YAMAGUCHI -- A 33-year-old police sergeant who paid a 16-year-old girl to engage in obscene behavior with her at a hotel has been arrested, law enforcers said.
Yamaguchi Prefectural Police arrested the 33-year-old officer, Takayuki Saeki, on suspicion of violating the law banning child pornography and child prostitution. He has reportedly admitted to the allegations against him.
"I did something terrible. I don't have any excuses," police quoted the officer as saying.
Investigators said Saeki paid a 16-year-old girl 15,000 yen to engage in obscene behavior with her at a hotel in Hofu, Yamaguchi Prefecture, in late June last year, despite knowing that she was under the age of 18.
The prefectural police inspection office said police received an anonymous e-mail at the beginning of this month, saying that Saeki was involved in child prostitution. The sergeant had reportedly known the girl for some time. Police suspended Saeki on Jan. 9.
The 33-year-old sergeant took up his job in 1992. He had been working at a police box after being transferred to Shimonoseki Police Station in April 2006.
Chief administrative inspector Sadao Ishida said the matter would be dealt with strictly.
"It was behavior unworthy of a police officer, and we deeply apologize to prefectural residents," he said. "We will carry out strict disciplinary measures following an investigation into the facts."
児童買春：山口・下関署巡査部長を逮捕
少女に現金を渡してみだらな行為をしたとして、山口県警は２９日、同県警下関署地域課巡査部長、佐伯隆之容疑者（３３）＝同県下関市王司川端１＝を児童買春・児童ポルノ禁止法違反容疑で逮捕した。
調べでは、佐伯容疑者は昨年６月下旬、同県防府市のホテルで、１８歳未満と知りながら同市の少女（１６）に現金約１万５０００円を渡してみだらな行為をした疑い。「申し訳ないことをした。弁解の余地はない」と容疑を認めているという。
県警監察官室によると、今月上旬、県警本部に「佐伯（容疑者）が児童買春している」と匿名のメールがあり発覚。少女とは以前から面識があったという。９日から謹慎処分にしていた。
佐伯容疑者は９２年の採用。０６年４月に下関署に異動後は交番勤務だった。
石田貞男首席監察官は「警察官としてあるまじき行為で県民に深くおわびします。事実関係を調査の上、厳正な処分を行う」とコメントした。【島田信幸】
Mainichi
January 29, 2008
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Police officer nabbed for drunkenly assaulting train station employee
SAITAMA -- A police officer who tried to pass through a train station ticket gate without presenting a ticket, and then brushed aside a station employee who tried to stop him has been arrested, police said.
Fumio Terashita, 48, an assistant inspector in the organized criminal control division at Fukagawa Police Station, was arrested for assault.
Police said that Terashita tried to pass through a manned ticket gate at JR Kawagoe Station without presenting a ticket at about 12 a.m. on Wednesday. When a 19-year-old station employee tried to stop him, Terashita shook off the employee's right hand and kept going, prompting other station employees to apprehend the officer.
Terashita was reportedly drunk at the time.
"There's no doubt that I shook off his hand," police quoted the assistant inspector as saying.
Investigators said Terashita was on his way home at the time. He was reportedly carrying cash and a Suica train pass.
警視庁警部補：駅員に暴行容疑で逮捕 埼玉・川越
３０日午前０時ごろ、埼玉県川越市脇田本町のＪＲ川越駅改札口で、同県吉川市高富１、警視庁深川署刑事組織犯罪対策課警部補、寺下文雄容疑者（４８）が有人改札口を切符を出さずに通過しようとした。制止した男性駅員（１９）の右手を振り払って通ろうとしたため、他の駅員らが寺下容疑者を取り押さえ、川越署員が暴行容疑で現行犯逮捕した。酒に酔っており「手を振り払ったのは間違いない」と話しているという。
調べでは、寺下容疑者は帰宅途中で、「車内で寝込んだ」と供述している。現金やＩＣカード乗車券「Ｓｕｉｃａ」は持っていたという。
Fumio Terashita, 48, an assistant inspector in the organized criminal control division at Fukagawa Police Station, was arrested for assault.
Police said that Terashita tried to pass through a manned ticket gate at JR Kawagoe Station without presenting a ticket at about 12 a.m. on Wednesday. When a 19-year-old station employee tried to stop him, Terashita shook off the employee's right hand and kept going, prompting other station employees to apprehend the officer.
Terashita was reportedly drunk at the time.
"There's no doubt that I shook off his hand," police quoted the assistant inspector as saying.
Investigators said Terashita was on his way home at the time. He was reportedly carrying cash and a Suica train pass.
警視庁警部補：駅員に暴行容疑で逮捕 埼玉・川越
３０日午前０時ごろ、埼玉県川越市脇田本町のＪＲ川越駅改札口で、同県吉川市高富１、警視庁深川署刑事組織犯罪対策課警部補、寺下文雄容疑者（４８）が有人改札口を切符を出さずに通過しようとした。制止した男性駅員（１９）の右手を振り払って通ろうとしたため、他の駅員らが寺下容疑者を取り押さえ、川越署員が暴行容疑で現行犯逮捕した。酒に酔っており「手を振り払ったのは間違いない」と話しているという。
調べでは、寺下容疑者は帰宅途中で、「車内で寝込んだ」と供述している。現金やＩＣカード乗車券「Ｓｕｉｃａ」は持っていたという。
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Man suffers cracked ribs in police questioning
The Yomiuri Shimbun
A 37-year-old lieutenant of the Osaka prefectural police allegedly kicked a steel desk into a male suspect during questioning, cracking the man's ribs, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.
The police will soon send papers to prosecutors, referring to suspicion of violence resulting in injury by a special public officer.
The police will consider taking disciplinary action against the lieutenant.
According to the police, the incident occurred in December as the lieutenant was questioning a 67-year-old man indicted for defrauding people who had bought worthless wildland in a scam, by convincing them to invest in condominiums.
During the interview, the lieutenant reportedly sat opposite the man at a desk in an interrogation room at the prefectural police headquarters.
When the man, who had been arrested four times since July in relation to the alleged fraud, repeatedly denied the allegations, the lieutenant became irritated and kicked a leg of the desk.
The force of the kick caused the desk to hit the man in the side, who reported pain and was taken by another investigator to hospital. He was diagnosed there as having suffered cracked ribs.
Only the lieutenant and the defendant were in the room at the time.
January 19, 2008
A 37-year-old lieutenant of the Osaka prefectural police allegedly kicked a steel desk into a male suspect during questioning, cracking the man's ribs, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.
The police will soon send papers to prosecutors, referring to suspicion of violence resulting in injury by a special public officer.
The police will consider taking disciplinary action against the lieutenant.
According to the police, the incident occurred in December as the lieutenant was questioning a 67-year-old man indicted for defrauding people who had bought worthless wildland in a scam, by convincing them to invest in condominiums.
During the interview, the lieutenant reportedly sat opposite the man at a desk in an interrogation room at the prefectural police headquarters.
When the man, who had been arrested four times since July in relation to the alleged fraud, repeatedly denied the allegations, the lieutenant became irritated and kicked a leg of the desk.
The force of the kick caused the desk to hit the man in the side, who reported pain and was taken by another investigator to hospital. He was diagnosed there as having suffered cracked ribs.
Only the lieutenant and the defendant were in the room at the time.
January 19, 2008
Friday, January 18, 2008
Lecture on domestic violence canceled over protests it could break up families
TSUKUBAMIRAI, Ibaraki -- The municipal government here has cancelled a lecture on domestic violence scheduled for next Sunday in response to protests from opponents, city sources said.
Opponents criticized the Law for the Prevention of Spousal Violence and the Protection of Victims, which allows the government to provide shelters for domestic violence victims, on the grounds that it would lead to the breakdown of families.
Kazuko Hirakawa, head of Tokyo Feminist Therapy Center who was to be invited to the lecture, expressed regret over the move. "It's regrettable because I wanted to show attendees the reality of domestic violence."
The Tsukubamirai Municipal Government planned to hold the meeting on Sunday. It intended to invite Hirakawa, who also serves on a government advisory panel, as a guest speaker. It began public relations on the meeting in late December last year.
However, the government had since received about 100 e-mails urging the city not to hold the event. "Don't use taxpayers' money to hold such a biased meeting," one of the e-mails said.
On Wednesday morning, protesters who gathered in front of the municipal government headquarters chanted a slogan against the lecture through loudspeakers.
The municipal government then decided to cancel the event on the grounds that if it went ahead, it would lead to confusion and cause trouble to attendees.
