian Kotooshu upset in ozeki debut at New Year sumo
January 8, 2006Russian Roho spoiled Kotooshu's ozeki debut on Sunday with an upset win on the first day of the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament.
Japanese whaling ship collides with Greenpeace vessel, activists say
January 8, 2006SYDNEY -- A Japanese whaling ship collided with a Greenpeace boat in Antarctic waters on Sunday, a spokesman for the environmental group said.
Cops question U.S. sailor Reese over Japanese woman's killing
January 8, 2006Police in Japan questioned a U.S.
Workers at poultry farms in northern Japan may have been infected with mild bird flu
January 8, 2006About 40 poultry farm workers in northern Japan are suspected of having been infected with a mild form of bird flu, an official and a media report said Sunday.
The last line of contraceptive defense
January 8, 2006They had their first romp not long after making their first temple visit for the New Year.
Aquarium visitors lap up dog face puffer fish
January 8, 2006FUJISAWA, Kanagawa -- A dog face puffer fish has made its debut at the Enoshima Aquarium here in commemoration of the Year of Dog.
'Smart cycles' that automatically adjust steering developed in Osaka
January 8, 2006OSAKA -- Members of an industrial network in Sakai, a city that ships 40 percent of Japan's bicycle-related goods, have joined hands with researchers at Osaka Prefecture University to create bicycles equipped with a stabilization system that can automatically adjust steering, it has been learned.
Monkeys bathing in Hokkaido hot spring popular among botanical garden visitors
January 8, 2006HAKODATE, Hokkaido -- Monkeys that bathe in a hot spring on the premises of a public botanical garden here are enjoying popularity among visitors.
Island dispute looms over Putin's visit to Japan
January 8, 2006MOSCOW -- Sixty years after Soviet forces took over several tiny Pacific islands from Japan in the closing days of World War II, the dispute over them appears nowhere near settlement as President Vladimir Putin readies to visit Japan this weekend.
Matsushita to build world's largest plasma panel plant in Hyogo
January 8, 2006Matsushita Electric Industrial Co.
White Sox infielder Iguchi to skip World Baseball Classic
January 8, 2006Chicago White Sox second baseman Tadahito Iguchi has withdrawn from the Japanese squad for the World Baseball Classics in March, saying he wants to focus on his play as he enters his second year in the major league, a news report said Saturday.
Kidnapped newborn returned unharmed
January 8, 2006SENDAI -- A newborn baby boy snatched from a hospital here Friday was returned safely to his parents Sunday morning, police said.