Tokyo Cracks Down on Train Groping, Again

Japan - Despite past attempts to clamp down on the scourge - since 2001, all railway companies operating in Tokyo have offered “women only” cars - men just can’t seem to keep their hands to themselves. In fact, they continue to treat physical assault as a kind of sport. Police say that there are more than 100 Japanese websites now devoted to groping techniques, and the methods have become more heinous and sophisticated....More--Twitter Political Roast---Domain Names

Odd News-Online divorcee jailed after killing virtual hubby

TOKYO – A 43-year-old Japanese woman whose sudden divorce in a virtual game world made her so angry that she killed her online husband's digital persona has been arrested on suspicion of hacking, police said Thursday.

The woman, who is jailed on suspicion of illegally accessing a computer and manipulating electronic data, used his identification and password to log onto popular interactive game "Maple Story" to carry out the virtual murder in mid-May, a police official in northern Sapporo said on condition of anonymity, citing department policy.

"I was suddenly divorced, without a word of warning. That made me so angry," the official quoted her as telling investigators and admitting the allegations.

The woman had not plotted any revenge in the real world, the official said.

She has not yet been formally charged, but if convicted could face a prison term of up to five years or a fine up to $5,000.

Players in "Maple Story" raise and manipulate digital images called "avatars" that represent themselves, while engaging in relationships, social activities and fighting against monsters and other obstacles.

The woman used login information she got from the 33-year-old office worker when their characters were happily married, and killed the character. The man complained to police when he discovered that his beloved online avatar was dead.

The woman was arrested Wednesday and was taken across the country, traveling 620 miles from her home in southern Miyazaki to be detained in Sappporo, where the man lives, the official said.

The police official said he did not know if she was married in the real world.

In recent years, virtual lives have had consequences in the real world. In August, a woman was charged in Delaware with plotting the real-life abduction of a boyfriend she met through "Second Life," another virtual interactive world.

In Tokyo, police arrested a 16-year-old boy on charges of swindling virtual currency worth $360,000 in an interactive role playing game by manipulating another player's portfolio using a stolen ID and password.

Virtual games are popular in Japan, and "Second Life" has drawn a fair number of Japanese participants. They rank third by nationality among users, after Americans and Brazilians.

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Odd News-Japan says no word from China on dumpling poisoning

Odd News-Japan says no word from China on dumpling poisoning

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Foreign Ministry denied on Saturday media reports that Beijing had for the first time acknowledged that pesticide-laced dumplings -- at the heart of a bilateral row -- had probably been contaminated in China.

Japanese media, including NHK public television, said China had told Japan an individual working with the factory that produced the poisoned dumplings was probably to blame for causing food poisoning in China in June.

The daily Yomiuri Shimbun evening edition said Beijing was also looking into the possibility that the exported dumplings, which had caused 10 Japanese to become sick in December and January, had also been contaminated in China.

Japan and China have long been at odds over where the dumplings were contaminated, with both denying sabotage in their countries.

The media reports said the individual had contaminated the dumplings "for personal reasons".

"The Japanese government has not received such information from the Chinese government," the ministry said in a faxed statement.

Foreign Ministry officials could not be reached for comment.

The poisoning case has long been a headache for Japan's unpopular Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, who came under fire for taking too long to alert the public after the first consumer fell ill in late December.

(Reporting by Miho Yoshikawa; Editing by Alex Richardson)

Odd News-Mamba bite exposes illicit Tokyo snake collection

Odd News-Mamba bite exposes illicit Tokyo snake collection

TOKYO (Reuters) - A Japanese man living with 51 venomous snakes, including cobras and huge mambas, in his apartment in central Tokyo was caught when he called an ambulance after one of them bit him.

The 41-year-old Tokyo manual labourer was arrested on Wednesday on his release from hospital because keeping dangerous snakes without a local government licence is illegal in Japan, broadcaster NHK said.

He was rushed to hospital last month after being bitten by a deadly 1.85-metre green mamba as he was trying to feed it, and at one point lost consciousness as a result of the bite.

"Of course I'm shocked. It's revolting," one elderly neighbour told NHK.

(Reporting by Isabel Reynolds; editing by Sophie Hardach)

Odd News-Monkey eludes dragnet at Tokyo train station

Odd News-Monkey eludes dragnet at Tokyo train station

TOKYO - Morning train commuters in Tokyo were joined on their way to work by an unusual companion Wednesday: a wild monkey.

A security guard spotted the monkey near ticket gates in Shibuya Station, said Norihiru Masui, a spokesman for train operator Tokyu Corp.

The monkey climbed to a perch high atop a departure board, and around 30 policemen surrounded the area and attempted to snare it with a variety of nets, as commuters crowded around and snapped pictures with their cell phones.

The standoff ended when the monkey climbed down and dashed out of the station, with several policeman and local TV crews in tow. News reports said the monkey was last seen heading in the direction of nearby Yoyogi Park.

The animal appeared to be a Japanese monkey, which are native to the country, and was about 27 inches (70 centimeters) long from head to the tip of the tail. No one was injured and no trains were delayed in the incident.

Japanese media have reported several monkey sightings in Tokyo recently, but it was unclear if they involved the same animal.

Monkeys have long made appearances in rural parts of Japan, where they have been known to damage crops, swipe food from grocery stalls and even bite humans. In recent years, growth in the monkey population has meant more frequent forays out of the forests and into farms and towns.

Odd News - Japan's females have topped the world's longevity ranks

Odd News - Japan's females have topped the world's longevity ranks


TOKYO (Reuters Life!) - Japanese girls born last year can expect to live until they are 86 years old, which would make them the longest survivors in the world, a report from the country's health ministry showed.
Boys born in 2007 can expect to live to the age of 79.2, ranking third after Iceland and Hong Kong, the report said.

Japan's females have topped the world's longevity ranks for 23 years, something researchers have attributed to their healthy diet and tight social ties, among other reasons.

The report is the latest sign that Japan is ageing quicker than any other country, with government data showing a tenth of the population aged 75 years or older.

The proportion of those 65 years or older is also seen doubling to 40 percent by mid-century.

"People are in different social environments and are influenced by various factors and eating habits, so it's hard to answer the question of why people live long," a ministry spokesman said.

"But we can say that the improvement of medical technologies helps," the spokesman added. Japan has improved treatments for the ageing population's three biggest killers -- cancer, heart disease and stroke.

Japan also has one of the world's lowest birth-rates, leaving the government with the challenge of how to fund its pension requirements, take care of its elderly and maintain productivity.

(Reporting by Yoko Kubota, editing by Miral Fahmy)