ＤＶ防止法：反対団体の抗議で講演会中止 つくばみらい市
配偶者や恋人などによる暴力「ドメスティックバイオレンス（ＤＶ）」をテーマにした講演会を２０日に予定していた茨城県つくばみらい市が、被害者保護などを定めたＤＶ防止法に批判的な市民団体などの抗議を受け、開催を断念していたことが分かった。
講演会は市内の公民館を会場に、内閣府の専門調査会委員でＤＶ被害者支援に取り組む平川和子・東京フェミニストセラピィセンター所長を講師に招いて開く予定だった。
市によると、０７年１２月下旬にＰＲを始めたところ１月に入り「偏向した講演会を市費で行わないで下さい」などと記した要請書やメールが届くようになり、約１００通に達した。１６日朝には、市役所前で数人が拡声器を使って抗議する騒ぎが起き、市は「開催しても混乱を招き、参加者に迷惑をかける」と判断して、中止を決めた。
開催に反対した市民側は「被害者のシェルターへの保護は家族を破壊する」などとＤＶ防止法を批判しているが、平川さんは「ＤＶの実態を伝えたかったので残念だ」と語った。
Opponents criticized the Law for the Prevention of Spousal Violence and the Protection of Victims, which allows the government to provide shelters for domestic violence victims, on the grounds that it would lead to the breakdown of families.
Kazuko Hirakawa, head of Tokyo Feminist Therapy Center who was to be invited to the lecture, expressed regret over the move. "It's regrettable because I wanted to show attendees the reality of domestic violence."
The Tsukubamirai Municipal Government planned to hold the meeting on Sunday. It intended to invite Hirakawa, who also serves on a government advisory panel, as a guest speaker. It began public relations on the meeting in late December last year.
However, the government had since received about 100 e-mails urging the city not to hold the event. "Don't use taxpayers' money to hold such a biased meeting," one of the e-mails said.
On Wednesday morning, protesters who gathered in front of the municipal government headquarters chanted a slogan against the lecture through loudspeakers.
The municipal government then decided to cancel the event on the grounds that if it went ahead, it would lead to confusion and cause trouble to attendees.
ＤＶ防止法：反対団体の抗議で講演会中止 つくばみらい市
配偶者や恋人などによる暴力「ドメスティックバイオレンス（ＤＶ）」をテーマにした講演会を２０日に予定していた茨城県つくばみらい市が、被害者保護などを定めたＤＶ防止法に批判的な市民団体などの抗議を受け、開催を断念していたことが分かった。
講演会は市内の公民館を会場に、内閣府の専門調査会委員でＤＶ被害者支援に取り組む平川和子・東京フェミニストセラピィセンター所長を講師に招いて開く予定だった。
市によると、０７年１２月下旬にＰＲを始めたところ１月に入り「偏向した講演会を市費で行わないで下さい」などと記した要請書やメールが届くようになり、約１００通に達した。１６日朝には、市役所前で数人が拡声器を使って抗議する騒ぎが起き、市は「開催しても混乱を招き、参加者に迷惑をかける」と判断して、中止を決めた。
開催に反対した市民側は「被害者のシェルターへの保護は家族を破壊する」などとＤＶ防止法を批判しているが、平川さんは「ＤＶの実態を伝えたかったので残念だ」と語った。
Police sergeant nabbed for threatening to kill woman
NAHA -- A police sergeant has been arrested for threatening to kill a woman by sending her e-mail messages from his mobile phone.
Masaharu Fukuchi, 49, a sergeant at Ishikawa Police Station in Okinawa Prefecture, is accused of intimidation.
Fukuchi has denied the allegations, saying, "I was drunk and don't remember threatening her."
Okinawa Prefectural Police were apologetic about the incident. "We deeply apologize to prefectural citizens and will strive to recover the public's confidence in us," said Shiho Toma, a senior officer at the prefectural police's inspection office.
In the specific cases for which the suspect was arrested, Fukuchi sent a woman e-mail messages saying he would kill her on 14 separate occasions between the afternoon of Jan. 10 and the morning of Jan. 11. One of the messages was apparently sent while he was on duty.
However, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Investigators suspect that Fukuchi sent the woman similar messages on about 60 occasions since Nov. 28 last year. On a few other occasions, he allegedly even called her and said, "I will kill you."
Police have found no link between the police sergeant and the woman, and they suspect that Fukuchi had mistaken her for an acquaintance.
脅迫警官：携帯メールで女性に「殺す」…逮捕 沖縄
携帯電話のメールを使って女性を脅したとして、沖縄県警は１７日、石川署警務課留置管理係の巡査部長、福地正治容疑者（４９）を脅迫容疑で逮捕した。
調べでは、福地容疑者は１０日午後～１１日早朝、自分の携帯電話で１４回にわたって女性の携帯電話に「殺します。恨みをはらす」などとメール送信し、脅した疑い。うち１回は勤務中に送信したとみられる。福地容疑者は「酒に酔っていたため脅迫した記憶はない」と供述しているという。
携帯電話の履歴などから、昨年１１月２８日以降、同じ女性に計約６０回、同様のメールをしたことがわかっており、数回は電話で直接「殺すぞ」などと脅したらしい。
これまでの調べで２人に接点はなく、県警は福地容疑者が知人と勘違いして脅迫した可能性もあるとみて動機を追及している。
当真嗣邦（とうましほう）・県警首席監察官は１７日記者会見し「県民に深くおわびし、信頼回復に全力を尽くします」と謝罪した。
Masaharu Fukuchi, 49, a sergeant at Ishikawa Police Station in Okinawa Prefecture, is accused of intimidation.
Fukuchi has denied the allegations, saying, "I was drunk and don't remember threatening her."
Okinawa Prefectural Police were apologetic about the incident. "We deeply apologize to prefectural citizens and will strive to recover the public's confidence in us," said Shiho Toma, a senior officer at the prefectural police's inspection office.
In the specific cases for which the suspect was arrested, Fukuchi sent a woman e-mail messages saying he would kill her on 14 separate occasions between the afternoon of Jan. 10 and the morning of Jan. 11. One of the messages was apparently sent while he was on duty.
However, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Investigators suspect that Fukuchi sent the woman similar messages on about 60 occasions since Nov. 28 last year. On a few other occasions, he allegedly even called her and said, "I will kill you."
Police have found no link between the police sergeant and the woman, and they suspect that Fukuchi had mistaken her for an acquaintance.
脅迫警官：携帯メールで女性に「殺す」…逮捕 沖縄
携帯電話のメールを使って女性を脅したとして、沖縄県警は１７日、石川署警務課留置管理係の巡査部長、福地正治容疑者（４９）を脅迫容疑で逮捕した。
調べでは、福地容疑者は１０日午後～１１日早朝、自分の携帯電話で１４回にわたって女性の携帯電話に「殺します。恨みをはらす」などとメール送信し、脅した疑い。うち１回は勤務中に送信したとみられる。福地容疑者は「酒に酔っていたため脅迫した記憶はない」と供述しているという。
携帯電話の履歴などから、昨年１１月２８日以降、同じ女性に計約６０回、同様のメールをしたことがわかっており、数回は電話で直接「殺すぞ」などと脅したらしい。
これまでの調べで２人に接点はなく、県警は福地容疑者が知人と勘違いして脅迫した可能性もあるとみて動機を追及している。
当真嗣邦（とうましほう）・県警首席監察官は１７日記者会見し「県民に深くおわびし、信頼回復に全力を尽くします」と謝罪した。
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Biker gang marks disbandment with futsal match against police
KAMAGAYA, Chiba -- Nine former members of a biker gang took part in a futsal match against members of Kamagaya Police Station as they marked the disbandment of the gang.
The gang, Kamagaya No. 1, had been active in Kamagaya for about 30 years. At its peak, the gang had about 50 members, but most of them were apprehended and the gang was recently persuaded by police to disband.
Ten police officers participated in the match on Sunday, which was carried out in a friendly atmosphere and ended in a draw.
雑記帳：暴走族がフットサル試合 解散記念に県警署員と
◇１４日の成人式を前に、今年成人になるメンバーを含む元暴走族９人が１３日、千葉県鎌ケ谷市内で、県警鎌ケ谷署員との「親善フットサル大会」に臨んだ。暴走族がこの日、解散した記念に行った。
◇暴走族は、市内を中心に３０年以上活動してきた「鎌ケ谷ナンバーワン」。ピーク時は５０人がいたが、大半が検挙され、昨年１１月ごろから約１カ月半にわたる署員の説得に応じて解散することにした。
◇署側からも１０人が参加。試合は終始、和やかなムードで進み、結果は引き分けに。全国で荒れる成人式が話題になって久しいが、スポーツマンシップにのっとり、門出を祝った
The gang, Kamagaya No. 1, had been active in Kamagaya for about 30 years. At its peak, the gang had about 50 members, but most of them were apprehended and the gang was recently persuaded by police to disband.
