Plaintiffs have criticized the government for rejecting a court-mediated settlement in the lawsuit seeking damages for fatal side-effects linked to the cancer drug Iressa.
67-year-old Akio Chikazawa, whose daughter died aged 31 after taking Iressa, told reporters on Friday that he was disappointed and saddened by the government's decision.
He said he had been asking the government and the maker of Iressa to clarify the cause of the patients' suffering.
He said all he can do now is apologize to his daughter.
Lawyer for the defense Masumi Minaguchi also criticized the government rejection.
She said the court noted the patients' right to know and the importance of ensuring the safety of medicines, so the government's rejection of the settlement equates to a rejection of both the rights of cancer patients and the importance of drug safety.
2011年1月29日土曜日
Public allowed once-a-year visit to statue
Well-wishers visited a Buddhist temple in Gunma Prefecture, north of Tokyo, on Friday to pay their respects to a medieval statue that is only shown to the public for one day a year.
The stone statue of a Buddhist deity, Fudo Myo-o, is enshrined in a cave on a 17-meter cliff at the back of Miyadasan Fudoji.
The temple allows people to view the statue on January 28th every year, the festival day of the deity.
Visitors prayed and offered candles before the 1.6-meter statue, which was created in the mid-13th century and is designated as an important national cultural asset.
A man from Saitama Prefecture, near Tokyo, says the statue makes him think of the time it was created.
He also says he will be able to have a good year because he got a chance to see the statue.
The stone statue of a Buddhist deity, Fudo Myo-o, is enshrined in a cave on a 17-meter cliff at the back of Miyadasan Fudoji.
The temple allows people to view the statue on January 28th every year, the festival day of the deity.
Visitors prayed and offered candles before the 1.6-meter statue, which was created in the mid-13th century and is designated as an important national cultural asset.
A man from Saitama Prefecture, near Tokyo, says the statue makes him think of the time it was created.
He also says he will be able to have a good year because he got a chance to see the statue.
2011年1月21日金曜日
Year's first fair held at Toji temple in Kyoto
The year's first fair at a Buddhist temple in Kyoto was crowded with visitors on Friday.
Toji temple holds a fair on the 21st of every month to mark the date when the Buddhist priest Kobo Daishi died in the year 835. The January fair is called Hatsu Kobo, or the first Kobo.
An estimated 100,000 people visited the fair on Friday. Many of them prayed in front of the statue of Kobo Daishi.
In the temple precincts, about 1,100 stalls sold food, clothes and antiques. Rabbit dolls made of chirimen, or traditional Japanese silk cloth, were a popular item, as 2011 is the year of the rabbit in the Chinese zodiac.
Toji temple holds a fair on the 21st of every month to mark the date when the Buddhist priest Kobo Daishi died in the year 835. The January fair is called Hatsu Kobo, or the first Kobo.
An estimated 100,000 people visited the fair on Friday. Many of them prayed in front of the statue of Kobo Daishi.
In the temple precincts, about 1,100 stalls sold food, clothes and antiques. Rabbit dolls made of chirimen, or traditional Japanese silk cloth, were a popular item, as 2011 is the year of the rabbit in the Chinese zodiac.
More human bone fossils unearthed in Okinawa cave
More human bones have been unearthed in a cave in Okinawa, Japan's southernmost prefecture, where the country's oldest bones were previously discovered.
In 2007, human bone fragments estimated to be about 20,000 years old were found in the cave on Ishigaki Island.
An excavation team reported on Thursday that about 300 additional fragments, including thighbones and upper jaw bones, were discovered in the cave.
Some of the fragments are estimated to be about 20,000 to 24,000 years old, based on studies of coals unearthed with the bones.
The team will further analyze the bones to determine their exact age.
Hisao Baba, a member of the team and an honorary researcher at the National Museum of Nature and Science in Tokyo, said the discovery will help scientists in their search for the origin of the Japanese people.
In 2007, human bone fragments estimated to be about 20,000 years old were found in the cave on Ishigaki Island.
An excavation team reported on Thursday that about 300 additional fragments, including thighbones and upper jaw bones, were discovered in the cave.
Some of the fragments are estimated to be about 20,000 to 24,000 years old, based on studies of coals unearthed with the bones.
The team will further analyze the bones to determine their exact age.
