Sagawa employees arrested for deceiving police over parking tickets

<b>Police have arrested six men including employees of major parcel delivery company Sagawa Express Co for allegedly misleading police about the identity of drivers responsible for parking violations.</b><br /> Among the six men, Kenji Sato, 35, an assistant manager at a Sagawa Express office in Tokyo, was arrested on suspicion of harboring criminals and instigating the harboring of criminals. He allegedly suggested turning in a different man to police after a driver on duty received a parking ticket on Nov 18, 2014.<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHgNO1Qt0R6jFFORf9RNQGj1loSK_nlz-T667s0VDCHXXybUH_HCbiK1CCwamzYT3rT6-JERuKXVK49BtTnyzd73Bwi0jG1yOpjeKhyJoU7Mb9_MFKaH03ejUL0AvlvTdtid1tqoFpLNea/s1600/sagawa-employees-arrested-for-deceiving-police-over-parking-tickets.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHgNO1Qt0R6jFFORf9RNQGj1loSK_nlz-T667s0VDCHXXybUH_HCbiK1CCwamzYT3rT6-JERuKXVK49BtTnyzd73Bwi0jG1yOpjeKhyJoU7Mb9_MFKaH03ejUL0AvlvTdtid1tqoFpLNea/s400/sagawa-employees-arrested-for-deceiving-police-over-parking-tickets.png" width="400" /></a></div> <br /> Ryuichi Takahashi, 41, another assistant manager at the office, was arrested on suspicion of arranging a substitute for another driver who committed a parking violation on April 22 this year.<br /> The police said they had uncovered dozens of cases in which the office arranged for people other than the drivers responsible to take the blame for parking violations between January 2014 and November this year.<br /> The cases accounted for more than 70% of the parking violations committed by workers at the office, they said.<br /> The police suspect employees at the office systematically carried out the substitution scheme.<br /> Another driver told the police he thought a parking violation would affect his performance evaluation by the company and admitted giving money to his substitute.<br /> Police searched multiple sites including the Sagawa Express office on Sept 16 over the substitute allegation.<br /> source: <a href="http://newsfeedmika.blogspot.com/search/label/japan">japantoday.com</a><br /> <b>MiKa</b>

Sagawa employees arrested for deceiving police over parking tickets

Police have arrested six men including employees of major parcel delivery company Sagawa Express Co for allegedly misleading police about th...

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Hakata street reopened after huge sinkhole filled in with sand, cement

<b>A city on Tuesday reopened a busy street that collapsed into a giant sinkhole, with the efforts of workers who toiled around the clock for a week drawing praise on social media</b>.<br /> The gigantic sinkhole, measuring around 30 meters wide and 15 meters deep, appeared last Tuesday in a bustling business district in Hakata, Fukuoka Prefecture, swallowing part of a five-lane street.<br /> The sinkhole, apparently triggered by subway construction in the area, had exposed the support columns of nearby buildings at a traffic intersection.<br /> Japanese workers toiled continuously for a week, dumping huge amounts of wet cement and sand into the gaping hole and fixing electricity, gas and water lines that had stopped following the accident.<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeS1DkSEl8t7GArLLahSjzWEmkdgJzBsHRQxX29Te0Bt6AEjZBXkBWuMxjZdpxAyPyD2GueA7_mwg5yq64wOPE1A2Mp_TIw5LdTLN4n2F8LhHQjBt0Fxv1mbJLm_58NwCXAO7oXJyOEMcd/s1600/Hakata+street+reopened+after+huge+sinkhole+filled+in+with+sand+cement.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeS1DkSEl8t7GArLLahSjzWEmkdgJzBsHRQxX29Te0Bt6AEjZBXkBWuMxjZdpxAyPyD2GueA7_mwg5yq64wOPE1A2Mp_TIw5LdTLN4n2F8LhHQjBt0Fxv1mbJLm_58NwCXAO7oXJyOEMcd/s400/Hakata+street+reopened+after+huge+sinkhole+filled+in+with+sand+cement.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <br /> The street reopened at 5 a.m. Tuesday, Fukuoka Mayor Soichiro Takashima said in a statement, exactly a week after the ground began sinking.<br /> “We’re very sorry for causing great trouble,” Takashima said, noting that a ban on access to surrounding buildings was lifted.<br /> Miraculously, no one was hurt in the accident.<br /> Many on social media expressed amazement at the quick recovery.<br /> “I’m surprised the road reopened in a week!,” one Twitter user said.<br /> “Impressive. That was fast,” said another.<br /> source: <a href="http://newsfeedmika.blogspot.com/">japantoday.com</a><br /> <b>MiKa</b>