Ten police officers participated in the match on Sunday, which was carried out in a friendly atmosphere and ended in a draw.
雑記帳：暴走族がフットサル試合 解散記念に県警署員と
◇１４日の成人式を前に、今年成人になるメンバーを含む元暴走族９人が１３日、千葉県鎌ケ谷市内で、県警鎌ケ谷署員との「親善フットサル大会」に臨んだ。暴走族がこの日、解散した記念に行った。
◇暴走族は、市内を中心に３０年以上活動してきた「鎌ケ谷ナンバーワン」。ピーク時は５０人がいたが、大半が検挙され、昨年１１月ごろから約１カ月半にわたる署員の説得に応じて解散することにした。
◇署側からも１０人が参加。試合は終始、和やかなムードで進み、結果は引き分けに。全国で荒れる成人式が話題になって久しいが、スポーツマンシップにのっとり、門出を祝った
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Police investigator leaves gun in convenience store restroom
KANUMA, Tochigi -- A police investigator left his loaded gun behind in the restroom of a convenience store here during a patrol early Monday, police said.
At around 5:15 a.m. on Monday, a 27-year-old employee of a convenience store in the Kamitamachi district of Kanuma reported to local police that a bag containing what appears to be a gun was found in its restroom.
Officers confirmed the bag contained a loaded gun, handcuffs, sticks and other items belonging to a 27-year-old sergeant at Tochigi Prefectural Police.
The investigator used the restroom at around 3:25 a.m. on Monday during a patrol, and left his bag containing his gun behind. He had been unaware that he left his gun behind until the convenience store employee notified police.
There is no sign that the gun has been used. Prefectural police are poised to take steps to prevent a recurrence.
拳銃忘れ：巡回中の男性巡査部長 コンビニトイレに 栃木
１４日午前５時１５分ごろ、栃木県鹿沼市上田町のコンビニ店の店員（２７）が「トイレに拳銃のような物が入ったかばんが忘れられている」と県警鹿沼署に届けた。県警機動捜査隊所属の男性巡査長（２７）のウエストポーチで、実弾入りの拳銃や手錠、特殊警棒などが入っていた。中身がなくなったり、使われた形跡はなかったという。
調べでは、男性巡査部長（５４）と市内巡回中の同３時２５分ごろ、トイレを借りるため店に立ち寄り、腰に付けていたポーチを壁のフックに掛けて置き忘れた。巡査長は連絡があるまで置き忘れに気付かなかった。和気安男・副隊長は「再発防止に努めたい」とコメントした。
At around 5:15 a.m. on Monday, a 27-year-old employee of a convenience store in the Kamitamachi district of Kanuma reported to local police that a bag containing what appears to be a gun was found in its restroom.
Officers confirmed the bag contained a loaded gun, handcuffs, sticks and other items belonging to a 27-year-old sergeant at Tochigi Prefectural Police.
The investigator used the restroom at around 3:25 a.m. on Monday during a patrol, and left his bag containing his gun behind. He had been unaware that he left his gun behind until the convenience store employee notified police.
There is no sign that the gun has been used. Prefectural police are poised to take steps to prevent a recurrence.
拳銃忘れ：巡回中の男性巡査部長 コンビニトイレに 栃木
１４日午前５時１５分ごろ、栃木県鹿沼市上田町のコンビニ店の店員（２７）が「トイレに拳銃のような物が入ったかばんが忘れられている」と県警鹿沼署に届けた。県警機動捜査隊所属の男性巡査長（２７）のウエストポーチで、実弾入りの拳銃や手錠、特殊警棒などが入っていた。中身がなくなったり、使われた形跡はなかったという。
調べでは、男性巡査部長（５４）と市内巡回中の同３時２５分ごろ、トイレを借りるため店に立ち寄り、腰に付けていたポーチを壁のフックに掛けて置き忘れた。巡査長は連絡があるまで置き忘れに気付かなかった。和気安男・副隊長は「再発防止に努めたい」とコメントした。
Monday, January 7, 2008
Majority of Tokyo taxis ban smoking
Over 90 percent of Tokyo taxis banned smoking as of Monday, with taxis in Saitama and Fukui prefectures also launching a similar drive.
About 34,000 corporate-driven taxis and some 18,000 owner-driven taxis in Tokyo became non-smoking from Monday, making up about 95 percent of taxis in the capital. In neighboring Saitama Prefecture, 6,512 taxis banned smoking the same day.
The number of prefectures banning smoking in taxis is now up to 15, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.
The trend is expected to continue.
"More than half the complaints from passengers are about the smell of cigarettes," said a representative of a taxi company association in Tokyo. "The push toward non-smoking taxis can't be stopped," he said.
At a taxi stand in front of JR Tokyo Station, officials launched a campaign to promote non-smoking taxis on Monday morning.
"Because of my job (as a fashion consultant), I need to be free of the smell of smoke. I appreciate it," said a 29-year-old woman from Tokyo's Adachi-ku.
A 63-year-old taxi driver, who is a smoker himself, was worried about the move.
"There is no penalty for violating the ban. We cannot refuse to give a ride to passengers who want to smoke, and I cannot quit smoking, either. I hope there won't be any problems with drunken passengers (who want to smoke)," he said.
タクシー禁煙：東京、埼玉でも始まる
東京で業界団体加盟の法人約３万４０００台、個人約１万８０００台のタクシーが７日から禁煙になった。都内のタクシーの約９５％が禁煙となる。この日は埼玉と福井でも始まった。国土交通省などによると全県的なタクシー禁煙はこれで１５都県となり、今後も拡大する見通しという。
禁煙化が進む背景には、タクシーを含む交通機関の事業者に対して受動喫煙の防止に努めるよう求めた０３年５月施行の健康増進法がある。また、０５年１２月には、受動喫煙被害の責任を巡ってタクシー乗務員らと国が争った訴訟の東京地裁判決が「乗務員は分煙が不可能な密閉された車内で、乗客のたばこの副流煙を恒常的に吸わされる。全面禁煙化が望ましい」と指摘した。
７日朝、ＪＲ東京駅丸の内北口のタクシー乗り場では、関係者らがＰＲ活動を展開。足立区のアパレル販売員の女性（２９）は「仕事柄、においをつける訳にはいかなかった。助かります」と笑顔で乗り込んだ。
一方、愛煙家という乗務員（６３）は「違反しても罰則はない。吸いたい客を拒否できないし、自分もやめられない。夜は酔客ともめないといいが」と不安を募らせる。都内の法人タクシー団体「東京乗用旅客自動車協会」の広報担当者は「客がどうしても吸いたいと言えば、車を止めて車外で吸ってもらう。タクシーへのクレームの半分以上はたばこのにおい。禁煙化は止められない」と話す。【渡辺暖、高橋昌紀】
◇ ◇
埼玉では、県タクシー協会が加盟２１０社（６５１２台）のタクシーを禁煙にした。１９５の個人タクシーや協会非加盟の数社も同調するとみられ、ほぼすべてのタクシーが禁煙になる見込み。
January 7, 2008
Mainichi
Original Aricle
About 34,000 corporate-driven taxis and some 18,000 owner-driven taxis in Tokyo became non-smoking from Monday, making up about 95 percent of taxis in the capital. In neighboring Saitama Prefecture, 6,512 taxis banned smoking the same day.
The number of prefectures banning smoking in taxis is now up to 15, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.
The trend is expected to continue.
"More than half the complaints from passengers are about the smell of cigarettes," said a representative of a taxi company association in Tokyo. "The push toward non-smoking taxis can't be stopped," he said.
At a taxi stand in front of JR Tokyo Station, officials launched a campaign to promote non-smoking taxis on Monday morning.
"Because of my job (as a fashion consultant), I need to be free of the smell of smoke. I appreciate it," said a 29-year-old woman from Tokyo's Adachi-ku.
A 63-year-old taxi driver, who is a smoker himself, was worried about the move.
"There is no penalty for violating the ban. We cannot refuse to give a ride to passengers who want to smoke, and I cannot quit smoking, either. I hope there won't be any problems with drunken passengers (who want to smoke)," he said.
