Christmas lights line the streets of Tokyo, and crowds head toward the stores to buy gifts from staff wearing Christmas hats and Santa Claus outfits. It's hard to believe you're in Japan.
They give gifts, eat roast chicken and a special Christmas cake (which is a glorified strawberry shortcake with icing), round sponge cakes, and whipped cream and juicy strawberries to celebrate, even though Dec. 25 is not a national holiday. Some go to special dinner shows, fancy restaurants or hotels.
Many spend their money on Christmas trees and decorate their homes with evergreens and other seasonal decorations.
The holiday is getting bigger every year, but it is mainly commercial because only about one percent of the Japanese are Christians. According to a survey by Japan-guide.com, about 54 percent of Japanese say Christmas is special to them, especially women and teenagers. (majirox news)
Christmas is a really big deal in Japan
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Japan to enter dollar swap agreement with India
The Japanese government is considering a dollar swap arrangement with India to provide emergency liquidity in case the European debt crisis reaches emerging economies, the Nikkei business newspaper said on Sunday.
The agreement would set the total swap arrangement at $10 billion, or 780 billion yen, the Nikkei said.
Both countries are looking to sign off on the arrangement next Wednesday, when leaders meet at a bilateral summit, the paper said. (Reuters)
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Budget belies Noda's austerity drive
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda pledged fiscal restoration but has apparently failed to match words with deeds in his new budget, which signals the need for more government spending amid a shortage of tax revenue.
While Noda fulfilled some of his self-imposed austerity goals under the initial fiscal 2012 budget, analysts doubt the significance of the achievements, and the situation is only adding to widespread concerns about Japan's fiscal health, which is worse than some of the countries at the center of the European debt crisis. (Japan Times)
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Miracle pine takes Christmas shine
The "miracle pine" that survived the monster quake and tsunami on March 11 was decorated and illuminated on a snowy Saturday evening as volunteers and residents tried to bring some Christmas cheer to the disaster-stricken area.
The tree is the sole survivor of a group of 70,000 pines that stood on the coastline of Rikuzentakata before the tsunami. The tree's survival in the face of devastation turned it into a symbol of hope.
"This is beautiful. I hope Rikuzentakata will shine as this pine is," said a 50-year-old housewife now living in temporary housing.
Live video of the event was broadcast on the Internet. (Japan Times)
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Brace for the year of the dragon, when all shall be revealed
In the Sino-Japanese cycle of annual zodiac signs, the year 2012 will be the year of the dragon. 2011 was the year of the hare. How quickly it is jumping away.
The dragon is the only fictitious character in the lineup of twelve creatures that make up the cycle. Its presence is a must in all tales of fantasy and science fiction. We are all just a little bit in love with the character. If love is too strong a word, then mesmerized certainly fits the case.
For all the fascination, however, one is never quite sure what the dragon actually stands for. And that, of course, is a part of its charm. Is it friend or foe? Is it an emissary from heaven promising salvation? Is it a messenger from hell bringing damnation in its wake? Is it cruel or is it kind? Do we pray to it or run away from it? (Japan Times)
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Plan in works for possible N. Korea refugee exodus
Japan is studying measures to respond to a potential refugee surge if North Korea undergoes a cataclysmic change as a result of dictator Kim Jong Il's death last week, sources said.
The central government will consult prefectures along the Sea of Japan, such as Niigata, Ishikawa and Fukuoka, about helping refugees if the Stalinist country falters during the power transition, the sources said Saturday.
Tokyo is also preparing to cooperate closely with Washington and call on the U.S. military for help rescuing Japanese living in South Korea if tensions on the Korean Peninsula reach the breaking point, the sources said. As of October 2009, there were about 28,320 Japanese residing there. (Japan Times)
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Skating: Mao scores emotional national crown victory
Grief-stricken Mao Asada rode a Christmas Day wave of emotion to come from behind and capture the women's title at the national championships Sunday, securing a berth at the world championships in Nice, France, in March in the process.
