Dismembered body of woman found in Adachi

Parts of a female body were found in a house in Adachi Ward, Tokyo, on Thursday, police said, adding that they have arrested two other occupants of the house. According to police, NHK bill collector Koji Shiga, 47, and his common-law wife Tomoko Hitomi, 34, allegedly killed Shiga's ex-wife, Miho Shiga, 40, earlier this month and cut up her body.

Shiga and Hitomi turned themselves in to police early Thursday morning. Upon inspecting the house, police found an amputated neck, arm, leg and torso in a plastic bag in the living room on the second floor. Shiga and Hitomi shared the house with the victim, police said. According to NHK, Shiga has taken several days off from work since late May due to injury. Police said the suspects have so far given no motive for the crime.

woman badly hurt after being dragged with hand caught in train doors

A 57-year-old woman sustained serious injuries Wednesday after getting her hand caught in the doors of a train at a station in Hadano, Kanagawa Prefecture, and being dragged nearly 40 meters along the platform and falling into the gap between the platform edge and the train.

The woman, a resident of the city, was rescued after the train was halted by the screams of other passengers and she was taken to a hospital but has sustained heavy injuries such as broken ribs, police said.

The incident occurred at around 10:40 a.m. at Tokaidaigakumae station on the Odakyu Odawara Line, operated by Odakyu Electric Railway Co.

The conductor, usually in the last car of the train, did not notice anything amiss because the slight curve of the platform obscured his view of the woman when she was getting into the third car of the 10-car train as the doors were closing, according to Odakyu and other sources. He accordingly sent a signal to the driver that the doors had been closed, they said.

The woman was initially dragged for several meters before her hand was freed from the doors but she was then dragged further as she was trapped between the train and the platform edge.

The conductor, alerted by the shouts and screams of other passengers on the platform, activated an emergency stop button and the train halted after running for about 40 meters, the sources said.

Odakyu said a conductor is required to check the doors before the train starts moving and that the doors have sensors that detect objects measuring at least 1.5 centimeters in width between the doors and, if detected, prevent the train from moving.

The conductor was quoted as saying that due procedures were taken to close the doors and no abnormalities, including the presence of the woman, had been detected. No station attendants were on the platform at the time of the incident.

10,000 items of police data leaked onto Internet via Winny software

A 26-year-old policeman at the Metropolitan Police Department's Kitazawa Police Station has mistakenly leaked internal documents, including investigative information, onto the Internet via the Winny file-sharing software, department officials said Wednesday.

About 9,000 documents, including reports on interrogations, and 1,000 photo images are believed to have been leaked from a personal computer belonging to the police officer, the officials said.

The officer, who works for the station's Community Police Affairs Section, had imported the data concerned to his own home PC by borrowing an external hard disk from a 32-year-old sergeant in the same division, according to the officials. The sergeant used to work for an organized crime control section of the Tokyo police headquarters, and so the leaked data are believed to include information on investigations he was involved with at the time.

The department learned of the leak from messages posted on a huge Japanese Internet bulletin board called 2 Channel, the officials said.

The officer in question did not respond to a survey the police department conducted in March to check if any of its employees had installed Winny in their private PCs following a spate of data leaks via the software.

Hirofumi Kitamura, a senior official at the police department's Personnel and Training Bureau, said, "The incident is truly regrettable, taking place amid our efforts to take thorough information security measures. We hope to ascertain the facts and deal strictly with the case."

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki told a press conference, "The information leakage is unacceptable, and I expect the police force to fully investigate its cause and take preventive measures."


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Woman arrested for causing 4-year-old son to die by force-feeding him pepper powder

A 31-year-old unemployed woman was served with a fresh arrest warrant Friday on suspicion of causing her 4-year-old son to die by force-feeding him red pepper powder in Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture, in January, police said.

Miyuki Mitsunaka has denied the allegations, saying she does not recall having done such an act, police said. The latest arrest warrant was on a charge of causing injury resulting in death.

Police said their investigation showed that her son Kakeru, a kindergarten student, choked to death at their house at around 1:30 p.m. on Jan 3 on an amount of red pepper powder that was more than a small child could swallow.

On the day of the incident, Mitsunaka called for an ambulance, telling the rescue team that her son stopped breathing after having mistakenly swallowed the powder, and then became unconscious, according to the police.

Police initially arrested Mitsunaka on Jan 4 and served her with another warrant on Feb 7 for allegedly beating Kakeru and leaving him outside last December after she got upset about his having eaten meat in the refrigerator. She is currently standing trial on a charge of assault and negligence as a guardian.

Kakeru had red pepper in his bronchial tubes and died later at a hospital. Police found a bottle of cayenne pepper almost empty in the kitchen.

Mitsunaka had lived with Kakeru alone, as her older son was institutionalized in 2004 after he and Kakeru were found to have been abused. Since the older boy was the main victim of the abuse at that time, a child consultation office considered it safe for Kakeru to return home, according to sources of the office.

Lawmakers group to seek removal of China's anti-Japan photos

Veteran conservative lawmaker Takeo Hiranuma and other Diet members will launch a parliamentary league on Wednesday to urge China to remove photos from its war museums that show the Japanese military's wartime atrocities, involved lawmakers said Friday.

The launch of the league was initially planned for January but was delayed because Hiranuma, an independent member of the House of Representatives, who is expected to head the group, suffered a stroke in December and was hospitalized.

The group plans to urge China through diplomatic channels to remove what it calls "unjustifiable" photos which are believed to be displayed in about 150 Chinese war museums and aim to convey China's victory in its resistance to Japanese military aggression. The lawmakers said the museums have apparently been established in response to the Chinese Communist Party's efforts to boost patriotism among the younger generations.

1,000 protest in Okinawa at gov't view on military role in war suicide

Some 1,000 people staged a rally in Okinawa on Saturday demanding the education ministry retract its contentious instruction to history textbook publishers to play down the Japanese military's role in mass suicides by civilians during the 1945 Battle of Okinawa.

Participants including members of local teachers unions took to Kokusaidori Street in downtown Naha, chanting, "Don't distort the reality of the Battle of Okinawa." In March, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology advised publishers of new high school history textbooks to reword descriptions in the current versions that the embattled Imperial Japanese Army forced civilians to kill themselves in the war so as not to be taken prisoner by the United States.

Man hurls plastic bottles at Lee at Narita

A man hurled two plastic bottles containing liquids at former Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui at Narita airport Saturday as he was about to take a return flight home after an 11-day trip to Japan, police said. The 84-year-old former leader was unhurt as the bottles failed to hit him. The incident took place around 3:20 p.m. in the departure lobby of the Terminal 2 building of the international airport east of Tokyo.

The man was immediately taken into custody. He refused to answer questions from police, they said. The man emerged from among some 60 people waving flags at Lee in the lobby to show their support for Taiwan and to see him off, investigators said.

Lee blasts China for making fuss over Japan leaders' Yasukuni visits

Former Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui on Saturday blasted China for making a fuss over Japanese leaders' visits to Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo which is seen by Beijing as a symbol of Japanese militarism during and before World War II.

Speaking at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo, the 84-year-old former leader also reiterated that Taiwan is an "independent country" and urged Beijing to promote democracy.

On Yasukuni Shrine, which honors Japan's war dead, Lee said, "There is no rationale for a foreign government to say anything at all about or criticize" visits by Japanese leaders to the shrine because "it is natural to pay homage to young people who died for their own country."

Lee said the problem of Yasukuni visits is an issue "made up by mainland China and Korea" in an attempt to divert criticism by their peoples away from domestic issues that they have "failed to deal with."

"Even so, the Japanese government has been too soft in dealing with them," he said.

The Yasukuni shrine venerates 2.5 million war dead including colonial subjects and — most controversially — 14 top war criminals from World War II.

Lee said he paid the pilgrimage to mourn his late brother, who is enshrined as he died fighting in the Japanese navy in 1945 when Taiwan was Tokyo's colony.

"There is no reason for Japan to be criticized by foreign countries or foreign governments over this kind of issue," Lee said. "It is such a natural thing to honor young people who died for their country."

Japan's former prime minister Junichiro Koizumi paid annual pilgrimages to the Yasukuni shrine, infuriating China and South Korea which refused any summits with him.

In a bid to improve relations, Koizumi's successor Shinzo Abe has maintained a strategic silence on whether he will go while in office, even though he was a frequent visitor before becoming premier in September.

Lee angered Beijing during his 1988-2000 tenure by seeking a separate identity for Taiwan. Beijing lobbed missiles near the island in 1995 and 1996, prompting the United States to send in warships.

In remarks that will likely trigger more furor in Beijing, Lee repeated the island was already effectively independent.

"I won't be daunted at all by whatever China says about Taiwan," Lee said. "The people in Taiwan shouldn't care about it, either."

"The residents of Taiwan must hold the opinion that this is our country, otherwise no one would help us," Lee said.

China's defeated Kuomintang nationalists fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing the mainland's civil war. Beijing considers the island a territory awaiting reunification, by force if necessary.

Lee's remarks came hours after Chinese President Hu Jintao, on the sidelines of a Group of Eight summit in Germany, warned Abe to exercise caution on any Taiwanese moves for independence.

Abe replied there was no change in Japan's policy of recognising only Beijing. His government has said Lee was on a private visit. As a Taiwanese, he does not need a visa to enter Japan.

Only a dwindling handful of countries recognise Taipei as China's legitimate government, with Costa Rica on Wednesday switching allegiance to Beijing.

Despite repeated protests by Beijing, Lee said his trip to Japan was "a big success" and he wants to visit again.

Taiwan was a Japanese colony from 1895 to 1945 and many Taiwanese tend to be friendlier than Koreans and mainland Chinese towards Japan.

But indigenous Taiwanese leaders were outraged by Lee's visit to the Yasukuni shrine, saying Japan has not yet atoned for its colonial rule.

Abe gives himself pat on the back over contribution to G-8 summit

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday claimed that Japan made a "significant contribution" to the just ended Group of Eight summit and pledged to continue taking up the issue of climate change as a major topic next year when Japan takes over as host of the summit from Germany.

