Gov't to appeal ruling on dam plan

December 20, 2005

The government will appeal a high court ruling that a state dam project in what is now the city of Higashiomi, Shiga Prefecture, is illegal, government sources said Tuesday. The sources said the government will file the appeal with the Supreme Cou...

Gov't to spend Y9.2 bil for antiflu steps

December 20, 2005

The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry earmarked 9.2 billion yen for measures against a global influenza pandemic under a fiscal 2006 budget plan presented Tuesday by the Finance Ministry. Of the money, 2.1 billion yen will be used to build a faci...

Gov't unveils 6 steps to protect schoolchildren from crime

December 20, 2005

The government on Tuesday announced six emergency steps to protect schoolchildren from falling victim to crime following a recent spate of murders of schoolgirls. The steps include safety checks by school staff, parents, police and municipal gover...

1,000 sue Ehime governor over disputed textbook

December 20, 2005

About 1,000 people including South Koreans and Chinese filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against Ehime Gov Moriyuki Kato and the prefectural education board, seeking the cancellation of the adoption of a controversial history textbook at four prefectural go...

Court awards Y800,000 to family of deceased S Korean A-bomb victim

December 20, 2005

The Nagasaki District Court ordered the Nagasaki municipal government on Tuesday to pay about 800,000 yen to the family of a now-deceased atomic bomb sufferer from South Korea. Choi Gye Chol had filed a lawsuit against the Japanese government and...