タクシー禁煙：東京、埼玉でも始まる
東京で業界団体加盟の法人約３万４０００台、個人約１万８０００台のタクシーが７日から禁煙になった。都内のタクシーの約９５％が禁煙となる。この日は埼玉と福井でも始まった。国土交通省などによると全県的なタクシー禁煙はこれで１５都県となり、今後も拡大する見通しという。
禁煙化が進む背景には、タクシーを含む交通機関の事業者に対して受動喫煙の防止に努めるよう求めた０３年５月施行の健康増進法がある。また、０５年１２月には、受動喫煙被害の責任を巡ってタクシー乗務員らと国が争った訴訟の東京地裁判決が「乗務員は分煙が不可能な密閉された車内で、乗客のたばこの副流煙を恒常的に吸わされる。全面禁煙化が望ましい」と指摘した。
７日朝、ＪＲ東京駅丸の内北口のタクシー乗り場では、関係者らがＰＲ活動を展開。足立区のアパレル販売員の女性（２９）は「仕事柄、においをつける訳にはいかなかった。助かります」と笑顔で乗り込んだ。
一方、愛煙家という乗務員（６３）は「違反しても罰則はない。吸いたい客を拒否できないし、自分もやめられない。夜は酔客ともめないといいが」と不安を募らせる。都内の法人タクシー団体「東京乗用旅客自動車協会」の広報担当者は「客がどうしても吸いたいと言えば、車を止めて車外で吸ってもらう。タクシーへのクレームの半分以上はたばこのにおい。禁煙化は止められない」と話す。【渡辺暖、高橋昌紀】
◇ ◇
埼玉では、県タクシー協会が加盟２１０社（６５１２台）のタクシーを禁煙にした。１９５の個人タクシーや協会非加盟の数社も同調するとみられ、ほぼすべてのタクシーが禁煙になる見込み。
January 7, 2008
Mainichi
Original Aricle
Friday, January 4, 2008
Man injured in car accident dies after 5 hospitals refuse to treat him
HIGASHIOSAKA, Osaka -- A man who was seriously injured in a traffic accident died after five hospitals refused to treat him, police said.
Masao Nishimura, 49, a truck driver from Daito, Osaka Prefecture, was seriously injured after a minibike he was riding collided head-on with a car driven by a 28-year-old male company employee from Osaka on a municipal road in Higashiosaka at around 10:20 p.m. on Wednesday.
An emergency crew arrived at the scene at around 10:33 p.m. and tried to take Nishimura to a hospital, but five emergency medical centers declined to accept him.
Nishimura was finally taken to the Senri Critical Care Medical Center in Suita, Osaka Prefecture, at about 11:35 p.m., but he died from excessive bleeding at around 1:40 a.m. the next day.
Police said Nishimura had initially told the emergency crew, "I am OK."
The Nakakawachi Medical Center of Acute Medicine in Higashiosaka, which was one of the hospitals that declined to accept the patient, defended its decision.
"We had three doctors on duty as we normally do on holidays, and two of them were specialists and the other was an intern," a hospital official said. "We received calls from the emergency crew to accept the man twice, but we had no choice but to decline because we were treating two other critically ill patients."
搬送１時間：５救命センターに断られ、男性死亡 東大阪
東大阪市で２日夜、交通事故で重いけがをした男性が、救命救急センター５カ所に受け入れを断られ、６カ所目の救命救急センターへ約１時間後に搬送されたが死亡した。
大阪府警河内署と同府大東市消防本部によると、２日午後１０時２０分ごろ、大東市灰塚のトラック運転手、西村正夫さん（４９）が東大阪市内の市道で、ミニバイクを運転中、対向してきた大阪市淀川区の男性会社員（２８）の軽乗用車と衝突。
救急隊が同１０時３３分に事故現場に到着。西村さんは胸を強く打って危険な状態だったが、５カ所の救命救急センターが受け入れを断った。６カ所目に同府吹田市の府済生会千里病院併設の千里救命救急センターが受け入れを了承。救急隊は午後１１時に現場を出発し、１１時３５分に西村さんを同センターに運び込んだ。
河内署の話では、西村さんは事故直後「大丈夫」と話していたというが、搬送後の３日午前１時４０分過ぎ、大動脈損傷による出血多量で死亡した。
断った施設の一つ、東大阪市の府立中河内救命救急センターは「通常の休日と同じ医師３人の当直体制で、専門医２人と研修医１人だった。救急隊から２度の受け入れ要請があったが、別の重症患者２人の治療のため、２度とも受け入れを断らざるを得なかった」と話している。３次救急を担う救命救急センターは、救急患者の「最後のとりで」と位置づけられている。【日野行介、田中博子】
January 4, 2008
Mainichi
Original Article
Masao Nishimura, 49, a truck driver from Daito, Osaka Prefecture, was seriously injured after a minibike he was riding collided head-on with a car driven by a 28-year-old male company employee from Osaka on a municipal road in Higashiosaka at around 10:20 p.m. on Wednesday.
An emergency crew arrived at the scene at around 10:33 p.m. and tried to take Nishimura to a hospital, but five emergency medical centers declined to accept him.
Nishimura was finally taken to the Senri Critical Care Medical Center in Suita, Osaka Prefecture, at about 11:35 p.m., but he died from excessive bleeding at around 1:40 a.m. the next day.
Police said Nishimura had initially told the emergency crew, "I am OK."
The Nakakawachi Medical Center of Acute Medicine in Higashiosaka, which was one of the hospitals that declined to accept the patient, defended its decision.
"We had three doctors on duty as we normally do on holidays, and two of them were specialists and the other was an intern," a hospital official said. "We received calls from the emergency crew to accept the man twice, but we had no choice but to decline because we were treating two other critically ill patients."
搬送１時間：５救命センターに断られ、男性死亡 東大阪
東大阪市で２日夜、交通事故で重いけがをした男性が、救命救急センター５カ所に受け入れを断られ、６カ所目の救命救急センターへ約１時間後に搬送されたが死亡した。
大阪府警河内署と同府大東市消防本部によると、２日午後１０時２０分ごろ、大東市灰塚のトラック運転手、西村正夫さん（４９）が東大阪市内の市道で、ミニバイクを運転中、対向してきた大阪市淀川区の男性会社員（２８）の軽乗用車と衝突。
救急隊が同１０時３３分に事故現場に到着。西村さんは胸を強く打って危険な状態だったが、５カ所の救命救急センターが受け入れを断った。６カ所目に同府吹田市の府済生会千里病院併設の千里救命救急センターが受け入れを了承。救急隊は午後１１時に現場を出発し、１１時３５分に西村さんを同センターに運び込んだ。
河内署の話では、西村さんは事故直後「大丈夫」と話していたというが、搬送後の３日午前１時４０分過ぎ、大動脈損傷による出血多量で死亡した。
断った施設の一つ、東大阪市の府立中河内救命救急センターは「通常の休日と同じ医師３人の当直体制で、専門医２人と研修医１人だった。救急隊から２度の受け入れ要請があったが、別の重症患者２人の治療のため、２度とも受け入れを断らざるを得なかった」と話している。３次救急を担う救命救急センターは、救急患者の「最後のとりで」と位置づけられている。【日野行介、田中博子】
January 4, 2008
Mainichi
Original Article
ADVERSARIAL BENT, NOT BOWING TO AUTHORITY
Friday, Jan. 4, 2008
Waseda grad school to groom true newshounds
By ERIC PRIDEAUX
Staff writer
There is no doubt that Japan has produced its share of top-notch journalists: noted political writer Takashi Tachibana, war photographer Ryuichi Hirokawa and videographer Kenji Nagai, who was shot dead in September while reporting close up on the unrest in Myanmar, to cite but a few.
Be that as it may, scholars and media professionals say that, across the board, Japan's news industry is in need of some big fixes. With shortcomings at every stage of the journalism process, the result is news coverage so uncritical and dull that it fails to meet the needs of a democratic citizenry.
Waseda University in Tokyo wants to answer the call. In April, it will launch what it bills as Japan's "first genuine journalism graduate school," a fully accredited two-year program it hopes will fill the country's newsrooms with a new breed of reporter.
"It will happen in stepwise fashion. As reporters equipped with the necessary skills go out one by one, we hope they will change the system from the inside," said Seishi Sato, dean of Waseda's political science graduate school and one of the founders of the journalism program.
Ask media critics exactly what needs mending and you get a laundry list.
News outlets, they say, frequently pack reports with lots of data but too little context, overwhelming citizens with facts without connecting the dots. Story angles that stray too far from accepted norms are smothered at birth, sometimes by journalists themselves afraid of standing out from the crowd.
The litany continues: A foreign journalist complained that news stories in the Japanese press tend to lack focus and structure, while other readers call them too formulaic and dry. One midcareer Japanese journalist said he wants television stations to pursue more undercover exposes.
And whether their work shows up in print or on the air, reporters from all mainstream media show a worrisome tendency to bow to authority when they should challenge it, according to observers like Waseda's Sato.
"In Japan, the press club system is mighty," he said, referring to the arrangement at agencies and political parties in which power-holders parcel information to journalists on the unwritten agreement that the press toes the line. "Reporting is done within certain limits, with an eye to the relationships maintained within the clubs."
