Tokyo's Oldest Man Died—30 Years Ago

Her son kept her there for nine years, he says

(NEWSER) - After discovering that Tokyo’s (supposedly) oldest man had been dead for 30 years and its oldest woman is missing , police began a search for other Japanese centenarians—and found one in her son’s backpack. The remains of the 104-year-old woman were stuffed in the pack for nine years, AFP reports . Her 64-year-old son, who couldn’t afford to bury her, “laid out her body for a while, washed it in the bath, then broke up the bones and put them into a backpack,” he says. More»

It jumps ahead of Tokyo in new rankings

(NEWSER) - A stronger Swiss franc has given residents of Zurich, Switzerland, a distinction they might rather do without: It's now the most expensive city in the world in which to live, according to an Economist survey. It knocked Tokyo out of the top spot:

1. Zurich
2. Tokyo
3. Geneva (tie)
4. Osaka (tie)
5. Oslo
6. Paris
7. Sydney
8. Melbourne
9. Singapore
10. Frankfurt

But no injuries, damage reported

(AP) - A 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck under the sea south of Japan today, shaking buildings in the capital but causing no apparent damage or tsunami. The quake struck near the uninhabited island of Torishima in the Pacific Ocean, about 370 miles south of Tokyo, and its epicenter was about 230 miles below the sea, the Meterological Agency said. Buildings in the Tokyo area shook, but no damage or injuries were reported, and no abnormalities were reported at power plants. More»

Tiny city would be a place for government to retreat in an emergency

(NEWSER) - The Japanese government wants to be prepared in case Tokyo gets hit with another natural disaster—so officials have devised a plan to build a miniature “backup” capital around an airport some 300 miles away. This little city would include all the buildings the parliament and ministry need to function—along with office buildings, resort facilities, parks, and casinos, Wired reports. It would also include a 2,140-foot skyscraper—which would currently be the second largest on earth. More»

Air traffic controller apparently just wanted to impress friends

(NEWSER) - An air traffic controller in Tokyo is in hot water after posting secret information on his blog, including the flight plan of Air Force One when President Obama visited last year. The controller apparently wasn't looking to cause trouble but to impress his friends with all the cool stuff he was privy to in his job at Haneda Airport. He also posted details on the flight plan of a US drone gathering data near the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant, according to Japanese media reports rounded up by AP . More»