RisingSunofNihon: January 2007 Archives

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Jan31	New Plastic Deforms Like Rubber upon Impact Bill Belew January 31, 2007 Know More: Doing Business in Japan 2.0, Doing Business in Japan Toray Industries Inc. has developed a new kind of high-peformance plastic that behaves the same as rubber. When crashed or jolted, it absorbs shocks by deforming instead of cracking. The practical applications of the material - automobile bumpers, casings for electric products and such is hoped to be ready within three years. The new plastic is as strong as high-impact nylon, yet stays intact by deforming to absorb impacts when hit hard enough. So, can the product be used to make toys that are unbreakable? Nothing...nothing...is totally kid proof. What do you think? Posted at 1:13 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jan31	7 Million Baby Boomers - $400-500 million in payouts - Ready to Retire Bill Belew January 31, 2007 There are 7 million baby boomers in Japan with 45-60 trillion yen in retirement payouts about to leave the workforce.Everybody wants a piece of that action.One city in Japan is developing a Showa ('50s) Era-themed residential complex - old fashioned... Continue Reading Posted at 12:15 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	12 Reasons why Toyota Dealerships' $3 Billion Bet is Enough for the Tundra to Succeed Bill Belew January 31, 2007 Toyota is already poised to become the number one seller of passenger cars. Now, the company is going after GM and Ford's pickup truck leadership...with the Tundra.Toyota will succeed.Here are five reasons:1. Toyota has been planning their Tundra marketing/sales for... Continue Reading Posted at 11:12 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jan30	Japanese Domestic Films Outearn Foreign Films For the First Time in 20 Years Bill Belew January 30, 2007 Japanese have spent more on tickets to watch foreign films than on tickets to their own domestically made flicks for the past 21 years.Last year, however, Japanese enjoyed their home-grown movies more.Japan's top film was "Tales from Earthsea" directed by... Continue Reading Posted at 4:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Japan Ranks Itself as the 12th Most Competitive Nation Bill Belew January 30, 2007 The Japan Center for Economic Research has developed a method of ranking potential competitiveness...that is future competitiveness.There were eight criteria that were evaluated:1. internationalization2. enterprise3. education4. finance5. government6. science and technology7. infrastructure8. Information technologyAn explanation of the indicators can be... Continue Reading Posted at 3:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	New Wave of Japanese Supercars Arrive Bill Belew January 30, 2007 European carmakers, Porsche and Ferrari, know also that Japanese do cars better...even supercars. One writer thinks that Porsche nor Ferrari can touch the gizometry - supercar made out of geek's computer game - of the Nissan Skyline GT-R. The European... Continue Reading Posted at 1:59 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Japanese Women Use Trains to Get Dressed Bill Belew January 30, 2007 Japanese trains are so crowded that during the morning rush hour, platform workers are hired to push people in to the carriages.I can remember not getting both feet down in time and standing on one foot between train stops -... Continue Reading Posted at 12:29 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jan29	Sumitomo to Help Toshiba Carry Westinghouse Bill Belew January 29, 2007 Sumitomo Corp. and Toshiba Corp. are talking about how the two companies can share the Westinghouse load.Toshiba shelled out $5.4 billion to take a 77% stake in Westinghouse Electric Co., nuclear power plant manufacturer.U.S. engineering firm Shaw Group owns 20%... Continue Reading Posted at 6:33 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	GM Doesn't Get It Bill Belew January 29, 2007 General Motors Corp has the world's best carmaker breathing down its neck.So....the company decides to steering wheels on the right side of its cars and fight back.Good for GM, right?Wrong.GM is putting more steering wheels on the right side of... Continue Reading Posted at 5:31 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	PC Fans Camp Out for Windows Vista Debut Bill Belew January 29, 2007 That nerdy looking fellow in the MAC ads that's all PC...Apple should make him Japanese. Are you listening Apple?!Japanese PC fans turned out early, to line up to buy Microsoft Corp's later OS - Windows Vista.Because of time zone differences... Continue Reading Posted at 4:28 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Bridgestone Tire Races Off with Formula One Checkered Flag Bill Belew January 29, 2007 Not only does Japan make the best cars, its tires are number one as well.Bridgestone Tire will be the sole supplier to: 1. Formula One Racingand 2. IndyCar SeriesHenry and Harvey are surely rolling over in their graves.Frances' Michelin Tires... Continue Reading Posted at 3:06 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Oldest Living Person - 114 years old Bill Belew January 29, 2007 Emma Faust Tillman, 114 died, yesterday, having been the world's oldest person for about a week.In Japan, they had a party to celebrate the death. Minagawa Yone, born January 4th, 1893, took over as the reigning oldest person in the... Continue Reading Posted at 10:43 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jan28	NEC Corp. becomes more ECO-friendly Bill Belew January 28, 2007 With the swoop of a calligraphy brush, NEC Corp. has suddenly become much more eco-friendly.The company has decided to add more of its EcoSymbol label to more of its products.Information systems with the EcoSymbol mark, supposedly help companies reduce CO2... Continue Reading Posted at 4:30 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Making a Killing on Death Bill Belew January 28, 2007 Japan's funeral industry is said to be worth some $10 billion and growing as Japan ages.I remember when my Japanese father-in-law died. I was out teaching when I got the news. Around 10pm I made my way to the morgue... Continue Reading Posted at 3:20 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Birth-Giving Machines Bill Belew January 28, 2007 This analogy is sure to make Japanese women want to jump into bed.Japan's 71-year old Health Minister compared Japanese women to "birth-giving machines."Addressing Japan's declining birth rate the minister said "The number of women aged between 15 and 50 is... Continue Reading Posted at 12:30 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jan27	Wal-Mart Seeks Buyouts, Hostile Takeovers in Japan Bill Belew January 27, 2007 Japan recently passed a law to allow for triangle mergers - foreign companies can use local subsidiaries to acquire Japanese firms through stock swaps.Wal-Mart owns 54% of supermarket operator Seiyu Ltd. with the rights to expand its stake to 66%... Continue Reading Posted at 4:30 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Hitachi Pays $4 million for rights to Hawaiian MonkeyPod Tree Bill Belew January 27, 2007 Hitachi Ltd. has agreed to pay $400,000 a year to feature Moanalua Garden's giant monkeypod tree in ads and corporate literature for the next ten years.The tree is 50 feet (15 meters) tall and looks like a giant umbrella.The