Japan

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Japanese Mull Noisier Hybrids to Protect Blind

Survey finds blind people are unnerved by silent vehicles

(Newser) - Japanese automakers are looking into ways to make their super-quiet hybrid cars a lot louder after more than half of blind people surveyed said they were terrified of the vehicles, AP reports. The automakers are considering equipping the vehicles with radar to sense pedestrians and make sounds like engine noises...

Japan's First Lady Boasts of 'UFO Trip to Venus'

She rode on 'triangular' ship to 'really green' planet, Hatoyama writes in book

(Newser) - Japan's quirky new first lady boasts years of colorful experiences, including time as a dancer in the famed Takarazuka troupe—and a trip to space aboard a UFO, according to a book she wrote last year. "While my body was asleep, I think my soul rode on a triangular-shaped...

New Leader Hails Japanese 'Revolution'

Yukio Hatoyama gets to work after historic opposition victory

(Newser) - Japan's incoming prime minister hailed a democratic "revolution" as more complete results confirmed a sweeping victory for the center-left Democratic Party. Yukio Hatoyama will lead a bloc of more than 300 parliamentary members, more than three times its previous representation, after what the Times of London calls the...

Trounced, Japan's Ruling Party to Quit

Left-wing Democratic Party ousts Liberal Democrats

(Newser) - A top official in Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party has announced that he and other officials plan to step down after the party's apparent crushing defeat in today's parliamentary elections. LDP Secretary-General Hiroyuki Hosoda said that he and two other top officials plan to submit their resignations to Prime Minister...

Japanese Voters Head to Polls to Boot Leaders

Half century of power expected to end today

(Newser) - Japanese voters began casting ballots today in a general election expected to clean house, reports the Financial Times. The Democratic Party of Japan will almost certainly thump the Liberal Democratic Party, which has ruled the nation 11 months out of the last 54 years.

Defeat All but Certain for Japan's Aso, Ruling Party

Sunday election likely to end 54 years in power

(Newser) - Sunday will likely mark a milestone in Japanese politics as voters dump the Liberal Democratic Party after more than a half-century in power, the Washington Post reports. Even senior LDP leaders acknowledge that Yukio Hatoyama will probably trounce incumbent Prime Minister Taro Aso, and polls predict a staggering turnout with...

US Rep Headed to North Korea for Nuke Talks

Bilateral negotiations would be first directly between nations

(Newser) - The US diplomat in charge of North Korea policy will visit Pyongyang next month for the first bilateral nuclear negotiations between the countries, South Korea’s JoongAng Ilbo reports today. Amid signs from reclusive Kim Jong Il of a thaw in relations, Stephen Bosworth will lead a delegation that will...

Ancient Rite Fades in Japan: Communing With the Dead

(Newser) - Far from Japan's hypermodern cities, a few old, blind women are among the last of a centuries-old tradition—they are mediums, or the "itako," calling forth the spirits of the dead for paying visitors. In medieval times, Japan was full of women communing with spirits, but now so...

Japan McDonald's Turns Geek Joke on US

(Newser) - Meet Mr. James, the star of McDonald's new ad campaign in Japan: He's a wacky white guy in nerd glasses who speaks broken Japanese, hitches his pants up to his armpits, and probably strikes out with the ladies. Americans living in Japan call the Mr. James campaign racism, while the...

South Korea Scrubs Satellite Launch

(Newser) - South Korea scrubbed a planned satellite launch minutes before liftoff today, citing an unspecified technical error, reports the BBC. Seoul has been itching to join the Asian space race and has already produced 10 satellites for other countries' rockets. But the event had threatened to strain recently improved relations with...

Japan Says 'Sayonara' to Downturn

(Newser) - Japan appears to be pulling out of its recession, posting its first economic growth in more than a year, reports the New York Times. The world’s second-largest economy grew by 0.9% in the last three months ending June 30—equivalent to 3.7% annualized growth. Exports grew 6....