Hakata street reopened after huge sinkhole filled in with sand, cement

A city on Tuesday reopened a busy street that collapsed into a giant sinkhole, with the efforts of workers who toiled around the clock for a...

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2 men get 23 years for fatal street racing in Hokkaido

<b>A court in <a href="http://newsfeedmika.blogspot.com/search/label/japan">Hokkaido </a>sentenced two men to 23 years in prison on Thursday for street racing and killing four and injuring another in the nation’s northernmost prefecture last year.</b><br /> <br /> The Sapporo District Court, in a rare move, determined that Ryuji Tanikoshi and Ryuichi Komi, both 28, conspired in reckless driving and gave the prison term sought by prosecutors.<br /> <br /> The prosecutors argued in the trial that the defendants engaged in conspiracy as they tried to outdo each other in speeds and intentionally ignored red lights, while the defense contended that they merely failed to notice red lights.<br /> <br /> The prosecutors alleged that Tanikoshi and Komi drove their respective vehicles on the night of June 6 on a road in the city of Sunagawa at a speed of at least 100 kilometers per hour and entered an intersection while ignoring a red light.<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFOfF9bw8LU36vnuLr1VDTJkF6P9dkPtVvwu7CgWBnLyWJNdHJd4SvSREd7ss4FdgTRtCN9kPDC5gvbRlchQkH1nWrFpCZU1-a9Sv6x6MH0sBDaOIe2IoYsOs66Cw9JXNg4whk_WEJcRUp/s1600/2+men+get+23+years+for+fatal+street+racing+in+Hokkaido.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFOfF9bw8LU36vnuLr1VDTJkF6P9dkPtVvwu7CgWBnLyWJNdHJd4SvSREd7ss4FdgTRtCN9kPDC5gvbRlchQkH1nWrFpCZU1-a9Sv6x6MH0sBDaOIe2IoYsOs66Cw9JXNg4whk_WEJcRUp/s400/2+men+get+23+years+for+fatal+street+racing+in+Hokkaido.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <br /> Tanikoshi, who had been under the influence of alcohol at the time, drove his passenger car into a light van at the intersection, killing Koichi Nagaoke, his wife Fumie, both 44, and their 17-year-old daughter Megumi, and seriously injuring their 13-year-old daughter Hikari, according to the prosecutors.<br /> <br /> The couple’s 16-year-old son Shota was thrown out of the van at the impact and killed after Komi’s pickup truck dragged him for some 1.4 km.<br /> <br /> In the trial, Tanikoshi’s defense claimed he failed to spot the red light as he was looking for his sunglasses. Komi’s defense said he could not have foreseen the accident and did not realize he was dragging Shota.<br /> source: <a href="http://newsfeedmika.blogspot.com/">japantoday.com</a><br /> <b>MiKa</b>

2 men get 23 years for fatal street racing in Hokkaido

A court in Hokkaido sentenced two men to 23 years in prison on Thursday for street racing and killing four and injuring another in the natio...

