Random Japan

MYSTERY OF THE DEAD MUTT SOLVED
Vets examining the preserved innards of Hachiko, the loyal dog who died in 1935 and whose statue has become a popular meeting place in Shibuya, have determined that the dogged mutt died of cancer, not from swallowing a chicken skewer, as originally thought.

Two Japanese professors from the unfortunately acronymed National Institute of Polar Research (NIPR) were able to attach small cameras to Antarctic penguins near the South Pole and film their activities beneath the ice—a first in the animal kingdom. Our guess is the penguins swam around and caught the odd fish.

In Osaka, five two-legged robots took part in a marathon that saw them “run” 42km by circling an indoor track 423 times.

We’re not sure if CNN.com was going for a cheap laugh, but under the headline “Japan’s Suicide Rate for Job Seekers Jumps,” it was revealed that 424 people killed themselves in 2010 because they could not find a job, a 20 percent rise from the 2009 figure.

A new study by researchers from Japan and Germany showed that listening to music with earbuds “could cause damage to hearing that is hard to detect in standard auditory examinations at an early stage.”

Stats
35
Male nurses stationed in Japanese schools in 2010, up from 16 in 1999, according to the education ministry

90
Percent of traffic accidents involving junior high students in 2008 that happened while they were riding a bike

20
Percent of all traffic accidents in Japan in 2008 that involved a bicycle

35,000
2006-07 Honda Civic hybrids recalled due to electrical problems

TAKING A BULLET (TRAIN
Railway fans flocked to Tokyo station to witness the initial runs of the new E5 Series Hayabusa bullet train. The long-nosed green shinkansen can hit 300kph.

And just how popular was a seat on that train? Turns out someone bid ¥385,000 for a ticket to ride the rails on the Hayabusa’s debut run.

Even without the massive markup, “Gran Class” seats on the new train are not cheap—the face value of a ticket for a trip from Tokyo to Shin-Aomori? A cool ¥16,490.

Japan’s police agency revealed that investigators “took action” in 1,342 child pornography cases in 2010, up over 40 percent from the previous year.

Meanwhile, the number of reported kiddie-porn victims last year was 618, an increase of more than 50 percent from 2009.

When asked in an interview about all the non-Japanese-born players on Japan’s national rugby team, coach John Kirwan responded, “I had the same problem when I coached in Italy, but it was a bit easier to hide them.”

They Passed The Test

Despite The Governments Best Efforts

Violate Traffic Laws

You're Fired

Safe Cracked By Tsunami

Money Grows Legs Walks Off

Residents feel isolated in movement-restricted areas near nuke plant

FUKUSHIMA
While residents who live closest to the troubled nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture have evacuated, those who have remained in a movement-restricted area 20 to 30 kilometers away from the plant say they are feeling increasingly ‘‘isolated.’‘

Towns were abandoned by many people apparently scared by the government’s instruction to shelter indoors for fear of radiation exposure, local people said.

Residents said they were also troubled by a misperception prevalent among people outside the area that they live in ‘‘a contaminated area,’’ expressing discontent about what they see as slow actions for help by the central government.

'Drastic' ideas eyed for power crisis
Unpopular options before summer heat strikes include daylight-saving time, price hikes
By MASAMI ITO
Staff writer　
The government will come up with a drastic plan by April to deal with a major electricity shortage expected this summer from the loss of two nuclear power plants damaged by the quake and tsunami in Fukushima Prefecture.
Options being considered include the introduction of daylight-saving time, known locally as "summer time," and a hike in electricity charges, although nothing has been decided yet.