Mel's Babymama: Don't Judge!
 Mel's Babymama: Don't Judge! 
GOSSIP ROUNDUP
Aug 11, 2009 11:51 AM CDT

Mel's Babymama: Don't Judge!

Plus, Angie: hot or too skinny? It's anyone's guess.

(Newser) - Oksana Grigorieva may be carrying Mel Gibson’s love child, but she wants “to be judged by my art, by my music,” she tells Reuters in her first interview. “How can I be judged for falling in love? We live in the same city. I don’t...

Taiwan Mudslide Buries 500 in Wake of Typhoon

Taiwan, Japan, Philippines, China hit; at least 35 dead

(Newser) - A typhoon-spawned mudslide engulfed a mountain village in southern Taiwan, burying up to 600 people, a police official and a rescued villager said today. Earlier, Typhoon Morakot had struck the Philippines, leaving at least 22 dead. Another typhoon slammed into Japan's west coast today, bringing heavy rain that triggered floods...

7.1 Earthquake Rocks Tokyo
 7.1 Earthquake Rocks Tokyo 
Aug 9, 2009 8:37 AM CDT

7.1 Earthquake Rocks Tokyo

No casualties, or threats of a tsunami, reported

(Newser) - A 7.1 earthquake rattled Tokyo and surrounding areas today, AP reports. The strong quake, which struck just before 8 pm local time, disrupted trains and a professional baseball game, but so far there are no reports of damage or casualties, and no threat of a resulting tsunami. Japan is...

Twitter Plans Japanese Cell Phone Site

(Newser) - Twitter is planning to launch a service aimed at Japanese cell phone users, Marketwatch reports. The new site will be specifically designed for easy mobile access and browsing via handsets. Twitter and its Japanese partner, Digital Garage, are expected to approach Japanese mobile operators to support the site, according to...

Dolphin Doc The Cove a Real Thrill
 Dolphin Doc 
 The Cove 
 a Real Thrill 
movie review
Jul 31, 2009 12:37 PM CDT

Dolphin Doc The Cove a Real Thrill

Critics wowed by 'horrifying' film

(Newser) - Critics are raving about The Cove, a documentary about a Japanese town whose economy rests on capturing and killing dolphins for the worldwide market:
  • It’s “an exceptionally well-made documentary that unfolds like a spy thriller, complete with bugged hotel rooms, clandestine derring-do and mysterious men in gray flannel
...

Fall-Back Job for Japanese Women: Flirting

Recession sends women into night clubs to sexily serve drinks

(Newser) - Jobs are scarce in Japan, so women are turning to a once-shunned profession: “hostessing.” They’re paid handsomely to serve drinks to, and, more importantly, lavish attention on, the patrons of gentlemen’s clubs, the New York Times reports. A good flirt can easily earn $100,000 a...

Japanese 'Herbivores' Shun Sex, Machismo

They're out to pasture early

(Newser) - Turning their backs on sexual conquest, macho posturing, and corporate ladder climbing, a growing number of Japanese men are seeking a quiet, non-competitive life, reports Reuters. A Japanese marketing firm found almost half of 1,000 men aged 20-34 surveyed identified themselves as so-called "herbivores," a term that...

Here Comes the Robot Bride
 Here Comes 
 the Robot Bride 
Jul 24, 2009 1:38 PM CDT

Here Comes the Robot Bride

(Newser) - A Japanese fashion designer has enlisted a humanoid robot to model wedding dresses on the runway, the Sun reports. The robot, “Miim,” took to the catwalk like a pro, strutting and casting glances at the audience like her human counterparts. “We hope she can work in fashion...

American, Japanese Climbers Die on Mt. Fuji

(Newser) - An American climber and his Japanese colleague have been found frozen to death on Mount Fuji, AP reports. Authorities believe the men, reported missing last weekend, perished on their way down from the summit. The deaths on the famous mountain follow those of ten elderly hikers who died of exposure...

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