Japan

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Blood Type Obsession Splits Japan

Belief that blood type determines personality blamed for discrimination

(Newser) - A widely held belief that blood type determines personality has opened a vein of controversy in Japan, the AP reports. The notion persists despite scientific debunking, with sports teams, matchmakers, and even employers making decisions based on a person's blood type. Some see the craze as sinister and the term...

Volcano Showers Tokyo With Ash

Residents warned larger explosion may follow

(Newser) - Powdery ash showered Tokyo this morning as Japan's Mount Asama volcano erupted 90 miles away, Reuters reports. Smoke burst a mile into the air and rocks flew onto sparse neighboring towns, but there was little damage and no visible lava from the explosion. Scientists have warned people not to approach...

Japan, Help Us Wrestle the World's Problems
Japan, Help Us Wrestle
the World's Problems
ANALYSIS
Jan 31, 2009 7:20 PM CST

Japan, Help Us Wrestle the World's Problems

(Newser) - Japan's economic collapse in the 1990s and its decades of US dependence have left the nation rather timid, Christian Caryl writes in Newsweek. But its strong economy, bold environmental moves, and likely change of government this year will leave it poised to help the world. “The only trick now,...

NEC to Lay Off 20,000
 NEC to Lay Off 20,000 

Jan 30, 2009 6:03 AM CST

NEC to Lay Off 20,000

Japanese electronics giant hammered by falling demand, stronger yen

(Newser) - The Japanese electronics giant NEC announced today that it will cut 20,000 jobs worldwide after posting a fourth-quarter loss of $1.45 billion, reports the Wall Street Journal. NEC's losses ballooned as demand fell for its semiconductors and chips, and the strength of the yen further hurt its bottom...

Blowfish Testicles Poison 7 Diners in Japan

Chef served dangerous dish without license, cops say

(Newser) - World travelers, take note. Blowfish testicles prepared by an unauthorized chef have sickened seven diners in northern Japan, three of whom remain hospitalized. The owner of the Tsuruoka restaurant had no license to serve blowfish and was being questioned on suspicion of professional negligence. Blowfish poison, called tetrodotoxin, is nearly...

Japan Throws $16.7B Lifeline
 Japan Throws $16.7B Lifeline 
Jan 27, 2009 7:03 AM CST

Japan Throws $16.7B Lifeline

The bailout aims to help smaller business outside of banking or corporate sectors

(Newser) - Following in the footsteps of America and Europe, Japan is offering $16.7 billion to companies threatened by the financial crisis, moving outside the banking sector to take equity stakes in smaller companies that otherwise can't find financing, the Financial Times reports. The 1.5 trillion yen package aims to...

Sundance Stunner Sheds Light on Dolphin Slaughter
Sundance Stunner Sheds Light on Dolphin Slaughter
OPINION
Jan 22, 2009 11:41 AM CST

Sundance Stunner Sheds Light on Dolphin Slaughter

The Cove filmmakers aim to curb demand for mammals from aquariums, for food

(Newser) - Planning a trip to Sea World? You might want to go before you see The Cove—because you sure won’t want to after. The documentary, made by a National Geographic photographer and Flipper’s former trainer, takes viewers inside a secret cove in Japan, Andrew O’Hehir, from Sundance,...

Sony Swings to First Annual Loss in 14 Years

Global downturn, strong yen reverse earlier expectations

(Newser) - Sony announced today that it would go down to its first annual loss in 14 years, after having forecast just months ago that it would turn a profit. The Japanese electronics giant said it expected to lose $1.7 billion, the result of declining demand from the global recession. The...

Obama Speeches Teach English, Hope to Japanese

Dem's speeches good for language-learners, more inspiring than local pols'

(Newser) - The Japanese version of Amazon.com features an unlikely bestseller: the collected speeches of Barack Obama, with Japanese translation and accompanying CD, Reuters reports. Obama’s inspiring but straightforward rhetoric is perfect for teaching English in a country that hankers to learn the language. He “uses words such as...

