Scandal

Japan has confirmed the existence of a secret Cold War deal allowing the transit of nuclear-armed US vessels through its ports.

Recall of another 100,000 announced in US, though Toyota still maintain "that the Prius is not defective".

Notably, "Toyota said it is still deciding whether to take action with its SAI and Lexus HS250h hybrid cars, both of which have similar braking structures to the Prius."

Authorities arrested a member of parliament and close associate of Ichiro Ozawa, a top ruling party official, on suspicion of violating political-funds rules, a development that could seriously hurt the popularity of Tokyo's new center-left government.

Prime Minister Hatoyama looks to be in some hot water over apparent illegal donations made to his campaign from his mother to the tune of $10.4 million. Hatoyama apologized Monday in parliament for the donations scandal but suggested he will remain prime minister unless he is prosecuted. It should be interesting to see how this plays out.

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd formally apologized Monday to 500,000 victims of childhood abuse in the country’s orphanages and government-run institutional care facilities between 1930 and 1970. Australian children and thousands of young migrants who were sent to Australia from Britain suffered decades of neglect and emotional, sexual and physical abuse at the hands of caregivers.

I saw a distressing story today at Japan Today, taken from the Sept 8 issue of Spa! According to the article, legal loopholes in the Law Regulating Businesses Affecting Public Morals, are allowing establishments such as ‘ear-cleaning salons’ and ‘thigh massage’ to employ underage girls in situations that can lead to the provision of ’sexual services’.

“I’m having an affair with my cousin,” the anonymous female writer confesses in the reader’s column of the June issue of the woman’s magazine Renai Tengoku, introduced in Shukan Bunshun (July 2) “We know it’s wrong, but have continued the relationship while taking extra precautions.

PL Health Check-up Center Osaka has been skipping a time-consuming cholesterol blood test in regular medical examinations and instead returned false data to tens of thousands of patients since 1984, officials said.

Those who received fictitious data had undergone checkups through company health insurance groups or on their own.

More than 90 percent of the licensing fees for kanji game software products developed on the basis of data belonging to the Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation went to a family business of the outgoing chief director Noboru Okubo.

Billions of yen in the foundation's funds were paid to Okubo's four family businesses in the form of commissions.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is set to designate three hospitals in the capital as "super perinatal-care hospitals" to treat pregnant women with high-risk conditions.

Of 9,414 people in need of emergency treatment in Tokyo in a six-day period in December, 779, or 8.3 percent, were refused admittance by three or more hospitals, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said Monday.

Japan Post Holdings Co. is expected to cancel the controversial ¥10.9 billion lump-sum "fire sale" of its 70 Kampo no Yado inns and nine housing facilities to leasing company Orix Corp.

Tokyo police have arrested Kazutsugi Nami for what the Japanese media is describing as the country's biggest ever scam

Netizens are upset that 'foreign devils' have snapped topless pictures of the 29-year-old China-born actress.... But there are some shots of Ziyi removing her bikini top and lying topless face-up.

An 87-year-old bedridden man died in Osaka after an assistant nurse mistakenly attached a package of liquid food to the man's intravenous drip tube. The nurse admitted the error, saying that she was too busy to realize her mistake. Another assistant nurse noticed the error and a doctor undertook procedures to try to save the man's life, but it was too late.