[TODAY'S TOP STORIES] from [The Japan Times]
[NATIONAL NEWS]
Saturday, Aug. 15, 2009
Akiba hammers Aso over nuclear stance
HIROSHIMA (Kyodo) Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba criticized Prime Minister Taro Aso Friday for justifying the U.S. nuclear umbrella as a deterrent force to protect Japan, saying the nation's leader should first make efforts to abolish all nuclear weapons.
During a news conference on Aug. 6 in Hiroshima, Aso stressed the importance of the U.S. nuclear umbrella for Japan while saying "the abolition of nuclear arms is an aspiration of the Japanese people."
"It seems to me (Aso) first concluded that (Japan) should stay passive (in antinuclear movements), and then produced the logic to justify that stance," Akiba told reporters.
Akiba added that the election promises of the Liberal Democratic Party, of which Aso is president, do not include any concrete measures to seek the abolishment of nuclear weapons.
"Such measures should be included as a matter of course," Akiba told reporters.
Akiba also said it's regrettable that U.S. President Barack Obama is unlikely to visit Hiroshima during his planned stay in Japan, which might occur as early as November.
"We'd like to keep making efforts to realize the visit" of Obama to Hiroshima, the mayor said.
U.S. sanctions tour
Washington JIJI A U.S. delegation will visit four Asian countries, including Japan, next week for talks on punitive measures against North Korea, the head of the delegation has said.
The team, consisting of officials from the Treasury and Defense departments and the National Security Council, will discuss financial sanctions and inspections of air, sea and land cargoes, Phil Goldberg, head of the interagency delegation, told a press conference Thursday.
The Asian tour, which also covers Singapore, South Korea and Thailand, is part of a U.S. effort to work closely with its allies and partners to achieve denuclearization of North Korea through irreversible steps and to implement U.N. Security Council resolutions on the reclusive state, Goldberg, the coordinator for implementation of Security Council sanctions, said.
The latest anti-North Korea resolution, adopted by the council in June in protest Pyongyang's nuclear test in May, calls for financial sanctions and cargo inspections.
Goldberg pointed out one of the purposes of the sanctions is to get North Korea back to the six-party process of denuclearization and nonproliferation.
[NATIONAL NEWS]
Saturday, Aug. 15, 2009
Artisans honor glassware innovator
KAGOSHIMA (Kyodo) A group of artisans in the city of Kagoshima has been toiling away on a commemorative piece of Satsuma kiriko glassware to honor the bicentennial of its creator's birth.
Shimazu Nariakira (1809-1858), the 11th lord of the Satsuma domain in present-day Kagoshima Prefecture, is credited with creating Satsuma kiriko glassware by improving glass-cutting techniques through Western science at a time when Japan had isolated itself from the world.
The "kiriko" style of colored engraved glass became famous in Edo, or present-day Tokyo, toward the end of the Edo Period (1603-1867). But the one developed in Satsuma is known for a technique of color gradation called "bokashi," or blurring.
After Nariakira died of an illness, the art of Satsuma kiriko was lost in a fire that destroyed a factory during the Satsuma domain's 1863 three-day skirmish with Britain. But the technique was revived in the mid-1980s through the efforts of craftsmen and researchers.
For the bicentennial, Satsuma Glass Kogei, a Kagoshima-based factory with connections to the Shimazu family, has been trying to create a vase measuring about 30 cm in diameter and height.
Artisans will use a new technique in which layers of glass bearing three different colors — blue, red and green — will be partially applied over transparent glass.
Blue represents the ocean, to reflect Nariakira's belief in foreign trade, and red and green represent torches adorning both sides of a ship, according to the artisans.
The factory plans to produce about 20 pieces of Satsuma kiriko glassware by Nariakira's birthday Sept. 28, and plans to display the best of them at Senganen, a palace of the Shimazu family that is now part of a park.
"We want to create a piece of Satsuma kiriko ware that could not have been technically possible during Nariakira's time," said Kiyoshi Nishimura, who heads a production section at the glass factory.
