Blog Entries for Tomoko

Ichiro returning to right field for Seattle Mariners

Tomoko

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SEATTLE (AP) -- With his team in huge trouble, Seattle Mariners manager John McLaren decided he's going to start tinkering. His first move: sliding Ichiro Suzuki back into right field.

Suzuki was back in his corner outfield spot for the first time since the end of the 2006 season on Monday night when the Mariners, with the worst record in baseball, opened a three-game series against the Florida Marlins.

"It feels like going to my yard," Suzuki said through [...]

Convicted murderer of 4 girls executed

Tomoko

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Tsutomu Miyazaki, convicted of murdering four girls aged 4 to 7 in Tokyo and Saitama Prefecture in the late 1980s, was executed on Tuesday along with two other death row inmates, Justice Minister Kunio Hatoyama confirmed.

The executions brought to 13 the number of death row inmates to be hanged under Justice Minister Hatoyama who assumed the post in August 2007.

"These are indescribably cruel crimes in which the culprits took the precious lives of their vi [...]

Akihabara random killer stabbed three people who were caring for victims

Tomoko

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The man under arrest over the deadly Akihabara random attack on June 8 stabbed three people who were caring for victims, police said.

Tomohiro Kato, 25, rammed a truck he had rented into five people on a street in the Akihabara district of downtown Tokyo at around 12:33 p.m., got out of the vehicle and stabbed 12 pedestrians with a dagger before he was overpowered by police officers. Seven of the victims died.

Among the 12 victims are at least three people [...]

Services on new Fukutoshin Subway Line disrupted for fourth-straight day

Tomoko

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Services on the newly opened Fukutoshin (Subcenter) Subway Line in downtown Tokyo have been disrupted for four consecutive days since its inauguration on Saturday due to technical problems and errors, its operator said.

"A series of problems were caused by workers' inexperience. We'll assign experienced workers to help out in an effort to ensure punctual operations," said a spokesman for the line's operator, Tokyo Metro Co.

At around 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday, [...]

Apartment owner who set fire to building says she was harassed by inhabitants

Tomoko

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YOKOHAMA -- The owner of an apartment complex that was gutted by a fire that killed three of its disabled inhabitants has told police she set fire to the structure after being harassed by its residents and administrator, investigators said.

Keiko Shimura, 64, owner of the Haimu Himawari apartment complex in Ayase, Kanagawa Prefecture, stands accused of murder and arson of an inhabited structure.

"I was bullied by the administrator and residents of the faci [...]

Rush to drain 'quake lakes' in Tohoku

Tomoko

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The government will begin urgent drainage work on three lakes that were created when mudslides dammed up rivers following the devastating earthquake in the Tohoku Region.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism announced Tuesday that it would cut river channels along three of the 11 lakes that emerged following landslides in Iwate and Miyagi prefectures in order to drain the water and fix the flow of the rivers.

From Tuesday afternoon, [...]

Defense lawyer for executed child murderer protests, says she wanted retrial

Tomoko

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The defense lawyer for Tsutomu Miyazaki, who was executed on Tuesday, protested to the Justice Ministry for going ahead with the execution while knowing she was preparing to file a request for a retrial for her client.

"I had been preparing to file a request for a retrial over the past few months. I strongly protested (to the ministry) for carrying out the execution even though they knew about my plans," lawyer Maiko Tagusari said in a statement.

"What I h [...]

Landslide triggered by Tohoku quake moves road 300 meters

Tomoko

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KURIHARA, Miyagi -- A massive landslide triggered by Saturday's earthquake in the Tohoku Region has pushed a road more than 300 meters away from its original location, experts said.

An aerial photo survey by the Geographical Survey Institute found that an S-shaped road near Aratozawa Dam in Kurihara had moved over 300 meters horizontally away from its original location following a massive landslide.

The institute in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, took the ae [...]

Number of reported child abuse cases tops 40,000

Tomoko

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The number of child abuse cases reported to consultation centers across the nation has topped 40,000 for the first time, a government survey has found.

The survey by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has found that 197 child consultation centers nationwide received 40,618 reports on child abuse in fiscal 2007, up 3,295 cases, or 8.8 percent from the previous fiscal year.

The ministry deems that a revision in January 2007 to the operation policy for [...]

Fukuda says G-8 not place to decide carbon targets

Tomoko

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TOKYO (AP) -- The Group of Eight summit next month is not the proper forum for settling the contentious issue of midterm targets on carbon emissions because it is being tackled by the United Nations, Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda said Tuesday.

Fukuda said climate change -- along with rising oil and food prices -- will be a major topic at the annual G-8 summit, which will be held in Hokkaido in July. But he suggested emissions targets will not be set there.

" [...]

Man arrested over random stabbing threat at airport railway station

Tomoko

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NAGOYA -- A man was arrested Tuesday for posting a message on a police Web site threatening to stab someone at a railway station near an airport in Aichi Prefecture, police said.