Giving himself a pat on the back, a beaming Abe told a press conference that he was "very satisfied" that discussions at the summit for a consensus on emissions reduction "were centered on my proposal" and that Japan's initiative was included in the summit declaration.

Abe, who made his debut at the summit in the German resort of Heiligendamm, also emphasized his leadership in guiding discussions on the North Korean nuclear, missile and abduction issues.

"I won the understanding and support of the other leaders and we were able to send a strong message in the Chair's Summary that included a demand for an early resolution of the abduction issue," Abe said.

Abe's carefully scripted language, including the repeated use of "I," which is rare in Japanese, reflects the premier's eagerness to impress the Japanese public with his achievements at the summit in hopes of improving his ailing support ratings just a month ahead of a crucial House of Councillors election.

"I will ensure that next year's summit will be managed so that it is absolutely environmentally friendly," Abe said. "I also hope to make Japan's superb technology and expertise in energy saving a showcase, so I hope you all will come and enjoy it too."

Although Abe promised Japan will "do the best" to meet its obligation to cut emissions under the Kyoto Protocol, the country is in reality nowhere close to meeting it. While it is obliged to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 6% from 1990 levels by 2012, emissions actually increased by 8% in 2005.

Japan will host next year's summit of the world's top industrial powers at the Lake Toya hot-spring resort in Hokkaido from July 7-9, 2008.

Suicides in 2006 top 30,000 for 9th straight year

More than 30,000 people killed themselves in Japan in 2006 for the ninth consecutive year with suicides among students marking a record high, the National Police Agency said Thursday. The total number of suicides came to 32,155, down 1.2% from a year earlier. Those believed to have died because of financial difficulties, however, declined by a sharp 10.1% to 6,969. The agency attributed the drop to the impact of the economic recovery.

Reflecting a spate of children's suicides reportedly triggered by bullying, suicides by elementary school pupils doubled to 14 in the reporting year and those by junior high school students rose 22.7% to 81, the agency said. Nearly half the overall suicides, 15,402, were attributable to health problems, topping the ranking by cause of death, followed by financial difficulties. Home and work problems came third and fourth at 2,960 and 1,919, respectively.

British ambassador hopes police can make arrest in Hawker murder case

British Ambassador to Japan Graham Fry expressed hope Thursday that the police will soon apprehend the 28-year-old Japanese man wanted in connection with the murder of a British woman in Chiba Prefecture in March. "I'm disappointed that he is not yet caught...I hope he will be caught soon," Fry said in response to a question about the case of Lindsay Ann Hawker, 22, whose body was found March 26 at the suspect's condominium.

But he also defended the police, saying they are "doing their best" and that more than 100 police officers are still working on the case and about 30,000 posters have been printed and displayed at police boxes and other locations.

The suspect, Tatsuya Ichihashi, is still at large after fleeing from police officers who called at his apartment on March 26 after the language school Hawker worked for said it had been unable to contact her.

Police have not been able to locate him since his escape. They have issued an arrest warrant for Ichihashi on suspicion of abandoning Hawker's body. The body was found buried in sand in a bathtub on the balcony of the condominium unit.

Abe leaves for G-8 summit debut in Germany

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe left for Germany on Tuesday morning to attend a Japan-European Union summit in Berlin and make his debut at the Group of Eight nations summit in the Baltic resort of Heiligendamm, where issues related to global warming and Africa are expected to top the agenda.

Abe, plagued by domestic woes including the recent suicide by a cabinet minister, is set to take up the North Korean nuclear, missile and abduction issues and seek reconfirmation of support from his G-8 counterparts, in hopes of salvaging his falling support rating ahead of a crucial House of Councillors election next month. With Japan set to host next year's G-8 summit, the Heiligendamm meeting will test Abe's diplomatic clout as he seeks to demonstrate leadership in forging a consensus over a new international framework to fight global warming from 2013.

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Australia accuses Japan of 'dummy-spit' over whales

Australia's environment minister on Sunday accused Japan of a "dummy-spit" — a childish tantrum — over its failure to lift the ban on commercial whaling at an international conference last week. "It was a very bad conference for Japan," Malcolm Turnbull said of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting in Alaska.

After losing its bid to overturn the two-decades-old moratorium on commercial whaling, Japan threatened to pull out of the 77-nation IWC and start a breakaway group.

"I think their huge dummy-spit at the end will not reflect well on Tokyo," Turnbull told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. "I think the Japanese government really has to sit back and ask itself, looking at the debacle that was Japan's outcome at the whaling conference... 'Can we continue to fly in the face of world opinion on this issue?'"

Australia is a leading opponent of the resumption of commercial whaling and a strong critic of Japan's "scientific" whaling program, under which it kills hundreds of whales each year.

This year, it wants to include on the hit list 50 humpback whales from stocks that migrate annually from Antarctic waters along the Australian coast to their breeding grounds in the tropical Pacific.

The plan has caused outrage in Australia, where whale-watching is a multimillion dollar industry with boats taking tourists to see the giant mammals making their way up the country's east coast.

Turnbull said engaging Japan over whaling had to be done constructively.

"Whaling is essentially a nationalistic issue in Japan; that's its support base, so the engagement with Japan has to be as a friend, it has to be candid, it has to be constructive. If you threaten Japan, they dig their heels in."

But he rejected the suggestion that accusing Tokyo of a "dummy-spit" was far from constructive. "Their own mothers would recognize they did a dummy-spit," he said. "To stand up at the end of the conference and say: 'That's it, we're threatening to pull out' — that is a dummy-spit on any view."

Aso suggests China need not worry over Lee's visit

Foreign Minister Taro Aso offered assurances to his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi that China need not worry about former Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui's recent visit to Japan, Japanese officials said. Yang, who met Aso on the sidelines of a trilateral meeting with their South Korean counterpart on South Korea's Jeju Island, expressed concern over the itinerary of Lee, currently in Japan, the officials said.

Aso said that he understands Lee will not conduct any political activity. Beijing has criticized the Japanese government for allowing Lee, who left office in 2000 and is seen by Beijing as one of the key supporters of Taiwan independence, to make the visit.

Approval rating for Abe cabinet plunges to 35.8%

The approval rating for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's cabinet plunged to 35.8%, down 11.8 percentage points from mid-May, marking a record low since he took office last September, a Kyodo News poll showed Saturday.

The fall was apparently caused by the recent suicide of former Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Toshikatsu Matsuoka, who had been implicated in financial scandals, and the ruling coalition's forcible passage of bills to revise the Social Insurance Agency. The poll also showed 28.8% said they would vote for the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan if the House of Councillors election is held now, exceeding 26.5% who would vote for Abe's Liberal Democratic Party.

Efforts to hand down history of wartime sex slavery continue

While references to wartime sex slavery have almost disappeared from textbooks, efforts to hand down its history and to unite with former so-called "comfort women" on a grassroots level are continuing, panelists at a Tokyo symposium said Saturday.

In the symposium, teachers, college students and human rights advocates shared their activities to learn about the history of the wartime atrocities, with some 100 people attending.

"I was really shocked to know through a college seminar that women who were about the same age as I am now were forced to become sex slaves and they have been left without sufficient compensation even now," said Naoko Kotani, a senior at Kobe College.

She visited South Korea last year with classmates to meet with former sex slaves, known euphemistically as comfort women in Japan, who told the students it is necessary for people to keep amicable ties even if the relations of their countries are at odds.

"Since then, I have been requested to tell the experiences of learning about the sex slavery and seeing the victims to high school students," Kotani said. "Some of the students asked me at what college they could learn about the history of the wartime sex slavery."

The symposium was held at the start of an exhibition at the Women's Active Museum in Tokyo, at which panels are displayed explaining how women were kidnapped and forced to serve as sex slaves, and who managed the wartime brothels and for what purposes.

Also exhibited are an example of a condom that the Imperial Japanese Army distributed to its soldiers for use at the wartime brothels and a preventive ointment for sexually transmitted diseases, as well as photos of comfort women and Japanese soldiers lined up in front of a brothel.

The event, named "Exhibition of 'Comfort Women' for Junior High School Students," will continue through May 25 next year.

Another panelist, Mai Murakami, who is involved in group activities in Kyoto to invite former comfort women to Japan, said, "I was once told by one of the former comfort women that people in Japan forget what she told them shortly after listening to her story."

"So I repeatedly attend their lecture meetings and say I do not forget them," Murakami said. "I also visit them in the Philippines and Taiwan."

She also said she sees some aggressive comments posted by people on her group's website, such as, "Is there any evidence for wartime sex slavery?" or "The women are telling lies."

Tomomi Oda, a senior at Yokohama National University, said at the symposium she has also experienced facing biased counterarguments about sex slavery.

"But now I think it may be necessary to talk with those who have a difference historical perspective to find out why they have come to have such thoughts," she said.

From the floor, a social studies teacher at a junior high school in Tokyo said, "It's difficult to take up the issue of comfort women in classes now in Tokyo," suggesting a rise in nationalistic education there. "A teacher would face harsh criticism only by distributing the leaflet of this exhibition at school, but I want to let my students see it somehow."

The participants, meanwhile, showed concern over the advanced age of the former comfort women, with Murakami from Kyoto saying, "I fear many of them will pass away within several years."

"It's our responsibility to hand down what they've told us," Murakami said. Oda shared much the same view, saying, "As a citizen, I'd like to continue seeking ways we can commit to memory their stories and how we should hand them down."

Japanese fishing boat captured off Kamchatka

The Russian border guard captured a Japanese fishing boat from Toyama Prefecture in waters east of the Kamchatka Peninsula on Friday, Japan's consulate general in Vladivostok said Saturday.

The Hoshin Maru No. 88, with 16 crew members and the captain, is now being taken to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy on the peninsula on suspicion of illegal operations, according to the consulate general and a local report. It will arrive there Sunday.