tree... Continue Reading Posted at 3:30 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	6 Reasons to build two of the Largest Warehouses in Shanghai Bill Belew January 27, 2007 Kintetsu World Express Inc. will build two warehouses in Shanghai with a combined area of 85,000 sq meters making the company one of the largest foreign-owned logistics bases in China.The company already has about 100 bases in China. The new... Continue Reading Posted at 2:30 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Honda Passes Nissan in Japan Bill Belew January 27, 2007 Honda Motor Co. zoom, zoom, zoom zoomed by Nissan in '06 to become Japan's number two automaker.Honda sold 1.33 million cars in Japan, up 5.6% and 2.3 million cars overseas, up 7.1%.Nissan sold 1.23 million cars in Japan, down 14.9%... Continue Reading Posted at 1:22 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Japanese Urban Legends Bill Belew January 27, 2007 I came across this short list of Japanese urban legends. The last one is particularly weird....1. There is a town that has been brainwashed by a kappa (a kind of turtle like critter that bites but never lets go.)2. A... Continue Reading Posted at 12:48 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jan26	Sumo Match-fixing Accusations Fly Against Japan's Top Wrestler Bill Belew January 26, 2007 Japan's current number one wrestler is from Mongolia...Yokozuna Asahoryu.An unnamed wrestler and another man are accusing him of paying $6,500 a match to wrestlers to let him win.Sumo's bosses will discuss the accusations next week with the Yokozuna (grand champion)... Continue Reading Posted at 3:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	$3,300 to have dinner with Michael Jackson in Japan Bill Belew January 26, 2007 Michael Jackson calls Japan one of his "favorite places in the entire world."After the singer was acquitted of allegations of child molestation, he forsook his Neverland Ranch and headed into self-imposed exile in Bahrain, France and a castle in Ireland.Jackson... Continue Reading Posted at 2:30 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Toyota Poised to Overtake Honda in China Bill Belew January 26, 2007 Toyota Motor Corp. plans to hum right by Honda Motor Co. in 2007 to become China's top Japanese carmaker.Honda is predicting 410,000 units to be sold this year...Toyota is predicting 450,000.Toyota is being aggressive - launching new models as well... Continue Reading Posted at 2:04 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	485 Rats Captured in Chocolate Factory Bill Belew January 26, 2007 Fujiya Co., maker of sweets, cream puffs and other products is in serious trouble and the prospects are getting worse.The company is under investigation for selling products made with expired dairy products. As of yesterday, 485 rats were caught roaming... Continue Reading Posted at 11:09 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jan25	Mega Mac Huge Hit In Japan Bill Belew January 25, 2007 Who'd a figured? If the world can fall in love with a sponge that lives in a pineapple then why wouldn't the Japanese love the Mega Mac.?In the first two weeks since going on sale in Japan, the 350 yen,... Continue Reading Posted at 12:30 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Tokyo Stock Exchange and New York Stock Exchange Plan International Marriage Bill Belew January 25, 2007 The Tokyo Stock Exchange and New York Stock Exchange are in the final stages of consummating their arranged marriage.January 31st is the date the two exchanges hope to make the announcement.The TSE still has not gone public...planning to do so... Continue Reading Posted at 12:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Sponge Bob Soaks Up Japanese Fans Bill Belew January 25, 2007 Japanese love cute.This fact makes their affinity to Sponge Bob a total contradiction.What is cute about Sponge Bob? It must be the 40 some years since I was a kid that makes me not make the connection. Maybe it is... Continue Reading Posted at 11:30 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	5 Reasons why Nintendo Beat '06 Profit Target 3 Months Ahead of Schedule Bill Belew January 25, 2007 Japan's fiscal year runs from April to March. Kyoto-based Nintendo had a goal in mind of how much money it wanted to make in net profits for the year.At the end of December, the company had already met its target... Continue Reading Posted at 10:50 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jan24	12 reasons why Latinos have hard time blending in in Japan Bill Belew January 24, 2007 Brazil has more native Japanese than any other country in the world other than Japan.Because there are so many Japanese in Brazil, Japanese law entitles them to come to Japan as guest workers.However, just because someone walks into a garage,... Continue Reading Posted at 7:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Top Five Flat TV Makers Bill Belew January 24, 2007 Japan's Business Computer News has announced the top five Flat TV makers in Japan.5. Hitachi Ltc. - 4.0%4. Toshiba - 6.5%3. Panasonic - 16.5%2. Sony Corp. 20.9%1. Sharp - 43.5%Sharp Corp. has more market share than numbers 2, 3 and... Continue Reading Posted at 6:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	March of the Penis Bill Belew January 24, 2007 I remember when I was participating in a one hundred mile in Yamaguchi prefecture, way back when I was about half the size I am now.During the lead up to, or perhaps after the run...not only am I older and... Continue Reading Posted at 5:08 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Japan's "Blockbuster" Launches Manga Rental Bill Belew January 24, 2007 Culture Convenience Club Co, operates Tsutaya CD and DVD rental stores.Tsutaya is Japan's version of Blockbuster or Hollywood Video Rental.The company has a nationwide network of 1,300 stores.Japan's new copyright law now applies to published material rental rights. As a... Continue Reading Posted at 12:30 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Yahoo Japan Rolling in Yen Bill Belew January 24, 2007 Yahoo Japan Corp., an affiliate of Softbank Corp., is making a killing. Profits were up 20% over last year - 15.17 billion yen in the third quarter of 2006 to 12.65 billion yen in 2005.Revenue, 40% from online ads, was... Continue Reading Posted at 12:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Mistsubishi Electric fined for Fixing Prices in Europe Bill Belew January 24, 2007 The European Union fined Mistsubishi Electric Corp. and nine other Japanese firms abt 120 billion yen for fixing prices on switch gears which are used by power utilities.Mitsubishi colluded with European firms to distort price competition by agreeing to stay... Continue Reading Posted at 11:30 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	No-sex Rent-a-fling Service Grows in Popularity Bill Belew January 24, 2007 Japanese men work long hours, or IMHO, are at their work place hanging out for a long time, or with their male colleagues having a beer - doing some networking - late into the night at a local pub. Don't... Continue Reading Posted at 11:09 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jan23	Cell Phones Will Replace ID Cards Bill Belew January 23, 2007 Hitachi Ltd, NTT DoCoMo, KDDI R & D and NEC Corp. have developed a technology that will allow individuals to use cell phones for identification."The technology uses PKI (public key