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In 2nd day of anti-Trump protests, civil rights a top concern

<b>Demonstrators took to the streets across the United States for a second day on Thursday to protest against <a href="http://newsfeedmika.blogspot.com/2016/11/donald-trump-amateur-hour-with-iran.html">Donald Trump’s</a> presidential election victory, voicing fears that the real estate mogul’s triumph would deal a blow to civil rights.</b><br /> <br /> On the East Coast, protests took place in Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York, while on the West Coast demonstrators rallied in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Oakland in California, and Portland, Oregon.<br /> <br /> The protests were for the most part peaceful and orderly, although there were scattered acts of civil disobedience.<br /> <br /> Protesters threw objects at police in Portland and damaged a car lot, the Portland Police Department said on Twitter. Some protesters sprayed graffiti on cars and buildings and smashed windows, media in Portland said.<br /> <br /> “Due to extensive criminal and dangerous behavior, protest is now considered a riot. Crowd has been advised,” the department said in a tweet.<br /> <br /> Dozens in Minneapolis marched onto Interstate 94, blocking traffic in both directions for at least an hour as police stood by. A smaller band of demonstrators briefly halted traffic on a busy Los Angeles freeway before police cleared them off.<br /> <br /> Baltimore police reported about 600 people marched through the downtown Inner Harbor area, with some blocking roadways by sitting in the street. Two people were arrested, police said.<br /> <br /> In Denver, a crowd that media estimated to number about 3,000 gathered on the grounds of the Colorado state capitol and marched through downtown in one of the largest of Thursday’s events. Hundreds demonstrated through Dallas.<br /> <br /> Thursday’s gatherings were generally smaller in scale and less intense than Wednesday’s, and teenagers and young adults again dominated the racially mixed crowds.<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6YR2zuodf8D02z4ESaPnoDYIPUc4WfLaBr_Y6PfDH_16yZBqN-PWnOuyzeU3H0lUsjqktX7lKvq8Lrkw7e_oXrMyZBYDYtaeLzwHWxsdqEwzEISCvgtQJRv84ZgCyAAmbCRPPZf_0X48t/s1600/In+2nd+day+of+anti-Trump+protests%252C+civil+rights+a+top+concern.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6YR2zuodf8D02z4ESaPnoDYIPUc4WfLaBr_Y6PfDH_16yZBqN-PWnOuyzeU3H0lUsjqktX7lKvq8Lrkw7e_oXrMyZBYDYtaeLzwHWxsdqEwzEISCvgtQJRv84ZgCyAAmbCRPPZf_0X48t/s400/In+2nd+day+of+anti-Trump+protests%252C+civil+rights+a+top+concern.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> In 2nd day of anti-Trump protests, civil rights a top concern</div> <br /> “Just had a very open and successful presidential election. Now professional protesters, incited by the media, are protesting. Very unfair!” Trump said in a Tweet on Thursday night.<br /> <br /> Police pitched special security barricades around two Trump marquee properties that have become focal points of the protests<br /> - his newly opened Pennsylvania Avenue hotel in Washington and the high-rise Trump Tower, where he lives in Manhattan.<br /> <br /> In the nation’s capital, about 100 protesters marched from the White House, where Trump had his first transition meeting with <b>President Barack Obama</b> on Thursday, to the Trump International Hotel several blocks away.<br /> <br /> At least 200 people rallied there after dark, many of them chanting “No hate! No fear! Immigrants are welcome here!” and carrying signs with such slogans as “Impeach Trump” and “Not my president.”<br /> <br /> “I can’t support someone who supports so much bigotry and hatred. It’s heart-breaking,” said Joe Daniels, 25, of suburban Alexandria, Virginia.<br /> <b><br /></b> <b>Two Trump</b> supporters stood off to the side carrying signs reading: “All We are Saying is Give Trump a Chance” - an apparent play on lyrics from the John Lennon song “Give Peace a Chance”.<br /> <br /> Trump’s critics worry that his often-inflammatory campaign rhetoric about immigrants, Muslims, women and others - combined with support from the Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacists<br /> - could spark a wave of intolerance against minorities.<br /> <br /> Anti-Trump rallies in more than a dozen major U.S. cities on Wednesday drew thousands at the biggest gatherings in <b>New York</b>, Seattle, Los Angeles and Oakland, California. Protesters smashed windows, set fires and clashed with riot police in Oakland.<br /> <br /> Taking a far more conciliatory tone in his acceptance speech early Wednesday than he had at many of his campaign events, Trump vowed to be a president for all Americans.<br /> <br /> His campaign rejected a Klan newspaper endorsement this month, saying Trump “denounces hate in any form.”<br /> <br /> Rudy Giuliani, the former <b>New York City</b> mayor and a high-profile Trump supporter, called the demonstrators “a bunch of spoiled cry-babies” in an interview with Fox News.<br /> <br /> Republican National Committee spokesman Sean Spicer urged the protesters to give Trump a chance once he is sworn in to office in January.<br /> <br /> “I hope that people get it out of their systems ... but then they give this man that was just elected very historically and his new vice president an opportunity to govern,” Spicer told MSNBC.<br /> <br /> In San Francisco, more than 1,000 high school students walked out of classes Thursday morning to march through the financial district carrying rainbow flags representing the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities, Mexican flags and signs decrying Trump.<br /> <br /> Civil rights groups and police reported an uptick in attacks on members of minority groups, some by people claiming to support Trump. There were also reports of Trump opponents lashing out against people carrying signs supporting Trump.<br /> <br /> More anti-Trump demonstrations were planned for the weekend.<br /> source: japantoday.com<br /> <b>MiKa</b>

