Japan This Week: 22 June 2008

今週の日本

Japan makes robot girlfriend for lonely men.

NY Times

Japan hangs three convicted killers.

NY Times

Japan, China seal deal on gas fields.

Asahi

Pills and porridge: prisons in crisis as struggling pensioners turn to crime.

Guardian

Operators idle squid boats over fuel costs.

Japan Times

PM indicates time is right for consumption tax hike decision.

Daily Yomiuri

Japan trust in coach Okada after World Cup escape.

Yahoo! Sports

Recognition at last for Japan's Ainu.

BBC

Japan officials admit taxi gifts.

BBC

'New Queen of S&M' Aya Sugimoto's latest flick takes a beating.

Mainichi


Last week's Japan news

Japan Statistics

The average price of gas in Japan is now 172.3 yen/liter, which is down slightly from the June 9 record of 172.4.

Source: Kyodo News

The current Justice Minister, Kunio Hatayama, has authorized 13 executions as of June 18th. This is already a record-setting pace--the previous minister oversaw 10 executions in his entire tenure--and with more than 100 death-row inmates in Japan more will probably face the gallows.

Source: Yomiuri Shinbun

5,744 people died on Japan's roads in 2007 - the 7th consecutive year-on-year drop and the first time for the figure to fall below 6,000 since 1953. People over 65 made up 47.5% of the total fatalities. There were 832,454 traffic accidents in 2007 and the number of people injured came to 1,034,445. There were 430 deaths and 7,558 accidents due to drunk driving both down about 30% from 2006.

Source: Kyodo News

33,093 people committed suicide in Japan in 2007. 12,107 people 60 or over and 4,767 people in their 30s took their own lives, both record highs. Of the total 23,478 were men; 9,615 women.

Source: National Police Agency


Book a hotel in Japan with Bookings

Japanese Fiction

Happi Coats

Tags

crows Japan News Japan Statistics politics