Putting it more bluntly is longtime Japan correspondent Henry Scott Stokes, a native of England who over the years has followed domestic news as Tokyo bureau chief for The Financial Times, The Times of London and The New York Times. He frequently marvels, he said, at how reluctant media outlets have been to do tough reporting.
"The great issue is how on earth to teach people to ask questions, because this demands a complete revolution in the way of thinking here," said Scott Stokes, 69, who currently writes for Economist.com and Institutional Investor.
Waseda wants that revolution to begin inside its "J-school" classes.
The outgrowth of a pre-existing training program in Waseda's political science department that focuses on science and technology reporting, Waseda's new program also draws inspiration from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in New York and graduate-level media programs at Imperial College London and The Australian National University, among several other overseas journalism schools.
High standards will be kept, Sato said. Media instructors — veteran journalists from Japan's top media organs who presumably harbor the same dissatisfaction with the status quo as the critics — will be expected to press students to polish and repolish their work until it is suitably informative and well-composed, whether the project be a lengthy print article or video documentary.
The program will also offer lectures by Waseda professors on the history of the press, media and the Constitution, crime, the environment, public welfare, economics, foreign relations, political science and many other topics aimed at firing up students with a sense of civic mission and providing the basic knowledge to carry it out.
Some classes will be taught in English to foster international exchanges with foreign students and to prepare Japanese students for the global workplace.
The inaugural class will consist of 40 students mostly chosen by an exam last September, in which applicants were required to demonstrate English proficiency and a knowledge of media issues, according to Sato, adding that a followup exam will be given in February for special applicants.
New graduates will account for about two-thirds of the class, with the remainder professionals in midcareer. Graduates who complete a thesis will receive a master's degree.
A journalism graduate degree doesn't come cheap: The 9 1/2-month program at Columbia's J-School, for example, costs $37,600.
Tuition for the Waseda J-school program is far less expensive at ¥860,000 for the first year and ¥600,500 for the second, but cash-strapped twentysomethings might wonder whether on-the-job training is the more affordable choice.
Yasuomi Sawa, a 17-year Kyodo News staff reporter, however, sees an important role for Waseda's J-School.
As a member of the Reporting and Communications Discussion Group, comprising journalists from top Japanese news organizations seeking ways to improve their industry, Sawa has closely followed the development of Waseda's program and considers it a means of injecting needed elements of journalism from around the world into Japan.
Sawa recently spent nine months as a Reuters journalism fellow at Oxford University, where he concluded that British media were far more willing to ruffle feathers — a quality he felt fueled a healthy public dialogue.
"Someone over there said to me, 'What is the role of journalism? It is to provoke an argument.' I thought that was impressive," Sawa said.
Waseda's journalism school, he suggested, should be a laboratory allowing Japan to develop a similarly aggressive brand of journalism for itself.
"I don't think a J-school can do it all, but the opportunities are there," he said.
Scott Stokes was also optimistic about the Waseda J-School's prospects, but cautiously so.
"I think it can make a tremendous contribution. But I also think it can take 50 years to build a respected institution," he said. "It's not something they should set out to accomplish overnight."
Japan Times
Original Article
Waseda grad school to groom true newshounds
By ERIC PRIDEAUX
Staff writer
There is no doubt that Japan has produced its share of top-notch journalists: noted political writer Takashi Tachibana, war photographer Ryuichi Hirokawa and videographer Kenji Nagai, who was shot dead in September while reporting close up on the unrest in Myanmar, to cite but a few.
Be that as it may, scholars and media professionals say that, across the board, Japan's news industry is in need of some big fixes. With shortcomings at every stage of the journalism process, the result is news coverage so uncritical and dull that it fails to meet the needs of a democratic citizenry.
Waseda University in Tokyo wants to answer the call. In April, it will launch what it bills as Japan's "first genuine journalism graduate school," a fully accredited two-year program it hopes will fill the country's newsrooms with a new breed of reporter.
"It will happen in stepwise fashion. As reporters equipped with the necessary skills go out one by one, we hope they will change the system from the inside," said Seishi Sato, dean of Waseda's political science graduate school and one of the founders of the journalism program.
Ask media critics exactly what needs mending and you get a laundry list.
News outlets, they say, frequently pack reports with lots of data but too little context, overwhelming citizens with facts without connecting the dots. Story angles that stray too far from accepted norms are smothered at birth, sometimes by journalists themselves afraid of standing out from the crowd.
The litany continues: A foreign journalist complained that news stories in the Japanese press tend to lack focus and structure, while other readers call them too formulaic and dry. One midcareer Japanese journalist said he wants television stations to pursue more undercover exposes.
And whether their work shows up in print or on the air, reporters from all mainstream media show a worrisome tendency to bow to authority when they should challenge it, according to observers like Waseda's Sato.
"In Japan, the press club system is mighty," he said, referring to the arrangement at agencies and political parties in which power-holders parcel information to journalists on the unwritten agreement that the press toes the line. "Reporting is done within certain limits, with an eye to the relationships maintained within the clubs."
Putting it more bluntly is longtime Japan correspondent Henry Scott Stokes, a native of England who over the years has followed domestic news as Tokyo bureau chief for The Financial Times, The Times of London and The New York Times. He frequently marvels, he said, at how reluctant media outlets have been to do tough reporting.
"The great issue is how on earth to teach people to ask questions, because this demands a complete revolution in the way of thinking here," said Scott Stokes, 69, who currently writes for Economist.com and Institutional Investor.
Waseda wants that revolution to begin inside its "J-school" classes.
The outgrowth of a pre-existing training program in Waseda's political science department that focuses on science and technology reporting, Waseda's new program also draws inspiration from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in New York and graduate-level media programs at Imperial College London and The Australian National University, among several other overseas journalism schools.
High standards will be kept, Sato said. Media instructors — veteran journalists from Japan's top media organs who presumably harbor the same dissatisfaction with the status quo as the critics — will be expected to press students to polish and repolish their work until it is suitably informative and well-composed, whether the project be a lengthy print article or video documentary.
The program will also offer lectures by Waseda professors on the history of the press, media and the Constitution, crime, the environment, public welfare, economics, foreign relations, political science and many other topics aimed at firing up students with a sense of civic mission and providing the basic knowledge to carry it out.
Some classes will be taught in English to foster international exchanges with foreign students and to prepare Japanese students for the global workplace.
The inaugural class will consist of 40 students mostly chosen by an exam last September, in which applicants were required to demonstrate English proficiency and a knowledge of media issues, according to Sato, adding that a followup exam will be given in February for special applicants.
New graduates will account for about two-thirds of the class, with the remainder professionals in midcareer. Graduates who complete a thesis will receive a master's degree.
A journalism graduate degree doesn't come cheap: The 9 1/2-month program at Columbia's J-School, for example, costs $37,600.
Tuition for the Waseda J-school program is far less expensive at ¥860,000 for the first year and ¥600,500 for the second, but cash-strapped twentysomethings might wonder whether on-the-job training is the more affordable choice.
Yasuomi Sawa, a 17-year Kyodo News staff reporter, however, sees an important role for Waseda's J-School.
As a member of the Reporting and Communications Discussion Group, comprising journalists from top Japanese news organizations seeking ways to improve their industry, Sawa has closely followed the development of Waseda's program and considers it a means of injecting needed elements of journalism from around the world into Japan.
Sawa recently spent nine months as a Reuters journalism fellow at Oxford University, where he concluded that British media were far more willing to ruffle feathers — a quality he felt fueled a healthy public dialogue.
"Someone over there said to me, 'What is the role of journalism? It is to provoke an argument.' I thought that was impressive," Sawa said.
Waseda's journalism school, he suggested, should be a laboratory allowing Japan to develop a similarly aggressive brand of journalism for itself.
"I don't think a J-school can do it all, but the opportunities are there," he said.
Scott Stokes was also optimistic about the Waseda J-School's prospects, but cautiously so.
"I think it can make a tremendous contribution. But I also think it can take 50 years to build a respected institution," he said. "It's not something they should set out to accomplish overnight."
Japan Times
Original Article
Lyuba the Baby Mammoth
Yamal Peninsula, Russia
Volume 61 Number 1, January/February 2008
by Eric A. Powell
What counts as archaeology? It's a question we're constantly asking ourselves when we decide what stories to cover. Basically, any discovery connected to the human past made by people who call themselves archaeologists is considered fair game. And when paleontologists find the remains of our hominid ancestors, we cover that too.
That rule of thumb left this year's amazing discovery of "Lyuba" out in the cold when we assembled our list. A six-month-old baby mammoth, Lyuba was found last May eroding out of a riverbank in Russia's Yamal Peninsula by Yuri Khudi, a Nenets reindeer herder. Russian paleontologist Alexei Tikhonov and French explorer Bernard Buiges (see "Mammoth Distortions") soon learned of the find, and they quickly organized a scientific study of the remarkably well-preserved specimen, bringing in mammoth expert Daniel Fisher from the University of Michigan, among others.