Japan hints at withdrawing from IWC to form new whaling body

Japan indicated Thursday it may withdraw from the International Whaling Commission and seek to form a new whaling body as it faced strong opposition to its proposal for small-scale coastal whaling for four Japanese communities.

The Japanese delegation made comments hinting at withdrawal during the final-day session of the four-day IWC annual meeting in Anchorage, Alaska.

Japan said it has put up with "dysfunction" of the IWC ever since the 1986 moratorium on commercial whaling was set and that the rejection of the proposal regarding small-scale coastal whaling was the last straw.

"IWC lost the last chance to reclaim the role of a resource management organization. We are not able to give them any more concession," said Akira Nakamae, Japan's alternate commissioner.

"Our resolution was really well thought and there is no logical reason to turn that down from the resource management perspectives," said Nakamae.

As for the forming of the new body, Japan disclosed no details of its plan at the press conference, saying it is very interested in the idea and would explore options in discussion with other countries.

Japan said it was disappointed by not getting any support from the United States on small-scale coastal whaling, as Tokyo was hoping Washington would change its mind and support Japan's resolution.

In line with the hard-line Japanese stance, Yokohama Mayor Hiroshi Nakada, who was attending the meeting, withdrew his city's candidacy for hosting the annual IWC meeting in 2009.

"The IWC's policy is nothing but a double standard and I fully support Japan's remarks and actions," said Nakada after the press conference, explaining his decision.

Japan dropped the proposed resolution on small-scale coastal whaling after failing to obtain consensus, and did not call for a vote.

The resolution was submitted earlier in the week, asking the commission to consider implementing interim arrangements to assist coastal whaling communities in Japan.

Earlier in the meeting, the IWC approved a nonbinding resolution for maintaining the moratorium on commercial whaling Thursday.

A group of 26 whaling nations including Japan abstained from voting, while 37 conservation-minded nations supported the resolution.

Y120 million gold bathtub stolen from hotel in Chiba

An 18-karat-gold bathtub worth roughly 120 million yen was stolen early Wednesday morning from a bathing area for men at a hotel in Kamogawa, Chiba Prefecture, police said. Employees of the Kominato Hotel Mikazuki confirmed that the 80-kilogram tub was in place at 2 a.m. in the bathing area on the 10th floor of the hotel, but at 9 a.m. they found that the tub had been removed and the chain on the door to the room had been broken.

The tub, which is 1 meter 10 centimeters long, 60 cm wide and 55 cm deep, had been placed in a glazed room and the door to the room was locked with the chain and padlock when not in use. Police said there were no marks on the floor showing that the heavy tub had been dragged. The hotel installed the tub, manufactured by a jewelry company in Tokyo, in 2005.

Agriculture minister Matsuoka commits suicide; leaves 6 notes

Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Toshikatsu Matsuoka committed suicide Monday at his residence in Tokyo amid various political funds scandals, dealing a blow to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe who had supported him in the face of increasing opposition pressure for his resignation ahead of the House of Councillors election in July. Six suicide notes, addressed to individuals, such as the premier, upper house member Shuntaro Kageyama, the vice agriculture minister and Matsuoka's secretary, were found on a desk in his room.

In addition, two pieces of paper were also left, with one of them, addressed to Japanese people and his supporters, saying, "I'm sorry for causing trouble," according to police.

Matsuoka also wrote on the pieces of paper, "I have to blame myself for the problems," and "Only my wife knows the inside details."

Abe told reporters, "He was a competent minister of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, so the effects on the administration will be significant."

The premier also said he is keenly aware of his "responsibility" for Matsuoka's action as the one who appointed the 62-year-old LDP lawmaker to the Cabinet post.

Asked what he thinks lay behind the suicide, the premier said shortly after confirmation of Matsuoka's death, "I do not have any comments to make at this stage. It is not appropriate to make presumptions lightly."

According to the lower house's secretariat, it was "probably the first case in postwar Japan" in which an incumbent Cabinet member has committed suicide since Army Minister Korechika Anami committed "hara-kiri" on Aug 15, 1945, the day World War II ended.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki told a press conference that Environment Minister Masatoshi Wakabayashi has replaced Matsuoka as acting agriculture minister on a temporary basis.

A by-election to fill the vacant seat will be held in the No. 3 constituency in Matsuoka's home prefecture of Kumamoto on the same day as the upper house election, now speculated to be July 22, in line with the Public Offices Election Law.

Matsuoka was found by his secretary and a security police officer hanging by a rope resembling a dog leash in his pajamas in the living room of his residence in a parliamentary housing building in Tokyo's Akasaka District at 12:18 p.m., the Metropolitan Police Department said.

Matsuoka's heart was not functioning when the secretary, who talked to the minister in the room around 10 a.m., and the officer found him, the police said. They visited the room because Matsuoka had not shown up to attend a meeting of the House of Councillors Audit Committee.

Matsuoka was taken to Keio University Hospital at around 1 p.m., where he was pronounced dead at 2 p.m., Shiozaki, the top government spokesman, said. The cause of his death was suffocation.

Police said no autopsy was performed on Matsuoka's body and handed it over to his relatives later in the day.

Abe, Shiozaki and other cabinet members were among people who attended a wake held at a funeral hall in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward on Monday evening. Abe left there some 15 minutes later without saying anything to reporters.

Matsuoka took the cabinet post for the first time last September, when Abe assumed office. He had been under fire for various political funds scandals, with opposition lawmakers demanding he resign as minister.

Matsuoka had been questioned for not providing a clear-cut account of the expenditures to run his office.

In March, the funds management body of Matsuoka was found to have booked more than 20 million yen as utility costs for five years until 2005, despite the fact the body used a cost-free official parliamentary office.

When questioned by opposition lawmakers during parliamentary committee deliberations, Matsuoka said the funds were booked appropriately under law and attributed the huge utility charge to "special water" he was buying, which he said cost 5,000 yen for a 500-milliliter bottle, a remark that sparked public controversy.

In the most recent case, his fund management and other related bodies were found to have gained a total of 13 million yen in donations over three years through 2005 from 14 contractors based in the southwestern Japan prefecture that have been awarded public works orders from the Japan Green Resources Agency.

The agency is a farm ministry-affiliated forestry management entity suspected of having been involved in rigging bids. Matsuoka formerly worked in the ministry as a bureaucrat and served as senior vice minister in it after becoming lawmaker.

Matsuoka was first elected to the lower house in 1990. He was reelected for a sixth term in 2005.

Hospital copes with 2 celebrity deaths, media swarm

Keio University Hospital, one of Tokyo's premier university hospitals, was packed with reporters, television crews and concerned ordinary people on Monday, with helicopters hovering in the sky, due to the deaths of two well-known people.

Izumi Sakai, the singer of Japanese pop group ZARD, died at the hospital on Sunday after falling from stairs there, her office said Monday morning. She had been hospitalized for treatment of cancer. Shortly after, scandal-hit farm minister Toshikatsu Matsuoka was found to have hanged himself at his residence on Monday and was taken to the hospital shortly after 1 p.m. where he was pronounced dead about an hour later.

Scores of reporters, photographers and TV crew members jammed every hospital gate and entrance they could find, trying to catch a glimpse of the two unfolding sagas. And some TV networks managed to capture the scene where Matsuoka was taken into the hospital on a stretcher — a scene repeatedly shown on their breaking-news programs.

Komeito chief warns Abe over constitutional revision

The New Komeito party would refrain from supporting Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's campaign for the upcoming House of Councillors election if the premier goes too far in calling for amending the Constitution, the party's head warned Sunday.

The New Komeito party, the coalition partner of the Liberal Democratic Party, will tolerate Abe's seeking constitutional revision in general terms, but "will have to hesitate in giving support if fundamentally different ideas from ours are called for," Akihiro Ota said in a TV Asahi talk show. "What is important is the substance," Ota said. "It would make no sense if we do not discuss what should be revised in the Constitution."

System glitch forces ANA to cancel 126 flights

All Nippon Airways Co cancelled 126 domestic flights on Sunday and delayed other flights due to a computer system glitch before restarting its operations at around 6 p.m., affecting about 57,000 passengers. The trouble also disrupted the operations of such regional airlines as Skynet Asia Airways Co, IBEX Airlines Co and Hokkaido International Airlines Co, known as Air Do, whose systems are linked with that of ANA.

As the system functions resumed at 3:30 p.m., ANA restarted its flight operations. However, some flights are expected to be delayed on Monday, ANA said. ANA said the glitch disrupted its computer system which controls the reservation process as well as boarding and luggage flows from early morning, forcing its staff to issue boarding tickets manually.

Shiga couple gets 7 years for fatally abusing 2-year-old daughter with steel bar, hot water

The Otsu District Court on Friday sentenced a couple in Takashima, Shiga Prefecture, to seven years in prison for fatally abusing their 2-year-old daughter by pouring hot water on her last year. Handing down the ruling on Kenta Nagasaka, 25, and his wife Chizuru, 26, Presiding Judge Hidenori Nagai said, "It was a selfish and shortsighted crime. The defendants do not seem to feel any compassion to their daughter while mental and physical pains she suffered are unimaginable."

According to the ruling, the couple, frustrated by their daughter Yuna taking too much time to eat meals, repeatedly hit her with a steel bar or poured hot water on her since late May. Yuna died July 5 due to septicemia resulting from burns.

Abe unconcerned about N Korea's missile launches

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters Friday night that he does not regard the reported launches of short-range missiles by North Korea as "a serious issue for Japan's security."

The premier declined to give further details on what kinds of intelligence Japan has, but he said North Korea's actions were "regrettable" and again urged North Korea to carry out promised steps toward denuclearization before the international community runs out of patience. A senior Japanese Defense Ministry official said on condition of anonymity that the situation does not pose an immediate threat to Japan, noting that a similar incident involving the launch of multiple short-range missiles also occurred around the same time last year.

Emperor, empress arrive in Estonia

Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko arrived Thursday in the Baltic state of Estonia on the second leg of their 10-day European tour, marking the emperor's first visit to any of the 15 former Soviet republics.

