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New York Times
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Jun 26, 08 7:50 AM CDT
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Japan’s automakers, traditionally focused on North America and near-home markets, are expanding aggressively into new territories as opportunities shift to Africa, India, and the former Soviet Union, reports the New York Times. One analyst said 76% of the global growth of the Big Three—Toyota, Honda, and Nissan—in the next 6 years will come from expanding markets that “used to be an afterthought.”
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Gourmet
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Jun 26, 08 7:16 AM CDT
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Japan loves its fish: The island nation consumes an average of 147 pounds per person a year, compared to America’s 17. So, Samuel Fromartz wonders in Gourmet , how can Japanese fisheries continue to support supermarket fish counters as large as an entire US meat section? The answer, slowly gaining ground, is sustainable fishing, and retailers’ desire to have an eco-friendly stamp.
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Associated Press
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Jun 17, 08 8:50 AM CDT
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Threats of copycat violence posted on Japanese websites have led to four arrests in the wake of seven fatal stabbings in Tokyo this month by a crazed attacker, AP reports. “I'm going to do it, too. I’m going to kill 100 people,” wrote one man. Last week's killings, in which a man drove a truck into a crowd before stabbing bystanders, followed warnings he had posted on the Internet.
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Associated Press
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Jun 14, 08 7:21 AM CDT
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A 7.2-magnitude earthquake jolted northern Japan today, killing at least 6 people and injuring more than 140 others, the AP reports. Landslides trapped another 100 bathers at a hot springs resort, but no tsunami warning was issued. At a nuclear power plant, 5 gallons of radioactive water splashed from two pools storing spent fuel, but officials said there was no leakage outside the plant.
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New York Times
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Jun 13, 08 6:48 AM CDT
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Japan has launched an unprecedented national campaign to help its residents lose their love handles. The nation now requires local governments and corporations to annually measure the waistline of everyone age 40 to 74, the New York Times reports. Women over 35.4 inches and men over 33.5 inches—rather slender by US standards—will be educated on how to slim down, and local officials and business leaders face fines for missing targets.
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BBC
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Jun 11, 08 10:29 AM CDT
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Japan's prime minister suffered a humiliating blow today in a no-confidence motion passed by the upper house of the country's legislature—a post-war first, the BBC reports. Although the measure isn't politically binding, it's the latest step by the opposition to force Yasuo Fukuda to call new elections, a call Fukuda has repeatedly dismissed.
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Associated Press
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Jun 9, 08 9:04 AM CDT
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The young man accused of killing 7 people in a knife rampage in downtown Tokyo warned of the attacks in a series of messages to an Internet bulletin board, reports the AP. Tomohiro Kato, who rammed his truck into pedestrians before stabbing 17 of them, posted warnings from his cell phone, including one only 20 minutes before the attack that read simply, "It's time."
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Associated Press
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Jun 8, 08 7:36 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A Japanese man plowed his truck into Tokyo pedestrians before jumping out and stabbing them, killing at least 7 and wounding 10 more, the AP reports. Police nabbed a 25-year-old man in the attack, which occurred in the city’s leading electronics district, a hotspot for young people. The suspect announced he had come “to kill people,” said a police spokesman. “He said he was tired of life.”
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Wired
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Jun 6, 08 4:09 PM CDT
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The new iPhone will be in Japan at the end of the year, but it may not be souped up enough for consumers there, Wired reports. Japanese phones tend to have an endless array of cool features such as live TV and Wii-style games. Even though most people hardly ever use all those bells and whistles, that doesn't mean the simpler iPhone will be welcomed.
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Associated Press
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Jun 6, 08 10:05 AM CDT
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A rare black watermelon, one of 65 from Japan's first harvest of the year, sold for more than $6,000 at auction today, the AP reports. The Densuke melon has the distinction of being the most expensive of its kind in Japan, and probably the world, though the Guinness World Records organization points out that it does not keep track of watermelons.
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Daily Barometer
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Jun 5, 08 5:25 PM CDT
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Oregon State University will honor 42 Japanese-American students who were forced to leave school for a government internment camp in 1941, the Daily Barometer reports. OSU will give 22 honorary degrees to the surviving individuals and family members representing others at its commencement ceremony June 15.
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newyork-tokyo.com
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Jun 4, 08 8:35 PM CDT
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A Tokyo music store is turning itself into a Radiohead museum, notes newyork-tokyo.com blogger Taeko Saito—but fans have only another day to get there. The Tower Records outlet in Shibuya has rare records and footage on display, and even towels used to wipe the sweat off frontman Thom Yorke's brow. It's free, Saito says—and Radiohead's touring in case you can't make it.
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Space.com
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Jun 2, 08 5:10 PM CDT
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NASA's Discovery shuttle hooked up to the international space station today after a 2-day voyage, Space.com reports. Commander Mark Kelly docked at about 2 pm EDT and told the station crew, "We're really looking forward to seeing you guys." "You have no idea how much we're looking forward to seeing you, too," said US astronaut Garrett Reisman.
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