Tokyo Daily

Chinese hooker club busted in Shibuya

TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police on Tuesday arrested the manager and three employees of a club in the Shibuya entertainment area for violating the Anti-Prostitution Law, reports the Sankei Shimbun (Jan. 27). Read the story »

Latest Features

Tokyo fest to feature five world premieres, offer support to Tohoku

TOKYO (TR) – The 24th Tokyo International Film Festival will be highlighted by five world premieres in competition and offer encouragement to the victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake, organizers announced on Wednesday.

TIFF chairman Tatsumi “Tom” Yoda said at a press conference at the Roppongi Hills complex in Tokyo’s Minato Ward that this year’s installment of the fest, which runs between October 22 and 30, will utilize the slogan “Believe! The power of films” in an effort to support the victims of the earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan’s Tohoku region. Read the story »

Osaka in 24 hours

OSAKA (TR) – As Japan’s third largest city, Osaka offers a mix of modernity and traditional touches: culturally important structures, culinary delights, interesting art — it’s all here. What follows is a guide to this city for a single day’s stay.

08:00: Osaka may be considered Japan’s second city in many ways but when it comes to urban sprawl it has just about as many flashing neon signs, packed trains, and towering skyscrapers as that found in Tokyo. For an idea of how things used to be, start your day by heading over to Osaka Castle, nearly an oasis of serenity in the center of this city of 2.6 million people. Around the grounds, paths wind beneath cherry trees, near the moats, and up to the imposing stone walls that surround the structure. Osaka Castle Museum includes displays that feature the history of castle, which was originally constructed by warlord Hideyoshi Toyotomi (1537-1598), elaborate samurai armor and helmets, and a top-floor observation deck. The area surrounding the compound also offers no shortage of vendors peddling grilled mochi (rice cakes) wrapped in nori (seaweed) and piping-hot red bean cakes. Read the story »

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TR News Blog

Chinese man who petrol-bombed Japan’s South Korean embassy formally charged, AFP says

TOKYO (TR) – A Chinese man who fire-bombed the Japanese embassy in Seoul, South Korea because his grandmother was forced into sexual slavery for the Japanese Imperial Army has been formally charged by prosecutors, Agence France-Presse said.

South Korean prosecutors charged the 38-year-old man, with the surname Liu, for attempted arson in the January 8, attack that damaged the outer wall of the embassy. Liu also claimed responsibility for an attack on Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine, which honors Japan’s war dead, including some accused of war crimes, AFP reported. Read the story »

North Korean defectors say 571 South Koreans abducted, Chosun Ilbo reports

TOKYO (TR) – North Korea has kidnapped 571 South Koreans since the end of the Korean War, the Chosun Ilbo newspaper reported, citing a document obtained by a North Korean defectors group.

The document, which appears to have been prepared by the North Korean Red Cross and dates from 2008, says 554 South Koreans were abducted from the South, while 17 were kidnapped abroad. According to the Chosun Ilbo, the document also details who out of the 17 abducted abroad are still alive or whether they can be accounted for. Read the story »

Japanese government hid a warning millions may need to flee Tokyo after nuclear disaster, AP Says

TOKYO (TR) – The Japanese government kept secret a worst-case scenario report by experts that warned there was the possibility the meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant may require the forced evacuation of tens of millions from Tokyo, the Associated Press said, citing documents it obtained.

Government officials kept the report secret out of fear it would cause widespread panic, according to the AP. The meltdown forced 80,000 people living near the Tokyo Electric Power Company plant to flee the area. Read the story »

Scientists predict 70 percent chance major quake to hit Tokyo in 4 years, AFP says

TOKYO (TR) – Researchers at the University of Tokyo say the increase in tremors in and around the nation’s capital since the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami means there is a 70 percent chance the city will suffer a magnitude seven earthquake within four years, according to Agence France-Presse.

An average of 1.48 earthquakes per day with magnitudes of three or higher have hit the Tokyo area since March 11, 2011, AFP reported, citing the Japan Meteorological Agency. That represents a fivefold increase, the news agency said. Read the story »

TSE decides not to delist Olympus, slaps $130,000 fine, AFP says

TOKYO (TR) – The Tokyo Stock Exchange has decided not to delist camera maker Olympus, but instead slapped it with a $130,000 (10 million yen) fine for falsifying its books and concealing losses that go back decades, Agence France-Presse said, citing the TSE.

The company’s shares will go on “alert” status from Saturday, AFP reported. The Olympus scandal first came to light in October after the Japanese company’s former British CEO said he was dismissed after he raised questions about suspicious deals, including the $687 million fee it paid in 2008 to an adviser in the $2 billion acquisition of U.K. medical equipment company Gyrus Group Plc. Read the story »

Yu Darvish, wife agree to divorce terms, Kyodo says

TOKYO (TR) – Yu Darvish, the Japanese pitcher who recently signed a six-year $60 million deal with Major League Baseball’s Texas Rangers, and his actress wife, have finalized their divorce agreement, Kyodo News said, citing the pair’s management office.

Darvish, 25, and his wife Saeko, 27, started divorce proceedings several months ago and finally submitted the paper work to the proper ward office Friday, Kyodo said. Darvish agreed to pay alimony to his wife, who retains custody of their two children; though he will not pay consolation money, according to the news agency. The size of the alimony payments was not disclosed. Read the story »