Tokyo Dims Red Light in Olympic Bid

Officials aim to keep 'local color' in crackdown

(Newser) - Japan’s bid to host the 2016 Olympics has prompted a cleanup of Tokyo’s red light district, but local proprietors aren’t eager to change local culture, the Guardian reports. Police, backed by a governor hoping to snuff out sleaze, are getting tough about a new law forcing sex...

In Rare Move, Toyota to Suspend Production in Japan

11-day break amid shrinking demand is first since 1993

(Newser) - Toyota is suspending production at all 12 of its Japanese plants for 11 days over February and March, a stoppage of unprecedented scale for the nation's top automaker as it grapples with shrinking global demand. The last time it halted production at all its Japanese plants was in August 1993,...

World Bids 2008 Good Riddance
 World Bids 2008 Good Riddance 
Dec 31, 2008 9:57 AM CST

World Bids 2008 Good Riddance

Revelers hope 2009 will bring better luck

(Newser) - Fireworks exploded over Sydney's shimmering harbor today, as the world's first major city to ring in 2009 celebrated the end of a rocky year with cheers, beers, and a sense of relief. "I'm looking forward to 2009," said a spectator. "Because it can't get much worse."...

Rivals Wary of China's New Sea Power

(Newser) - China's decision to flex its burgeoning naval muscles by sending two warships to patrol Somalia's pirate-infested waters has been met with equal parts thanks and worry from the international community, the Christian Science Monitor reports. The mission is China’s first outside of its own waters, and many are wondering...

Placenta Drip: Fad or Fantastic?

Afterbirth consumption risky, unproven to boost health

(Newser) - Feeling tired? A Tokyo clinic offers relaxation drips containing human placental extract as a pick-me-up. Long used by the Japanese to treat liver disease and menopause symptoms, placenta—with its immune molecules and nutrients that sustain the fetus during pregnancy—is symbolic, if not utterly scientific. The idea of a...

World's Oddest New Year Rituals

Grapes, bonfires, effigies are some nations' traditions for a lucky 2009

(Newser) - While much of the world indulges in the traditional New Year's Eve fare of glittery balls and fireworks, other countries have more unusual ways of shepherding in the next year, reports Travel and Leisure. For example: 
  • Spain: Gobbling a grape for each clock stroke is considered a fruity down
...

Mighty Toyota Posts Its First Loss Ever

Even Prius can't overcome flagging demand, soaring yen

(Newser) - Toyota will post a loss for the first time in its history, the victim of plummeting sales and multi-year highs in the value of the yen, the company warned today. The Japanese automaker, which has enjoyed a reputation for profits even in bad times, announced that it would suspend executive...

Japan Fetes Genji , World's First Novel, at 1,000
Japan Fetes Genji, World's
First Novel, at 1,000
Glossies
Dec 20, 2008 6:39 AM CST

Japan Fetes Genji, World's First Novel, at 1,000

Three very different English translations available to get you caught up

(Newser) - Japan is celebrating the 1,000th birthday of The Tale of Genji, a story penned by a woman in an imperial court that is widely regarded as the first modern novel, the Economist reports. The chronicle of an aristocratic aesthete’s sexual adventures is many things to many readers, including...

Panasonic, Sanyo Merging Into Electronics Dynamo

(Newser) - Panasonic has begun a $9 billion takeover of Japanese rival Sanyo, hoping that transforming into one of the world's biggest electronics companies will help it weather the toughest business conditions in a century. Top shareholders, including Goldman Sachs, had been haggling over the price with Panasonic since last month, but...

Bank of Japan Follows Fed, Cuts Rates to Near Zero

It drops key interest rate to 0.1%

(Newser) - The Bank of Japan cut interest rates from 0.3% to to 0.1%, within the historic zero- to quarter-percent range that the Fed chose earlier this week. Central bankers were responding to a deep recession as well as a soaring yen, which recently hit a 13-year high against the...

China May Launch Pirate Patrol
 China May Launch Pirate Patrol 
Dec 18, 2008 2:09 AM CST

China May Launch Pirate Patrol

Officials weigh Chinese naval mission in 500 years

(Newser) - China is poised to embark on its first naval combat mission in 500 years—to take on pirates off the coast of Somalia, reports the Financial Times. Any patrols launched would be closely monitored by the US, Russian and British navies, concerned about China's growing  military power. 

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