2 children die in Hiroshima house fire
December 30, 2005Two children died in a fire at their home in the city of Hiroshima Friday morning. Police tentatively identified the children as Shinobu Sori, 12, and her brother Fumiya, 5. Their father Osamu Sori, 31, their mother Kaori, 39, and their 13-year-ol...
Most residents of defective buildings not moving into public housing
December 30, 2005The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said Friday that 187 out of 288 households living in 10 condominiums whose quake-resistance data were falsified were still living in the defective buildings as of Thursday. Among the 101 household...
U.S. paper says NEET phenomenon has 'shocked' Japan
December 30, 2005The Wall Street Journal said Thursday that the recent increase in Japan of the young people described as NEET — not in education, employment or training — has "shocked" Japan because the "nation considers its highly trained, hard-working la...
Search-and-rescue operations completed at derailment site
December 30, 2005Police on Thursday completed search-and-rescue operations at the site of the fatal accident involving an East Japan Railway Co express train in Shonai, Yamagata Prefecture, judging that no passengers remain in the derailed train cars or are buried un...
Gov't to check 2 million residences for earthquake resistance
December 30, 2005The Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry intends to set a target of having the earthquake resistance of up to 2 million residences checked in the next 10 years and about half of them renovated to make them more quake-proof, ministry officials...