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Japan to resume full-fledged development aid to Myanmar

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Japan plans to resume full-blown development aid to Myanmar to help finance its infrastructure projects as the Southeast Asian country takes steps towards democracy, Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba said on Tuesday. Myanmar's cabinet, led by President Thein Sein, has embarked on a wave of reforms since taking office last March, such as the release of more than 600 political prisoners, an easing of media censorship and laws allowing protests and trade unions.

Gemba said that he had visited Myanmar last December and was convinced that the country was taking genuine steps towards democracy and national reconciliation. (moneycontrol.com)


Japan police police raid pro-North Korea group's offices

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Japanese police have raided the offices of a pro-North Korean organisation suspected of a role in the illegal shipment of computers to North Korea. Japan maintains a total ban on exports to North Korea.

It is part of a range of sanctions over North Korea's nuclear programme and its abduction of Japanese nationals in the 1970s and 80s. Earlier this month police arrested a businessman accused of exporting PCs to North Korea through China. (BBC)

Scientists to discuss latest Japan tsunami debris forecast

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Tsunamis generated by the magnitude-9 earthquake in Japan last March dragged 3 million to 4 million tons of debris into the ocean after tearing up Japanese harbors and homes. Scientists believe ocean currents are carrying some of the lumber, refrigerators, fishing boats and other objects across the Pacific toward the United States.

One to 5 percent of the 1 million to 2 million tons of debris still in the ocean may reach Hawaii, Alaska, Oregon and Washington and British Columbia, said University of Hawaii senior researcher and ocean current expert Nikolai Maximenko. That's only a portion of the 20 million to 25 million tons of debris the tsunamis generated altogether, including what was left on land. (Fox News)

Facebook disaster message board being tested in Japan

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It's been close to a year since a monstrous 9.0-magnitude earthquake nearly disappeared Japan off the map. While the country has recovered some over the past year, the haunting reminders of the earthquake's wrath are still evident along the eastern seaboard. Following Google Maps' before-and-after presentations of the northeast coast of Japan, or at least what remained of it, one recalls without effort the abject terror that surged through Japan and, further, the rest of the world in the wake of the disaster. (webpronews.com)

Japan's rubble economy

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On March 11, a year will have passed since Japan was struck by the triple tragedy of an earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear accident. According to figures announced by the country's National Police Agency, the Great East Japan Earthquake left behind 15,848 dead and 3,305 missing - the largest loss of life due to natural disaster in Japan since World War II. Searches for the missing - mainly at sea - are still continuing. The number of buildings affected by the earthquake or the tsunami include 128,582 completely destroyed, 243,914 partly destroyed, 281 completely or partly burned, 33,056 flooded (including 17,806 above the ground floor, and 674,641 with other types of damage. Approximately 320,000 people lost their homes, of which more than 90% continue to live in temporary housing. Where to rebuild their homes remains undecided. (project-syndicate.org)

Clinton says Japan, EU working to comply with Iran sanctions

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U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday pledged to aggressively implement new U.S. sanctions on Iran but noted that some allies such as Japan face "unique situations" as they seek to reduce Iranian oil imports. President Barack Obama on Dec. 31 signed into law the harshest in a series of U.S. sanctions on Tehran over its nuclear program, targeting foreign financial institutions that do business with Iran's central bank or other blacklisted Iranian financial entities. The new U.S. sanctions have set off a scramble among countries with significant Iranian oil imports to voluntarily reduce such purchases so they would be exempted from the penalties. (Reuters)

Draft gives Japan right to defend itself

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The main opposition Liberal Democratic Party on Monday released a draft of its second proposal to revise the Constitution, which would allow the nation to exercise its right to collective self-defense and defines the Emperor as head of state. The LDP made many changes to its first proposal in 2005 to revise the Constitution. It added new provisions, including enhancing the prime minister's power in emergencies, such as during military conflicts, terrorist attacks or large-scale disasters. In the latest draft, the preamble to the Constitution was completely changed. It states that the Japanese people are committed to pacifism and international cooperation, and would contribute to global peace and prosperity based on the principles of democracy. (Yomiuri)

'Ghosts' stalk Japan's tsunami city

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A year after whole neighbourhoods full of people were killed by the Japanese tsunami, rumours of ghosts swirl in Ishinomaki as the city struggles to come to terms with the awful tragedy. One reconstruction project appears stalled because of fears the undead spirits of those who perished last March will bring bad luck. "I heard people working to repair the store became sick because of ghosts," Satoshi Abe, 64, said, gesturing to a half-repaired supermarket.

