Police try to jump-start probe into 2000 murder of Setagaya family

December 30, 2005

Police officers distributed flyers in Tokyo on Friday in the hope of gaining information on a murder case in Setagaya Ward five years after the crime occurred. Mikio Miyazawa, 44, his wife Yasuko, 41, their daughter Niina, 8, and son Rei, 7, were fou...

Brazilian man stabbed to death in Aichi

December 30, 2005

A 33-year-old Brazilian man of Japanese descent was found stabbed to death in an apartment building in Toyokawa, Aichi Prefecture, early Friday, police said. Police found Maekawa Emerson Tanoue with stab wounds on his back upon receiving a report...

U.S. official suggests N Korea counterfeiting yen

December 30, 2005

A former official at the U.S. National Security Council has indicated the likelihood of North Korea counterfeiting not only U.S. dollar but Japanese yen and Chinese yuan notes as well, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported Friday. Michael Green, who retire...

Patent violators face tough penalties

December 30, 2005

The Japan Patent Office has finalized plans to boost the maximum fines to 300 million yen against businesses infringing on such intellectual property rights as patents and trademarks, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported Friday. Under current law, fi...