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Former abductees Yasushi and Fukie Chimura, in a letter of protest to a weekly magazine over an article that claimed their 16-year-old son Kiyoshi has a smoking habit.
Minister blames women's advancement for school slaying Friday, June 4, 2004 at 12:45 JST TOKYO -- Disaster management minister Kiichi Inoue suggested Friday that women's social advancement is to blame for a recent murder case in which an 11-year-old girl admitted to killing her classmate at a primary school in Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture.
Schoolgirl killer got angry at being called goody two shoes Friday, June 4, 2004 at 14:00 JST SASEBO -- An 11-year-old girl who admitted to killing her classmate at Okubo Elementary School in Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture, told police that the victim, 12-year-old Satomi Mitarai, posted a message on an Internet bulletin board taunting her for being a goody-goody, investigative sources said Friday. The girl told her lawyers that she killed Mitarai because she had written a message calling her a goody two shoes last Friday, four days before the incident. That message and a couple of others criticizing her weight and appearance made her angry and decide to kill her classmate, she was quoted as telling police.
Diet battles over pension bills Friday, June 4, 2004 at 21:00 JST TOKYO -- The ruling and opposition camps continued their battle over a set of pension reform bills Friday in a last-minute showdown at the House of Councillors but the session was adjourned until after midnight. House of Councillors President Hiroyuki Kurata announced shortly after 8 pm that the session will be adjourned until 12:10 am Saturday, pending an opposition-proposed censure motion against a committee chairman.
Ministers slam Mitsubishi Motors Friday, June 4, 2004 at 14:42 JST TOKYO -- Cabinet ministers made scathing attacks Friday on Mitsubishi Motors Corp for a series of vehicle defect coverups. The defect concealments are "so evil that I am struck speechless," Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Shoichi Nakagawa told reporters. Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Nobuteru Ishihara said he hopes Mitsubishi Motors will "squeeze out all the pus" and reconstruct its businesses.
Japanese tourist missing in NZ presumed dead Friday, June 4, 2004 at 16:07 JST SYDNEY -- A Japanese tourist missing for five days on New Zealand's rugged west coast is presumed dead after parts of his car were found smashed at the bottom of a 70-meter cliff, New Zealand Police said Friday. Despite the biggest ever search and rescue operation along the west coast, involving more than 50 police and volunteers, police have been unable to find the body of Mikimaro Nakanishi.
Microsoft scraps development of True Fantasy for Xbox Friday, June 4, 2004 at 16:29 JST TOKYO -- US software giant Microsoft Corp has scrapped the development of True Fantasy Live Online for its Xbox consoles, which was slated for release in Japan during the winter, its Japan unit officials said Friday. According to Microsoft and developer LEVEL-5 Inc, a Fukuoka-based game software production company, the cancellation was due to a lack of progress in creating a new form of online experience. The game was supposed to let 3,000 gamers join a fantasy world where they would take on roles of various professions and battle real-time through high-speed communications networks.
Traffic law amended to stiffen crackdown on violations Friday, June 4, 2004 at 06:00 JST TOKYO -- The Diet enacted legislation Thursday to stiffen regulations on parking and driving violations, imposing stricter penalties on drivers using their cell phones. Police will also be allowed to contract out work to handle illegal parking to the private sector. Drivers who use cell phones at the wheel will face fines of up to 50,000 yen if caught talking or messaging. Fines for drunk drivers who refuse to take breathalyzer tests will also be raised to a maximum of 300,000 yen from 50,000 yen. Motorcycle and car gangs will be fined for riding in groups even if they do not cause trouble or harm anyone.
Stocks close higher Friday, June 4, 2004 at 16:00 JST TOKYO -- Tokyo stocks rose Friday on late-afternoon buying particularly in export-oriented technology and auto issues following a lackluster trading session as investors opted to make moves after confirming US economic fundamentals.
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