Japan

Stories 1221 - 1240 | << Prev   Next >>

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...

Japan Faces Historic Change as Election Opens

(Newser) - Japanese PM Taro Aso dissolved parliament today to begin a watershed election that could break his party's 50-year grip on power, Reuters reports. In a nationwide TV address, Aso apologized for his shortcomings as a leader and for internal squabbling that cost his conservative party at recent local elections. Opposition...

Gadget Translates 'Woof' into Words

Japanese toymaker debuts dog translator next month

(Newser) - Ever wonder what your dog is thinking? The “Bowlingual Voice” from Japanese toymaker Takara Tomy claims to be able to tell you just that, the Telegraph reports. The device is made up of a microphone and transmitter on the collar that categorizes the dog’s utterances into one of...

Why Don't We Have Cool Japanese Cell Phones?

Makers stifled by hardware too advanced to leave country

(Newser) - Able to surf the internet, stand in for credit cards, and check body fat, Japan’s smartphones make ours look primitive—yet we’re sticking with what we have. That’s because Japan’s phone makers have been “a little too clever,” writes Hiroko Tabuchi in the New ...

Fashion's Issey Miyake Haunted by Hiroshima
Fashion's Issey Miyake Haunted by Hiroshima
OPINION
Jul 14, 2009 9:08 AM CDT

Fashion's Issey Miyake Haunted by Hiroshima

Obama's disarmament talk inspires A-bomb survivor to speak up

(Newser) - Issey Miyake’s clothes are famous for color and exuberance, but the Japanese designer has a tragic past: He survived the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Miyake has declined to talk about the blast, “preferring to think of things that can be created, not destroyed,” he writes in...

Facing Defeat, Japan PM Sets Election Date

Aso's fall could mark dawn of 2-party system

(Newser) - Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso has agreed to hold a general election on August 30, following stinging losses for his Liberal Democratic Party in a local Tokyo race yesterday, reports the Financial Times. The LDP has ruled Japan for all but one year since the 1950s, and a heavy defeat...

Smile, Japan: The Boss Is Watching
Smile, Japan:
The Boss Is Watching
Jul 11, 2009 2:28 PM CDT

Smile, Japan: The Boss Is Watching

(Newser) - A Japanese rail company is going the extra mile to ensure its employees keep up a sunny disposition. The company is employing computerized scanners that can measure the curvature of employees' mouths to make sure they’re smiling, the BBC reports. A hospital in Osaka and a truck stop will...

French Are World's Worst Tourists: Survey

Poll of 40,000 hotels ranks visitors on politeness, generosity

(Newser) - The French are the world’s worst tourists, AFP reports. A global survey asked staff at 40,000 hotels to rate tourists on categories ranging from politeness to generosity to willingness to learn local languages—and the French finished last in several categories. Japanese tourists took honors in just as...

Japan's Mobile Network Buckles Under Porn Demand

(Newser) - Japan's mammoth 3G wireless network is beginning to buckle as users download world-record amounts of porn, Bloomberg reports. Mobile carriers have been forced to restrict the heaviest users of their "unlimited plans" to prevent outages. Privacy laws prevent the firms from saying what is being downloaded, but porn providers...

Stories 1221 - 1240 | << Prev   Next >>