In 2nd day of anti-Trump protests, civil rights a top concern

Demonstrators took to the streets across the United States for a second day on Thursday to protest against Donald Trump’s presidential elec...

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Japan executes inmate for murdering two women in 2004

<b><a href="http://newsfeedmika.blogspot.com/search/label/japan">Japan</a> executed a death row inmate Friday, the Justice Ministry said in announcing the 17th execution in about four years since Prime Minister Shinzo Abe returned to power in December 2012.</b><br /> <br /> The ministry said <b>Kenichi Tajiri</b>, 45, was hanged for killing two women in two murder-robbery cases in Kumamoto, southwestern Japan. The latest execution is the second involving an inmate who was sentenced to death in a lay judge trial. Japan’s lay judge system, in which three professional and six lay judges hear a case, began in 2009.<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZWqYu_24NEv_Tokh9T-a8GZjng5tWAvaZ1EIcUBfomjBErReGefZMnmuG8ZhsgptAS5_s7cEqNf4YweppU1Qd3uGZw88qtXcbo16lJuf5fV_SXP1JWVwxGgG5TMOS5dLPWpkECfXs9Iyr/s1600/Japan+executes+inmate+for+murdering+two+women+in+2004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZWqYu_24NEv_Tokh9T-a8GZjng5tWAvaZ1EIcUBfomjBErReGefZMnmuG8ZhsgptAS5_s7cEqNf4YweppU1Qd3uGZw88qtXcbo16lJuf5fV_SXP1JWVwxGgG5TMOS5dLPWpkECfXs9Iyr/s400/Japan+executes+inmate+for+murdering+two+women+in+2004.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> Japan executes inmate for murdering two women in 2004</div> <br /> This was the first execution ordered by Justice Minister Katsutoshi Kaneda since he assumed his post in August, with the number of death row inmates in Japan now standing at 128.<br /> <br /> “This is an extremely cruel case in which the precious lives of the victims were taken for selfish purposes,” <b>Kaneda </b>told a press conference, adding he gave the order after careful consideration.<br /> <br /> According to the finalized ruling, <b>Tajiri killed Chizuko Nakatsu</b>, 49, during a robbery in Uto, Kumamoto Prefecture, in March 2004, in which he stole about 180,000 yen in cash, and murdered Yoshiko Migita, 65, and seriously injured her husband during a robbery in Kumamoto city in February 2011 in which he stole about 100,000 yen.<br /> <br /> The justice minister said in an interview shortly after he took office that the issue of the death penalty needs to be handled carefully as it involves the taking of human life, but also noted that court judgments must be strictly carried out in a nation governed by law.<br /> <br /> Kaneda’s predecessor as justice minister, <b>Mitsuhide Iwaki,</b> ordered four executions in the 10 months he was in office, including that of the first person to be convicted in a capital punishment case that went before lay judges.<br /> <br /> In October, the <b>Japan Federation of Bar Associations</b> issued a declaration proposing the abolition of the death penalty by 2020 for the first time as the organization.<br /> source: japantoday.com<br /> <b>MiKa</b>