News photo
With open arms: Mao Asada performs her free skate program at the national championships on Sunday in Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture. Mao won the event ahead of Akiko Suzuki. KYODO
Courageously competing here in Osaka just weeks after the death of her mother Kyoko, the 21-year-old delivered a graceful, if not perfect skate, to beat Akiko Suzuki with a winning total of 184.07 points.
(Japan Times)
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Universities seek to utilize gap years
More and more universities are taking steps to have their students gain life experience through work or volunteer activity, efforts the government and the business world hope will nurture human resources capable of flourishing in international society.
The University of Tokyo is considering moving its enrollment from April to September or October, like Western universities, while still conducting its entrance exams in February.
This has led to growing interest in the so-called gap year concept common in Europe and the United States. The university plans to have its accepted students study abroad or pursue volunteer activities during the six months before they enter the university. (Yomiuri)
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Parents wary of Fukushima village schools
A survey by the municipal government of Kawauchimura, Fukushima Prefecture, part of which was designated an emergency evacuation preparation zone, has found that most residents do not intend to let their children return there for school.
There is a primary school, a middle school and a day care center in the now-dissolved emergency evacuation preparation zone, and the survey was conducted on 142 residents whose 227 children were to attend or enroll in one of the facilities at the start of fiscal 2011.
The survey was conducted by anonymous questionnaire in November. Eighty-eight people with 147 children responded. The children comprised 80 primary school students, 34 middle school students and 33 day care attendees. (Yomiuri)
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Jaywalking argument 'ends in fatal blow'
A 48-year-old man of Shinagawa Ward, Tokyo, was arrested on Saturday on suspicion of fatally striking an elderly man in a fit of rage after the elderly man advised him not to use a crosswalk against a red light, police said.
The Metropolitan Police Department said Kikuo Yamane, who identified himself as a company executive, was on his way to go shopping with his teenage son at the time. He admitted the allegation, saying, "I was so angry at what I was told by [the elderly man] that I punched him." (Yomiuri)
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Sea of Japan coast gets snow warning
The Meteorological Agency issued a warning Sunday for blizzards and high waves in northern Japan, and said heavy snow is expected to hit coastal areas along the Sea of Japan through Tuesday.
It also warned of avalanches, lightning and tornadoes along the Sea of Japan coast.
More than 50 cm of snow had fallen within 24 hours as of 4 p.m. in several areas facing the Sea of Japan, with the town of Tsunan, Niigata Prefecture, receiving 79 cm, the agency said. (Japan Times)
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Japan bets on casinos to fund earthquake recovery
Croupiers and poker players could fuel Japan's recovery from the March earthquake and tsunami as the country moves closer to legalising casinos.
A cross-party group of MPs wants to resurrect a 2006 campaign to put casinos on the same legal footing as betting on horse, speedboat and bicycle racing.
The cost of rebuilding the north-east coastline, estimated at $245bn, has given fresh impetus to the campaign, which has the support of a growing number of influential politicians including four former prime ministers. Members of the 150-strong group have met senior police officials in an attempt to calm fears that casino resorts of the kind springing up elsewhere in Asia will fall under the influence of the yakuza - Japan's answer to the mafia.
"Some members of the Diet are now insisting that casino legislation be passed," according to Gaming Capital Management, a US-based group that funds casino construction. "Casinos are a great taxation source and can contribute a lot under current financial difficulties related to the earthquake recovery process." (telegraph.co.uk)
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Japan urges China to help keep North Korea in check
Japan urged China on Monday to shoulder a big role in ensuring North Korea avoids volatility after the death of its leader, Kim Jong-il.
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda also urged Chinese President Hu Jintao to share information about developments in North Korea, where the succession of Kim's youngest son, Kim Jong-un, has fanned speculation about who will really control the secretive one-party state and its nuclear program.