After meeting with Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves and his wife, Evelin, in Kadriorg, the imperial couple attended a formal luncheon hosted by the president and his wife at the nearby Kadriorg Art Museum. The emperor and empress then went to the Tallinn Song Festival Grounds to attend a concert of youth choirs.

Australia whale-watchers protest Japan's plans for humpbacks

An Australian petition of almost 40,000 signatures protesting Japan's plans to hunt humpback whales will be handed to the International Whaling Commission at its annual meeting in Alaska next week. The petition was compiled by Whale and Dolphin Watch Australia, a national association representing commercial whale-watching boat operators.

Southern humpbacks migrate north annually to Australian waters from the Antarctic Ocean, where Japan recently decided it would extend its whaling program to include taking 50 of the species. The decision has caused outrage among Australian whale-watching operators, who say it will destroy a tourism industry worth A$300 million (about $247 million) per year.

Tour operator Peter Lynch, who owns Blue Dolphin Marine Tours in the whale-watching town of Hervey Bay on the northeastern coast, said that humpbacks are considered the most outgoing whale species because of their willingness to swim close to boats.

"It is the humpbacks that make the whale-watching industry. They are very boat-friendly," Lynch said. "What we are most worried about in the whale-watching industry is that the Japanese whaling will cause a behavioral change in the humpbacks and they will no longer be willing to come near boats anymore."

Lynch and other whale-watch operators are calling on the Australian government to take a tougher stance than its previous diplomatic protests by imposing trade sanctions against Japan.

The resurgent opposition Australian Labor Party, which is leading in the polls, has declared it will take legal action against Japan for hunting in the protected waters of the Antarctic if it wins office in the upcoming national election, slated for November.

Over the weekend, the party also outlined a plan to use Australian navy ships to intercept Japanese whaling vessels in the Antarctic Ocean.

Australian Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull has attacked the plan, saying the action would amount to piracy. The government has also rejected the option of taking legal action against Japan.

Blair asked to intervene in Hawker case

British Prime Minister Tony Blair is being urged to press his Japanese counterpart to ensure that everything is being done to find the killer of English teacher Lindsay Hawker, amid little signs of progress in the nine-week investigation.

Bill Olner, a member of Britain's lower chamber, the House of Commons, recently asked Blair to talk to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe," to put his (Abe's) authority behind the effort to ensure that the killer is caught, and to ensure that the Japanese state police are involved."

He also urged Blair to arrange for a British police officer to sit in on the Japanese investigation as an observer and report back to Hawker's parents.

Olner, who is the local parliamentarian for the Hawker family, said the Japanese police "had been doing their best to apprehend the killer," but "have not been successful."

Blair said he understood "the Japanese authorities are treating it as a major case" with "something like 100 police officers or more working on it."

He said he would "reflect carefully" on Olner's request and come back to him with a reply at a later date.

Hawker's body was found in a sand-filled bathtub on the balcony of an apartment in Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture, on March 26. Tatsuya Ichihashi, 28, who lived in the property, is wanted in connection with her death.

Despite the sizeable police investigation and release of security camera footage of the suspect, little progress has so far been made. There have also been some concerns about the handling of the case.

Some experts have criticized the fact that Ichihashi was able to get past several police officers who arrived at the suspect's flat on March 26.

Lindsay's father, William Hawker, has recently said he thought the British Embassy or Japanese police could have come up with a more recent photo of Ichihashi as the one currently on posters is several years old.

Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett called on the Japanese media to give the case more coverage.

The suspect befriended the 22-year-old English teacher, who worked for Nova Corp, several days before her death, and asked Hawker to give him English lessons.

Security camera footage shows Ichihashi and Hawker in a coffee shop on the day before her body was discovered.

Police believe Hawker was probably suffocated after being partially strangled and severely beaten. Her body had been found tied with synthetic-resin cord.

Former POWs want to meet emperor in Britain to spell out their grievances

Emperor Akihito, who arrives in Britain on Sunday for an official visit, will not face any of the protests he had to endure on his last trip, but former prisoners of war would still like to meet him and spell out their grievances.

Emperor Akihito's state visit to Britain in 1998 turned into something of a public relations disaster, when former Japanese POWs turned their backs on him and burned a Japanese flag as he rode with Queen Elizabeth in a royal carriage through central London.

Later, as Emperor Akihito laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Westminster Abbey, around 500 protesters once again turned their backs on the Japanese emperor. They also started humming "Colonel Bogey," a song whistled by British POWs while working to build a bridge over the River Kwai in Burma (now Myanmar).

The ex-POWs were, and still are, pressing Japan for a meaningful apology and compensation for their suffering during World War II. Thousands of POWs died in captivity as a result of the grueling conditions they had to endure. They were also angry at Britain's decision to award the Order of the Garter to Emperor Akihito.

Instead of a positive visit emphasizing the otherwise harmonious state of relations between the two countries, the adverse publicity in 1998 served to reopen old wounds.

However, nine years on, a more moderate approach seems to be being taken. With most of the veterans either deceased or in their 90s, no such demonstrations are planned during the emperor's three-day stay.

Arthur Titherington, chairman of the Japanese Labour Camp Survivors' Association, said any apology would have to come from Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, but the emperor could influence him. He is seeking a short meeting with Emperor Akihito during his visit to Oxford University.

He said, "I would like, more than anything, to meet Emperor Akihito and speak about our problems getting a proper and meaningful apology from the Japanese government.

"I would ask him whether he had the authority to make the government see that in order to create a better relationship, a meaningful apology and compensation is the answer.

"Don't get me wrong, I have no ax to grind with him. He has done nothing wrong and was far too young during the war to bear any responsibility. I really do feel that nothing but good could come by meeting him."

Titherington claims the declaration from Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama in 1995 — in which he expressed "deep remorse" and a "heartfelt apology" for suffering caused by Japan during World War II — did not go far enough. He claims the Japanese language used amounted to a "regret."

Instead, Titherington would like to see the word 'shazai' used, the Japanese term for a formal apology. Titherington went on to explain that it means, "I have committed a sin for which I humbly apologize."

Back in 1998 on his state visit, the emperor spoke of his "deep sorrow and pain" over the suffering inflicted by Japan during the Second World War, but the veterans felt this fell well short of what they demanded.

But nine years on, Titherington does not regret the demonstration he helped to organize for the state visit, despite accusations the veterans were manipulated by the British media looking for a good story.

He said, "That demonstration was as much to try and shame our government as much as the Japanese government."

And Titherington believes the protest may have helped "nudge" the British government two years later into giving $20,000 each to former servicemen who were imprisoned by the Japanese. The cash was paid in recognition of their treatment and the derisory financial settlement each former POW received at the end of the war from Japan following the signing of the San Francisco Peace Treaty in 1951.

He felt, however, that this money should have come from Japan instead of the British government. Britain has always shied away from pressing any claim with Japan, claiming the matter was settled with the signing of the treaty.

The issue of an apology and compensation has always divided the former POW community, with some thinking that it is best to move on after all these years and look to the future.

Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko will visit Britain between May 27 and 29. During their stay, they will attend a dinner hosted by Queen Elizabeth and visit Oxford University.

Newborn baby girl found in Tokyo garbage disposal container

A newborn baby girl was found in a garbage disposal container in Kita-Otsuka, Toshima Ward, on Tuesday morning. Police said they received an anonymous call at 7:30 a.m., saying that a baby's cries could be heard coming from the garbage container outside a condominium.

When police arrived at the condo, they found the infant, still with its umbilical cord attached, inside a large paper bag. She was taken to hospital where doctors said she was unharmed. The child was born five days ago, doctors said.

Australian navy dives on sunken WWII Japanese midget sub

Australian navy divers collected a jar of sand Monday from next to a sunken Japanese World War II midget submarine now on the ocean floor off Sydney's coast. The sand will be presented to the families of two Japanese submariners — Sub-Lt Katsuhisa Ban and Petty Officer Mamoru Ashibe — who are believed to have died inside the vessel.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Environment and Water Resources said the sand was collected at the request of Ashibe's relatives and would be given to the families when they visit Australia later this year. The midget sub, which was one of three that took part in Japan's historic raid on Sydney Harbor, was discovered by recreational divers in November last year, following hundreds of false "discoveries," and ending almost 65 years of speculation. On the night of May 31, 1942 the M24 entered Sydney Harbor and fired torpedoes that missed the U.S. cruiser USS Chicago but exploded beneath the barracks ship HMAS Kuttabul, killing 19 Australian and two British sailors.

Fukushima teen went to karaoke after killing mother

An arrested 17-year-old boy has told police he went to a karaoke shop after killing his mother last week at an apartment in Fukushima Prefecture, investigative sources said Sunday. Police are examining security-camera images provided by the karaoke shop to uncover his behavior before he turned himself in with the mother's severed head after the suspected murder in the city of Aizuwakamatsu, the sources said.

According to investigations so far, the teen is suspected of killing his mother with a knife around 1:30 a.m. last Tuesday and cutting her head and right arm with a saw. He is then believed to have changed his clothing, gone to the karaoke shop on a bicycle, moved to an Internet cafe and stayed there mainly listening music DVDs for about two hours from around 5 a.m. that day before going to the police station by taxi. He is believed to have carried the severed head in a school shoulder bag the whole time.

Lower house panel approves 3 education bills

An education panel of the House of Representatives approved Thursday a set of three education reform bills aimed at instilling patriotism during compulsory education, reinforcing state control over local education boards and requiring teachers to renew their licenses every decade. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who places top priority on education reform, hopes the bills will be enacted during the current regular session through June 23, coalition sources said.

One of the bills is to revise the School Education Law, with a provision citing instilling patriotism as a goal of compulsory education, while another is to amend the regional education administration law by reinforcing the power of the education minister in managing schools. The third bill is designed to strip teachers of tenure for life and require them instead to renew their licenses every 10 years.

Couple arrested for dumping body of baby boy

Police arrested a young couple early Thursday on suspicion of abandoning the body of a boy who was recently identified as a 1-year-old from Toyonaka in the prefecture. The arrest of Mika Tamiya, 21, and her husband Motoki, comes just a day after police identified the boy as Yu Minematsu, whose body was found in a roadside gutter in the town of Nose in the prefecture last month, they said.