The most complete mammoth carcass every found, Lyuba (named after Khudi's wife) weighs about 110 pounds and is the size of a large dog. X-rays of her body revealed heartbreaking details, like the fact that she had nascent tusks no larger than a human finger. More discoveries are likely to come in 2008, when the baby mammoth travels to Japan for CT-scanning.
Strictly speaking, Lyuba is a paleontological, not archaeological, discovery. But every piece of information she can tell us about her brief life brings us closer to re-creating her world, a landscape she shared with our Paleolithic ancestors.
http://www.archaeology.org/
Original Article
Volume 61 Number 1, January/February 2008
by Eric A. Powell
What counts as archaeology? It's a question we're constantly asking ourselves when we decide what stories to cover. Basically, any discovery connected to the human past made by people who call themselves archaeologists is considered fair game. And when paleontologists find the remains of our hominid ancestors, we cover that too.
That rule of thumb left this year's amazing discovery of "Lyuba" out in the cold when we assembled our list. A six-month-old baby mammoth, Lyuba was found last May eroding out of a riverbank in Russia's Yamal Peninsula by Yuri Khudi, a Nenets reindeer herder. Russian paleontologist Alexei Tikhonov and French explorer Bernard Buiges (see "Mammoth Distortions") soon learned of the find, and they quickly organized a scientific study of the remarkably well-preserved specimen, bringing in mammoth expert Daniel Fisher from the University of Michigan, among others.
The most complete mammoth carcass every found, Lyuba (named after Khudi's wife) weighs about 110 pounds and is the size of a large dog. X-rays of her body revealed heartbreaking details, like the fact that she had nascent tusks no larger than a human finger. More discoveries are likely to come in 2008, when the baby mammoth travels to Japan for CT-scanning.
Strictly speaking, Lyuba is a paleontological, not archaeological, discovery. But every piece of information she can tell us about her brief life brings us closer to re-creating her world, a landscape she shared with our Paleolithic ancestors.
http://www.archaeology.org/
Original Article
Frozen baby mammoth makes debut in Tokyo
The Yomiuri Shimbun
A frozen baby mammoth that was found in May 2007 in western Siberia was put on display in Tokyo on Wednesday, the first time it has been shown to the public anywhere in the world.
The mammoth is thought to be a 6-month-old female that lived about 37,000 years ago. The man who discovered it named it after his wife.
Lyuba, who is about 1.2 meters long and weighs about 50 kilograms, was found almost perfectly preserved in permafrost and has since attracted attention from researchers around the world.
The exhibition held at the Marunouchi Building near Tokyo Station in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, has drawn large crowds.
A couple from Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture, who had lined up for an hour before the exhibition opened said they were excited to see Lyuba because they had not been able to see the frozen mammoth that was displayed at the 2005 World Exposition Aichi.
The exhibition will continue until Feb. 3.
(Jan. 4, 2008)
A frozen baby mammoth that was found in May 2007 in western Siberia was put on display in Tokyo on Wednesday, the first time it has been shown to the public anywhere in the world.
The mammoth is thought to be a 6-month-old female that lived about 37,000 years ago. The man who discovered it named it after his wife.
Lyuba, who is about 1.2 meters long and weighs about 50 kilograms, was found almost perfectly preserved in permafrost and has since attracted attention from researchers around the world.
The exhibition held at the Marunouchi Building near Tokyo Station in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, has drawn large crowds.
A couple from Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture, who had lined up for an hour before the exhibition opened said they were excited to see Lyuba because they had not been able to see the frozen mammoth that was displayed at the 2005 World Exposition Aichi.
The exhibition will continue until Feb. 3.
(Jan. 4, 2008)
Prison inmates dislike unstylish pajamas
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese prisoners dislike their unstylish pajamas, feel their cells are too small and want better meals, a government survey has found.
In a survey of inmates who left prison in the year to March, almost 70 percent of respondents who shared cells with others said they had too little space, while 44 percent of those in solitary confinement said their cells were too small, the justice ministry said in a report issued Wednesday.
Over half said their meals were bad and having supper at 5 p.m. was too early, while almost 75 percent wished for more bread with their meals rather than rice or noodles.
The former inmates also found their vertically striped grayish pajamas to be unfashionable. Close to half said the colors were bad, and 44 percent said the design was ugly.
About 81,300 of Japan's 127 million people were in prison as of December 31 last year, according to government data.
A United Nations committee said earlier this year that Japanese prisons were overcrowded and lacked adequate medical care.
Makoto Teranaka, secretary general of Amnesty International Japan, said the prisons are overcrowded because sentences have grown longer in recent years.
"Because prisons are a closed society, there are great human rights violations going on," he said. "It's necessary to take drastic measures based on human rights to change the conditions in prisons."
(Reporting by Yoko Kubota; Editing by Mike Miller)
December 27, 2007
In a survey of inmates who left prison in the year to March, almost 70 percent of respondents who shared cells with others said they had too little space, while 44 percent of those in solitary confinement said their cells were too small, the justice ministry said in a report issued Wednesday.
Over half said their meals were bad and having supper at 5 p.m. was too early, while almost 75 percent wished for more bread with their meals rather than rice or noodles.
The former inmates also found their vertically striped grayish pajamas to be unfashionable. Close to half said the colors were bad, and 44 percent said the design was ugly.
About 81,300 of Japan's 127 million people were in prison as of December 31 last year, according to government data.
A United Nations committee said earlier this year that Japanese prisons were overcrowded and lacked adequate medical care.
Makoto Teranaka, secretary general of Amnesty International Japan, said the prisons are overcrowded because sentences have grown longer in recent years.
"Because prisons are a closed society, there are great human rights violations going on," he said. "It's necessary to take drastic measures based on human rights to change the conditions in prisons."
(Reporting by Yoko Kubota; Editing by Mike Miller)
December 27, 2007
5 die in Kanto after choking on sticky rice cake
Five people died in the Kanto area on Tuesday and Wednesday after choking on sticky "mochi" rice cake, it was learned Thursday.
In Tokyo, a total of 13 people were rushed to hospital on New Year's Day and the following day after choking on mochi, according to the Tokyo Fire Department. Two of them -- a 59-year-old man from Ota-ku and an 83-year-old man from Adachi-ku -- died on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.
A 71-year-old man from Oyama, Tochigi Prefecture, a 76-year-old man from Tomioka, Gunma Prefecture, and another man living in Yokohama also died after choking on the bubblegum-textured rice cake.
Mochi is traditionally served during the New Year's period in Japan.
餅の事故：のどに詰まらせ都内などで５人死亡
東京都内などで１日から２日にかけて、お年寄りらが餅をのどに詰まらせる事故が相次いだ。都内では５９～９２歳の男女計１３人が病院に運ばれ、２人が死亡した。
東京消防庁によると、１日午前８時半ごろには大田区の男性（５９）が、２日午前１１時ごろには足立区の男性（８３）が、それぞれ自宅で餅を詰まらせ病院に運ばれたが死亡した。
また、茨城県笠間市では、初詣で帰りで車に乗っていた栃木県小山市の無職の男性（７１）が、群馬県富岡市でも男性（７６）が自宅で、横浜市でも男性が、１日に餅を詰まらせて死亡した。
東京消防庁は「お茶や汁物と一緒に食べたり、小さく切って食べるようにしてほしい」と注意を呼びかけている。
January 3, 2008
Mainichi
In Tokyo, a total of 13 people were rushed to hospital on New Year's Day and the following day after choking on mochi, according to the Tokyo Fire Department. Two of them -- a 59-year-old man from Ota-ku and an 83-year-old man from Adachi-ku -- died on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.
A 71-year-old man from Oyama, Tochigi Prefecture, a 76-year-old man from Tomioka, Gunma Prefecture, and another man living in Yokohama also died after choking on the bubblegum-textured rice cake.
Mochi is traditionally served during the New Year's period in Japan.
餅の事故：のどに詰まらせ都内などで５人死亡
東京都内などで１日から２日にかけて、お年寄りらが餅をのどに詰まらせる事故が相次いだ。都内では５９～９２歳の男女計１３人が病院に運ばれ、２人が死亡した。
東京消防庁によると、１日午前８時半ごろには大田区の男性（５９）が、２日午前１１時ごろには足立区の男性（８３）が、それぞれ自宅で餅を詰まらせ病院に運ばれたが死亡した。
また、茨城県笠間市では、初詣で帰りで車に乗っていた栃木県小山市の無職の男性（７１）が、群馬県富岡市でも男性（７６）が自宅で、横浜市でも男性が、１日に餅を詰まらせて死亡した。
東京消防庁は「お茶や汁物と一緒に食べたり、小さく切って食べるようにしてほしい」と注意を呼びかけている。
January 3, 2008
Mainichi
Four choke to death on 'mochi'
Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2007
Kyodo News
Four men choked to death Monday and Tuesday in Tokyo and Niigata and Ibaraki prefectures, and seven other people in the capital became critically ill after choking on traditional New Year's "mochi" rice cakes, officials said.