"It is important that we will not let the death of the chairman of the National Defense Commission Kim have a negative impact on the peace and stability of the Korean peninsula," Noda was quoted by a Japanese official as telling Hu while on a visit to in Beijing. (Reuters)
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Nikkei breaks above 25-day average in thin trade
Japan's Nikkei average rose on Monday to breach its 25-day moving average in thin trade after upbeat U.S. housing data and a two-month extension of the U.S. payroll tax cut gave temporary relief to market participants.
Trading volume on Tokyo's main board hit a fresh low for the year, with just 904.2 million shares changing hands, while many global markets, including the United States, Europe and Hong Kong, were closed for extended Christmas holidays.
The Tokyo Stock Exchange's machinery subindex advanced 1.2 percent, regaining some losses from the previous session after the machine tools sector was last week downgraded to "bearish" by Bank of America Merrill Lynch. (Reuters)
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Whisky, Japan's Next Big Export?
From cup noodles to Pokemon, there's a range of Japanese products that have surprised people here by becoming much more popular overseas than most in the country of origin ever thought possible.
Is Japanese whisky the next in line?
Certainly, connoisseurs have been praising Japan-distilled whisky - based on the Scotch variety - for some time, but the pace of growth in its popularity has caught even some of those who make it unawares. Ahead of the close of this year, Asahi Group Holdings Ltd., one of Japan's biggest drinks makers, was pleasantly surprised to discover exports from its Nikka Whisky Distilling Co. unit shot up 60% this year, to 25,500 cases. (Wall Street Journal)
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Genba prods Myanmar on reform
Foreign Minister Koichiro Genba on Monday tried to inject momentum into Myanmar's reform process initiated by President Thein Sein when he took office nine months ago, calling for the launch of talks on a bilateral investment accord to help rehabilitate the long-isolated country's economy.
In the latest of a series of diplomatic overtures by major countries, Genba showed Japan's readiness to assist Myanmar in transforming itself into a democratic country and reducing poverty, especially in rural areas.
After meetings with Thein Sein and Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin in Myanmar's remote capital of Naypyitaw, Genba held talks with opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi in the evening at her home in Yangon, the major commercial city where she spent much of the last 21 years in confinement before being freed in November last year. (Japan Times)
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New plants to clean Fukushima debris
Three experimental plants are scheduled to open next month in Fukushima Prefecture to test ways to reduce the amount of radioactive material in debris and soil there, sources said Monday.
Under the aegis of the Japan Atomic Energy Agency, a government-backed research organization, the small plants will be built in Okuma, one of the two towns on which the crippled Fukushima No. 1 power plant sits, and in the towns of Tomioka and Naraha, which are straddled by the Fukushima No. 2 power plant, the sources said. (Japan Times)
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Lady Gaga to join yearend TV bash
Lady Gaga will appear via video during NHK's annual music extravaganza on New Year's Eve, the public broadcaster said.
The U.S. pop diva will appear on "Kohaku Uta Gassen" to air encouraging messages in the wake of the March 11 disasters. She will be one of many celebrities, including Hong Kong actor Jackie Chan and Wolfsburg midfielder Makoto Hasebe, captain of the Japanese national soccer team, to appear on the program.
Lady Gaga's song and message will be recorded shortly before the show, NHK said Saturday. (Japan Times)
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Airline passengers face random frisks
The transport ministry is thinking of launching random body searches at international airports in April to bolster counterterrorism measures, airport sources said Sunday.
Departing passengers who set off metal detectors during screening are usually asked to submit to a body search. Under the proposed procedure, about 10 percent of all passengers would be randomly selected for body and baggage checks, the sources said.
Exactly how people would be searched was not specified. (Japan Times)
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Japan pushing bilateral, regional trade talks
Japan has been advancing a series of trade talks recently to hammer out bilateral or regional free-trade agreements because it sees high-level economic partnerships as the key to revitalizing its stagnant economy.
While announcing last month its plan to join multilateral talks on the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, a U.S.-led free-trade initiative, this month Japan concluded a joint study with China and South Korea on the possibility of signing a tripartite free-trade accord and resumed FTA negotiations with Australia.
Japan is also looking to conclude preparatory talks with the European Union for a future FTA. (Japan Times)
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