A secret kind of control Fri, 10 Oct 2008 15:10:00 -0500 The Defense Ministry on Oct. 2 dismissed a 50-year-old colonel of the Air Self-Defense Force for allegedly passing a "defense secret" to a Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper reporter more than three years ago. The information was about a Chinese submarine that had surfaced in the South China Sea and was adrift. The investigative unit of the Self-Defense Forces sent allegations against the officer to the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office some six months ago, but the office has not yet taken any action.
It is extraordinary that the investigative unit, which is directly under the defense minister's control, made efforts to pinpoint a news source who provided the recipient with the information...
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Combating the piracy plague Fri, 10 Oct 2008 15:11:00 -0500 SINGAPORE — The confrontation between foreign warships and well-armed pirates off the coast of lawless Somalia is a dramatic reminder to Asia of the importance of safeguarding busy channels used by international shipping.
This is particularly the case for the straits of Malacca and Singapore. This is the shortest sea route between the energy-rich Persian Gulf and voracious energy consumers in Northeast Asia, especially Japan, China and South Korea, which depend heavily on oil imported from the Middle East. Yet, the deteriorating situation off the Horn of Africa and potential threats to shipping in the Persian Gulf contrast starkly with the improved security in previously pirate-prone...
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Credit bureau to get student-loan delinquent list Fri, 10 Oct 2008 15:12:00 -0500 A student loan provider under the wing of the education ministry plans to report delinquent borrowers to a bureau that logs consumer credit histories, a move that may make it difficult for them to access bank loans or use credit cards, sources said Friday.
To stem the growing number of overdue payments, the Japan Student Services Organization plans by year's end to join the bureau, which counts around 1,400 banks and other financial institutions among its members, according to the sources.
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Adequate capital base vital to stability: BOJ chief Fri, 10 Oct 2008 15:13:00 -0500 WASHINGTON (Kyodo) Bank of Japan Gov. Masaaki Shirakawa said Thursday it is vital for financial institutions to keep adequate capital bases for their smooth financial intermediation, alluding to the need for the U.S. to use public money to recapitalize its ailing financial bodies.
"Smooth financial intermediation is indispensable for economic growth. If the self-owned capital of financial bodies is insufficient, those entities will not be able to take risks," Shirakawa told reporters in Washington.
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Nuke plant garbage room smokes up Fri, 10 Oct 2008 15:14:00 -0500 MITO, Ibaraki Pref. (Kyodo) Smoke filled a solid waste disposal facility Friday morning at a nuclear power station in Tokai, Ibaraki Prefecture, but no radioactive leakage, injuries or environmental damage have been reported, according to the operator and local government officials.
The electric power generation operations of the nuclear reactor at the Tokai No. 2 Power Station are continuing despite the incident, which occurred around 6:35 a.m., operator Japan Atomic Power Co. said.
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BOJ injects record ¥4.5 trillion Fri, 10 Oct 2008 15:15:00 -0500 The Bank of Japan injected ¥4.5 trillion into the Tokyo money market Friday, the biggest-ever amount in a single-day operation.
The injection of liquidity marked the 18th straight business day of emergency operations by the BOJ in an effort to facilitate interbank borrowing amid financial market turmoil.
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24 Hours Mt.Fuji - Dedicated to hiking and climbing Mt. Fuji, with access, BBS, links, photos, sunrise and sunset data.
Meta Description: [ 「ずっと富士山」は日本一のライブカメラサイトです。青く輝く駿河湾から望む霊峰富士は、まさに日本を代表する絶景。浮世絵を彷彿させる光景をゆっくりご堪能ください。富士山に関する情報も満載です。 ]
Institute of Enology and Viticulture - Describes history and purpose, various laboratories, and its experimental wineyard and winery. Located in Kofu.
Katsunuma Wine Cave - Katsunuma Wine Cave, a visit to a wine-tasting cave near Yamanashi and Katsunuma train stations.
Meta Description: [ bento.com -
Katsunuma Wine Cave, a visit to a wine-tasting cave in Japan's wine country near Tokyo
]
Kizan Wine - Winery in Enzan City with a description of the Japanese wine industry, plus list of local wines and brandies.
Shunsen Art Museum (Kushigata-Town Yamanashi) - Collection of works and documents of Shunsen Natori, known as the last postwar master of kabuki ukiyoe woodblock prints, along with works by other print makers.
Meta Description: [ Information about the Kushigata Shunsen Museum of Fine Arts ]
TownNet - Yamanashi - TownNet directories of Yamanashi, General information, travel, regions, events, shopping, and business.
Meta Description: [ Directory of Yamanashi Prefecturtre, Japan. General information, Travel, Regions, Events, Shopping, Business, and more. ]