A 68-year-old man in the Tokyo suburb of Fuchu and a 76-year-old man in Sumida Ward died Tuesday after choking on the rice cakes, while a 74-year-old man in Ojiya, Niigata Prefecture, and an 80-year-old man in Chikusei, Ibaraki Prefecture, choked to death Monday.
In Tokyo, 16 people ranging in age from 65 to 91 were hospitalized after choking on mochi Monday and Tuesday, including the two fatalities, and seven lost consciousness and were in serious condition, the Tokyo Fire Department said.
Kyodo News
Four men choked to death Monday and Tuesday in Tokyo and Niigata and Ibaraki prefectures, and seven other people in the capital became critically ill after choking on traditional New Year's "mochi" rice cakes, officials said.
A 68-year-old man in the Tokyo suburb of Fuchu and a 76-year-old man in Sumida Ward died Tuesday after choking on the rice cakes, while a 74-year-old man in Ojiya, Niigata Prefecture, and an 80-year-old man in Chikusei, Ibaraki Prefecture, choked to death Monday.
In Tokyo, 16 people ranging in age from 65 to 91 were hospitalized after choking on mochi Monday and Tuesday, including the two fatalities, and seven lost consciousness and were in serious condition, the Tokyo Fire Department said.
5 die in Kanto after choking on sticky rice cake
Five people died in the Kanto area on Tuesday and Wednesday after choking on sticky "mochi" rice cake, it was learned Thursday.
In Tokyo, a total of 13 people were rushed to hospital on New Year's Day and the following day after choking on mochi, according to the Tokyo Fire Department. Two of them -- a 59-year-old man from Ota-ku and an 83-year-old man from Adachi-ku -- died on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.
A 71-year-old man from Oyama, Tochigi Prefecture, a 76-year-old man from Tomioka, Gunma Prefecture, and another man living in Yokohama also died after choking on the bubblegum-textured rice cake.
Mochi is traditionally served during the New Year's period in Japan.
餅の事故：のどに詰まらせ都内などで５人死亡
東京都内などで１日から２日にかけて、お年寄りらが餅をのどに詰まらせる事故が相次いだ。都内では５９～９２歳の男女計１３人が病院に運ばれ、２人が死亡した。
東京消防庁によると、１日午前８時半ごろには大田区の男性（５９）が、２日午前１１時ごろには足立区の男性（８３）が、それぞれ自宅で餅を詰まらせ病院に運ばれたが死亡した。
また、茨城県笠間市では、初詣で帰りで車に乗っていた栃木県小山市の無職の男性（７１）が、群馬県富岡市でも男性（７６）が自宅で、横浜市でも男性が、１日に餅を詰まらせて死亡した。
東京消防庁は「お茶や汁物と一緒に食べたり、小さく切って食べるようにしてほしい」と注意を呼びかけている。
January 3, 2008
Mainichi
In Tokyo, a total of 13 people were rushed to hospital on New Year's Day and the following day after choking on mochi, according to the Tokyo Fire Department. Two of them -- a 59-year-old man from Ota-ku and an 83-year-old man from Adachi-ku -- died on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.
A 71-year-old man from Oyama, Tochigi Prefecture, a 76-year-old man from Tomioka, Gunma Prefecture, and another man living in Yokohama also died after choking on the bubblegum-textured rice cake.
Mochi is traditionally served during the New Year's period in Japan.
餅の事故：のどに詰まらせ都内などで５人死亡
東京都内などで１日から２日にかけて、お年寄りらが餅をのどに詰まらせる事故が相次いだ。都内では５９～９２歳の男女計１３人が病院に運ばれ、２人が死亡した。
東京消防庁によると、１日午前８時半ごろには大田区の男性（５９）が、２日午前１１時ごろには足立区の男性（８３）が、それぞれ自宅で餅を詰まらせ病院に運ばれたが死亡した。
また、茨城県笠間市では、初詣で帰りで車に乗っていた栃木県小山市の無職の男性（７１）が、群馬県富岡市でも男性（７６）が自宅で、横浜市でも男性が、１日に餅を詰まらせて死亡した。
東京消防庁は「お茶や汁物と一緒に食べたり、小さく切って食べるようにしてほしい」と注意を呼びかけている。
January 3, 2008
Mainichi
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Japan boasts lowest road deaths in over 50 years
The number of fatalities from traffic accidents last year totaled 5,743, marking a decline of seven consecutive years and falling below 6,000 for the first time in 54 years, the National Police Agency (NPA) said.
The NPA attributes the decline in the fatalities to the toughening of DUI penalties under the revised Road Traffic Law, and campaigns to promote the wearing of seatbelts.
On the other hand, the number of injuries from traffic accidents topped 1 million for the ninth consecutive year, reaching 1,034,515 last year, the NPA said. The figure, however, decreased from the previous year by 63,684.
According to the NPA, the number of overall traffic accidents in 2007 stood at 833,019, 53,845 fewer than the figure reported in the previous year and about one-third of the record high reported in 1970.
For fatalities by prefecture, Aichi had the worst record at 288, followed by Hokkaido at 286 and Tokyo at 269. The safest prefectures were Tottori at 34, Shimane at 42 and Okinawa at 43.
There were 6,880 accidents caused by drunk drivers between January and November last year, a decline by 3,902 from the same period the year before, while fatal accidents involving drunk drivers numbered 395 -- also a decrease by 183 from the corresponding period of the previous year.
交通事故死：５４年ぶり５０００人台 ７年連続減
昨年の全国での交通事故死者は５７４３人で、７年連続で減少し５４年ぶりに５０００人台になった。警察庁は、改正道交法施行による飲酒運転取り締まり強化やシートベルトの着用促進などが背景とみている。ただ、負傷者は９年連続で１００万人を超え、死者が１万６７６５人で最も多かった７０年の負傷者（９８万１０９６人）を上回っている。
警察庁によると、０７年中の事故は８３万３０１９件（前年比５万３８４５件減）、負傷者数は１０３万４５１５人（同６万３６８４人減）。死者数は、過去最悪だった７０年の約３分の１で、最近では００年の９０６６人をピークに減り続けている。都道府県別では、（１）愛知２８８人（２）北海道２８６人（３）東京２６９人の順に多く、少なかったのは（１）鳥取３４人（２）島根４２人（３）沖縄４３人。
飲酒運転での事故は１１月末時点で、６８８０件（前年同期比３９０２件減）、死亡事故は３９５件（同１８３件減）。死亡事故は記録の残る９０年以降最も少なかった。
警察庁の吉村博人長官は「いまだに６０００人近くの方々が亡くなっている現状を重く受けとめ、総合的な交通事故防止対策を一層進めてまいりたい」とのコメントを出した。【遠山和彦】
January 2, 2008
The NPA attributes the decline in the fatalities to the toughening of DUI penalties under the revised Road Traffic Law, and campaigns to promote the wearing of seatbelts.
On the other hand, the number of injuries from traffic accidents topped 1 million for the ninth consecutive year, reaching 1,034,515 last year, the NPA said. The figure, however, decreased from the previous year by 63,684.
According to the NPA, the number of overall traffic accidents in 2007 stood at 833,019, 53,845 fewer than the figure reported in the previous year and about one-third of the record high reported in 1970.
For fatalities by prefecture, Aichi had the worst record at 288, followed by Hokkaido at 286 and Tokyo at 269. The safest prefectures were Tottori at 34, Shimane at 42 and Okinawa at 43.
There were 6,880 accidents caused by drunk drivers between January and November last year, a decline by 3,902 from the same period the year before, while fatal accidents involving drunk drivers numbered 395 -- also a decrease by 183 from the corresponding period of the previous year.
