3 hotel workers missing in snow avalanche at spa in Akita Pref.
February 9, 2006Three hotel employees are missing after a snow avalanche hit an indoor spa in Semboku, Akita Prefecture on Friday, firefighters said. The avalanche hit a hot spring for women at the Nyuto spa area at around 11:20 a.m..
Mie Pref. woman held on suspicion of killing kids, aged 1 and 3
February 9, 2006A 39-year-old woman was arrested Friday in the town of Toin, Mie Prefecture, on suspicion of killing her 1-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son, police said. The suspect, Sumako Kanemitsu, admitted to strangling son Keisuke the previous night and daughter Risa the following morning at their home, saying she had anxieties about child-rearing, the police said.
Ehime school marks 5th anniversary of Ehime Maru sinking
February 9, 2006The Uwajima Fisheries High School in Ehime Prefecture held a memorial Friday to mark the fifth anniversary of the sinking of its fishery training ship Ehime Maru off Hawaii by a surfacing U.S. nuclear submarine, with the loss of nine lives. Participants of the ceremony observed a moment of silence at 8:43 a.m., the time in Japan five years ago when the 499-ton vessel sank after being struck from below by the 6,080-ton submarine Greeneville.
Architects deny fabricating structural data in Kyushu buildings
February 9, 2006Three architects categorically denied allegations Thursday that they had falsified quake-resistance data for eight condominiums and a hotel in Fukuoka and Kumamoto prefectures on the southwestern main island of Kyushu. The nine buildings -- three condominiums in the city of Fukuoka, and five condos and a hotel in Kumamoto Prefecture -- have been found vulnerable to major temblors because they were built using fabricated building data.
Aide to Kim Jong Il was briefly detained in Macao: report
February 9, 2006A close aide to North Korean leader Kim Jong Il was briefly detained by Macao authorities for unknown reasons and released ahead of Kim's Jan. 10-18 visit to China, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported Thursday, quoting diplomatic sources. The sources reportedly identified the official as Kang Sang Choon, Kim's chief of staff and a secretary of the country's powerful Workers' Party of Korea.