Ryosuke Hayashi, 24, a part-time worker from Chita, Aichi Prefecture, is accused of forcible obstruction of business. He admitted that it was a copycat prank of bulletin board messages left by the suspect in the Akihabara random street attack.

"I imitated online messages in which [...]

Gov't cracks down on dagger sales following Akihabara attack

Tomoko

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The government has urged knife manufacturers and retailers to refrain from producing or selling daggers after the suspect in the Akihabara stabbing rampage used such a weapon in his attacks, officials said.

The Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry has conveyed its request to knife makers and dealers through 59 industry organizations representing them.

The National Police Agency is already considering revising the Firearms and Swords Control Law to outlaw d [...]

Gov't starts safety audit of Skymark Airlines

Tomoko

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The government has started a safety audit of Skymark Airlines, which has canceled a staggering 633 flights that were scheduled between June and August due to a lack of pilots.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has started inspecting the airline company's base at Haneda Airport in Ota-ku, Tokyo, in accordance with the Civil Aeronautics Law.

The ministry will also summon airline officials from its headquarters in Tokyo's Minato-ku t [...]

Police to question freed Japanese student who was kidnapped in Iran

Tomoko

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Law enforcers are set to question a Japanese student who was kidnapped in Iran in October last year and released on Saturday, officials said.

Police will question Satoshi Nakamura, 23, a student at Yokohama National University, in a bid to punish the abductors under a Penal Code provision that applies to offenses committed outside of Japan's territorial jurisdiction.

Police will fix the schedule for questioning after consulting with Nakamura, who they fear [...]

Ex-railway worker arrested for stabbing assistant station master

Tomoko

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KUWANA, Mie -- A former railway worker has been arrested for stabbing an assistant station master at the station office in mid-May, leaving him with serious injuries, police said.

Toshio Tsujioka, 56, a former worker at Kinki Nippon Railway's Kuwana Station, stands accused of attempted murder and robbery.

Tsujioka had worked at the station for 22 years, and was familiar with its internal affairs, investigators said. He has denied any murderous intent durin [...]

Nissan boosting sales in China, key overseas market for Japanese automaker

Tomoko

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TOKYO (AP) -- Nissan plans to boost annual sales in China to 1 million vehicles by 2012, up 64 percent from last year, a senior executive said Monday.

China is increasingly a key overseas market for Nissan Motor Co., which doubled car and truck sales there from 298,000 in 2003 to 610,000 vehicles in 2007, said Kimiyasu Nakamura, president of Nissan's China joint venture Dongfeng Motor Co.

Targeting sales of 680,000 vehicles this year in China, Nissan is in [...]

Tokyo shares jump as strong dollar fuels gains in exporter shares

Tomoko

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TOKYO (AP) -- Tokyo stocks rose sharply Monday as auto and electronics exporters got a lift from the strengthening dollar, which traded comfortably above 108 yen.

The Nikkei 225 index rose 380.64 points, or 2.7 percent, to 14,354.37.

Traders said investors may chase the market higher. Exporters in particular are benefiting from the dollar's strength as worries over inflation raise the prospects for a rate hike by the U.S. Federal Reserve. The dollar rose t [...]

Toyota's hybrid battery production can't keep up with booming demand

Tomoko

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TOKYO (AP) -- Toyota is struggling to keep up with booming demand for hybrid vehicles because it's unable to make enough batteries that are key parts in the hit "green" cars, a senior executive said Monday.

The crunch on battery production is likely to stay for the rest of the year, as new lines can't be added to boost production until next year, said Toyota Motor Corp. Executive Vice President Takeshi Uchiyamada, who oversees production at Japan's top automaker.

Kimiko Date wins first title in comeback to pro tennis

Tomoko

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TOKYO (AP) -- Former world No. 4 Kimiko Date won her first singles title Sunday since coming out of retirement in April.

Date beat 18-year-old Shiho Akita 6-3, 6-2 in the final of the Tokyo Ariake International Ladies Open.

Date surprised many when she announced in April she would return to professional tennis at age 37. She initially retired in 1996, months after reaching the Wimbledon semifinals.

She was seeded No. 4 for the 32-player $10,000 I [...]

Japan gets four tries to beat Tonga 35-13

Tomoko

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SENDAI (AP) -- Hirotoki Onozawa ran in a key try in the second half Sunday as Japan defeated Tonga 35-13 in the Pacific Nations Cup.

Japan led 12-6 at halftime and widened the gap to 25-13 on Onozawa's effort, one of four tries that earned a bonus point for former New Zealand international John Kirwan's side.

Takashi Kikutani and New Zealand-born players Shaun Webb and Bryce Robins also had tries for Japan, which improved to 1-1 in the six-nation tournamen [...]