Japan executes inmate for murdering two women in 2004

Japan executed a death row inmate Friday, the Justice Ministry said in announcing the 17th execution in about four years since Prime Minist...

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Modi visits emperor

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGIBZbRtjoGpzwvHUFgrdXHS87odXuS8Hg1Ymkdd9PV2UR-UCsXIg7rcxsGimb5DXTgdeyTQO4_Hpf4IcpC03bcSxLdpKnfiSxK5ccRfdRrYcdTh2XJkkScOfeTxSFt8wlj6XdD4qC3lrv/s1600/Modi+visits+emperor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGIBZbRtjoGpzwvHUFgrdXHS87odXuS8Hg1Ymkdd9PV2UR-UCsXIg7rcxsGimb5DXTgdeyTQO4_Hpf4IcpC03bcSxLdpKnfiSxK5ccRfdRrYcdTh2XJkkScOfeTxSFt8wlj6XdD4qC3lrv/s400/Modi+visits+emperor.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <span style="color: #303030; font-family: "Times New Roman", Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;">Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, right, talks with Emperor Akihito at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Friday.</span></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <span style="color: #303030; font-family: "Times New Roman", Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;">source: </span><span style="color: #303030; font-family: Times New Roman, Georgia, serif;">japantoday.com</span></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <span style="color: #303030; font-family: Times New Roman, Georgia, serif;"><b>MiKa</b></span></div> <br />

Modi visits emperor

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, right, talks with Emperor Akihito at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Friday. source:  japantoday.com...

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Inada says Japan now paying enough for hosting U.S. forces

<b><a href="http://newsfeedmika.blogspot.com/search/label/japan">Japan</a> is now paying “enough” for the cost of stationing <a href="http://newsfeedmika.blogspot.com/search/label/U.S">U.S</a>. forces in the country, Defense Minister Tomomi Inada said Friday, though she was silent on how the government would respond if the next U.S. administration led by Donald Trump demands an increase in Japan’s budget.</b><br /> <br /> “I believe it is enough. We are bearing the costs of what we ought to pay at present,” Inada told a press conference, referring to the nearly 200 billion yen ($1.9 billion) in so-called host-nation support paid every year.<br /> <br /> Attention is growing in Japan to how the <b>Japan-U.S</b>. alliance may be influenced under the presidency of Trump, who has called for Japan and other U.S. allies to pay more toward the cost of stationing U.S. forces there and even threatened to pull troops out of the countries unless they do so.<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1A2F798DO674cJ2OQNwz-WMpW6EA-5Okcz_pvJl5W5lsiYcObHXAfNrGYCpMz13pWdZNC_AvBNzQm5_rrJHjPD_L4gxhugACZLCmScwu5bIvLxc6_jidl1ANjpJBuiKx-L2J7tViVySxE/s1600/Inada+says+Japan+now+paying+enough+for+hosting+U.S.+forces.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1A2F798DO674cJ2OQNwz-WMpW6EA-5Okcz_pvJl5W5lsiYcObHXAfNrGYCpMz13pWdZNC_AvBNzQm5_rrJHjPD_L4gxhugACZLCmScwu5bIvLxc6_jidl1ANjpJBuiKx-L2J7tViVySxE/s400/Inada+says+Japan+now+paying+enough+for+hosting+U.S.+forces.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> Inada says Japan now paying enough for hosting U.S. forces</div> <br /> Asked by a reporter whether Japan will reject any U.S. requests to increase the host-nation support, Inada said, “I’m not in a position to answer a hypothetical question.”<br /> <br /> The defense minister, meanwhile, highlighted the significance of the U.S. forces stationed in Japan amid the tough regional security environment.<br /> <br /> “The Japan-U.S. alliance is the linchpin of our country’s security and the U.S. military presence in our country is important not only for our defense but also for the peace and stability of the Asia-Pacific region,” she said.<br /> <br /> The host-nation support, which began in fiscal 1978, covers various expenses such as salaries for workers and utilities at U.S. military facilities and is shouldered voluntarily by Japan.<br /> Source:japantoday.com<br /> <b>MiKa</b>

