Irabu Hideki. Photo Source: BBC.

BBC: Baseball pitcher Hideki Irabu dies, aged 42

Baseball pitcher Hideki Irabu, who played on two World Series championship teams and was one of the first Japanese players in US baseball, has died at 42.
Irabu’s death at his home near Los Angeles was being investigated as a suicide, police said.

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Washington [...]

Japanese Box Office: Jul 23 – Jul 29, 2011

Number 1:

Movie: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows II
Weekend Box Office (US$): $8,711,987
Cumulative Take (US$): $50,058,842
2nd Week at No. 1; $50 million after two weeks

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Photo Source: Bloomberg.

Bloomberg: Apple IPads Shunned by Japanese Salarymen Hanging on to Laptops

Salarymen like Moriya are reluctant to embrace iPad tablets, the fastest-growing segment in the computer industry, because they aren’t light enough or functional enough to replace laptops in Japan. For each tablet shipped to corporate customers in Japan, dozens will be [...]

Here are the top 10 non-news programs for the week of Jul 18 – Jul 24, 2011:

Number 1:

Drama: FIFA Women’s World Cup 2011 Final: Japan vs US
Network: Fuji
Time & Date: 5:00-6:30, Jul 18
Rating: 21.8

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Kitajima Kosuke. Photo Source: Wall Street Journal.

Wall Street Journal: Olympic Swim Champ Kitajima Faces Troubled Waters

The swim star, a household name here with a cheerful demeanor, TV endorsements and chat show appearances, has owned the 100 meter breaststroke since his victory in the event at the World Aquatics Championships in 2003. He followed [...]

Oricon Top 10 Singles for the Week of Jul 12 – Jul 18, 2011:

Number 1:

Artist: Itano Tomomi
Song: Fuini
Units Sold: 90,103
NEW this week

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Photo Source: Bloomberg.

Bloomberg: K-Pop Fever Lures Japanese Consumers to Samsung Smartphones, LG Washers

“I used to rule out Korean products, but now I have no problem with them,” said Ishii, whose purchases include a washer made by LG Electronics Inc. “If my favorite star was advertising a South Korean TV, I would definitely buy [...]

Oricon Top 10 Albums for Week of Jul 12 – Jul 18, 2011

Number 1:

Artist: Juju
Album: You
Units Sold: 111,560
NEW This Week
BUY in Japan:
BUY from Overseas:

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Photo Source: Daily Mail.

Daily Mail: Hipp-oh so sweet: Rare newborn pygmy hippopotamus is Tokyo zoo’s star attraction

The pygmy hippopotamus was born a month ago on June 24 at the Ueno Zoo in Tokyo and is one of only a handful around the world.

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Reuters: Japanese support PM’s call to do away with nuclear [...]

Photo Source: AFP.

AFP: Japan’s quake region holds samurai festival

Japan’s tsunami-hit Fukushima region has kicked off a thousand-year-old horse festival, with riders in samurai armour defying an ongoing nuclear crisis to take to the streets and vow recovery.
The “Soma Namaoi”, or wild horse chase, featured some 80 horses with riders in full samurai armour, [...]