Japan Times: Computerized composite joins AKB48 lineup

Confectionery company Ezaki Glico Co., which features the character named Aimi Eguchi along with a few other AKB48 members in the commercial for its Ice no Mi (Fruit of Ice) product, confirmed Monday that she is a composite image of six members of the group.

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ABC News: Magnitude-6.7 [...]

Photo Source: Reuters.

Reuters: Missing pets – a lingering legacy of Japan’s disasters

“If you go into the zone, animals were all over the place – farm animals, dogs, and cats. Animals were in distress on roads and they were in a very bad shape,” she said. “People were not able to get access to [...]

Photo Source: Reuters.

Reuters: Stradivarius fetches record $16 million in charity sale

A rare Stradivarius violin that once belonged to the granddaughter of English poet Lord Byron sold for a record 9.8 million pounds ($15.9 million) at auction on Monday in a charity sale for Japanese disaster relief.

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Wall Street Journal: Japanese Supercomputer Claims World’s [...]

Photo Source: Wall Street Journal.

Wall Street Journal: The Geiger Club: Mothers Bust Silent Radiation Consensus

Yuka Sasaki, who is 28 years old and has a four-year-old son, lives in Kawashi in Chiba prefecture, which has been designated as a “hot spot” with higher-than-usual radiation levels – even though it’s 200 kilometers away from Fukushima. [...]

Photo Source: The Telegraph

The Telegraph: Japan fails in promise to rehouse 30,000 victims

A maximum of 27,200 units will be completed by the end of May, Akihiro Ohata, the infrastructure minister, told parliament on Monday The government is sticking to its pledge, however, to provide temporary housing to the 110,000 people who are living [...]

With the resignation of Hatoyama Yukio last week, Kan Naoto became the fifth man to hold the post of Japanese Prime Minister since September 2006. Since this time, Abe Shinzo (1 year), Fukuda Yasuo (1 year), Aso Taro (1 year), and Hatoyama Yukio (8.5 months) have all failed to govern beyond their first anniversary… Indeed, [...]

A new Yomiuri poll conducted over the weekend had support for the Hatoyama Cabinet down 4 points in the last month, to 59%. This is still a relatively high level of support for a Japanese Prime Minister and his Cabinet, but support has been falling steadily since the election a few [...]