[NATIONAL NEWS]
Saturday, Aug. 15, 2009
Adult smoking rate off for 14th year
Kyodo News
The percentage of smokers among adults has fallen 0.8 point from a year earlier to 24.9 percent, hitting a record low for the 14th straight year, an annual survey conducted in May by Japan Tobacco Inc. showed Friday.
"Multiple factors appear to have caused the decline, such as increased health awareness and tightening of regulations on smoking," said Japan's sole tobacco producer.
The smoking rate for men fell for the 18th consecutive year to 38.9 percent, down 0.6 point from the previous year, while the rate for women stood at 11.9 percent, down 1.0 point, following a 0.2 point rise the previous year.
Based on its latest survey, the total number of smokers was estimated at 26.01 million, down 790,000 from the previous year, JT said.
In addition to increasing restrictions on smoking in public places, the government's introduction of the Taspo smart cards has apparently discouraged smoking, JT said.
The smart cards, which are only issued to people aged 20 or older and enable holders to buy cigarettes at vending machines, were introduced last July as a way to prevent underage smoking.
By region, Hokkaido had the highest smoking rates for both men and women, at 45.7 percent and 20.0 percent, respectively.
By age, smoking rates were highest among people in their 30s — 46.9 percent for men and 16.8 percent for women.
[NATIONAL NEWS]
Saturday, Aug. 15, 2009
Film, TV actor Yamashiro dies at 70
Kyodo News
Shingo Yamashiro, an actor and TV emcee, died of pneumonia Wednesday at a nursing home for the elderly in Tokyo, sources said Friday. He was 70.
A native of Kyoto, Yamashiro, whose real name is Yasuji Watanabe, debuted as a movie actor in 1957. He starred in a TV drama called "Hakuba Doji" ("White Horse Rider") in 1960 and acted in a series of yakuza films titled "Jingi Naki Tatakai" ("Battle Without Honor and Humanity") in the 1970s.
He later gained popularity by hosting TV variety shows.
Yamashiro received treatment for diabetes after entering a special nursing home for the elderly in Machida, western Tokyo.
[NATIONAL NEWS]
Saturday, Aug. 15, 2009
Professor to help with N.K. sanctions
NEW YORK (Kyodo) Japanese Ambassador to the U.N. Yukio Takasu said Thursday that Kyoto University professor Masahiko Asada has been appointed to a seven-member panel to assist with implementation of U.N. sanctions against North Korea.
The seven, selected by U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, are from the five permanent U.N. Security Council members — Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States — as well as Japan and South Korea.
[BUSINESS NEWS]
Saturday, Aug. 15, 2009
Electronics makers jump on 3-D bandwagon
Kyodo News
Major electronics makers are stepping up efforts to develop monitors and other products that can show 3-D movies and programs as Hollywood increasingly turns to the technology to churn out big hits.
TVs and Blu-ray DVD players that can show 3-D movies and programs are expected to hit stores next year. Fuji Film Corp. is the first to come out with digital cameras that can show pictures and video images in 3-D.
These products are expected to attract attention at the CEATEC electronics fair slated for October, observers say.
Till now, poor quality has hampered the development of 3-D, with viewers having to rely on red-and-blue tinted eyewear. The rapid development of digital technology, however, has led to a drastic improvement in 3-D images.
Hollywood movies using 3-D technology, including "Journey to the Center of the Earth" and "Bolt," have become big hits, leading officials at the electronics makers to conclude the trend is here to stay.
They may be right.
Two major U.S. theater networks have agreed to purchase high-definition digital projectors from Sony Corp. as they gear up to convert to 3-D-capable more than 10,000 of their screens in the next three to five years.
Electronics makers and movie production companies are also discussing ways to come up with a standardized format for Blu-ray DVD players that can show 3-D DVDs by the end of the year.
Panasonic Corp. is developing plasma TVs and Blu-ray DVD players that can show 3-D movies and programs. The products are expected to hit the shelves next spring at the earliest so that Panasonic can get a head start in this area.
