China publishes series on Nanjing Massacre

December 28, 2005

China has published a 28-volume series of historical materials on the Nanjing Massacre in which hundreds of thousands of Chinese were slaughtered by Japanese forces, according to official media. Following the first eight volumes that came out in J...

Japan to open embassy in Slovenia

December 28, 2005

Japan will open an embassy in Slovenia on Jan 1, the Foreign Ministry said Wednesday. Japan and Slovenia, formerly a part of Yugoslavia, established diplomatic ties in October 1992. The Japanese Embassy in Austria has been handling affairs related...

Japan's 1st dolphin conceived from frozen sperm dies

December 28, 2005

Japan's first dolphin conceived from frozen sperm died at Kamogawa Sea World in Kamogawa, Chiba Prefecture, on Tuesday, the amusement park said Wednesday. The 2.3-meter-long dolphin named Will, who was born in September last year, stopped eating f...

Matsushita finds 16 more heaters faulty even after repairs

December 28, 2005

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co said Wednesday it has found 16 more cases of its kerosene heaters becoming defective again after they were repaired, bringing the total such number to 30. The company should have made the manual for repairmen easi...

Nagoya Univ to give prefential hiring treatment to women

December 28, 2005

Nagoya University has decided to preferentially employ a female applicant for a teaching post over a male one if both have equivalent skills and performance records, university sources said Wednesday. The Japan Association of National Universities...

No. of data-falsified buildings comes to 88

December 28, 2005

Three more condominiums vulnerable to major temblors, which were built on false quake-resistance data, have been found in Tokyo and adjacent Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, bringing the number of such buildings to 88 in 17 prefectures, the Ministry of...

Bosses fail to notice workers' mental trouble before their suicides

December 28, 2005

Most bosses at offices failed to notice any trouble with their staff before they killed themselves due to overwork or stress, a recent study by public health experts shows. The study covered 37 cases of overwork- and stress-related suicides, which ar...

25-day-old infant becomes youngest liver recipient in Japan

December 28, 2005

A 25-day-old infant has undergone a 7 1/2-hour operation to receive part of his father's liver at a hospital in Niigata Prefecture, becoming the youngest liver recipient from a live donor in Japan, hospital officials said Wednesday. Both the baby...

Body of 8-year-old boy found in water in Maizuru

December 28, 2005

The body of an 8-year-old boy, who had been missing since Tuesday, was found Wednesday afternoon in the harbor approximately 700 meters from where he lived in Maizuru, Kyoto Prefecture. Police said the boy appeared to have drowned. The boy, identi...

Quake jolts Tochigi, Fukushima, Tokyo

December 28, 2005

A mild quake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.8 shook Tochigi and Fukushima prefectures on Wednesday evening, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. The 6:46 p.m. quake was centered in southern Ibaraki Prefecture, the agency said. An intensity of...

Holiday departure rush begins at Narita, Kansai

December 28, 2005

The departure rush of travelers heading overseas for the New Year's holidays began Wednesday at Narita and Kansai airports. Narita airport expects a record 1.44 million travelers heading abroad to use the airport from Dec 22 to Jan 9. The rush wil...

Gov't to help snow-hit municipalities

December 28, 2005

The government and the ruling parties decided Wednesday at their meeting to help municipalities suffering from heavy snow, such as by providing financial support, participants said. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi told the meeting that the govern...

Forest with 3,500 trees being moved from site of planned dam

December 28, 2005

A forest with about 3,500 trees is being moved a distance of about 30 kilometers from the site of a planned dam in Saga Prefecture, southwestern Japan, a governmental body in charge of the project said Wednesday. The ground surface of the 3,000-sq...

FedEx plane makes emergency landing in Kansai airport

December 28, 2005

A FedEx cargo plane heading to Anchorage from Hong Kong made an emergency landing at Osaka's Kansai International Airport early Wednesday after confirming signs of problem in its fuel system, Kansai International Airport Co said. None of the crew...