infrastructure) encryption to verify electronic certificates stored in cellular phones... Continue Reading Posted at 3:45 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Toyota plans ultra cheap $6000 car Bill Belew January 23, 2007 Toyota Motor Corp. says it is planning to build a low-cost car, cheaper than Renault's Logan which goes for $6,200.The car's market will be China, Russia and other emerging economies."Everything from design to production methods will be radically changed and... Continue Reading Posted at 3:15 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Sunglasses Create Movie Viewing Experience Bill Belew January 23, 2007 A Japanese company, Scalar Corp. has designed a pair of sunglasses that when worn can be used to watch movies as if they were 6 feet in front on a 45 inch screen.The Teleglass T4 sunglasses are connected to a... Continue Reading Posted at 2:45 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Japan and China Want Nuclear Power Cooperation Bill Belew January 23, 2007 This news ought to get all the anti-nuke activists underwear in a knot.Japan and China are trying to put together an action plan by the end of this year that would pave the way for full-fledged cooperation on nuclear power... Continue Reading Posted at 1:38 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jan22	Population Decline Temporarily Halted Bill Belew January 22, 2007 It seems more Japanese are spending time in the sack. Since 2005, Japan's population has been declining. Some predicted that by 2050, Japan's population could be down to 90 million from its current 127 million.The figures worried enough people that... Continue Reading Posted at 2:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Volvo wants in on Nissan, Dongfeng Joint Venture Bill Belew January 22, 2007 Swedish truck maker, AB Volvo, wants in on the joint venture of Nissan Motor Co. and Dongfeng Motor Group to make heavy and medium-duty commercial vehicles.Nissan announced a plan in September to sell its entire stake - 6% of outstanding... Continue Reading Posted at 1:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Japanese Cars Do Flex-fuel Bill Belew January 22, 2007 Flex-fuel cars can run on either ethanol, gasoline or a mixture of the two. A built-in sensor reads the proportion of ethanol (made from sugarcane and corn) to control combustion.Three Japanaese carmakers - Mitsubishi Motors Corp., Honda Motor Co., and... Continue Reading Posted at 12:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	American Pervert Gets Ad Placed in Japanese Newspaper Bill Belew January 22, 2007 He's English, he's a man, and he's in Osaka....and he almost always makes me laugh.His choices for topics also serve as good commentary on how things Japanese.The Englishman came across an ad placed by an American Pervert - businessman, who... Continue Reading Posted at 10:46 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jan21	TV Personality Wins Gubernatorial Election Bill Belew January 21, 2007 The governor of Miyazaki prefecture resigned after he was arrested for alleged involvement in a public works bid-rigging scheme.The ruling Liberal Democratic Party field two candidates, ex-bureaucrats as candidates, but both lost to the independent Sonomama Higashi. (Sonomama is -... Continue Reading Posted at 2:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Corporate Bankrupticies climb for third month in a row Bill Belew January 21, 2007 The number of corporate failures in Japan rose for the third month in a row totaling 896 cases in December up 18.2%.November flops were up 6.5% and the number of companies going belly up in October were up 7.8%.The amount... Continue Reading Posted at 1:30 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	How to lose weight ...Japanese style Bill Belew January 21, 2007 Japan is known for its healthy diet and equally good looking people...usually.A show produced by the Kansai Telecasting Corp. (KTV) claimed that people could lose weight if they ate 'natto' for breakfast and dinner daily for two weeks.Thousands of Japanese... Continue Reading Posted at 1:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Rubber found in bottle of Coca-cola soft drink - 134,000 bottles recalled Bill Belew January 21, 2007 Coca-Cola (Japan) Co. and others in its group said it will recall 134,000 bottles of soft drinks.The reason: a piece of rubber was found inside a two-liter bottle of Aquarius - a sports type drink.Two-liter plastic bottles of Aquarius and... Continue Reading Posted at 12:15 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jan20	6 Biggest Problems in Japanese marriages Bill Belew January 20, 2007 The Yomiuri Weekly surveyed 1000 married people, 200 age 20-40 and 800 people age 40-70.More than 50% of both men (67%) and women (52%) said they were satisfied with their marriages.The six biggest problem areas:1. Spouses Personality - 31.6% of... Continue Reading Posted at 3:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Two out of three report online security issues Bill Belew January 20, 2007 According to a survey by the Nomura Research Institute, 64% of Japanese say they experienced some problems while using the Internet in '06.The issues involved security or fraud.Almost half (49%) say they received unsolicited e-mails restricted under Japan's privacy law... Continue Reading Posted at 2:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Hokkaido Gas leaks kill three Bill Belew January 20, 2007 A fatal amount of carbon monoxide leaked into three Japanese homes, killed the three residents and left them undiscovered for three days.What's that about deaths coming in threes?The deaths were a wakeup call to Hokkaido Gas Co. who in turn... Continue Reading Posted at 1:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Japan, China agree to Naval Port Exchanges Bill Belew January 20, 2007 Japan's Maritime Self-defense Force and China's People's Liberation Navy have agreed to follow through on exchanging port visits.The desire to exchange port visits was first voiced in 2000. However, Japan's previous PM, Koizumi's visits the Yasukuni Shrine angered the Chinese... Continue Reading Posted at 11:53 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jan19	Hitachi Cuts Sensor Size-cost by 90% Bill Belew January 19, 2007 Japan stays competitive in business by doing things more and more efficiently.Hitachi's new development is a perfect example.Hitachi Ltd. has devised a way to produce various types of sensors at one-tenth of their standardized size AND cost.The technology is called... Continue Reading Posted at 1:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Japanese Waitresses Strip Down to Prevent Workplace Sexual Harassment Bill Belew January 19, 2007 One of the waitresses at a hot new restaurant in Tokyo says, ""We'd like salarymen who can't normally be dirty with the OLs in their office to come down and enjoy a meal with us."A salaryman is a Japanese businessman,... Continue Reading Posted at 12:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	China destroys weather satellite with ballistic missile - Japan up in arms Bill Belew January 19, 2007 The United States confirmed reports that China conducted a test last week using a ballistic missile to destroy an old Chinese weather satellite.Japan's response, "Regarding the use of a ballistic missile to destroy a satellite, the Japanese government is very... Continue Reading