[NATIONAL NEWS]
Saturday, Aug. 15, 2009
Akiba hammers Aso over nuclear stance
HIROSHIMA (Kyodo) Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba criticized Prime Minister Taro Aso Friday for justifying the U.S. nuclear umbrella as a deterrent force to protect Japan, saying the nation's leader should first make efforts to abolish all nuclear weapons.
During a news conference on Aug. 6 in Hiroshima, Aso stressed the importance of the U.S. nuclear umbrella for Japan while saying "the abolition of nuclear arms is an aspiration of the Japanese people."
"It seems to me (Aso) first concluded that (Japan) should stay passive (in antinuclear movements), and then produced the logic to justify that stance," Akiba told reporters.
Akiba added that the election promises of the Liberal Democratic Party, of which Aso is president, do not include any concrete measures to seek the abolishment of nuclear weapons.
"Such measures should be included as a matter of course," Akiba told reporters.
Akiba also said it's regrettable that U.S. President Barack Obama is unlikely to visit Hiroshima during his planned stay in Japan, which might occur as early as November.
"We'd like to keep making efforts to realize the visit" of Obama to Hiroshima, the mayor said.
U.S. sanctions tour
Washington JIJI A U.S. delegation will visit four Asian countries, including Japan, next week for talks on punitive measures against North Korea, the head of the delegation has said.
The team, consisting of officials from the Treasury and Defense departments and the National Security Council, will discuss financial sanctions and inspections of air, sea and land cargoes, Phil Goldberg, head of the interagency delegation, told a press conference Thursday.
The Asian tour, which also covers Singapore, South Korea and Thailand, is part of a U.S. effort to work closely with its allies and partners to achieve denuclearization of North Korea through irreversible steps and to implement U.N. Security Council resolutions on the reclusive state, Goldberg, the coordinator for implementation of Security Council sanctions, said.
The latest anti-North Korea resolution, adopted by the council in June in protest Pyongyang's nuclear test in May, calls for financial sanctions and cargo inspections.
Goldberg pointed out one of the purposes of the sanctions is to get North Korea back to the six-party process of denuclearization and nonproliferation.
[NATIONAL NEWS]
Saturday, Aug. 15, 2009
Artisans honor glassware innovator
KAGOSHIMA (Kyodo) A group of artisans in the city of Kagoshima has been toiling away on a commemorative piece of Satsuma kiriko glassware to honor the bicentennial of its creator's birth.
Shimazu Nariakira (1809-1858), the 11th lord of the Satsuma domain in present-day Kagoshima Prefecture, is credited with creating Satsuma kiriko glassware by improving glass-cutting techniques through Western science at a time when Japan had isolated itself from the world.
The "kiriko" style of colored engraved glass became famous in Edo, or present-day Tokyo, toward the end of the Edo Period (1603-1867). But the one developed in Satsuma is known for a technique of color gradation called "bokashi," or blurring.
After Nariakira died of an illness, the art of Satsuma kiriko was lost in a fire that destroyed a factory during the Satsuma domain's 1863 three-day skirmish with Britain. But the technique was revived in the mid-1980s through the efforts of craftsmen and researchers.
For the bicentennial, Satsuma Glass Kogei, a Kagoshima-based factory with connections to the Shimazu family, has been trying to create a vase measuring about 30 cm in diameter and height.
Artisans will use a new technique in which layers of glass bearing three different colors — blue, red and green — will be partially applied over transparent glass.
Blue represents the ocean, to reflect Nariakira's belief in foreign trade, and red and green represent torches adorning both sides of a ship, according to the artisans.
The factory plans to produce about 20 pieces of Satsuma kiriko glassware by Nariakira's birthday Sept. 28, and plans to display the best of them at Senganen, a palace of the Shimazu family that is now part of a park.
"We want to create a piece of Satsuma kiriko ware that could not have been technically possible during Nariakira's time," said Kiyoshi Nishimura, who heads a production section at the glass factory.