Inada says Japan now paying enough for hosting U.S. forces

Japan is now paying “enough” for the cost of stationing U.S . forces in the country, Defense Minister Tomomi Inada said Friday, though she ...

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Tsunami simulation drill

<b><a href="http://newsfeedmika.blogspot.com/search/label/japan">Japan </a>held an annual drill Friday to prepare the disaster-prone country for a major earthquake and tsunami, a day before World Tsunami Awareness Day.</b><br /> <br /> While the government tested its system for sending emergency bulletins warning people of an impending massive quake, more than 400,000 people in Wakayama Prefecture took part in a drill to protect themselves during an enormous temblor.<br /> <br /> According to Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the U.N. resolution in 2015 to declare a World Tsunami Awareness Day derived from the “Inamura no Hi” anecdote about a villager in the western Japanese prefecture who on Nov. 5, 1854, warned his community of an approaching tsunami by setting fire to his rice sheaves.<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIjHKewVGbCY_oMQZulP0eGYQdB0JMgSHwvysRhmm0nkzy67Lh64uHDBhGT9VA6QgQujmKCiRJ1Mtr7SvxfuSDka6vIsdMaZnExudFWqJu-JwAJXyGzxOqiP6B2QXx5G7Jt3YvunSSD_3Z/s1600/tsunami-simulation-drill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Tsunami simulation drill" border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIjHKewVGbCY_oMQZulP0eGYQdB0JMgSHwvysRhmm0nkzy67Lh64uHDBhGT9VA6QgQujmKCiRJ1Mtr7SvxfuSDka6vIsdMaZnExudFWqJu-JwAJXyGzxOqiP6B2QXx5G7Jt3YvunSSD_3Z/s400/tsunami-simulation-drill.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <br /> In the drill to quickly pass on information regarding an impending quake to local governments and companies across the country, some local governments used their wireless systems to automatically broadcast the received information through speakers.<br /> <br /> However, the wireless systems of at least three local governments malfunctioned and failed to make automatic broadcasts.<br /> <br /> In the city of Kumamoto in southwestern Japan, middle school and high school students and their teachers took part in a quake preparedness drill in the wake of a series of major quakes that hit the area in April.<br /> source: <a href="http://newsfeedmika.blogspot.com/">japantoday.com</a><br /> <b>MiKa</b>

Tsunami simulation drill

Japan held an annual drill Friday to prepare the disaster-prone country for a major earthquake and tsunami, a day before World Tsunami Aware...

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School bullying cases hit record high in Japan

