Japan

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Overheated iPods Blamed for Fires

Japanese trade ministry points to defective batteries

(Newser) - Japan’s trade ministry says iPod nanos are to blame for three fires, Reuters reports. The Japanese government suspects defective battery cells could be the cause of the fires, which left individuals with minor burns. A product safety commission will investigate the incidents with Apple’s cooperation.

World's 10 Sexiest Hotels
 World's 10 Sexiest Hotels

World's 10 Sexiest Hotels

From spaceage to Japanese traditional, these rooms ooze appeal

(Newser) - Hotels can inspire us to do more than order room service and watch TV—or so Bill Tikos reports, in his London Times list of the planet’s 10 sexiest hotels:
  • Hotel Puerta America, Madrid: A private terrace with flowers and lemon trees creates a uniquely intimate ambience.
  • Bay of
...

Bomb Threat Forces Back China-Bound Plane

Japanese authorities believe threat to Air China is Olympics-related

(Newser) - A bomb threat emailed to Air China's Tokyo offices today forced a Shanghai-bound passenger jet to make an emergency return to Japan, reports AP. Four other flights were delayed. The email threatened to "bomb the aircraft" if fllghts were not suspended, according to a transport offical. "We suspect...

Japan Warned of Nuclear Leak from US Sub

But radioactivity level is nothing to worry about, says Navy

(Newser) - The US Navy has warned Japan that a small amount of radiation may have leaked from an American nuclear submarine during its recent visits to two southern ports. The US said the amount of radioactivity was negligible, but the news could cause a stir in Japan, where both the US...

Japan Cools Down with Fizzy Eel Energy Drink

Yellow-colored beverage made from head and bone extracts

(Newser) - A new fizzy, yellow-colored canned drink is hitting shelves in Japan this month, and it contains an unusual ingredient—eel. Unagi Nobori, or "Surging Eel," is made from the extracts from the head and bones of eel and five vitamins. "It's mainly for men who are exhausted...

NASCAR Fans Sneer at Toyota
 NASCAR Fans Sneer at Toyota 

NASCAR Fans Sneer at Toyota

Japanese automaker's success comes as American firms are in slump

(Newser) - In an effort to curry favor with millions of American NASCAR fans, Toyota joined the league’s top circuit 2 years ago, but fans aren’t warming to the Japanese automaker, the Wall Street Journal reports. Many fans felt betrayed last year when champion racer Kyle Busch traded in his...

Japan Quake Injures Dozens
 Japan Quake Injures Dozens 

Japan Quake Injures Dozens

6.8 quake collapses buildings 300 miles north of Tokyo

(Newser) - A powerful earthquake jolted north-central Japan early today, injuring over 100 people, according to initial reports. The 6.8 quake collapsed 31 buildings on Japan's main Honshu island, according to CNN. Thousands of homes lost power in a blackout and landslides cut off key roads Officals have warned of aftershocks...

Japanese iPhone Deters Perverts

 Japanese iPhone
 Deters Perverts 

Japanese iPhone Deters Perverts

Loud 'shutter' sound cannot be disabled

(Newser) - The Japanese version of the iPhone 3G has one small difference from those sold elsewhere: the “shutter” sound it makes when the camera snaps a photo is always on, even when the phone is in silent mode, the Cult of Mac reports. The conspicuous sound is intended to discourage...

In Japan, Jailhouse Chic Rules Fashion

Aprons, bags made by convicts are hot sellers this season

(Newser) - Japan's fashion-forward set is flocking to a line made by an unlikely group—prison inmates. Aprons, bags, and pouches emblazoned with the character for "jail" inside a circle are selling out just as quickly as inmates at a juvenile prison in Hokkaido can make them, the AP reports. "...

Rich Countries Getting Soaked for a Change
Rich Countries Getting Soaked for a Change
ANALYSIS

Rich Countries Getting Soaked for a Change

Developing markets faring better in current economic downturn

(Newser) - As the US and other developed economies feel the crunch of a housing collapse and credit crisis, emerging economies, especially those fueled by commodities, have yet to feel the pinch, the Washington Post reports. "We are overloaded with money, crazy amounts of money from the energy market," a...

