Random Japan

OUCH!
A Fukuoka man in his 30s was hospitalized after being bitten by a redback spider while removing a can of coffee from a vending machine.

A special-ed teacher in Aichi was reprimanded for handcuffing a ten-year-old autistic student who wouldn't follow her instructions.

A worker at a nursing home in western Tokyo is in hot water after taking a photo of a female resident and sending it to colleagues in an email that compared the woman to a cartoon character.

Headline of the Week: "80 Percent Approve of Being Cared for by Robots: Survey" (via Mainichi Japan)

stats

28
Nationalities represented at a disaster drill for foreigners in Sumida-ku last month

14
Consecutive years that Japan has cut its official development assistance

91
Number of times Japanese fighter jets scrambled against Chinese aircraft from October to December, according to the Defense Ministry

Newly Released Emergency Ration Cup O' Noodles Last for Three Years

by Michelle

The Cup O' Noodles that "saved your life" in college may now actually save your life in an emergency situation.

Reported to be ready in three minutes, but last for three years, these emergency ration ramen noodles were cooked up in the test kitchens of the Cup Noodle Museum in Kanagawa prefecture and the Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum in Osaka. Two types of emergency ration instant ramen are available: "Chiken Ramen" and "Cup Noodles." Each canister of ramen has a shelf life of three years and will be available for a limited time from Nissin Foods.

 

You Can't Touch This　

 Japan's Vow's To Keep Whaling

Fools Hold Rally

Elderly shoplifters may need help not punishment, say prosecutors

February 22, 2013
Alarmed by the number of elderly and mentally disabled people who repeatedly shoplift or walk out of restaurants without paying, regional prosecution offices are trying to help such offenders instead of sending them to court.

The Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office said it hired a part-time social welfare expert on Feb. 21 to help it build connections with welfare institutions and explore whether assisting people in need can reduce petty crime.

It will be the first such office in Japan to conduct a trial like this, but already some public prosecutors at the Tokyo office have been--at their own initiative--handing repeat offenders to welfare institutions.