Posted at 11:20 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Toyota Recalling Half a Million Sequoias, Tundras in the U.S. Bill Belew January 19, 2007 Toyota is recalling more than a half million Sequoias and Tundra that were made in the U.S. between 2003-2006.The SUV and pickup trucks have suspension joint problems that COULD become inoperative when driven...due to parts wear.It will be Toyota's sixth... Continue Reading Posted at 9:59 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jan18	One in four people in Japan Smoke Bill Belew January 18, 2007 Nearly 30 million people in Japan smoke. That's amazing considering Japan has only 127 million people, including kids.Some 43% of men smoke and 13% of women huff and puff and then eventually die. What about the people sitting next to... Continue Reading Posted at 6:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Japanese Drug Dealer Gets Death Sentence in China Bill Belew January 18, 2007 A Japanese man and his two Chinese accomplices were sentenced to death for trying to smuggle drugs from China to Japan.A 63-year old Japanese person is and soon will be was the grandfather of the drug smuggling operation that has... Continue Reading Posted at 5:21 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Nissan wants to sell 50% more cars to China, 80 % more to Thailand Bill Belew January 18, 2007 Everybody wants to sell more of everything to China. Take your pick..stuffed animals, combs, pens...but all those things are already made in China.China has not caught up in car manufacturing yet...at least in quality car manufacturing.Nissan Motor Co. says it... Continue Reading Posted at 12:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	China agrees to import Japanese Rice Bill Belew January 18, 2007 Three years ago China accused Japan of sending rice to them with insects in it. (Not purposely, of course.)Consequently, China put a ban on rice imports...until yesterday.Japan's Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister and his Chinese counterpart pounded (made mochi?) out... Continue Reading Posted at 10:46 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jan17	Fujiya Gets Blasted by Government Bill Belew January 17, 2007 Fujiya is in hot water with the Japanese government now, also.Senior officials rebuked the company president for using out-of-date ingredients and for not providing appropriate data to local government inspectors.Let's see, if they knew they were using out-of-date ingredients, does... Continue Reading Posted at 5:10 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Liberal Democratic Party Publicizes Stupidity Bill Belew January 17, 2007 Japan's ruling party, the Liberal Democratic Party, of which Japan's current PM is a member announced at its annual convention that it would continue to visit a Tokyo war shrine - the Yasukuni Shrine despite knowing it will risk a... Continue Reading Posted at 4:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Japanese Drank 83 Bottles of Beer Per Person in 2006 Bill Belew January 17, 2007 Asahi Breweries has been Japan's best beer for the past 6 years...with a market share of 37.8%.Kirin Beer, however, is breathing down its neck with a share of 37.6%.The five top breweries in Japan shipped 497.5 million 20 bottle cases... Continue Reading Posted at 3:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Frustrated worker Drops 3 year old boy from 20 ft overpass Bill Belew January 17, 2007 When I get frustrated, I usually just yell at my computer screen. In a worst case scenario...well, that is the worst I do.But this guy...snatched a 3 year old boy away from the little boys 59-year old grandmother, ran up... Continue Reading Posted at 1:55 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jan16	Free Manga Magazine Launched Bill Belew January 16, 2007 Japan launched its first ever free Manga (comic) magazine.The comic book, "Comic Gumbo" will be the nation's first comic book funded entirely by advertising.Each week, 100,000 copies of a 230-page comic, with work by more than a dozen professional artists... Continue Reading Posted at 6:45 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	DoCoMo, KDDI offer Cellphones for TV watching Bill Belew January 16, 2007 KDDI and NTT DoCoMo are planning to make TV viewing a standard feature on their mobile phones, not that there is anything worth watching on Japanese TV.Presently, KDDI offers only three such handsets.One of KDDI's new mobile phones will use... Continue Reading Posted at 6:15 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	NTT offers pay-per-view online video streams Bill Belew January 16, 2007 NTT Communications Corp. launched a new pay-per-view service of live online video streams of soccer matches and some other events.NTT is the first to be able to offer live streaming service to more than one country at a time. The... Continue Reading Posted at 5:45 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Toyota Considers Tie-up With Ford Bill Belew January 16, 2007 Toyota Motor Corp. president, Watanabe Katsuaki, says the company is willing to consider a tie-up with Ford Motor Co.I can't imagine why. It won't be long before Toyota will gobble up Ford anyway.Still, the president says a center on technological... Continue Reading Posted at 5:12 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Sony's PS3 outpaces PS2 Bill Belew January 16, 2007 Despite not meeting production and distribution deadlines and being four months behind schedule in Europe, Sony Corp. said it took only two months for cumulative production and shipments of its new game console to read 2 million globally.As of January... Continue Reading Posted at 10:03 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Nissan and Dongfeng Establish Auto Finance Co. Bill Belew January 16, 2007 Nissan Motor Co. and Dongfeng Motor Group Co. have received official approval to form a auto finance company together in China.Dongfeng Nissan Auto Finance Co. will be based in Shanghai and start assisting people in becoming slaves to their cars... Continue Reading Posted at 9:00 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Japanese Domestic Violence Cases Soar in San Francisco Bill Belew January 16, 2007 Japanese domestic relationships are seen in a completely different light in my neighboring city, San Francisco.What goes on at home does not always stay at home.California's domestic laws are very very strict. If a third party reports a quarrel of... Continue Reading Posted at 8:01 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jan15	4 Reasons why Windows Vista will make no difference in Japan Bill Belew January 15, 2007 NEC Corp. and Toshiba Corp. have unveiled new Windows Vista-compatible machines.The machines will hit the market the same time Microsoft Corp. launches its very long awaited Vista operating system.Japanese consumers are not likely to be wowed by the new OS.Reasons:1.... Continue Reading Posted at 7:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Fujiya Candies getting hit harder and harder Bill Belew January 15, 2007 Two major retailers are pulling Fujiya sweets from their shelves. Convenience stores and supermarket firms are following suit.Fujiya has been using ingredients past their expiration dates for more several years....and instead of looking at a seven day suspension of selling... Continue Reading Posted at 6:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments

Jan31	New Plastic Deforms Like Rubber upon Impact Bill Belew January 31, 2007 Know More: Doing Business in Japan 2.0, Doing Business in Japan Toray Industries Inc. has developed a new kind of high-peformance plastic that behaves the same as rubber. When crashed or jolted, it absorbs shocks by deforming instead of cracking. The practical applications of the material - automobile bumpers, casings for electric products and such is hoped to be ready within three years. The new plastic is as strong as high-impact nylon, yet stays intact by deforming to absorb impacts when hit hard enough. So, can the product be used to make toys that are unbreakable? Nothing...nothing...is totally kid proof. What do you think? Posted at 1:13 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jan31	7 Million Baby Boomers - $400-500 million in payouts - Ready to Retire Bill Belew January 31, 2007 There are 7 million baby boomers in Japan with 45-60 trillion yen in retirement payouts about to leave the workforce.Everybody wants a piece of that action.One city in Japan is developing a Showa ('50s) Era-themed residential complex - old fashioned... Continue Reading Posted at 12:15 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	12 Reasons why Toyota Dealerships' $3 Billion Bet is Enough for the Tundra to Succeed Bill Belew January 31, 2007 Toyota is already poised to become the number one seller of passenger cars. Now, the company is going after GM and Ford's pickup truck leadership...with the Tundra.Toyota will succeed.Here are five reasons:1. Toyota has been planning their Tundra marketing/sales for... Continue Reading Posted at 11:12 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jan30	Japanese Domestic Films Outearn Foreign Films For the First Time in 20 Years Bill Belew January 30, 2007 Japanese have spent more on tickets to watch foreign films than on tickets to their own domestically made flicks for the past 21 years.Last year, however, Japanese enjoyed their home-grown movies more.Japan's top film was "Tales from Earthsea" directed by... Continue Reading Posted at 4:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Japan Ranks Itself as the 12th Most Competitive Nation Bill Belew January 30, 2007 The Japan Center for Economic Research has developed a method of ranking potential competitiveness...that is future competitiveness.There were eight criteria that were evaluated:1. internationalization2. enterprise3. education4. finance5. government6. science and technology7. infrastructure8. Information technologyAn explanation of the indicators can be... Continue Reading Posted at 3:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	New Wave of Japanese Supercars Arrive Bill Belew January 30, 2007 European carmakers, Porsche and Ferrari, know also that Japanese do cars better...even supercars. One writer thinks that Porsche nor Ferrari can touch the gizometry - supercar made out of geek's computer game - of the Nissan Skyline GT-R. The European... Continue Reading Posted at 1:59 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Japanese Women Use Trains to Get Dressed Bill Belew January 30, 2007 Japanese trains are so crowded that during the morning rush hour, platform workers are hired to push people in to the carriages.I can remember not getting both feet down in time and standing on one foot between train stops -... Continue Reading Posted at 12:29 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jan29	Sumitomo to Help Toshiba Carry Westinghouse Bill Belew January 29, 2007 Sumitomo Corp. and Toshiba Corp. are talking about how the two companies can share the Westinghouse load.Toshiba shelled out $5.4 billion to take a 77% stake in Westinghouse Electric Co., nuclear power plant manufacturer.U.S. engineering firm Shaw Group owns 20%... Continue Reading Posted at 6:33 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	GM Doesn't Get It Bill Belew January 29, 2007 General Motors Corp has the world's best carmaker breathing down its neck.So....the company decides to steering wheels on the right side of its cars and fight back.Good for GM, right?Wrong.GM is putting more steering wheels on the right side of... Continue Reading Posted at 5:31 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	PC Fans Camp Out for Windows Vista Debut Bill Belew January 29, 2007 That nerdy looking fellow in the MAC ads that's all PC...Apple should make him Japanese. Are you listening Apple?!Japanese PC fans turned out early, to line up to buy Microsoft Corp's later OS - Windows Vista.Because of time zone differences... Continue Reading Posted at 4:28 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Bridgestone Tire Races Off with Formula One Checkered Flag Bill Belew January 29, 2007 Not only does Japan make the best cars, its tires are number one as well.Bridgestone Tire will be the sole supplier to: 1. Formula One Racingand 2. IndyCar SeriesHenry and Harvey are surely rolling over in their graves.Frances' Michelin Tires... Continue Reading Posted at 3:06 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Oldest Living Person - 114 years old Bill Belew January 29, 2007 Emma Faust Tillman, 114 died, yesterday, having been the world's oldest person for about a week.In Japan, they had a party to celebrate the death. Minagawa Yone, born January 4th, 1893, took over as the reigning oldest person in the... Continue Reading Posted at 10:43 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jan28	NEC Corp. becomes more ECO-friendly Bill Belew January 28, 2007 With the swoop of a calligraphy brush, NEC Corp. has suddenly become much more eco-friendly.The company has decided to add more of its EcoSymbol label to more of its products.Information systems with the EcoSymbol mark, supposedly help companies reduce CO2... Continue Reading Posted at 4:30 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Making a Killing on Death Bill Belew January 28, 2007 Japan's funeral industry is said to be worth some $10 billion and growing as Japan ages.I remember when my Japanese father-in-law died. I was out teaching when I got the news. Around 10pm I made my way to the morgue... Continue Reading Posted at 3:20 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Birth-Giving Machines Bill Belew January 28, 2007 This analogy is sure to make Japanese women want to jump into bed.Japan's 71-year old Health Minister compared Japanese women to "birth-giving machines."Addressing Japan's declining birth rate the minister said "The number of women aged between 15 and 50 is... Continue Reading Posted at 12:30 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jan27	Wal-Mart Seeks Buyouts, Hostile Takeovers in Japan Bill Belew January 27, 2007 Japan recently passed a law to allow for triangle mergers - foreign companies can use local subsidiaries to acquire Japanese firms through stock swaps.Wal-Mart owns 54% of supermarket operator Seiyu Ltd. with the rights to expand its stake to 66%... Continue Reading Posted at 4:30 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Hitachi Pays $4 million for rights to Hawaiian MonkeyPod Tree Bill Belew January 27, 2007 Hitachi Ltd. has agreed to pay $400,000 a year to feature Moanalua Garden's giant monkeypod tree in ads and corporate literature for the next ten years.The tree is 50 feet (15 meters) tall and looks like a giant umbrella.The tree... Continue Reading Posted at 3:30 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	