Hisao Baba, a member of the team and an honorary researcher at the National Museum of Nature and Science in Tokyo, said the discovery will help scientists in their search for the origin of the Japanese people.
2011年1月11日火曜日
Schools back after New Year holidays
Most of Japan's elementary and junior-high school students returned to class on Tuesday following the New Year break, however one elementary school in western Japan reopened its doors to just a single pupil.
Abu Elementary School in Minami Town, Tokushima Prefecture, was established in 1879, but the number of students has gradually fallen and it currently has only one student. The situation means it has been slated for closure at the end of the current school year in March.
Sixth grader Hiroki Maeyama and 4 school staff and teachers attended an opening ceremony for the new term. The principal said that it will be the last at the school and called on the lone pupil to do his best.
Maeyama said he is sad that his school will close and that he hopes to do something for Abu Elementary School before he graduates.
The school will hold graduation and closing ceremonies on March 16th, closing the final chapter in its 132 years of history.
Abu Elementary School in Minami Town, Tokushima Prefecture, was established in 1879, but the number of students has gradually fallen and it currently has only one student. The situation means it has been slated for closure at the end of the current school year in March.
Sixth grader Hiroki Maeyama and 4 school staff and teachers attended an opening ceremony for the new term. The principal said that it will be the last at the school and called on the lone pupil to do his best.
Maeyama said he is sad that his school will close and that he hopes to do something for Abu Elementary School before he graduates.
The school will hold graduation and closing ceremonies on March 16th, closing the final chapter in its 132 years of history.
2011年1月9日日曜日
Plunging into adulthood
A group of young adults warmed up along the seashore of Fukuoka Prefecture on Saturday before taking a symbolic plunge into the icy cold water -- and adulthood.
The annual swimming meet is held to celebrate people who have turned 20. This year, it was held two days before Coming of Age Day on Monday.
The event on the coast of Fukutsu city attracted about 90 people from swimming clubs of 8 universities and collages in Fukuoka and Saga prefectures. Many of the participants were dressed only in loincloths. The water temperature was a chilly 6 degrees Celsius.
As part of their initiation, the new adults were tossed into the air before being thrown into the water.
After spending a requisite amount of time in the water, the participants quickly got out and huddled around a fire where they were given a bowl of hot pork soup.
The annual swimming meet is held to celebrate people who have turned 20. This year, it was held two days before Coming of Age Day on Monday.
The event on the coast of Fukutsu city attracted about 90 people from swimming clubs of 8 universities and collages in Fukuoka and Saga prefectures. Many of the participants were dressed only in loincloths. The water temperature was a chilly 6 degrees Celsius.
As part of their initiation, the new adults were tossed into the air before being thrown into the water.
After spending a requisite amount of time in the water, the participants quickly got out and huddled around a fire where they were given a bowl of hot pork soup.
Ritual slicing of giant rice cakes
A set of giant rice cakes decorated for the New Year were cut into pieces in line with an age-old tradition at a castle in Kyushu, southwestern Japan.
About 40 people attended the event at Kokura Castle in Kitakyushu city on Saturday.
Piled on top of each other, the 3 round mochi cakes weighed more than 300 kilograms. They were decorated on December 25th and left to harden for 2 weeks.
Participants at Saturday's event moved each of the hardened cakes to separate rooms and undertook the task of cutting them up using an 80-centimeter hatchet. The mochi, after they are softened, will be soaked in sweet red bean soup before being served to visitors on Tuesday for free. There will be enough to serve some 2,000 people.
About 40 people attended the event at Kokura Castle in Kitakyushu city on Saturday.
Piled on top of each other, the 3 round mochi cakes weighed more than 300 kilograms. They were decorated on December 25th and left to harden for 2 weeks.
Participants at Saturday's event moved each of the hardened cakes to separate rooms and undertook the task of cutting them up using an 80-centimeter hatchet. The mochi, after they are softened, will be soaked in sweet red bean soup before being served to visitors on Tuesday for free. There will be enough to serve some 2,000 people.
2011年1月5日水曜日
Tuna fetches record price in year's first auction
A batch of bluefin tuna has fetched a record price in the year's first auction at Tokyo's Tsukiji market -- one of the largest seafood markets in the world.
