Japan's imports of U.S. beef in 1st month less than 4 percent of amount before ban
January 13, 2006The amount of U.S.
Japanese scientists jolt six-storey condo on world's biggest quake simulator
January 13, 2006Japanese researchers have tested a huge quake simulator capable of jolting a six-storey building in a project that could help improve earthquake-resistant construction methods.
IOC won't investigate reports of Nagano gift-giving
January 13, 2006LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- The International Olympic Committee will not investigate reports that Japanese boosters lavished IOC members with "illegitimate" hospitality during Nagano's winning bid for the 1998 Winter Olympics.
Daiwa Securities mistakenly tries to sell 25,000 shares in SMFG
January 13, 2006Daiwa Securities SMBC Co.
Government provides 11.3 billion yen for snow removal as Japan fights heavy snow
January 13, 2006Government officials on Friday announced an early distribution of 11.3 billion yen in emergency funding to help Japanese towns and villages fight the harsh winter weather that has claimed more than 80 lives.
Gov't to consider shouldering childbirth costs to fight dwindling birthrate
January 13, 2006The Japanese government will consider shouldering all expenses for childbirth, a government official said Friday, as the country's declining birthrate continued to fuel concerns.
Japan still looking at U.S. military realignment deal, Abe says
January 13, 2006Japan still hopes to conclude a pact on the realignment of the U.S.
Labor standards inspection office awards woman compensation over sexual harassment
January 13, 2006HAKODATE, Hokkaido -- A local labor office recently recognized the illness of a woman as the result of being subjected to sexual harassment at her workplace and declared that she is eligible for compensation for a work-related accident, it was learned Friday.
Court secretary to be replaced over slanderous remarks about plaintiff
January 13, 2006GIFU -- A Gifu District Court secretary will be replaced in a civil case involving the purchase of land to build a dam after he wrote in notes to the judge that the plaintiff was a notorious scammer.
10 junior high school students reported to prosecutors for vandalizing schools
January 13, 2006SAPPORO -- Ten junior high school boys have been reported to prosecutors for sneaking into elementary and junior high schools here and damaging the facilities, police said.
Up to 20% of healthy elderly people shut themselves away in their homes
January 13, 2006About 10 to 20 percent of elderly people who do not have major health problems tend to shut themselves away in their homes, a government study shows.
Miyagi hospital doctor collared for child prostitution
January 13, 2006A doctor at a taxpayer-funded hospital who paid a 15-year-old high school girl to engage in obscene behavior with him to relieve his stress from work has been arrested in Tokyo, police said.
Bank of Fukuoka fails to pay workers 2.1 billion yen in overtime pay
January 13, 2006FUKUOKA -- The Bank of Fukuoka has failed to pay some 2.1 billion yen in wages, mostly overtime pay, to its employees from 2003 to 2005, officials of the institution said.
Students' info leaked over Internet from teacher's home computer
January 13, 2006SAPPORO -- Personal information on 36 elementary school students was leaked over the Internet after a teacher's computer was infected with a virus affecting the file-sharing software Winny, the local school board said.
Ruling upheld ordering police to compensate family over sloppy murder investigation
January 13, 2006OSAKA -- The Osaka High Court has upheld a lower court ruling that ordered the government to pay compensation to relatives of a woman murdered by her former boyfriend after police failed to investigate the case properly.
Urayasu gov't protests over Asahi article on 'childish' Coming-of-Age ceremony
January 13, 2006URAYASU, Chiba -- The Urayasu Municipal Government has sent a letter of protest to the Asahi Shimbun newspaper over an article it says slandered the city's recent Coming-of-Age Day ceremony, officials said Friday.
Chinese man gets suspended sentence for obstructing online game 'Lineage'
January 13, 2006TAKAMATASU -- A Chinese man accused of obstructing the operations of the firm running the popular Japanese online game "Lineage 2" by giving users from China access to the game was handed a suspended prison sentence on Friday.
Transport ministers wrap up talks at Tokyo anti-terror conference
January 13, 2006Transport ministers from more than a dozen countries, including the United States, vowed to fight terrorism on land, sea and air as they wrapped up a conference aimed at laying the foundations for a global anti-terror effort.