交通事故死：５４年ぶり５０００人台 ７年連続減
昨年の全国での交通事故死者は５７４３人で、７年連続で減少し５４年ぶりに５０００人台になった。警察庁は、改正道交法施行による飲酒運転取り締まり強化やシートベルトの着用促進などが背景とみている。ただ、負傷者は９年連続で１００万人を超え、死者が１万６７６５人で最も多かった７０年の負傷者（９８万１０９６人）を上回っている。
警察庁によると、０７年中の事故は８３万３０１９件（前年比５万３８４５件減）、負傷者数は１０３万４５１５人（同６万３６８４人減）。死者数は、過去最悪だった７０年の約３分の１で、最近では００年の９０６６人をピークに減り続けている。都道府県別では、（１）愛知２８８人（２）北海道２８６人（３）東京２６９人の順に多く、少なかったのは（１）鳥取３４人（２）島根４２人（３）沖縄４３人。
飲酒運転での事故は１１月末時点で、６８８０件（前年同期比３９０２件減）、死亡事故は３９５件（同１８３件減）。死亡事故は記録の残る９０年以降最も少なかった。
警察庁の吉村博人長官は「いまだに６０００人近くの方々が亡くなっている現状を重く受けとめ、総合的な交通事故防止対策を一層進めてまいりたい」とのコメントを出した。【遠山和彦】
January 2, 2008
Saga cops suspected of doctoring expert opinion in serial murder case
SAGA -- Police may have altered investigative reports in a bid to make the documents consistent with their initial probe into a series of murders in which a truck driver was first accused then acquitted of killing three women here.
Prosecutors have determined that the Saga Prefectural Police altered an expert's evaluation of the series of murders in which three women were found dead in Kitagata (present-day Takeo), Saga Prefecture, in 1989.
A 45-year-old former truck driver was indicted in the cases shortly before the statute of limitations ran out. However, he was later acquitted of the murder charges.
Prosecutors at one point during the trial looked into having the evaluation redone, according to the latest revelation.
北方事件：佐賀県警が鑑定細工か
佐賀県旧北方（きたがた）町（現武雄市）で８９年に３女性の死体が見つかり、時効直前に起訴された元運転手（４５）の無罪が確定した「北方事件」で、当初の「見込み捜査」とつじつまを合わせるため県警捜査本部が証拠となる鑑定に「細工」をしたと、検察側が判断していたことが分かった。被害者の一人に付着した体液が当初、元運転手と別人のものとみられたため、付着の時期を事件当日からずらしたたという。検察側は公判段階で一時、鑑定のやり直しを検討していた。
関係者によると、県警科学捜査研究室（科捜研）は事件発覚直後、被害者の一人で縫製会社勤務の女性工員（当時３７歳）の胸部に付いた唾液（だえき）からＡ型の血液型を検出。下半身に付着した体液は当初、Ｏ型とされた。捜査本部は女性工員と交際中で、血液型がＡ型の元運転手を４日連続で事情聴取するとともに、被害者周辺にＯ型の男性がいないかについても大がかりに捜査を進めた。
しかし、同年１０月に元運転手が覚せい剤取締法違反で逮捕・起訴され、起訴後の「任意」（のちに裁判所が違法捜査と認定）の取り調べで３人殺害について追及したところ、計６５通の「上申書」で「自供」。この直後、県警はＯ型とされた体液について、外部の鑑定医に付着時期の鑑定を依頼し、事件当日ではなく約１日前に付着したとの鑑定結果を得た。
こうしたことから検察側は、女性工員が事件当日にＯ型の男と接触していれば元運転手の「自供」と食い違いが生じるため、捜査本部がつじつまを合わせようと付着時期の鑑定に「細工」をしたと判断。控訴審の際、福岡高検を中心に鑑定のやり直しを検討したものの、裁判所から証拠として認められないとの意見が出て、実施は見送られたという。
Ｏ型とされた体液は結局、０２年の起訴後に結果が出た警察庁科学警察研究所のＤＮＡ型鑑定で元運転手のＤＮＡ型と一致。体液は血液型がはっきり検出されにくく、Ｏ型と判定されやすい「非分泌型」だったとされた。
裁判所は体液を元運転手のものと認定したうえで、付着時期の鑑定に基づき「事件前日に関係を持っており、当日に接触した裏付けにならない」と判断した。
当時、捜査を指揮した県警捜査１課の幹部は「当時のことを検証し、そう評価をし、そういう見解をもってるならそれはそれで仕方ない。私がどうこう言う立場にない」と話している。鑑定医は「科捜研の資料を見て判断しただけ。仮に（細工を）頼まれてもそんなことはしない」と関与を否定している。【松下英志、石川淳一】
▽北方事件 ８９年１月、佐賀県旧北方町（現武雄市）の山中で女性３人の遺体が見つかり発覚。うち一人と交際していた元運転手が同年１０月に覚せい剤取締法違反容疑で逮捕され、３人殺害を認める上申書を作成したが、否認に転じたことなどから当時は立件が見送られた。被害者のうち一人の時効直前の０２年６月、元運転手は逮捕されたが、検察側が立証の柱とした上申書について裁判所は「任意捜査の限度を超えた違法な取り調べ」として証拠採用せず、０７年４月に無罪が確定した。事件を巡っては▽遺留品の記載ミス▽被害者に付着した体液をふき取ったガーゼ片の紛失▽取り調べ時間の警察庁への虚偽報告－－など捜査への信頼性を揺るがせる問題点が明らかになった。
January 3, 2008
Prosecutors have determined that the Saga Prefectural Police altered an expert's evaluation of the series of murders in which three women were found dead in Kitagata (present-day Takeo), Saga Prefecture, in 1989.
A 45-year-old former truck driver was indicted in the cases shortly before the statute of limitations ran out. However, he was later acquitted of the murder charges.
Prosecutors at one point during the trial looked into having the evaluation redone, according to the latest revelation.
北方事件：佐賀県警が鑑定細工か
佐賀県旧北方（きたがた）町（現武雄市）で８９年に３女性の死体が見つかり、時効直前に起訴された元運転手（４５）の無罪が確定した「北方事件」で、当初の「見込み捜査」とつじつまを合わせるため県警捜査本部が証拠となる鑑定に「細工」をしたと、検察側が判断していたことが分かった。被害者の一人に付着した体液が当初、元運転手と別人のものとみられたため、付着の時期を事件当日からずらしたたという。検察側は公判段階で一時、鑑定のやり直しを検討していた。
関係者によると、県警科学捜査研究室（科捜研）は事件発覚直後、被害者の一人で縫製会社勤務の女性工員（当時３７歳）の胸部に付いた唾液（だえき）からＡ型の血液型を検出。下半身に付着した体液は当初、Ｏ型とされた。捜査本部は女性工員と交際中で、血液型がＡ型の元運転手を４日連続で事情聴取するとともに、被害者周辺にＯ型の男性がいないかについても大がかりに捜査を進めた。
しかし、同年１０月に元運転手が覚せい剤取締法違反で逮捕・起訴され、起訴後の「任意」（のちに裁判所が違法捜査と認定）の取り調べで３人殺害について追及したところ、計６５通の「上申書」で「自供」。この直後、県警はＯ型とされた体液について、外部の鑑定医に付着時期の鑑定を依頼し、事件当日ではなく約１日前に付着したとの鑑定結果を得た。
こうしたことから検察側は、女性工員が事件当日にＯ型の男と接触していれば元運転手の「自供」と食い違いが生じるため、捜査本部がつじつまを合わせようと付着時期の鑑定に「細工」をしたと判断。控訴審の際、福岡高検を中心に鑑定のやり直しを検討したものの、裁判所から証拠として認められないとの意見が出て、実施は見送られたという。
Ｏ型とされた体液は結局、０２年の起訴後に結果が出た警察庁科学警察研究所のＤＮＡ型鑑定で元運転手のＤＮＡ型と一致。体液は血液型がはっきり検出されにくく、Ｏ型と判定されやすい「非分泌型」だったとされた。
裁判所は体液を元運転手のものと認定したうえで、付着時期の鑑定に基づき「事件前日に関係を持っており、当日に接触した裏付けにならない」と判断した。
当時、捜査を指揮した県警捜査１課の幹部は「当時のことを検証し、そう評価をし、そういう見解をもってるならそれはそれで仕方ない。私がどうこう言う立場にない」と話している。鑑定医は「科捜研の資料を見て判断しただけ。仮に（細工を）頼まれてもそんなことはしない」と関与を否定している。【松下英志、石川淳一】
▽北方事件 ８９年１月、佐賀県旧北方町（現武雄市）の山中で女性３人の遺体が見つかり発覚。うち一人と交際していた元運転手が同年１０月に覚せい剤取締法違反容疑で逮捕され、３人殺害を認める上申書を作成したが、否認に転じたことなどから当時は立件が見送られた。被害者のうち一人の時効直前の０２年６月、元運転手は逮捕されたが、検察側が立証の柱とした上申書について裁判所は「任意捜査の限度を超えた違法な取り調べ」として証拠採用せず、０７年４月に無罪が確定した。事件を巡っては▽遺留品の記載ミス▽被害者に付着した体液をふき取ったガーゼ片の紛失▽取り調べ時間の警察庁への虚偽報告－－など捜査への信頼性を揺るがせる問題点が明らかになった。
January 3, 2008
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