Japan

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Security Council Condemns N. Korea

(Newser) - The UN Security Council has condemned North Korea's nuclear test as a clear violation of its resolutions. The council said in a statement today that it will begin work immediately on a new legally binding resolution addressing North Korea's violations.

Japan Tops Life-Expectancy List

Sierra Leone, Afghanistan fall at bottom

(Newser) - Health initiatives and wars have flipped some of the world's life expectancies since 1990, the World Heath Organization said today. Some findings, via AP:
  • Japanese women, at 86, and San Marino men, 81, enjoy the longest life expectancies.
  • Sierra Leone men, 39, at Afghan women, 42, have the shortest.
  • In
...

US Trading Partners See Huge GDP Falls

Mexico contracts 21.5% as American demand dries up

(Newser) - Yesterday Mexico became the latest country to disclose a sharp economic contraction as a result of the slowdown in US consumption of imported goods. Mexican GDP fell at an annualized rate of 21.5% in the first quarter, following Germany, down 14.4%, and Japan, 15.2%—its worst performance...

Cheaper 'Fast Fashion' Booms in Japan

Recessionistas head to cheaper chain stores in once-superstylish district

(Newser) - In Tokyo’s Harajuku district, designer brands are making way for cheaper “fast fashion” stores, where $100 buys an outfit, bag, shoes, and accessories. The most recent chain to debut, Forever 21, drew massive crowds—in a scene reminiscent of November, when 2,500 did the same thing next...

Dealer Cuts Mean Deals on Chrysler, GM Cars

Closing dealership networks have just weeks to move massive inventory

(Newser) - At 789 Chrysler lots across America sit 44,000 potential bargains, cars and trucks that are stuck between shellshocked dealers and a troubled company that no longer wants their services. The dealers have just a few weeks to sell the Chryslers, Dodges, and Jeeps or risk losing thousands of dollars...

UN: Sri Lanka Conflict a 'Bloodbath'

Aid groups urge Japan to push for Security Council action

(Newser) - After intense weekend fighting, the UN says the battle between rebels and the government in Sri Lanka has become a “bloodbath,” the New York Times reports. A government doctor estimates 1,000 civilians died in the heavy shelling of the small coastal area occupied by a few hundred...

Flu Spreads, Kills US Man
 Flu Spreads, Kills US Man 
May 10, 2009 7:30 AM CDT

Flu Spreads, Kills US Man

Australia, Japan see cases

(Newser) - Health officials have confimed that a 30-year-old Washington state man died last week of the H1N1 flu strain, raising its US death toll to  three, Reuters reports. He had suffered from heart problems. The disease has now been found in some 2,200 Americans and has spread to Japan and...

Toyota Forecasts First-Ever Annual Loss

$8.6B loss is far worse than anticipated

(Newser) - Toyota forecast a 2009 loss of $8.6 billion, its first annual loss ever and one far deeper than anticipated, Reuters reports. Only last year Toyota posted record profits and climbed past GM to become the world's largest car maker, but the global downturn in the auto industry and a...

Communists Rise in Japan
 Communists Rise in Japan 
May 5, 2009 3:57 AM CDT

Communists Rise in Japan

Young Japanese see red over lack of workers' rights

(Newser) - The recession has reversed a long slide in the fortunes of the Japanese Communist Party, the BBC reports. The party had been shrinking for decades, but membership is now growing at the rate of a thousand people a month. Young people—introduced to Communist ideology through efforts like a manga...

Japanese Say 'I Do' Stateside to Save Money

Couples like marrying in NY, Hawaii to duck $100K nuptials

(Newser) - Thousands of Japanese couples have chosen to marry in the US over the past decade to avoid pricey weddings back home, NPR reports. Favored destinations like Hawaii and New York City may not be cheap, but they're easier on the pocketbook than ceremonies that include hundreds of family, friends, and...

Borders Tighten as Swine Flu Deaths Hit 152

(Newser) - Countries are tightening borders and stepping up containment methods as the swine flu body count continues to rise, the New York Times reports. The disease is suspected in 152 deaths, all in Mexico; 50 US cases are now confirmed from California to New York City. Health officials in Japan and...

Japan Cooks Up New Technique to Save Bluefin

(Newser) - Japanese scientists are racing to keep bluefin tuna from dying out by inducing another fish to give birth to them, GlobalPost reports. Overfishing has already decimated bluefin and convinced many diners, supermarket and sushi chains to avoid the fish. Now Japan is paying a Tokyo University team to replenish bluefin...

Parents Push Toddlers Into Japan's 'Exam Hell'

Parents move back starting line for race to secure best schools

(Newser) - While most 3-year-olds romp and fingerpaint, a growing group of Japanese toddlers are working through stacks of worksheets taller than they are. Enrolled in courses called ojuken, they're studying for entrance exams to enter top-tier elementary schools. Despite Japan's declining birth rate and schools clamoring to fill seats, well-heeled parents...

Japanese Boy Band Star Found Drunk, Naked, Screaming

Incident in public park cost singer ad deals

(Newser) - A member of SMAP, Japan’s most famous boy band, was arrested today after he was found naked, drunk and screaming in a public park at 3am, Asahi Shimbun reports. Tsuoyoshi Kusanagi, 34, reportedly screamed “What’s wrong with being naked?” at an officer while being removed. He had...

Japan Pays Latin American Workers to Go, Stay Home

Plan hatched to ease recession burdens

(Newser) - Faced with rising unemployment, Japan is paying foreign workers to leave the nation for good, the New York Times reports. The offer targets some 366,000 Latin Americans of Japanese descent who perform undesirable manufacturing jobs. With industrial production at a 25-year low, many of them are out of work,...

Sun Rises on Japanese Whiskey

After claiming numerous awards, Nikka and Suntory plan global marketing push

(Newser) - Japanese whiskey is becoming a contender on the world stage, set to steal market share worldwide from the likes of Johnnie Walker and Chivas Regal, the Guardian reports. Japan’s Nikka and Suntory distilleries took the single-malt and blended whiskey awards, respectively, at last year’s world whiskey awards, and...

Jobless Japanese Work the Land

$10M government program trains new agricultural force

(Newser) - As their country struggles with its worst recession since World War II, many Japanese city slickers stymied by the job market are trying out the farming life, the Wall Street Journal reports. Aiming to rejuvenate an industry in which two-thirds of full-time workers are 65 and older, the government has...

Japan Deports Parents, Girl Stays, Sparking Outcry

(Newser) - The Japanese public witnessed the heart-wrenching results of the country’s harsh immigration laws, as one girl’s tearful goodbye to her parents was televised nationwide, CNN reports. Forced to choose between her parents—who are being deported to their native Philippines—and the home she was born in, 13-year...

Japan Tightens N. Korea Sanctions
Japan Tightens N. Korea Sanctions
Apr 10, 2009 2:24 AM CDT

Japan Tightens N. Korea Sanctions

UN fails to agree on punishment for rocket launch

(Newser) - Japan is punishing North Korea for its recent rocket launch with renewed and tightened sanctions, the BBC reports. Japan has lowered the cap on monetary transmissions to reduce the flow of money into the country. A ban on imports from North Korea remains in place, but a total ban on...

Wii Muscles Up With 'Sports Resort'

Nintendo hopes Frisbee, fencing will boost flagging console sales

(Newser) - Get ready to pull a muscle as Wii expands its offering of audience participation sports to Frisbee (with a dog), fencing and jetskiing, reports Reuters. Sports Resort is scheduled to be released in June, said Nintendo executives. The company hopes the new activities will boost flagging sales of Wii game...

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