Trading began at 5 in the morning on Wednesday after some 300 wholesalers performed a traditional hand-clapping ritual to pray for good business.
The trading floor was filled with nearly 500 tunas, some caught in waters near Japan and others flown in from overseas.
A prized bluefin hauled off Hokkaido in northern Japan was auctioned for more than 32-million yen, or about 390,000 dollars. Officials say that's the highest price in the 12 years that they've been keeping records.
The bluefin was co-purchased by the owner of a sushi restaurant chain in Hong Kong and a high-end sushi spot in Tokyo's Ginza district.
The Hong Kong owner, Ricky Chen, said tunas traded in Japan are of exquisite quality, and that he wanted to buy one at any price.
The Ginza sushi master, Yosuke Imada, said the price was higher than he expected, but his guests would be delighted by its quality.
Japanese sushi restaurants are finding it increasingly difficult to purchase bluefin tuna caught off Japan, due to the fish's growing popularity among Chinese gourmands.
Trading began at 5 in the morning on Wednesday after some 300 wholesalers performed a traditional hand-clapping ritual to pray for good business.
The trading floor was filled with nearly 500 tunas, some caught in waters near Japan and others flown in from overseas.
A prized bluefin hauled off Hokkaido in northern Japan was auctioned for more than 32-million yen, or about 390,000 dollars. Officials say that's the highest price in the 12 years that they've been keeping records.
The bluefin was co-purchased by the owner of a sushi restaurant chain in Hong Kong and a high-end sushi spot in Tokyo's Ginza district.
The Hong Kong owner, Ricky Chen, said tunas traded in Japan are of exquisite quality, and that he wanted to buy one at any price.
The Ginza sushi master, Yosuke Imada, said the price was higher than he expected, but his guests would be delighted by its quality.
Japanese sushi restaurants are finding it increasingly difficult to purchase bluefin tuna caught off Japan, due to the fish's growing popularity among Chinese gourmands.
Traditional New Year flower arrangement in Kyoto
Students of a leading Japanese school of flower arrangement started the New Year on an aesthetic note at a ceremony in Kyoto.
The annual event at the Ikenobo school dates back to the Muromachi period, an era that lasted from the late 14th to the 16th century. Every New Year, students arrange flowers hoping for good health and improvement of their skills.
This year, 1,350 Ikenobo students, aged from 7 to 94, took part in the event at several venues in Kyoto.
About 30 students, including kimono clad women, practiced their art at a nearby hall after visiting Rokkakudo, the birthplace of Japanese flower arrangement.
The next head of the school, Yuki Ikenobo, gave advice to the students and arranged flowers herself.
The annual event at the Ikenobo school dates back to the Muromachi period, an era that lasted from the late 14th to the 16th century. Every New Year, students arrange flowers hoping for good health and improvement of their skills.
This year, 1,350 Ikenobo students, aged from 7 to 94, took part in the event at several venues in Kyoto.
About 30 students, including kimono clad women, practiced their art at a nearby hall after visiting Rokkakudo, the birthplace of Japanese flower arrangement.
The next head of the school, Yuki Ikenobo, gave advice to the students and arranged flowers herself.
2011年1月4日火曜日
College students job hunt during New Year holidays
Japanese college students yet to secure jobs are looking for work even during the New Year holidays.
On Tuesday, about 1,000 students attended a job briefing event held at this time every year in Maebashi in Gunma Prefecture, north of Tokyo.
53 companies based in the prefecture took part in the event, which targets mostly third-year college students back home for the holidays. But participants included many seniors, who still have nowhere to work after they graduate in March.
A senior who has applied to almost 20 companies without success said he must widen his search because third-year students have begun full-scale job hunting.
He said he is aiming to begin working in April next year by staying in university another year, because there are no job openings left for this year.
A third-year student said she's worried by the fact that many seniors are still looking for a job. She says she cannot afford to spend the holidays doing nothing.
On Tuesday, about 1,000 students attended a job briefing event held at this time every year in Maebashi in Gunma Prefecture, north of Tokyo.
53 companies based in the prefecture took part in the event, which targets mostly third-year college students back home for the holidays. But participants included many seniors, who still have nowhere to work after they graduate in March.
A senior who has applied to almost 20 companies without success said he must widen his search because third-year students have begun full-scale job hunting.