"People died everywhere, here and there. The city is full of such stories," he said. In some parts of this once vibrant fishing port, signs of life are returning - houses are being rebuilt, businesses are re-opening and children are back at school. But with around a fifth of the 19 000 who died across the northeast having lost their lives in this small city alone, few think it can ever be normal again. (IOL)


Tepco to pay Y600,000 to pregnant voluntary evacuees

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Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Tuesday it will pay ¥600,000 each to pregnant women and children aged 18 or under who have voluntarily evacuated their homes because of the triple-meltdown crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant. The sum will be paid, starting next month, as compensation money through last December for residents of 23 municipalities in Fukushima Prefecture located outside the government-designated evacuation zones around the plant.

Many people who have voluntarily evacuated had been hoping Tepco would pay the actual costs incurred, but the utility has said that would entail a laborious application process and delay payments. (Japan Times)

Okada to pursue casino project in Philippines

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Billionaire Kazuo Okada, accused by Wynn Resorts Ltd. of making improper payments to Philippine gambling regulators, said he will "vigorously" pursue his casino project in the country. "I intend to vigorously continue my $2 billion investment," the Japanese businessman said in a statement read to lawmakers in Manila on Monday. "Rest assured that I will be able to prove that all of the accusations are baseless and are lies that have been blown out of proportion."

The Las Vegas-based casino company has accused Okada of giving more than $110,000 in payments and gifts to Philippines officials, including chief gambling regulator Cristino Naguiat. (Japan Times)

Judo: Nanjing cancels out on judo event

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The city of Nanjing has canceled a commemorative China-Japan judo event scheduled for this week in the wake of Nagoya Mayor Takashi Kawamura's controversial remarks about the 1937 massacre there carried out by the Imperial Japanese Army, sources said. The event, scheduled for Friday, was to feature a ceremony marking the second anniversary of the construction of the China-Japan Friendship Judo Stadium in Nanjing. 1984 Olympic gold medalist Yasuhiro Yamashita was scheduled to give a judo clinic during the event. (Japan Times)

Retirement age plan to be axed

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The government will shelve its plan to extend the compulsory retirement age for national government employees from 60 to 65, according to sources. Instead, it plans increase the number of employees working until the age of 65 by rehiring workers who retired at 60 at wages lower than preretirement levels. Extending the retirement age would mean maintaining salaries at the same high levels and inevitably increase labor costs. The government plans to expand the reemployment system from fiscal 2013, when the eligibility age for mutual pension payments will begin to be raised to 65 in stages.

The retirement age for national government employees is 60. However, the eligibility age for mutual pension payments for all employees will become 65 by fiscal 2025. For this reason, the government had to secure jobs and incomes for national government officials affected by the change. (Yomiuri)

Elpida lost trust of banks in tie-up bids

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Trust between Elpida Memory Inc. and its banks gradually eroded as Elpida President Yukio Sakamoto struggled to find a business partner that could lift the ailing semiconductor maker's fortunes. Elpida filed for bankruptcy protection Monday, 13 years after it was launched in 1999. The company was thought to be representative of Japan's semiconductor industry, as it comprised semiconductor divisions formerly operated by major electrical appliance makers NEC Corp., Hitachi Ltd. and Mitsubishi Electric Corp.