6 Reasons to build two of the Largest Warehouses in Shanghai Bill Belew January 27, 2007 Kintetsu World Express Inc. will build two warehouses in Shanghai with a combined area of 85,000 sq meters making the company one of the largest foreign-owned logistics bases in China.The company already has about 100 bases in China. The new... Continue Reading Posted at 2:30 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Honda Passes Nissan in Japan Bill Belew January 27, 2007 Honda Motor Co. zoom, zoom, zoom zoomed by Nissan in '06 to become Japan's number two automaker.Honda sold 1.33 million cars in Japan, up 5.6% and 2.3 million cars overseas, up 7.1%.Nissan sold 1.23 million cars in Japan, down 14.9%... Continue Reading Posted at 1:22 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Japanese Urban Legends Bill Belew January 27, 2007 I came across this short list of Japanese urban legends. The last one is particularly weird....1. There is a town that has been brainwashed by a kappa (a kind of turtle like critter that bites but never lets go.)2. A... Continue Reading Posted at 12:48 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jan26	Sumo Match-fixing Accusations Fly Against Japan's Top Wrestler Bill Belew January 26, 2007 Japan's current number one wrestler is from Mongolia...Yokozuna Asahoryu.An unnamed wrestler and another man are accusing him of paying $6,500 a match to wrestlers to let him win.Sumo's bosses will discuss the accusations next week with the Yokozuna (grand champion)... Continue Reading Posted at 3:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	$3,300 to have dinner with Michael Jackson in Japan Bill Belew January 26, 2007 Michael Jackson calls Japan one of his "favorite places in the entire world."After the singer was acquitted of allegations of child molestation, he forsook his Neverland Ranch and headed into self-imposed exile in Bahrain, France and a castle in Ireland.Jackson... Continue Reading Posted at 2:30 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Toyota Poised to Overtake Honda in China Bill Belew January 26, 2007 Toyota Motor Corp. plans to hum right by Honda Motor Co. in 2007 to become China's top Japanese carmaker.Honda is predicting 410,000 units to be sold this year...Toyota is predicting 450,000.Toyota is being aggressive - launching new models as well... Continue Reading Posted at 2:04 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	485 Rats Captured in Chocolate Factory Bill Belew January 26, 2007 Fujiya Co., maker of sweets, cream puffs and other products is in serious trouble and the prospects are getting worse.The company is under investigation for selling products made with expired dairy products. As of yesterday, 485 rats were caught roaming... Continue Reading Posted at 11:09 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jan25	Mega Mac Huge Hit In Japan Bill Belew January 25, 2007 Who'd a figured? If the world can fall in love with a sponge that lives in a pineapple then why wouldn't the Japanese love the Mega Mac.?In the first two weeks since going on sale in Japan, the 350 yen,... Continue Reading Posted at 12:30 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Tokyo Stock Exchange and New York Stock Exchange Plan International Marriage Bill Belew January 25, 2007 The Tokyo Stock Exchange and New York Stock Exchange are in the final stages of consummating their arranged marriage.January 31st is the date the two exchanges hope to make the announcement.The TSE still has not gone public...planning to do so... Continue Reading Posted at 12:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Sponge Bob Soaks Up Japanese Fans Bill Belew January 25, 2007 Japanese love cute.This fact makes their affinity to Sponge Bob a total contradiction.What is cute about Sponge Bob? It must be the 40 some years since I was a kid that makes me not make the connection. Maybe it is... Continue Reading Posted at 11:30 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	5 Reasons why Nintendo Beat '06 Profit Target 3 Months Ahead of Schedule Bill Belew January 25, 2007 Japan's fiscal year runs from April to March. Kyoto-based Nintendo had a goal in mind of how much money it wanted to make in net profits for the year.At the end of December, the company had already met its target... Continue Reading Posted at 10:50 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jan24	12 reasons why Latinos have hard time blending in in Japan Bill Belew January 24, 2007 Brazil has more native Japanese than any other country in the world other than Japan.Because there are so many Japanese in Brazil, Japanese law entitles them to come to Japan as guest workers.However, just because someone walks into a garage,... Continue Reading Posted at 7:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Top Five Flat TV Makers Bill Belew January 24, 2007 Japan's Business Computer News has announced the top five Flat TV makers in Japan.5. Hitachi Ltc. - 4.0%4. Toshiba - 6.5%3. Panasonic - 16.5%2. Sony Corp. 20.9%1. Sharp - 43.5%Sharp Corp. has more market share than numbers 2, 3 and... Continue Reading Posted at 6:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	March of the Penis Bill Belew January 24, 2007 I remember when I was participating in a one hundred mile in Yamaguchi prefecture, way back when I was about half the size I am now.During the lead up to, or perhaps after the run...not only am I older and... Continue Reading Posted at 5:08 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Japan's "Blockbuster" Launches Manga Rental Bill Belew January 24, 2007 Culture Convenience Club Co, operates Tsutaya CD and DVD rental stores.Tsutaya is Japan's version of Blockbuster or Hollywood Video Rental.The company has a nationwide network of 1,300 stores.Japan's new copyright law now applies to published material rental rights. As a... Continue Reading Posted at 12:30 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Yahoo Japan Rolling in Yen Bill Belew January 24, 2007 Yahoo Japan Corp., an affiliate of Softbank Corp., is making a killing. Profits were up 20% over last year - 15.17 billion yen in the third quarter of 2006 to 12.65 billion yen in 2005.Revenue, 40% from online ads, was... Continue Reading Posted at 12:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Mistsubishi Electric fined for Fixing Prices in Europe Bill Belew January 24, 2007 The European Union fined Mistsubishi Electric Corp. and nine other Japanese firms abt 120 billion yen for fixing prices on switch gears which are used by power utilities.Mitsubishi colluded with European firms to distort price competition by agreeing to stay... Continue Reading Posted at 11:30 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	No-sex Rent-a-fling Service Grows in Popularity Bill Belew January 24, 2007 Japanese men work long hours, or IMHO, are at their work place hanging out for a long time, or with their male colleagues having a beer - doing some networking - late into the night at a local pub. Don't... Continue Reading Posted at 11:09 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jan23	Cell Phones Will Replace ID Cards Bill Belew January 23, 2007 Hitachi Ltd, NTT DoCoMo, KDDI R & D and NEC Corp. have developed a technology that will allow individuals to use cell phones for identification."The technology uses PKI (public key infrastructure) encryption to verify electronic certificates stored in cellular