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Japan

Aerial view of tsunami zone: cleaner but barren

SENDAI, Japan (AP) — From 1,000 feet (300 meters) up, the view of the tsunami-battered Japanese seaside communities shows striking progress: much of the rubble, crumpled cars and other debris is gone.
Yet seen from a helicopter Friday carrying Associated Press journalists, there are few signs of rebuilding eight months after [...]

Read More » No commentNovember 19, 2011

Japan calls on Germany to build debt ‘firewall’

Japan called on Germany on Friday to step up and help plug the widening hole in the eurozone’s finances, saying Berlin should play a leading role in creating a debt “firewall”.
Japan, along with China, was one of the first ports of call when the bloc began looking abroad for cash to keep [...]

Read More » No commentNovember 19, 2011

Japan bans Fukushima rice for radiation

Japan on Thursday announced its first ban on rice produced near the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant after samples showed radioactive contamination well above legal limits.
The findings will further worry nervous consumers, already fretting over the safety of domestic produce, despite its previous solid safety reputation.
Authorities in Fukushima prefecture say rice [...]

Read More » No commentNovember 19, 2011

Japan Inc steps up shift overseas as yen stays high

TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s big manufacturers led by Panasonic Corp and Nissan Motor Co Ltd are speeding up their shift overseas, in a sign corporate Japan sees the strong yen as a long-term handicap rather than a temporary blip.
A sluggish home market and energy shortages following the widespread nuclear power shutdown sparked by [...]

Read More » No commentNovember 19, 2011

Japan’s Suzuki wins NHK Trophy

SAPPORO, Japan (AP) — Japan’s Akiko Suzuki won the NHK Trophy on Saturday, holding off compatriot Mao Asada in the free skate to claim her first grand prix title in two seasons.
Suzuki, who held an eight-point lead over Asada after the short program, made several mistakes in the final but scored 119.43 points [...]

Read More » No commentNovember 13, 2011

1st look at Japan nuke plant: rubble amid progress

OKUMA, Japan (AP) — Two reactor buildings once painted in a cheery sky blue loom over the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant. Their roofs are blasted away, their crumbled concrete walls reduced to steel frames.
In their shadow, plumbers, electricians and truck drivers, sometimes numbering in the thousands, go dutifully about [...]

Read More » No commentNovember 13, 2011

Media allowed into Japan’s tsunami-hit nuke plant

OKUMA, Japan (AP) — Media allowed into Japan’s tsunami-damaged nuclear power plant for the first time Saturday saw a striking scene of devastation: twisted and overturned trucks, crumbling reactor buildings and piles of rubble virtually untouched since the wave struck more than eight months ago.
Representatives of the Japanese and international media, [...]

Read More » No commentNovember 13, 2011

Boeing Dreamliner makes first commercial flight

Boeing’s new 787 Dreamliner made its first commercial flight on Wednesday, giving a handful of deep-pocketed passengers the chance to fly into history on what is touted as an aviation breakthrough.
Carrying 252 people including corporate VIPs, aviation buffs and a large press pack, the All Nippon Airways (ANA) flight flew from Tokyo’s Narita [...]

Read More » No commentOctober 27, 2011

Olympus chairman stepping down amid scrutiny

TOKYO (AP) — Olympus Corp. said Wednesday that Chairman and President Tsuyoshi Kikukawa is stepping down amid widening scrutiny into acquisitions after the company’s British ex-CEO alleged financial wrongdoing.
The Japanese camera and medical device maker said the move was to take responsibility for the troubles caused to customers, business partners and investors over recent media [...]

Read More » No commentOctober 27, 2011

Japanese woman to hang in Malaysia for drugs

A Malaysian court sentenced a Japanese woman to death on Tuesday for smuggling methamphetamine into the country in what an official said was the first such case involving a citizen of Japan.
A high court in Shah Alam near the capital Kuala Lumpur found Mariko Takeuchi guilty of drug trafficking, said a court [...]

Read More » No commentOctober 25, 2011