Buddhism Faces Bleak Future in Japan

Temples going begging and Buddhism disappearing from funeral rites

(Newser) - Buddhism, once a significant element of Japanese culture, is beginning to decline in both popularity and influence, reports the New York Times.  Buddhist rituals are even fading from funerals, where the religion once had a near-monopoly, as the Japanese increasingly rely on funeral homes, or skip funerals. If something...

G8 Leaders Chew on Global Food Crisis Over Caviar

Luxe meals by 60 chefs follow starvation talks

(Newser) - The global food crisis tops the agenda at this year's G8 summit—and the talks seem to be hungry work, reports the Independent. The 18 dishes at the eight-course luxury dinner served to the leaders last night included caviar, sea urchin, and Kyoto beef—followed by a "G8 fantasy...

Bush to Canadian PM: 'Yo, Harper!'
Bush to Canadian PM: 'Yo, Harper!'

Bush to Canadian PM: 'Yo, Harper!'

Commander-in-chief his ever-so-diplomatic self at G8 summit

(Newser) - Mixing Texas diplomacy with the high diplomacy of the G8 summit in Japan, President Bush showed off his characteristically casual behavior today by introducing Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper to another leader with a "Yo, Harper!" Bush landed British PM Tony Blair in hot water at a 2006...

Bush: Olympic Boycott Would Be 'Affront' to Chinese People

Prez says he'll tackle human rights in Beijing

(Newser) - President Bush today defended his decision not to boycott the Beijing Olympics next month, saying skipping “would be an affront to the Chinese people" that would make it difficult "to speak more frankly with the Chinese leadership.” Speaking ahead of tomorrow's G8 meeting in Japan, Bush said...

Energy-Efficient Japan to Host G8 Summit

Tokyo will showcase conservation ethic, technology

(Newser) - Next week the leaders of the developed world will meet at a resort in northern Japan for this year's G8 summit. With oil prices topping the agenda, Japan—by most measures, the most energy-frugal developed nation on earth—is hoping to use the international platform to promote its energy conservation...

Can Fish-Hungry Japan Go Sustainable?
 Can Fish-Hungry
 Japan Go
 Sustainable? 
Glossies

Can Fish-Hungry Japan Go Sustainable?

Slowly, world's sushi capital seeing more eco-friendly seafood in supermarkets

(Newser) - Japan loves its fish: The island nation consumes an average of 147 pounds per person a year, compared to America’s 17. So, Samuel Fromartz wonders in Gourmet, how can Japanese fisheries continue to support supermarket fish counters as large as an entire US meat section? The answer, slowly gaining...

World Body Postpones Decision on Whale Hunts

Fractious conference delays decision on moratorium by a year

(Newser) - A moratorium on commercial whaling looks set to continue for another year after an international body put off a decision yesterday, the Economist notes, but its fate beyond that appears tenuous. The 81-nation International Whaling Commission, often paralyzed by conflicting views, also decided to revamp its decision-making process by forming...

Bizarro Travel-Industry Jobs
 Bizarro Travel-Industry Jobs 
Travel

Bizarro Travel-Industry Jobs

Gigs that straddle the line between necessary and absurd

(Newser) - From Parisian sewer guides to a coconut safety engineer in St. Thomas, some travel industry jobs straddle the line between necessary and absurd. Travel and Leisure highlights some of the strangest.
  1. Tourism ambassador, Japan. Diplomacy never looked so soft and cuddly after Japan appointed elder statesfeline Hello Kitty for PR
...

Japan Unveils Robot Girlfriend
 Japan Unveils Robot Girlfriend 

Japan Unveils Robot Girlfriend

15-inch 'maiden' puckers up on command

(Newser) - If you’re looking for love and the electronic variety is good enough, a Japanese company may have just the thing for you. Sega unveiled “EMA” today (that’s Eternal Maiden Actualization), a 15-inch robotic girlfriend that can find and kiss human faces on command, Reuters reports. The company...

Four Japanese Busted for Copycat Stabbing Threats

Warnings followed stabbings by crazed attacker

(Newser) - Threats of copycat violence posted on Japanese websites have led to four arrests in the wake of seven fatal stabbings in Tokyo this month by a crazed attacker, AP reports. “I'm going to do it, too. I’m going to kill 100 people,” wrote one man. Last week's...

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