The two have both admitted to the charge. Mika was identified to be the boy's mother through a DNA analysis, they said. The two told the police they "put the boy in a space to hold helmets on a motorcycle because two people cannot go out on a bike while holding a child." They said the boy was dead when they returned, according to police. The body was naked, with its head in a blue plastic bag, police said. It had no external injuries and an autopsy also failed to pinpoint the cause of the boy's death.

Man shoots policeman, fires at 2 others; holes up in residence with wounded officer in Aichi

A man fired a gun at a police officer and two other people shortly past 4 p.m. Thursday in Nagakute, Aichi Prefecture, and is now holed up in a private residence with the wounded officer lying outside, police said. The two others — a man in his 30s and a woman in her 20s — have been taken to a hospital and are not in a life-threatening condition, according to police.

The police officer, who is in his 50s, is believed to be conscious, they said. Prior to the shooting, police received an emergency call at around 3:50 p.m. in which the caller said, "My father has gone crazy with a gun." Police have surrounded the residence and are trying to persuade the man to surrender.

Wakayama grades anthem-singing by teachers, students at local schools

The Wakayama prefectural board of education has been appraising how well teachers and students sing the "Kimigayo" national anthem at school ceremonies since April 1999, board officials said Wednesday. "The appraisal is in line with the nation's school curriculum guidelines, which seek respect for the anthem," a board official said.

According to the board, its officials sit in on entrance and graduation ceremonies at elementary and junior high schools and grade the singing on a scale of "good," "relatively good" and "poor."The education board has also checked if the singing is part of the ceremony, if the anthem is sung to a piano accompaniment or to recorded music, and where the "Hinomaru" national flag is displayed.

Of some 400 schools in the western Japan prefecture, singing at seven schools was judged to be "poor" at entrance ceremonies in April 2004, but the number has remained zero since graduation ceremonies in March 2005.

Hiroichi Yamaguchi, superintendent of the prefectural education board, said, "We will collect opinions on the assessment process from local schools and district education boards, and decide whether or not the practice should be continued."

Kimigayo and Hinomaru are legally defined as Japan's national anthem and flag, respectively. However, forcing teachers and students to sing the anthem and show respect for the flag at school ceremonies has been criticized as infringing upon freedom of thought and conscience as guaranteed under the Constitution.

1 in 3 amusement parks did not know of safety standards

One third of major amusement parks in Japan were not aware of government-set standards for safety checks on their facilities, a Kyodo News survey showed Saturday. The results, released as park operators are under scrutiny nationwide following a fatal roller-coaster accident in Osaka Prefecture earlier this month, show many of them lack the proper knowledge about inspection norms under the Japanese Industrial Standards.

A total of 51 major amusement parks with roller coasters in 29 prefectures responded to the survey conducted after the May 6 accident at the Expoland park in Suita, Osaka, that killed a woman and injured about 20 other people. The operator of the park has admitted that it did not conduct a necessary checkup for 15 months. The survey showed 17 of the 51 amusement parks did not know even of the existence of the JIS norms. Many of them said they had not been notified or that they had depended on maintenance companies for checkups.

Female bar owner stabbed to death in Saitama

A 65-year-old female owner of a bar in the town of Sugito, Saitama Prefecture, was found dead with a kitchen knife stuck in her left chest on Friday, police said. Kazuko Makiuchi was found lying in the bar by her eldest son, Kazuo, a 35-year-old company employee, who informed police around 6:10 p.m.

The son visited the bar Friday evening as his mother had not returned home Thursday night. The bar's main door was unlocked, and bloodstains were found on the floor, police said, adding there were marks on the floor from chairs and tables being dragged.

Diet enacts law to reduce air pollution in big cities

The Diet enacted a revised law Friday aimed at reducing motor vehicle emissions by tightening regulations on the construction of department stores, offices and other facilities in Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka. The revised law on vehicle-emitted nitrogen oxides and particle matters is designed to regulate those facilities, which may generate heavy vehicle traffic.

The revised law empowers prefectural governors to formulate and implement antipollution measures such as building flyover roadways at intersections or other designated areas polluted heavily with nitrogen oxides and particles from vehicle emissions that cause asthma. It requires reporting to governors projections of gas emissions and plans for reducing emissions before building facilities such as hotels and theaters that may draw vehicles.

In addition, trucking and transport companies in areas surrounding the designated ones are required to work out measures to cut vehicle emissions such as reducing the number of their entries into such areas.

Teenager sexually assaulted by teacher files damages suit over stress disorder

A female teenager in Hokkaido has filed a suit seeking 105 million yen in damages following repeated sexual assaults by a junior high school teacher that left her with post-traumatic stress disorder, her lawyer said Thursday.

The suit also claims that the school and the Hokkaido prefectural education board neglected to take any measures, and is seeking the damages from the teacher, school principal and local government.

According to the suit filed with the Sapporo District Court, she was repeatedly assaulted by the teacher at her home and school for two years from April 2004. She was diagnosed as suffering from PTSD later.

The teacher, who was in his 30s and was eventually arrested for violating the Child Welfare Law and fired, is now serving a prison term.

Though her father and relatives asked the school to take preventive measures, the teacher did not stop assaulting her, prompting her father report to the police in February last year.

Her lawyer Tsuyoshi Takamori said, "The school's and the prefectural education board's failure to take appropriate measures increased her suffering."

An official of the prefectural government said, "We will respond appropriately after reviewing the complaint."

12 Chinese nabbed over faking relations as war-displaced Japanese

Japanese police have arrested 12 Chinese people believed to be kin of a woman who entered Japan using the name of a displaced Japanese in China during World War II, suspecting they have committed fraud and an immigration law violation, the police said Thursday.

The woman had been officially recognized as Hideko Mizusaki in October 1995 and subsequently came to Japan along with several other people including the woman's eldest son Lin Xunwen, 59, and his wife Yang Xiangzhu, 58, who are among the 12 who have been arrested. Lin and his wife are suspected of inviting their relatives to Japan, hoping to get them recognized as Japanese based on the alleged blood relations with Mizusaki.

NHK announcer arrested for indecent assault

An announcer of Japanese public broadcaster NHK was arrested Tuesday night for allegedly pressing himself against a woman and fondling her breasts on a Tokyo street, NHK said Wednesday. Toru Takahashi, 41, was arrested on a charge of indecent assault around 10 p.m. by police who rushed to the street in Shibuya, said NHK.

Takahashi says he hardly remembers what he was doing because he was drunk, NHK said. Takahashi joined NHK in 1991 and is in charge of reporting on location for the broadcaster's morning news program "Good Morning Japan." "It is quite regrettable and we deeply apologize that a member of our staff has been arrested," NHK's public relations department said in a statement.

War bereaved families study separate enshrinement at Yasukuni

The Japan War-Bereaved Association held its first meeting Tuesday in Tokyo to study the proposed separation of Class-A war criminals enshrined at Yasukuni Shrine, group members said.

Association president Makoto Koga, a senior lawmaker of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said in a speech, "We cannot merely continue to leave the situation as it is when there are various public opinions." Koga, a former LDP secretary general, has expressed support for the idea of separating the 14 Class-A war criminals from other souls enshrined at the shrine, mostly comprising the Japanese war dead.

Train groper eludes arrest by jumping onto tracks in Osaka

A man who groped a girl on a morning rush-hour train jumped onto the tracks and disrupted operations in Osaka, West Japan Railway officials said. At around 8:15 a.m., a man apparently in his 30s and wearing a business suit allegedly touched a 15-year-old girl on the Osaka Kanjo Line and other passengers caught him red-handed, officials said.

When the man was pulled off the train at Osakajo Koen Station and was about to be handed over to station staff, he jumped onto the tracks and fled toward the next station, Morinomiya, the officials said. To ensure safety, JR West suspended more than 25 train runs, affecting 28,000 passengers, they said.

Shiozaki says Abe sent offering to Yasukuni in 'private capacity'

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki said Tuesday Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent an offering to Tokyo's war-related Yasukuni Shrine in late April in his "private capacity" and the Japanese government therefore had no comment.

Shiozaki told a press conference that politicians in any country hold positions as private citizens. "This is a matter that concerns the thoughts and faith of the prime minister as a private individual, so we would like to refrain from commenting from the government's standpoint," he said. On media reports that Abe used the title "prime minister" in sending the offering, Shiozaki repeated the government's official view that using one's title does not negate one's private capacity.

School teacher caught filming up girls' skirts with remote-controlled camera

An elementary school teacher was arrested Tuesday for secretly filming up the skirts of high school students, utilizing a remote controlled camera on the stairs of a subway station in Nagoya.

The teacher, identified as Eiichi Tsunekawa, 35, allegedly set up a hidden camera by the stairs near an exit of Mizuhokuyakusho station and secretly filmed up the skirts of two girls on April 7. Tsunekawa hid the camera by wrapping it in newspaper and placed it on the stairs and transmitted the footage to a remote place. Police are questioning him on how often and where else he has done this in the past.

Man arrested for choking wife to death after she finds porn on his cell phone

Police on Monday arrested a 34-year-old man on charges of choking his 28-year-old wife to death in Machida. The man, identified as Hitoshi Kawakami, allegedly attacked his wife Kazuko at their apartment in Morino, Machida, around 9 p.m. on Sunday night.

According to police, Kawakami called a friend after he had choked his wife. The friend notified police at a nearby "koban" (police box). Kazuko was taken to hospital but died around 1:45 a.m. Monday. Kawakami told police that he killed his wife because she found porn images on his cell phone while he was taking a bath. He said she often argued violently with him. The couple married in February.

Japan donates $100 mil to combat climate change

Japan on Sunday announced a plan to contribute $100 million to the Asian Development Bank to set up two new funds to fight global warming and facilitate the investment climate in the Asia-Pacific region.