<b><a href="http://newsfeedmika.blogspot.com/search/label/japan" target="_blank">TOKYO </a>The number of reported cases of bullying at elementary, junior high and senior high schools rose to a record 224,540 in academic year 2015, up 36,468 cases from the previous year, an education ministry survey shows.</b><br /> <br /> The figure for elementary schools was up by 28,456 to a record 151,190 in the 12 months through March, while that for junior high schools stood at 59,422, up 6,451, and that for senior high schools at 12,654, up 1,250.<br /> The survey also looked at truancy. The number of elementary school students who stopped attending classes for at least 30 days increased by 1,717 to a record 27,581, while the number of senior high school students who did so dropped by 3,565 to 49,591.<br /> Among the types of bullying, ridiculing and slandering accounted for the most at 63.5%. Online bullying using computers or mobile phones comprised 4.1%.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP76PC0b6_ywdoUbOA1oumERdGn0psmjASEeKddJQGlxR4f4g0LIFS-iE4w-scQhSIEU_8H9-tJ4QGFzWnHd6yqfyKkwSmRMm1Mr8VJT2ZOnnB_31GFwtrJ9n0vNr0bJhCbZRUYR2gWvQY/s1600/School+bullying+cases+hit+record+high+in+Japan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP76PC0b6_ywdoUbOA1oumERdGn0psmjASEeKddJQGlxR4f4g0LIFS-iE4w-scQhSIEU_8H9-tJ4QGFzWnHd6yqfyKkwSmRMm1Mr8VJT2ZOnnB_31GFwtrJ9n0vNr0bJhCbZRUYR2gWvQY/s400/School+bullying+cases+hit+record+high+in+Japan.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> School bullying cases hit record high in Japan</div> <br /> The Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry said the number of violent acts at elementary schools surged 1.5 times to a record 17,137, with a noticeable rise in reported cases among first and second graders.<br /> The ministry said the rise was in step with an increase in the number of bullying cases that came to schools’ attention and not indicative of more pupils suddenly becoming violent at school.<br /> source: japantoday.com<br /> <b>MiKa</b>

School bullying cases hit record high in Japan

TOKYO The number of reported cases of bullying at elementary, junior high and senior high schools rose to a record 224,540 in academic year ...

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Comedian Pikotaro astonished by viral success of 'PPAP' song

<b><a href="http://newsfeedmika.blogspot.com/search/label/japan" target="_blank">Japanese </a>comedian Pikotaro, right, receives a certificate of the <a href="http://newsfeedmika.blogspot.com/search/label/world">Guinness World</a> record for his viral hit “pen-pineapple-apple-pen” or “PPAP” as the shortest song to enter the U.S. </b><br /> Billboard Hot 100 Chart from Guinness World Records adjudicator Kaoru Ishikawa during a press conference in <br /> The Japanese comedian behind the viral hit “PPAP” is astonished by the global success of his “pen-pineapple-apple-pen” song.<br /> Dressed in his trademark yellow outfit with snake and leopard patterns, Pikotaro debuted a two-minute “long” version of his 45-second song before taking questions at a Tokyo news conference Friday.<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQUJwGO7fhYCBcs2YJjZZBC6QXTnobnd4u8XFPjRHsk4Di2kSJbaauUpCRx6Qx8m7hKdq_dj3QTBV86ceAOZhyphenhyphenv-kwCA31EN8o5ZrMt4ORE27D5R3jEnf0BnJiTiKMqRrDwVDp-6h1uftL/s1600/Japanese+comedian+Pikotaro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQUJwGO7fhYCBcs2YJjZZBC6QXTnobnd4u8XFPjRHsk4Di2kSJbaauUpCRx6Qx8m7hKdq_dj3QTBV86ceAOZhyphenhyphenv-kwCA31EN8o5ZrMt4ORE27D5R3jEnf0BnJiTiKMqRrDwVDp-6h1uftL/s400/Japanese+comedian+Pikotaro.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <span style="text-align: start;">The Japanese comedian behind the viral hit “PPAP” is astonished by the global success of his “pen-pineapple-apple-pen” song.</span></div> <br /> His responses had the packed audience of journalists and others laughing, but it was often difficult to separate fact from fiction.<br /> He expressed amazement that a song that he said cost 100,000 yen ($1,000) to produce in a six-hour session in a rented studio could explode worldwide<br /> “The internet is amazing!” he said.<br /> In the song, Pikotaro, as the character who performs it is known, mimics stabbing a pen into an apple and a pineapple while singing simple English lyrics and dancing to a catchy beat.<br /> The 53-year-old comedian, whose real name is Kazuhito Kosaka according to Japanese entertainment news media, was little known before “PPAP” took off in September.<br /> The song initially was popular among Japanese students, then started spreading globally and got a major boost when pop star Justin Bieber tweeted it was his favorite video, Pikotaro said.<br /> “PPAP” has more than 65 million YouTube views and was the first Japanese song to get into the U.S. Billboard top 100 singles in 26 years. Guinness World Records recognized it Friday as the shortest song to make the top 100<br /> <i>It has also spawned 40,000 lip-synching copies uploaded to the internet.</i><br /> Pikotaro said it feels great to be imitated, and that those from India are his favorite so far. He discouraged imitators from using real fruit, though, deeming it wasteful.<br /> “There’s actually a theme when I’m singing,” he said, ticking off world peace and love of family and friends. “And then, to prove the existence of dark matter,” he added, to laughs. “I feel all these themes are well understood by the people who imitate me.”<br /> He said he came up with the song at the house of his producer, Daimao Kosaka, which is actually him, or his own comedian stage name.<br /> With the tune playing, he picked up a pen to begin writing, and thought about Kosaka, who comes from apple country. An open can of pineapples was sitting on the table, and “pen-pinapple-apple-pen” was born.<br /> Asked whether Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has called him since his success, he responded that he doesn’t answer numbers he does not recognize on his phone, but would check his messages later to see.<br /> source: japantoday.com<br /> <b>MiKa</b>