[NATIONAL NEWS]
Saturday, Aug. 15, 2009
Adult smoking rate off for 14th year
Kyodo News
The percentage of smokers among adults has fallen 0.8 point from a year earlier to 24.9 percent, hitting a record low for the 14th straight year, an annual survey conducted in May by Japan Tobacco Inc. showed Friday.
"Multiple factors appear to have caused the decline, such as increased health awareness and tightening of regulations on smoking," said Japan's sole tobacco producer.
The smoking rate for men fell for the 18th consecutive year to 38.9 percent, down 0.6 point from the previous year, while the rate for women stood at 11.9 percent, down 1.0 point, following a 0.2 point rise the previous year.
Based on its latest survey, the total number of smokers was estimated at 26.01 million, down 790,000 from the previous year, JT said.
In addition to increasing restrictions on smoking in public places, the government's introduction of the Taspo smart cards has apparently discouraged smoking, JT said.
The smart cards, which are only issued to people aged 20 or older and enable holders to buy cigarettes at vending machines, were introduced last July as a way to prevent underage smoking.
By region, Hokkaido had the highest smoking rates for both men and women, at 45.7 percent and 20.0 percent, respectively.
By age, smoking rates were highest among people in their 30s — 46.9 percent for men and 16.8 percent for women.
[NATIONAL NEWS]
Saturday, Aug. 15, 2009
Film, TV actor Yamashiro dies at 70
Kyodo News
Shingo Yamashiro, an actor and TV emcee, died of pneumonia Wednesday at a nursing home for the elderly in Tokyo, sources said Friday. He was 70.
A native of Kyoto, Yamashiro, whose real name is Yasuji Watanabe, debuted as a movie actor in 1957. He starred in a TV drama called "Hakuba Doji" ("White Horse Rider") in 1960 and acted in a series of yakuza films titled "Jingi Naki Tatakai" ("Battle Without Honor and Humanity") in the 1970s.
He later gained popularity by hosting TV variety shows.
Yamashiro received treatment for diabetes after entering a special nursing home for the elderly in Machida, western Tokyo.
[NATIONAL NEWS]
Saturday, Aug. 15, 2009
Professor to help with N.K. sanctions
NEW YORK (Kyodo) Japanese Ambassador to the U.N. Yukio Takasu said Thursday that Kyoto University professor Masahiko Asada has been appointed to a seven-member panel to assist with implementation of U.N. sanctions against North Korea.
The seven, selected by U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, are from the five permanent U.N. Security Council members — Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States — as well as Japan and South Korea.
[BUSINESS NEWS]
Saturday, Aug. 15, 2009
Electronics makers jump on 3-D bandwagon
Kyodo News
Major electronics makers are stepping up efforts to develop monitors and other products that can show 3-D movies and programs as Hollywood increasingly turns to the technology to churn out big hits.
TVs and Blu-ray DVD players that can show 3-D movies and programs are expected to hit stores next year. Fuji Film Corp. is the first to come out with digital cameras that can show pictures and video images in 3-D.
These products are expected to attract attention at the CEATEC electronics fair slated for October, observers say.
Till now, poor quality has hampered the development of 3-D, with viewers having to rely on red-and-blue tinted eyewear. The rapid development of digital technology, however, has led to a drastic improvement in 3-D images.
Hollywood movies using 3-D technology, including "Journey to the Center of the Earth" and "Bolt," have become big hits, leading officials at the electronics makers to conclude the trend is here to stay.
They may be right.
Two major U.S. theater networks have agreed to purchase high-definition digital projectors from Sony Corp. as they gear up to convert to 3-D-capable more than 10,000 of their screens in the next three to five years.
Electronics makers and movie production companies are also discussing ways to come up with a standardized format for Blu-ray DVD players that can show 3-D DVDs by the end of the year.
Panasonic Corp. is developing plasma TVs and Blu-ray DVD players that can show 3-D movies and programs. The products are expected to hit the shelves next spring at the earliest so that Panasonic can get a head start in this area.
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