Finance Minister Koji Omi, who chairs the two-day annual meeting of the ADB that opened earlier in the day, unveiled the plan in his keynote speech delivered at the outset of its general session.

"Japan will establish two funds in cooperation with the ADB...I expect this initiative will help ensure sustainable economic development in the region," Omi said.

The proposed funds are the Asian Clean Energy Fund and the Investment Climate Facilitation Fund. They will be installed as part of efforts aimed at solving challenges under Japan's initiative called "Enhanced Sustainable Development for Asia."

Omi also announced that Tokyo will extend yen loans worth up to $2 billion over the next five years through the Japan Bank for International Cooperation in the area of investment promotion and climate change under joint programs with the ADB.

Japan is keen to boost its presence in the international community as a leading nation to promote environment conservation and energy saving, ahead of its hosting of a Group of Eight summit in 2008.

The venue of the 40th ADB meeting — the nation's ancient capital — is regarded as ideal for Japan to make a commitment for environmental protection because the 1997 Kyoto Protocol aimed at curbing greenhouse gas emissions was agreed here 10 years ago.

Omi reiterated his call for a new pact aimed at curbing greenhouse gas emissions after 2013, stressing the need for the United States, China and India to join it.

"More efficient use of energy and the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions in Asia are necessary for achieving sustainable growth not only in the region but also in the world," he said.

The 1997 Kyoto Protocol, agreed here a decade ago, requires developed countries, including Japan, to cut their greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 levels by an average of 5.2% by 2012.

Omi also urged the ADB to play a greater role in helping Asian economies to overcome problems such as poor infrastructure, poverty and climate change.

"The economy in the Asia-Pacific region has continued rapid growth in recent years. However, there are still about 600 million people living in poverty in the region and poverty reduction remains as an important agenda," he said.

Following Omi's speech, ADB President Haruhiko Kuroda made his opening remarks in which he stressed the need to realize "prosperity with inclusiveness," noting increased inequality across the region.

"To achieve prosperity that benefits all, we must use our natural resources wisely so that the poor do not bear the brunt of the environmental impacts of growth," he said.

Kuroda added he is confident that accelerating regional cooperation and integration will change the regional economy for the better.

More than 3,000 people from both the public and private sectors joined in the annual event, where environmental issues and ways to further eradicate poverty in the region are among the key points of the agenda.

On Monday, Crown Prince Naruhito is scheduled to attend a luncheon hosted by Omi before the gathering concludes in the evening.

The ADB, established in 1966 and based in Manila, has 67 member economies. Japan and the United States are the largest donors.

Iraqi PM sees no need for ASDF after year's end

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki told Kyodo News on Friday that the demand for logistical support extended by Japanese air troops will not last long, saying there will be no need for them "by the end of this year." Maliki said Iraq instead needs civilian Japanese experience, capabilities and technical know-how for reconstruction.

This was the first time the Iraqi prime minister cited a specific time when Air Self-Defense Force troops might be withdrawn from Iraq. With their current mission scheduled to expire July 31, the Japanese government and Japan's governing coalition have introduced legislation to extend the mandate by another two years.

Japan calls on Iran, Syria to play constructive role on Iraq

Japan on Friday called on Iran and Syria to play a role in helping to stabilize the situation in Iraq and vowed to continue Tokyo's own financial assistance and other forms of cooperation for the reconstruction of Iraq. In a speech addressing a key ministerial meeting in Egypt on the security and stability of Iraq, Foreign Minister Taro Aso reaffirmed Japan's strong backing for Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

In his speech, Aso described the stabilization of Iraq as "one of the most urgent issues confronting the international community," and stressed that it is "important for countries such as Iran and Syria to play a constructive role for the stabilization of the region and make efforts to this end."

Noting that the successful reconstruction of Iraq is directly linked to Japan's national interests, Aso briefed his counterparts from Iraq's neighboring countries, the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, and Group of Eight nations on Japan's assistance to Iraq.

Japan, which depends on the Middle East region for over 90% of its oil supply, is the world's second largest donor for Iraq after the United States.

No. of children drops for 26th straight year to 17.38 mil

The number of children below 15 in the nation came to 17.38 million as of April 1 for the 26th straight year of decline, accounting for a record-low 13.6% of the population, according to an internal affairs ministry population estimate released Friday.

The number was 140,000 lower than last year, and the children's share of the population declined for the 33rd straight year, according to the survey, which was released ahead of Children's Day on May 5, a national holiday. The number of boys and girls below 15 decreased by 70,000 each from last year to 8.91 million and 8.47 million, respectively, according to the estimate.

Nagoya man suspected of more than 90 rapes

Police said Friday they have arrested a 27-year-old man for allegedly raping a woman in her apartment last September, and added that the man is a suspect in more than 90 other sexual assaults in the city since 2004. Police have identified the suspect as Seiichi Uesugi, 27, a company employee from Nagoya. He has been charged with raping a 23-year-old woman at knifepoint in her apartment. Police allege he hid outside her apartment and put a knife to her throat when she returned home after work.

Aichi prefectural police say the same MO has been used in more than 90 attacks in the city. Uesugi has admitted to last September's attack, but was quoted by police as saying that he couldn't remember how many women he had assaulted.

Police to arrest 3rd man in Nagasaki mayor murder probe

Police said Monday they have obtained an arrest warrant for a man in his 20s on suspicion of helping a gangster who fatally shot then Nagasaki Mayor Itcho Ito on April 17. The Nagasaki prefectural police said the man was a driver for the gangster, 59-year-old Tetsuya Shiroo, and is suspected of keeping a close watch on the mayor's movements at places other than an election campaign office in Nagasaki where the shooting took place.

On Sunday, police arrested 60-year-old Hiromi Ogawa, who they said acknowledged having given Shiroo a ride to the neighborhood of the scene of the attack shortly before the shooting. The 61-year-old mayor was shot twice in the back at point-blank range in front of his election campaign office on the evening of April 17 during his mayoral election campaign. He died of blood loss the following morning.

Abe meets MSDF antiterrorism mission in Abu Dhabi

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Sunday addressed members of Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force supporting the U.S.-led antiterrorism operations at a port in Abu Dhabi on the second leg of his five-nation tour to the Middle East.

Boarding the docked refueling ship Hamana, Abe told the crew he hopes they will help "write a new chapter for Japan on the frontlines of international contribution," referring to the recent upgrading of the Self-Defense Forces' overseas activities into one of its primary duties from previous subordinate status. "Your activities are highly appreciated internationally. I hope that you will proudly accomplish the mission and return to Japan in good shape," he said.

Japan offers oil storage facilities in Okinawa for use by Saudi Arabia

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe proposed a plan to Saudi Arabia on Saturday night to let the country use part of the state-owned oil storage tanks in Okinawa Prefecture in exchange for a preferential right to purchase the oil reserves there in case of emergency, Japanese officials said.

The proposal was extended during Abe's meeting with Saudi Arabian King Abdullah, who agreed that the largest oil supplier to Japan will examine the plan through the ministerial-level and working-level talks, the officials said.

On the first leg of his five-nation tour to the Middle East, Abe arrived in the Saudi Arabian capital earlier in the day and attended a banquet hosted by Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz.

The oil storage plan is designed to deepen Japan's interdependent relationship with Saudi Arabia and ensure a stable oil supply, the Japanese officials said.

It is hoped to be useful for Saudi Arabia because it would enables the country to set a new commercial foothold in Asia.

At present, Tokyo uses the oil storage facilities on the Henza Island of Okinawa Prefecture, for government use, stockpiling about 5.25 million kiloliters of oil, or an amount equivalent to 10 days of the nation's consumption.

Under the proposed deal, the officials said, Tokyo wants to offer part of the oil tanks for Saudi's use, while asking for the rights to purchase the oil on a priority basis in times of emergency.

Abe and King Abdullah also discussed a range of bilateral and Japan-Middle East relations as well as multilateral issues during the meeting, the officials added.

The leaders then signed a joint statement in which the two countries agree to strengthen political dialogues through high-level talks including those between their foreign ministers.

The joint statement spelled out the creation of a joint task force comprising of representatives from the two governments and private sectors to expand investment, particularly in the fields of automotive, electronics and construction materials.

Abe arrived in the United Arab Emirates' capital Abu Dhabi on Sunday for the meeting with President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Abe's eight-day trip to Saudi Arabia, the United Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar and Egypt marks his first visit to the oil-rich Middle East since assuming office in September. It is also the first time for a Japanese premier to visit Kuwait.

Nagasaki man arrested for abetting mayor's murderer

Police arrested a Nagasaki man early Sunday on suspicion of helping a gangster who fatally shot the then Nagasaki Mayor Itcho Ito on April 17.

Nagasaki prefectural police identified the man as Hiromi Ogawa, 60, who they said acknowledged having given the suspect, Tetsuya Shiroo, a ride to the neighborhood of the scene of the attack shortly before the shooting.

"I was asked to give him a ride. I did not know he was planning to kill the mayor," Ogawa was quoted as telling investigators after his arrest.

The 61-year-old mayor was shot twice in the back at a one-meter point-blank range on the evening of April 17 during his mayoral election campaign. Ito died of blood loss the following morning.

According to investigators, Ogawa, president of a construction company, has long been a close acquaintance of Shiroo, 59, an acting leader of the Suishin-kai gang group affiliated with Japan's biggest organized crime syndicate, the Yamaguchi-gumi.

Shiroo had lent a total of about 80 million yen to Ogawa to help finance his company's operations in the past.

Ogawa gave Shiroo the two-kilometer ride from the assailant's home to a place near the murder scene, police said.

Shiroo hid himself near the entrance of a building close to the mayor's election campaign office, ambushing the mayor after he had returned from the day's barnstorming, they said.

Around 2003, Ogawa's company tried in vain to take out a loan from a financial institution by obtaining a repayment guarantee from the Nagasaki city government. The local government has been running a loan guarantee system to provide assistance to troubled small and midsize companies.

The financial institution turned down Ogawa's request for the loan, leading Shiroo to develop a grudge against the city government. Shiroo was heard complaining about the city's attitude to the matter of the loan, police said.

