Japan’s population forecast to decline by two thirds over next century, AFP says
January 31, 2012
TOKYO (TR) – The population of Japan is forecast to shrink by two thirds over the next century as the number of births falls below the replacement rate, Agence France-Presse said, citing projections from a report by the health and welfare ministry.
The Japanese population currently stands at 127.7 million; that number is expected to decline to 42.9 million by 2110, the government report said. The population has been declining as more Japanese young people see starting a family as a burden on their careers and lifestyles, AFP reported. Read more
Japan unemployment rate up unexpectedly in December, Bloomberg says
January 31, 2012
TOKYO (TR) – Japan’s unemployment rate edged up unexpectedly in December to 4.6% from 4.5% a month earlier, Bloomberg News said, citing Japan’s statistics bureau.
Economists surveyed by Bloomberg forecast the rate to remain at 4.5 percent. “Manufacturers have become cautious about hiring people in the context of global growth, the yen’s appreciation and uncertainty surrounding electricity supply” due to the impact of the March 11, earthquake and tsunami has had on Japan’s nuclear sector, Kiichi Murashima, chief economist at Citigroup Global Markets Japan Inc. said, according to the news agency. Read more
Japan nuclear reactor goes offline leaving only 3 in operation nationwide, Reuters says
January 28, 2012
TOKYO (TR) – Only three of Japan’s nuclear reactors remain in operation after Chugoku Electric Power Co. shut its No. 2 reactor at its Shimane nuclear plant for scheduled maintenance Friday, Reuters said.
Just 6.4 percent of the nation’s total nuclear power capacity is now in use after the 820-megawatt reactor went offline, according to Reuters. Japan, which is the world’s third biggest nuclear power user, has a total of 54 commercial nuclear reactors nationwide. Read more
Chinese man who petrol-bombed Japan’s South Korean embassy formally charged, AFP says
January 27, 2012
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 more
North Korean defectors say 571 South Koreans abducted, Chosun Ilbo reports
January 26, 2012
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 more
Japanese government hid a warning millions may need to flee Tokyo after nuclear disaster, AP Says
January 26, 2012
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 more
Scientists predict 70 percent chance major quake to hit Tokyo in 4 years, AFP says
January 24, 2012
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 more
TSE decides not to delist Olympus, slaps $130,000 fine, AFP says
January 21, 2012
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 more
Yu Darvish, wife agree to divorce terms, Kyodo says
January 20, 2012
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 more
Theft from ‘It’s me’ phone fraud in Japan increases 34 percent in 2011, Jiji Press reports
January 20, 2012
TOKYO (TR) – Japan’s National Police Agency said fraudsters fleeced as much as 10.6 billion yen ($138 mln) in 2011 from unsuspecting victims in a scam the Japanese call “ore ore” sagi (“It’s me” fraud), a 34 percent increase from the year before, according to Jiji Press.
Over 4,600 such cases were reported in 2011, Jiji said. The scam usually involves perpetrators pretending to be a relative in distress who needs cash immediately. Read more