He said he is aiming to begin working in April next year by staying in university another year, because there are no job openings left for this year.
A third-year student said she's worried by the fact that many seniors are still looking for a job. She says she cannot afford to spend the holidays doing nothing.
New Year's poem card game held in Kyoto
In something like a traditional version of a TV game show, an annual New Year's card game has been held at Yasaka Shrine in Kyoto, western Japan.
Twenty-six people aged 8 to 24 took part in the game on Monday that features a collection of 100 Tanka, short poems, from the 7th through 13th centuries.
Cards bearing the latter halves of the poems were arranged before the participants who wore traditional costumes, sitting face to face in pairs on a stage in the shrine.
The players listened to a recitation of the first half of a poem and tried to hit the corresponding card faster than their opponent.
More than 500 visitors watched and took photos.
A man with his family said the game was gorgeous and that he hopes one day his child will take part in the event.
Twenty-six people aged 8 to 24 took part in the game on Monday that features a collection of 100 Tanka, short poems, from the 7th through 13th centuries.
Cards bearing the latter halves of the poems were arranged before the participants who wore traditional costumes, sitting face to face in pairs on a stage in the shrine.
The players listened to a recitation of the first half of a poem and tried to hit the corresponding card faster than their opponent.
More than 500 visitors watched and took photos.
A man with his family said the game was gorgeous and that he hopes one day his child will take part in the event.
New Year "kemari" game held at Kyoto shrine
Players wearing period costumes competed in the ancient ball-kicking game of kemari in a Shinto shrine in Kyoto on Tuesday to celebrate the start of the New Year.
Kemari is thought to have arrived in Japan from China about 1,400 years ago. It was popular among court nobles in the Heian Period from the 8th to the 12th centuries.
On January 4th every year, it is played at Shimogamo Jinja as part of the shrine's New Year's rituals.
Eight players dressed in vividly colored Heian court costumes competed to keep a deerskin ball in the air as long as possible by kicking it back and forth.
Spectators cheered when players made fine saves to keep the ball from falling to the ground.
An elementary school girl from Aichi Prefecture said it gave her energy to watch the lively moves of the players, and that she feels it will bring her a happy 2011.
Kemari is thought to have arrived in Japan from China about 1,400 years ago. It was popular among court nobles in the Heian Period from the 8th to the 12th centuries.
On January 4th every year, it is played at Shimogamo Jinja as part of the shrine's New Year's rituals.
Eight players dressed in vividly colored Heian court costumes competed to keep a deerskin ball in the air as long as possible by kicking it back and forth.
Spectators cheered when players made fine saves to keep the ball from falling to the ground.
An elementary school girl from Aichi Prefecture said it gave her energy to watch the lively moves of the players, and that she feels it will bring her a happy 2011.
2011年1月3日月曜日
Shoppers queue for lucky bags
Department stores having New Year's opening sales are thronged with shoppers buying lucky bags, a popular annual bargain in Japan.
On Sunday, about 20,000 people waited for the opening of a department store in Tokyo's Ikebukuro. Some of them arrived there before daybreak.
The lucky bags contain goods or coupons for services worth much more than the offering price.
The department store is selling 100,000 bags containing 1,200 different sets of items, the most it has ever sold.
The most popular bags are priced at 10,000 yen, or just over 120 dollars.
Some contain a rabbit doll made of pure gold. The rabbit is the zodiac sign for the year 2011.
Some 20,110 yen bags offer coupons for travel to Hawaii or Seoul.
A department store official says the turnout is better than last year's. He adds that making the effort to learn what customers need is important, rather than just waiting for an economic recovery.
On Sunday, about 20,000 people waited for the opening of a department store in Tokyo's Ikebukuro. Some of them arrived there before daybreak.
The lucky bags contain goods or coupons for services worth much more than the offering price.
The department store is selling 100,000 bags containing 1,200 different sets of items, the most it has ever sold.
The most popular bags are priced at 10,000 yen, or just over 120 dollars.
Some contain a rabbit doll made of pure gold. The rabbit is the zodiac sign for the year 2011.
Some 20,110 yen bags offer coupons for travel to Hawaii or Seoul.
A department store official says the turnout is better than last year's. He adds that making the effort to learn what customers need is important, rather than just waiting for an economic recovery.
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