Police investigators are planning to question Ogawa in connection with the loan matter.

Ogawa's construction company went effectively bankrupt in January 2004 with debts of 50 million yen, according to a credit research company.

Prior to the attack on the mayor, Shiroo had forwarded a letter to TV Asahi Corp, which read, "I cannot forgive Mayor Itcho Ito." The letter claimed that the mayor had perpetrated wrongdoing in connection with public works projects.

The brushstrokes of the handwritten letter are similar to Ogawa's, police said, adding that the investigators are planning to ask him whether he had written the letter on behalf of Shiroo.

Abducted Chinese woman released; police then arrest her for overstaying visa

A 37-year-old Chinese woman, who was abducted in Tokyo on April 22, was taken into protective custody Saturday, police said. After she was kidnapped on her way home in Adachi ward at around 5 a.m. last Sunday, there were some 20 threatening calls via her mobile phone to her relative, who also lives in Tokyo.

The group of kidnappers, believed to be four or five, demanded in Japanese that the relative pay a 15 million yen ransom, police said. While detained, the woman was handcuffed, blindfolded and punched, police said. She was released early Saturday morning with slight injuries, while there was no transfer of money from her relative to the criminals, according to the police.

The woman, who was involved in the adult entertainment business, was arrested on suspicion of overstaying her visa following her release by the kidnappers, police said.

Abe, Bush discuss N Korea, sex slaves, climate, beef issues

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President George W Bush reaffirmed a strong bilateral alliance Friday and warned North Korea of more sanctions unless it acts on a February promise to take initial denuclearization steps soon.

In the summit talks to foster closer friendship during Abe's first visit to the United States as premier, Abe expressed to Bush his apology over the Japanese military's wartime sex exploitation of Asian women, reiterating his sympathy for them, and Bush said he accepted the apology and "appreciated his candor."

At the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland just outside Washington, the two leaders also resolved to continue cooperation on Iraq's reconstruction, agreed in a joint statement to confront climate change and concurred to enhance bilateral and global trade.

"The biggest objective for my visit this time was to reaffirm the irreplaceable Japan-U.S. alliance and make it grow stronger as an unshakeable alliance," Abe told a joint news conference afterwards.

Describing their meeting as a "very constructive, strong dialogue," Bush said they agreed on the need to press North Korea to implement the initial denuclearization steps contained in a Feb 13 agreement at the six-party talks. The president also underscored his commitment to help Japan resolve the issue of Japanese abducted by North Korea.

"Our partners in the six-party talks are patient, but our patience is not unlimited," Bush said, noting, "We have the capability of more sanctions."

The confirmation of unity against North Korea came amid growing concern that Washington is softening its stance on Pyongyang and that Japan will be isolated if it insists on not participating in the provision of aid without first seeing progress on resolving the abduction issue.

Abe, who sought to forge tight personal ties with Bush like those enjoyed by his predecessor Junichiro Koizumi, referred to the president by his first name George several times at the news conference, in an apparent move to show the friendship they developed.

Abe made efforts to calm the furor in the United States over his March remarks denying the military coerced women to work in war brothels, repeating to congressional leaders on Thursday and to Bush on Friday his sympathy for the victims and regret about the misunderstanding.

In a joint statement on climate change and energy security issued after their meeting, Bush and Abe agreed to "work constructively" with international frameworks, including the Kyoto Protocol which Washington has not ratified, to advance clean energy technologies.

They agreed to remain committed to the "ultimate objective" of stabilizing greenhouse gas concentrations and promised to enhance bilateral high-level consultations on climate change, with in mind the post-Kyoto Protocol framework to be discussed at the summit of the Group of Eight nations in Japan next year.

A commitment from Washington, which followed an accord between Japan and China to cooperate on creating the new framework, is a boost for Abe as he seeks to take leadership on the issue which will be high on the agenda of the 2008 summit.

"To resolve the environmental issues and the greenhouse gas issue, I believe this agreement represents important progress," Abe said.

On the security alliance, Abe vowed to stand by the United States at all times, conveying to Bush his plans to revise the postwar pacifist Constitution and to also consider easing Japan's self-imposed ban on exercising the right of collective defense to protect allies under attack, moves that will broaden the global role of Japanese troops and enable further cooperation with U.S. forces.

Abe also expressed Japan's understanding and support for U.S. efforts to stabilize Iraq, saying, "I would like to pay respect and express my gratitude for the noble sacrifice the United States is making" in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The two leaders were also believed to have agreed on expediting the realignment of U.S. troops and deployment of a missile defense system in Japan.

On the economic front, the leaders agreed to demonstrate leadership to secure a successful outcome of the Doha Round of World Trade Organization free trade negotiations. They also welcomed progress in the bilateral sharing of information on each other's free trade agreements with third countries to deepen understanding.

Among trade issues between the two nations, Bush said he urged Japan to ease restrictions on U.S. beef imports, saying, "It's good beef, it's healthy beef...I'm going to feed the prime minister's delegation a good hamburger today for lunch."

The two sides endorsed enhanced bilateral efforts to protect intellectual property rights, strengthen global energy security and facilitate more secure trade flows and increase transparency of regulatory processes.

On Thursday, Abe visited a naval hospital to meet U.S. soldiers wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan, and laid wreaths at Arlington National Cemetery.

Abe and his wife Akie then enjoyed dinner with the president and U.S. first lady Laura Bush, engaging in casual conversation, including on Daisuke Matsuzaka, the Japanese pitcher who plays for the Boston Red Sox, and exchanged gifts.

While it has been common for Japanese prime ministers to visit the United States soon after taking office, Abe broke with tradition and went first to China and South Korea in October to mend chilled ties. He met Bush in November on the sidelines of a regional summit in Hanoi.

Top court denies right of Chinese individuals to seek war reparation

The Supreme Court ruled Friday that Chinese individuals have no right to demand war reparations under postwar agreements. The top court's first decision on the rights claim came after the Hiroshima High Court ordered Nishimatsu Construction Co to pay 27.5 million yen to two former Chinese laborers and relatives of three deceased workers who said they were forced to work at a construction site in Hiroshima Prefecture during World War II.

Nishimatsu appealed the 2004 high court ruling, arguing China gave up individual rights to seek war compensation under the 1972 Japan-China Joint-Communique, in which Beijing declared that "it renounces its war reparation from Japan."

3 death row inmates hanged in Tokyo, Fukuoka, Osaka

Japan hanged three death row inmates Friday, the Justice Ministry said, in a rare move while parliament is in session. The executions, which came amid general calls for tougher punishment by crime victims but drew criticism by human rights activists, were the second set of multiple executions under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe following the hanging of four people in December.

The government usually refrains from executing people while parliament is sitting due to concern the action could affect deliberations on bills there.

The ministry did not disclose the names of those executed in accordance with normal practice. But judicial sources said the three were Yoshikatsu Oda, 59, who was hanged at the Fukuoka Detention House for the murders of two people, Masahiro Tanaka, 42, who was hanged at the Tokyo Detention House for the murders of four people, and Kosaku Nada, 56, executed at the Osaka Detention House for the murders of two people.

The executions, like those in December, were carried out on the orders of Justice Minister Jinen Nagase.

Nagase's predecessor, Seiken Sugiura, did not give the green light to any executions, citing his religious beliefs, during his 11 months in office through September last year, when Abe took office.

According to the ministry, the number of people under sentence of death who had exhausted all avenues of appeal or had not appealed topped 100 in March. With Friday's executions, the number dropped to 99.

There were no executions in Japan for three years and four months until March 1993, mainly due to the reluctance of justice ministers to issue execution orders. Since the resumption of hanging, 54 prisoners have been executed, including Friday's three.

Human rights group Amnesty International Japan on Friday lodged "a strong condemnation" of the government's executing the three inmates only four months after the previous hangings.

The Fukuoka District Court sentenced Oda to death in March 2000 for the murders of two people for insurance money in 1990 in Fukuoka Prefecture. The sentence was finalized because he retracted his appeal.

The Supreme Court in September 2000 dismissed Tanaka's appeal against the death sentence for the murders of four people for robbery or other reasons from 1984 to 1991 in Kagawa, Tokushima, Tokyo and Kanagawa prefectures, as well as other crimes.

The top court rejected Nada's appeal in September 1992 against the death sentence for the murders of two people for robbery in January 1983 in Hyogo Prefecture.

Abe explains his stance on sex slave issue to Pelosi, 10 other U.S. lawmakers

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday expressed regret to U.S. Congressional leaders about misunderstandings over his recent remarks on the Japanese military's wartime sexual exploitation of Asian women, upon arrival in Washington for his first visit to the United States as premier.

Abe's two-day visit, during which he will reaffirm the bilateral alliance with U.S. President George W. Bush in summit talks Friday, came as Congress debates a resolution that calls for Tokyo's apology to the victims. U.S. civic groups placed a full-page newspaper advertisement the same day while about 100 protesters rallied outside the White House.

"I believe my remarks and true intentions were not conveyed accurately, but I as an individual and as prime minister sympathize with the former 'comfort women' for their sufferings and feel sorry for the hardship they were put through," Abe was quoted by Japanese officials as telling House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and 10 other U.S. lawmakers.

The Japanese premier visited Capitol Hill for the hourlong meeting first thing upon arrival in Washington, in apparent hopes that an explanation in person will help abate harsh criticisms over his remarks in March that there was no evidence to prove physical coercion by the Japanese military on the "comfort women."

Prior to Abe's arrival, a senior White House official said the matter will not be a major issue during the Abe-Bush summit on Friday as the premier has "done a lot to clear up the misunderstanding" by reiterating he will uphold a 1993 government apology and expressing his personal apology.

Abe and Bush are instead expected to reaffirm at their talks at the president's retreat Camp David on Friday the strengthening of the bilateral security alliance, cooperation in dealing with North Korea, and enhancing beef trade.

"I would like to have a solid and irreplaceable Japan-U.S. alliance as the cornerstone of Japan's security...and build a relationship with President Bush in which we can discuss everything frankly," Abe told reporters at his official residence ahead of his departure from Tokyo earlier Thursday.