Comedian Pikotaro astonished by viral success of 'PPAP' song

Japanese comedian Pikotaro, right, receives a certificate of the Guinness World record for his viral hit “pen-pineapple-apple-pen” or “PPAP...

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Donations to Foundation Vexed Hillary Clinton’s Aides

In the years before Hillary Clinton announced she would run again for president, her top aides expressed profound concerns in internal emails about how foreign donations to the Clinton Foundation and Bill Clinton’s own moneymaking ventures would affect Mrs. Clinton’s political future.<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcmg-UDxnCxCJLF4LZ8c30ZDK0CdYhyphenhyphenz3LlLSBynFCGFfBGOpjdDHgl39yCHV5QG6dJWdUijaNFt_nwFqL1EDEzIT1D-RnNjBE_pqPHo3E93Ip_MzLLgtSrLbXIz_5XAx5slD4WhK2VLKv/s1600/co+gai+thang+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcmg-UDxnCxCJLF4LZ8c30ZDK0CdYhyphenhyphenz3LlLSBynFCGFfBGOpjdDHgl39yCHV5QG6dJWdUijaNFt_nwFqL1EDEzIT1D-RnNjBE_pqPHo3E93Ip_MzLLgtSrLbXIz_5XAx5slD4WhK2VLKv/s400/co+gai+thang+5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <br /> The emails, obtained by hackers and being gradually released by WikiLeaks this month, also are revealing how efforts to minimize potential conflicts at the foundation led to power struggles and infighting among aides and Mrs. Clinton’s family.<br /> One top aide to Mr. Clinton, Douglas J. Band, noted in an email that the former president had received personal income from some foundation donors and “gets many expensive gifts from them.”<br /> Chelsea Clinton accused her father’s aides of taking “significant sums of money from my parents personally,” of “hustling” during foundation events to win clients for their own business, and of even installing spyware on her chief of staff’s computer.<br /> Hillary Clinton, another email showed, had promised to attend a Clinton Foundation gathering in Morocco at the behest of its king, who had pledged $12 million to the charity. Her advisers worried that would look unseemly just as she was beginning her presidential campaign in earnest.<br /> “She created this mess and she knows it,” a close aide, Huma Abedin, wrote of Mrs. Clinton in a January 2015 email.<br /> For months, the Clintons have defended their foundation, making public proclamations that it went above and beyond what the law required in terms of transparency while Mrs. Clinton was at the State Department.<br /> The emails, which came from the account of John D. Podesta, who had a leadership role at the foundation and is now Mrs. Clinton’s campaign chairman, have not contained evidence to support Republican contentions that Mrs. Clinton performed any favors for foundation donors.

Donations to Foundation Vexed Hillary Clinton’s Aides

In the years before Hillary Clinton announced she would run again for president, her top aides expressed profound concerns in internal email...

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