phones... Continue Reading Posted at 3:45 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Toyota plans ultra cheap $6000 car Bill Belew January 23, 2007 Toyota Motor Corp. says it is planning to build a low-cost car, cheaper than Renault's Logan which goes for $6,200.The car's market will be China, Russia and other emerging economies."Everything from design to production methods will be radically changed and... Continue Reading Posted at 3:15 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Sunglasses Create Movie Viewing Experience Bill Belew January 23, 2007 A Japanese company, Scalar Corp. has designed a pair of sunglasses that when worn can be used to watch movies as if they were 6 feet in front on a 45 inch screen.The Teleglass T4 sunglasses are connected to a... Continue Reading Posted at 2:45 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Japan and China Want Nuclear Power Cooperation Bill Belew January 23, 2007 This news ought to get all the anti-nuke activists underwear in a knot.Japan and China are trying to put together an action plan by the end of this year that would pave the way for full-fledged cooperation on nuclear power... Continue Reading Posted at 1:38 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jan22	Population Decline Temporarily Halted Bill Belew January 22, 2007 It seems more Japanese are spending time in the sack. Since 2005, Japan's population has been declining. Some predicted that by 2050, Japan's population could be down to 90 million from its current 127 million.The figures worried enough people that... Continue Reading Posted at 2:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Volvo wants in on Nissan, Dongfeng Joint Venture Bill Belew January 22, 2007 Swedish truck maker, AB Volvo, wants in on the joint venture of Nissan Motor Co. and Dongfeng Motor Group to make heavy and medium-duty commercial vehicles.Nissan announced a plan in September to sell its entire stake - 6% of outstanding... Continue Reading Posted at 1:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Japanese Cars Do Flex-fuel Bill Belew January 22, 2007 Flex-fuel cars can run on either ethanol, gasoline or a mixture of the two. A built-in sensor reads the proportion of ethanol (made from sugarcane and corn) to control combustion.Three Japanaese carmakers - Mitsubishi Motors Corp., Honda Motor Co., and... Continue Reading Posted at 12:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	American Pervert Gets Ad Placed in Japanese Newspaper Bill Belew January 22, 2007 He's English, he's a man, and he's in Osaka....and he almost always makes me laugh.His choices for topics also serve as good commentary on how things Japanese.The Englishman came across an ad placed by an American Pervert - businessman, who... Continue Reading Posted at 10:46 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jan21	TV Personality Wins Gubernatorial Election Bill Belew January 21, 2007 The governor of Miyazaki prefecture resigned after he was arrested for alleged involvement in a public works bid-rigging scheme.The ruling Liberal Democratic Party field two candidates, ex-bureaucrats as candidates, but both lost to the independent Sonomama Higashi. (Sonomama is -... Continue Reading Posted at 2:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Corporate Bankrupticies climb for third month in a row Bill Belew January 21, 2007 The number of corporate failures in Japan rose for the third month in a row totaling 896 cases in December up 18.2%.November flops were up 6.5% and the number of companies going belly up in October were up 7.8%.The amount... Continue Reading Posted at 1:30 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	How to lose weight ...Japanese style Bill Belew January 21, 2007 Japan is known for its healthy diet and equally good looking people...usually.A show produced by the Kansai Telecasting Corp. (KTV) claimed that people could lose weight if they ate 'natto' for breakfast and dinner daily for two weeks.Thousands of Japanese... Continue Reading Posted at 1:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Rubber found in bottle of Coca-cola soft drink - 134,000 bottles recalled Bill Belew January 21, 2007 Coca-Cola (Japan) Co. and others in its group said it will recall 134,000 bottles of soft drinks.The reason: a piece of rubber was found inside a two-liter bottle of Aquarius - a sports type drink.Two-liter plastic bottles of Aquarius and... Continue Reading Posted at 12:15 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jan20	6 Biggest Problems in Japanese marriages Bill Belew January 20, 2007 The Yomiuri Weekly surveyed 1000 married people, 200 age 20-40 and 800 people age 40-70.More than 50% of both men (67%) and women (52%) said they were satisfied with their marriages.The six biggest problem areas:1. Spouses Personality - 31.6% of... Continue Reading Posted at 3:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Two out of three report online security issues Bill Belew January 20, 2007 According to a survey by the Nomura Research Institute, 64% of Japanese say they experienced some problems while using the Internet in '06.The issues involved security or fraud.Almost half (49%) say they received unsolicited e-mails restricted under Japan's privacy law... Continue Reading Posted at 2:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Hokkaido Gas leaks kill three Bill Belew January 20, 2007 A fatal amount of carbon monoxide leaked into three Japanese homes, killed the three residents and left them undiscovered for three days.What's that about deaths coming in threes?The deaths were a wakeup call to Hokkaido Gas Co. who in turn... Continue Reading Posted at 1:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Japan, China agree to Naval Port Exchanges Bill Belew January 20, 2007 Japan's Maritime Self-defense Force and China's People's Liberation Navy have agreed to follow through on exchanging port visits.The desire to exchange port visits was first voiced in 2000. However, Japan's previous PM, Koizumi's visits the Yasukuni Shrine angered the Chinese... Continue Reading Posted at 11:53 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jan19	Hitachi Cuts Sensor Size-cost by 90% Bill Belew January 19, 2007 Japan stays competitive in business by doing things more and more efficiently.Hitachi's new development is a perfect example.Hitachi Ltd. has devised a way to produce various types of sensors at one-tenth of their standardized size AND cost.The technology is called... Continue Reading Posted at 1:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Japanese Waitresses Strip Down to Prevent Workplace Sexual Harassment Bill Belew January 19, 2007 One of the waitresses at a hot new restaurant in Tokyo says, ""We'd like salarymen who can't normally be dirty with the OLs in their office to come down and enjoy a meal with us."A salaryman is a Japanese businessman,... Continue Reading Posted at 12:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	China destroys weather satellite with ballistic missile - Japan up in arms Bill Belew January 19, 2007 The United States confirmed reports that China conducted a test last week using a ballistic missile to destroy an old Chinese weather satellite.Japan's response, "Regarding the use of a ballistic missile to destroy a satellite, the Japanese government is very... Continue Reading Posted at 11:20 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Toyota