Abe added that he wants to confirm U.S. cooperation on Japan's efforts to press North Korea to return all abducted Japanese, an issue of top priority for his administration. Securing U.S. support will help dissipate concerns that Japan will be isolated at the six-nation talks when there is progress on the North's denuclearization.

To show Japan's determination to boost the bilateral alliance and stand by the United States, Abe visited the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, just outside Washington, on Thursday afternoon to see U.S. soldiers wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan. He also laid wreaths at the Arlington National Cemetery.

In his meeting with Bush on Friday, Abe will explain Japan's decision to extend its troop deployments to support Iraqi reconstruction and his plans to consider easing Japan's self-imposed ban on exercising the right to protect allies under attack.

The wide array of issues to be covered at Friday's summit is also expected to include expediting the realignment of U.S. troops and missile deployment in Japan and boosting cooperation to fight global warming beyond the 2012 Kyoto Protocol time frame.

On the economic front, Abe and Bush are likely to touch on the issue of easing Japanese import restrictions on U.S. beef and discuss how to proceed in light of Washington's agreement Tuesday to accept Japanese inspections of U.S. meatpacking plants.

A U.S. official said the two leaders will also look for ways to coordinate their approaches on the Doha Round of global trade talks and global and bilateral trade liberalization.

Abe, who took office last September, broke with tradition by first visiting China and South Korea to mend chilled ties with those countries before making a trip to the United States, Japan's closest ally.

But he hopes to build mutual trust with the president during this trip like his predecessor, Junichiro Koizumi, who is known for having developed close personal ties with Bush.

After the summit talks with Bush, Abe will continue on with his first visit to the Middle East as premier. He will travel to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar and Egypt to meet with the leaders there and discuss securing energy supplies for Japan as well as cooperation on the Middle East peace process.

The prime minister and his wife will arrive back in Tokyo on May 3.

Hirohito not happy with Yasukuni's honoring Class-A war criminals, diaries show

Japan's late Emperor Hirohito was discontented with Yasukuni Shrine's enshrining of Class-A World War II criminals and concerned about disputes with other Asian countries over history, a set of diaries kept by his close aide showed Thursday.

The diaries were kept by Ryogo Urabe, a chamberlain of the Imperial Household Agency, every day from December 1969, shortly after he took the post, to February 2002. Urabe gave them to the major daily Asahi Shimbun before he died in March 2002. The Asahi Shimbun distributed excerpts of the diaries to other media.

On July 31, 2001, Urabe wrote, "The circumstances about why his majesty called off his visit to Yasukuni Shrine...Directly, the emperor was not pleased with its honoring Class-A war criminals."

On April 28, 1988, the emperor mentioned "Yasukuni's honoring war criminals" in a meeting with Urabe, apparently referring to Japanese Class-A war criminals.

The meeting came after the emperor met with then Grand Steward Tomohiko Tomita the same day. Tomita also wrote in his own memoir that the emperor voiced displeasure with Yasukuni's honoring Class-A war criminals in the day's meeting with him.

The emperor also talked about "China's condemnation and Okuno's remarks" during the 1988 meeting with Urabe, his diary said.

Urabe did not elaborate but the emperor was apparently referring to controversial remarks made by Seisuke Okuno, a Cabinet member who then headed the National Land Agency trying to justify Japan's invasion of China shortly before the emperor-Urabe meeting.

The remarks angered China as well as South Korea.

The diaries also included detailed records of the emperor's fight against diseases after he complained of health problems in 1987.

On Sept 14, 1987, Urabe said, "We're on the track of going ahead with a surgery and judged the trip to Okinawa was impossible. Finally, what should come has come. With being overcast with dark clouds, I'm low-spirited and am not enjoying myself."

Urabe was referring to the cancellation of the emperor's trip to Okinawa.

Urabe also recounted his memory of Jan 7, 1989, when the emperor died at age 87, saying, "We transferred the corpse of his majesty from his bedroom to a living room. I was surprised it was so heavy."

Ex-gangster sentenced to death for murdering 2 in Saitama in 2003

The Saitama District Court on Thursday sentenced a former gangster to death for murdering two people and seriously injuring two others in Saitama Prefecture in August 2003. The court found Hidenori Ogata, 29, guilty of killing Hideaki Suzuki, 28, over disputes about Suzuki's relationship with his girlfriend.

The girlfriend, then age 16, was sentenced by the Saitama District Court in 2004 to an indeterminate sentence of between five to 10 years in prison for encouraging Ogata to kill Suzuki. The ruling for the woman, now age 20, has been finalized. Ogata stabbed Suzuki to death on Aug 18, 2003, in a condominium in Kumagaya. He also abducted three women who were at the scene and strangled one of them, Ai Kanto, 21.

Abe calls for debates on Constitution

The Diet held a ceremony Wednesday commemorating the 60th anniversary of the enforcement of the Constitution, with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe signaling his willingness to revise it and House of Representatives Speaker Yohei Kono being cautious about it. "Toward creation of a new nation, I strongly hope that debates on the Constitution to shape the nation will be promoted actively among the people," Abe said.

Abe expressed appreciation of the role the Constitution has played in Japan's rehabilitation since World War II and subsequent economic growth. But he pointed out that a new era has come, and it is necessary to contribute to the international community and reform fundamental frameworks such as education, the economy and the administrative system, with the Constitution paramount.

Iranian family deported, leaving eldest daughter behind

An Iranian family that has overstayed its visa for more than 10 years was deported Thursday morning, while leaving their eldest daughter behind so she can continue her education at a Japanese junior college. The family — Amine Khalil, 43, his wife Fharoki Akram, 40, and their second daughter Shahrzad, 10, who was born in Japan, were deported as their temporary stay permit expires Friday.

On Wednesday, the three spent their last night in Japan at an apartment where their eldest daughter, Maryam, 18, resides in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture. Earlier this month, Maryam enrolled in a junior college in the city to become a nursery professional in Japan. Maryam's family came to Japan on short-term visas between 1990 and 1991 but overstayed. Facing a deportation order in 2000, the family filed a suit to have it rescinded. The Supreme Court dismissed the request last year, finalizing the order.

Blackman's mother shocked at ruling; blames husband for taking 'blood money'

The mother of slain British woman Lucie Blackman said Tuesday she was in "complete shock" following the acquittal of Japanese businessman Joji Obara on all charges involving the death of her daughter. Jane Steare also criticized her former husband and Lucie's father, Tim Blackman, for accepting a 100 million yen condolence payment from Obara last September, which she called "blood money." She said Japanese prosecutors warned her and her ex-husband that it could affect the ruling.

The Tokyo District Court sentenced Obara to life in prison Tuesday for drugging and raping nine women, which included the subsequent death of Australian Carita Ridgway, but acquitted him of all charges related to Blackman due to lack of evidence.

Tim Blackman told a press conference in Tokyo that crucial evidence was not presented by the prosecution at Obara's trial and that he wanted the prosecutors to appeal against the district court's decision.

Speaking to Sky News, Steare, who stayed in Britain for the verdict, said, "I'm in complete shock. I never thought he would get acquitted."

"I'm pleased for Carita Ridgway's mother, Annette, that justice has been served for her and the other victims. I don't know whether he will stay in prison for life, though," Steare said.

She said she did not know why Obara had been found not guilty of raping and fatally drugging Lucie, aged 21, in 2000, as well as mutilating and abandoning her body.

Regarding the condolence payment, Steare told the TV station, "I don't know how you could take money from someone who has been convicted as being a rapist...I just don't understand it."

The court handed Obara, 54, the life sentence, as sought by the prosecution, in the cases of five foreign and four Japanese women. Of these, Ridgway died and two others suffered injuries.

Obara has already appealed the life sentence.

Explaining the ruling, presiding Judge Tsutomu Tochigi said there was no evidence to directly link Obara to the dismembering and abandonment of Blackman's body.

On the charge of raping Blackman resulting in death, Tochigi said that, unlike with other victims, there was no video recording of the rape and no evidence to prove the suspect administered any drugs to her or assaulted her.

The judge said although there were similarities between Blackman's case and the other women's, supposition was not enough given that the cause of her death was unknown.

Speaking to Sky News after the verdict, Tim Blackman said he was jubilant when he heard the word life imprisonment in court. But when he found out it did not apply to his daughter, "in just a few moments the six years we have been pushing and struggling...just disappeared in a few words."

He said that following the ruling he learned in a meeting with prosecutors that important evidence — which he did not go into details about — was not presented by the prosecution.

"Now we have started to find out more about the background and potential holes in the prosecution, we are sort of thinking that she deserves better than that. She deserves to get the justice she should have," he said.

He said he had "no regrets" about taking the condolence money and his daughter and Lucie's sister, Sophie, said the judge had told the court that receipt of the money had had no bearing on the verdict or sentencing.

Blackman also took aim at his ex-wife, who has not only criticized the condolence payment but also claimed Monday that her former husband "was a serial adulterer who put his own needs before those of his children."

He said, "The most regrettable thing is that Sophie and I are here, doing what we are doing, and yet it has taken this opportunity to kick off some sort of 'hell hath no fury like a woman scorned' against me on this matter, and it is wrong and just so inappropriate."

On the ruling, Sophie Blackman said, "I just felt distraught and shattered. I never anticipated acquittal. We are facing years and years of legal battles."

Obara pleaded not guilty to the charges against him in all 10 cases in the course of the trial, which lasted about six-and-a-half years.

On Blackman's case, the center of attention in the trial, the indictment said Obara made her drink a beverage laced with a drug before raping her at his condominium in Zushi, Kanagawa Prefecture, in July 2000. She subsequently died, and Obara was accused of dismembering her corpse and abandoning it in a beachside cave nearby.

The dismembered body of Blackman, who worked as a hostess in Tokyo before she went missing in early July 2000 about two months after arriving in Japan, was found in the cave in Miura, Kanagawa Prefecture, in February 2001.