The chip maker had been facing severe difficulties in raising funds due to the yen's appreciation and worsening market conditions. Elpida put its last hope in tie-up negotiations with foreign and domestic companies, but the semiconductor maker had to turn to bankruptcy as the talks ended in failure. (Yomiuri)

Snow blankets Kanto-Koshin regions

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Snow fell on the Kanto and Koshin regions on Wednesday morning. The Japan Meterological Agency warned of traffic and train delays. As of 10 a.m., parts of central Tokyo had recorded snowfall of 4-6 cms, the Meteorological Agency reported. Up to 5 cms of snow is forecast for Yamanashi Prefecture, Matsumoto City in Nagano Prefecture and Chichibu city in Saitama Prefecture. The agency said the Kanto-Koshin area is expected to get 10-15 cms of snow through Wednesday night. (Japan Today)

Tokyo Sky Tree construction work finished

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After a two-month delay caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake, construction on the 634-meter Tokyo Sky Tree was completed on Feb. 29. Obayashi Corp., which was in charge of the project in Tokyo's Sumida Ward, plans to hand over the tower to Tobu Tower Sky Tree Co. later in the day. Work on the tower started in July 2008. In March 2010, Tokyo Sky Tree became the tallest tower in Japan when its height exceeded the 333 meters of Tokyo Tower. In March 2011, Tokyo Sky Tree was recognized as the tallest tower in the world, topping the 600-meter Canton Tower in Guangzhou, China. (Asahi)

Ridley Scott to join Japan quake project

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Hollywood director Ridley Scott is to take part in a project documenting the first anniversary of Japan's earthquake and tsunami, a television network said Wednesday. The Briton, famous for "Alien", "Blade Runner" and "Gladiator", will join "Japan in a Day", a film about life in the nation 12 months after the disaster that claimed more than 19,000 lives, Fuji Television Network said. Fuji TV will work with Scott Free, a production company run by the director and his brother, to knit together videos shot by members of the public and footage gathered from 200 TV cameras set up in the affected areas. (AFP)

Japan struggles with tainted reactor water

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Nearly a year after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami sparked triple meltdowns at reactors here, the taming of Fukushima Daiichi has become in large part a quest to control water. Foreign journalists on a tour of the Fukushima Daiichi compound Tuesday saw fields of squat, gray water-storage tanks; miles of orange, black and gray hoses; an AstroTurf-covered barge full of contaminated water; and white-suited workers huddled in a field preparing space for a new water container.

Water is crucial to the continued safety and stability of the Fukushima Daiichi plant, even after reactor temperatures fell at the end of last year to a level at which little radioactivity is being emitted. (Wall Street Journal)

Nuclear-free summer looms over Japan's west in risk to recovery from quake

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Japan's economic rebound from the deepest contraction among advanced nations after Greece and Portugal may be stunted this year as power shortages threaten its western region. The Kansai area, which accounts for about a fifth of Japan's economy and escaped the worst of electricity cutbacks after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, last week lost its final operating nuclear plant. Power supply may be up to 25 percent less than peak summer demand if plants are not restarted, according to Kansai Electric Power Co. Shortages drive up costs and force manufacturers to shift work schedules to lower-use periods, disrupting supply chains and adding to reasons to go abroad. (Bloomberg)

Japan says may cancel Lockheed F-35 if price rises

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Japan may cancel orders for Lockheed Martin's F-35 fighter jets in the case of a price rise or delivery delay, Defense Minister Naoki Tanaka said on Wednesday, putting Tokyo's choice of next-generation combat aircraft in doubt. Tokyo has warned Washington against increasing the price, but this was the first time Tanaka had raised the possibility of cancelling the order in public. The Pentagon this month confirmed plans to put off orders for 179 F-35s over the next five years to save $15.1 billion, a move that a Lockheed executive said would increase the price of the radar-evading warplane. (Reuters)

Softbank wins coveted high-speed bandwidth

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Japan's Communications Ministry panel said on Wednesday that it will allocate Softbank Corp a coveted 900 Megahertz spectrum for high-speed mobile services, as Japan's No.3 mobile phone operator races to strengthen its network. Softbank, which supplies Apple Inc's iPhone in Japan along with KDDI Corp, is locked in a race to beef up telecommunications networks in a mobile market dominated by NTT Docomo Inc. (Reuters)
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