Recalling Half a Million Sequoias, Tundras in the U.S. Bill Belew January 19, 2007 Toyota is recalling more than a half million Sequoias and Tundra that were made in the U.S. between 2003-2006.The SUV and pickup trucks have suspension joint problems that COULD become inoperative when driven...due to parts wear.It will be Toyota's sixth... Continue Reading Posted at 9:59 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jan18	One in four people in Japan Smoke Bill Belew January 18, 2007 Nearly 30 million people in Japan smoke. That's amazing considering Japan has only 127 million people, including kids.Some 43% of men smoke and 13% of women huff and puff and then eventually die. What about the people sitting next to... Continue Reading Posted at 6:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Japanese Drug Dealer Gets Death Sentence in China Bill Belew January 18, 2007 A Japanese man and his two Chinese accomplices were sentenced to death for trying to smuggle drugs from China to Japan.A 63-year old Japanese person is and soon will be was the grandfather of the drug smuggling operation that has... Continue Reading Posted at 5:21 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Nissan wants to sell 50% more cars to China, 80 % more to Thailand Bill Belew January 18, 2007 Everybody wants to sell more of everything to China. Take your pick..stuffed animals, combs, pens...but all those things are already made in China.China has not caught up in car manufacturing yet...at least in quality car manufacturing.Nissan Motor Co. says it... Continue Reading Posted at 12:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	China agrees to import Japanese Rice Bill Belew January 18, 2007 Three years ago China accused Japan of sending rice to them with insects in it. (Not purposely, of course.)Consequently, China put a ban on rice imports...until yesterday.Japan's Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister and his Chinese counterpart pounded (made mochi?) out... Continue Reading Posted at 10:46 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jan17	Fujiya Gets Blasted by Government Bill Belew January 17, 2007 Fujiya is in hot water with the Japanese government now, also.Senior officials rebuked the company president for using out-of-date ingredients and for not providing appropriate data to local government inspectors.Let's see, if they knew they were using out-of-date ingredients, does... Continue Reading Posted at 5:10 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Liberal Democratic Party Publicizes Stupidity Bill Belew January 17, 2007 Japan's ruling party, the Liberal Democratic Party, of which Japan's current PM is a member announced at its annual convention that it would continue to visit a Tokyo war shrine - the Yasukuni Shrine despite knowing it will risk a... Continue Reading Posted at 4:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Japanese Drank 83 Bottles of Beer Per Person in 2006 Bill Belew January 17, 2007 Asahi Breweries has been Japan's best beer for the past 6 years...with a market share of 37.8%.Kirin Beer, however, is breathing down its neck with a share of 37.6%.The five top breweries in Japan shipped 497.5 million 20 bottle cases... Continue Reading Posted at 3:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Frustrated worker Drops 3 year old boy from 20 ft overpass Bill Belew January 17, 2007 When I get frustrated, I usually just yell at my computer screen. In a worst case scenario...well, that is the worst I do.But this guy...snatched a 3 year old boy away from the little boys 59-year old grandmother, ran up... Continue Reading Posted at 1:55 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jan16	Free Manga Magazine Launched Bill Belew January 16, 2007 Japan launched its first ever free Manga (comic) magazine.The comic book, "Comic Gumbo" will be the nation's first comic book funded entirely by advertising.Each week, 100,000 copies of a 230-page comic, with work by more than a dozen professional artists... Continue Reading Posted at 6:45 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	DoCoMo, KDDI offer Cellphones for TV watching Bill Belew January 16, 2007 KDDI and NTT DoCoMo are planning to make TV viewing a standard feature on their mobile phones, not that there is anything worth watching on Japanese TV.Presently, KDDI offers only three such handsets.One of KDDI's new mobile phones will use... Continue Reading Posted at 6:15 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	NTT offers pay-per-view online video streams Bill Belew January 16, 2007 NTT Communications Corp. launched a new pay-per-view service of live online video streams of soccer matches and some other events.NTT is the first to be able to offer live streaming service to more than one country at a time. The... Continue Reading Posted at 5:45 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Toyota Considers Tie-up With Ford Bill Belew January 16, 2007 Toyota Motor Corp. president, Watanabe Katsuaki, says the company is willing to consider a tie-up with Ford Motor Co.I can't imagine why. It won't be long before Toyota will gobble up Ford anyway.Still, the president says a center on technological... Continue Reading Posted at 5:12 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Sony's PS3 outpaces PS2 Bill Belew January 16, 2007 Despite not meeting production and distribution deadlines and being four months behind schedule in Europe, Sony Corp. said it took only two months for cumulative production and shipments of its new game console to read 2 million globally.As of January... Continue Reading Posted at 10:03 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Nissan and Dongfeng Establish Auto Finance Co. Bill Belew January 16, 2007 Nissan Motor Co. and Dongfeng Motor Group Co. have received official approval to form a auto finance company together in China.Dongfeng Nissan Auto Finance Co. will be based in Shanghai and start assisting people in becoming slaves to their cars... Continue Reading Posted at 9:00 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Japanese Domestic Violence Cases Soar in San Francisco Bill Belew January 16, 2007 Japanese domestic relationships are seen in a completely different light in my neighboring city, San Francisco.What goes on at home does not always stay at home.California's domestic laws are very very strict. If a third party reports a quarrel of... Continue Reading Posted at 8:01 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jan15	4 Reasons why Windows Vista will make no difference in Japan Bill Belew January 15, 2007 NEC Corp. and Toshiba Corp. have unveiled new Windows Vista-compatible machines.The machines will hit the market the same time Microsoft Corp. launches its very long awaited Vista operating system.Japanese consumers are not likely to be wowed by the new OS.Reasons:1.... Continue Reading Posted at 7:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Fujiya Candies getting hit harder and harder Bill Belew January 15, 2007 Two major retailers are pulling Fujiya sweets from their shelves. Convenience stores and supermarket firms are following suit.Fujiya has been using ingredients past their expiration dates for more several years....and instead of looking at a seven day suspension of selling... Continue Reading Posted at 6:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments

Covering the economic and industrial might of Japan