Japan Recognizes Ainu
Region: Japan
Posted by Hanako Tokita to Global Voices Online On June 6, a couple of months prior to the International Day of the World's Indigenous People, the Japanese Diet passed a resolution to officially recognize the Ainu as an indigenous people. Immediately following the passage of the resolution, a government panel held its first meeting to start working on a plan to put these words into action. While this development marke... more
Views: 2096Toyota's 'Just-in-Time' System and the Akihabara Killings
Region: Japan
Posted by Chris Salzburg to Global Voices Online (Note: the translation in this post was a collaborative effort by blogger and translator nofrills, blogger and GV author Taku Nakajima, user Saifis, and GV editor Chris Salzberg) When Tomohiro Kato killed 7 people and injured many more in Tokyo's Akihabara district last month, the details of his life became the talk not only of the mainstream media world, but also of t... more
Views: 2895Japan's Communist Party Gets Boost from Video Site
Region: Japan
Posted by Chris Salzburg to Global Voices Online It is a long time since the Japanese Communist Party (JCP) had any luck in Japanese politics. According to an article at J-CAST [ja], however, there are signs that this may be changing — with help from no other than Japan's popular video sharing site, Nico Nico Douga. JCP Chairman Kazuo Shii in the National Diet (snapshot from Nico Nico Douga) The article repo... more
Views: 3272G8 Leaders Agree To Place Slap Zimbabwe With Stricter Sanctions
Region: JapanIt may have seemed a bit unfathomable at first. Several months ago, the main issue of the G8 summit to be hosted in Hokkaido, Japan, would be combating climate change. Then, the main issue would be shifting to combating rising oil prices. But, a major issue would be the crisis in Zimbabwe in which incumbent Robert Mugabe stole the election and rigged the polls. In a nutshell, Mugabe is still the president of Zimbabwe. ... more
Views: 1554Zimbabwe Drama Extends To The G8 Summit
Region: JapanThe drama and chaos in Zimbabwe continues on. So far, it has expanded towards this year’s G8 Summit which was hosted by Japan and on the northern island of Hokkaido. South African President Thabo Mbeki was one of the seven leaders of Africa invited to join the G8 Summit. Mbeki is the key mediator in the Zimbabwe crisis. However, Mbeki has been criticized for his “beyond soft” approach towards the viol... more
Views: 1492What to Expect at the 2008 G-8 Summit
Region: Japan
Posted by FindingDulcinea Staff July 7 will mark the beginning of the 34th annual Group of Eight meeting. Japan will be hosting this year’s summit which will discuss energy consumption and global warming as its two main issues. This year’s will be President George W. Bush’s eighth and final summit and insiders are predicting that it will be a “harmonious” one. Russian President Dmitry ... more
Views: 1151Fines for Fat Bellies in Japan
Region: JapanPosted by Lindsey Chapman to FindingDulcinea Japan is working to slim down its population by regulating waistlines. Under the new plan, everyone between the ages of 40 and 74 will have their waistlines measured during annual checkups. By law, men’s waists can’t be larger than 33.5 inches, and women’s midsections can’t exceed 35.4 inches. Those who aren’t slim enough, and who have we... more
Views: 743Cockroach Facial Craze Sweeps Japan
Region: Japan
A new beauty craze is sweeping Japan. The key ingredient? Cockroaches. The cockroaches are used in a facial cream that promises to cleanse skin and pores and maintain the skin's balance and tautness. Look at the clip in the below link on Youtube, it is really astonishing when people using the smashed cockroach as facial ingredient. This video demonstrated the process of catching the cockroaches and squeezed t... more
Views: 2862Japan: Iwate-Miyagi Inland Earthquake
Region: JapanOn June 14, an inland earthquake reaching M7.2 on the Richter scale struck the Tohoku region of Japan. In Iwate and Miyagi, the hardest hit prefectures, Ten have been confirmed dead, about a dozen are missing, and more than 200 people have been injured. Although the death toll was relatively small, given that the areas in the vicinity of the epicenter are mostly mountainous, the ground acceleration level during Sa... more
Views: 1144Japanese Densuke Watermelon Fetches $6,100 at Auction
Region: Japan
The Densuke watermelon is an exotic Japanese speciality from the Hokkaido island known to command prices in the thousands-- for a single melon. But records for the Densuke watermelon were shattered Friday when a marine products dealer paid $6,100 for the delicacy. The Densuke watermelon purchased had the watermelon's characteristic black skin and weighed 17 pounds. The buyer of the Densuke watermelon said ... more
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