Shared regional interests draw Japan and India closer

Shared regional interests draw Japan and India closer Over the past decade, India and Japan have built a relationship of strategic cooperation to promote collaboration on regional and global issues. An examination of the current situation indicates that their relations are a sum greater than its parts. What is missing is an honest acknowledgement of the relationship's raison d'?tre. Rather than relying on the notion of shared values, they should acknowledge the primacy of shared interests regarding China's rise. Until recently, the two countries had very little interaction.
7 Sep With television entertainer Shinsuke Shimada revealing last month that he had ties to organized crime, Zakzak (Sep. 6) speculates that gravure idols (pin-up models often appearing in magazines and on variety shows) will soon find difficulties as police work to eradicate the underworld from the entertainment industry. Starting in October, new anti-gang legislation will prohibit ordinary citizens from doing business transactions with gangsters. Years ago, it was not unusual for organized crime groups, or boryokudan, to associate in public with enka and kabuki performers, but today that is no longer allowable. Nowadays the relations exist through offices that employ models. (Tokyo Reporter)
7 Sep An 81-year-old man who sexually abused two pre-teen girls visiting his home to take part in an English conversation group was sentenced on Sept.6 by the Tokyo District Court to 18 years imprisonment, a year longer than prosecutors had sought. Yasutomo Obana was found guilty of a number of charges, including rape resulting in injury. "You used your position to take advantage of the lack of sexual awareness and immature judgment ability on the part of the girls to carry out what was a foul crime," Presiding Judge Ikuo Toishi told Obana. Toishi praised the girls for their testimony in court and slammed Obana for his behavior. (majirox news)
7 Sep Kyoko Ogawa wore the brave face the world associated with Japan's tsunami survivors. The March 11 catastrophe washed away all her earthly possessions. She watched as her hotel burned to the ground in a gas explosion triggered by the tsunami; a hotel that had been in her family for generations. She was determined not to let the disaster break her. But after the elation of finding her son alive, the reality of losing her livelihood started to erode the calm facade. She was in turmoil. She was afraid to talk to other people about it because she knew everyone was suffering as much as her, if not more. (CNN)
6 Sep In mid-August, Tsuneko Iwakura was finally moved into temporary housing, after five moves in as many months since evacuating her home near a damaged nuclear plant. 'We hear we can stay here for at least two years, so we are now relieved,' said Iwakura, 78. She and her husband left their home in north-eastern Japan when the Fukushima Daichi Nuclear Power Station started leaking radioactive material, only 5 kilometres away. When the magnitude-9 earthquake struck the area on March 11, Iwakura watched as the walls of her house cracked and tiles fell from the roof. (monstersandcritics.com)
6 Sep More than 30,000 fashionistas flocked to Japan's largest fashion event, the Tokyo Girl's Collection -- or TGC this weekend -- a bi-annual show that combines the country's top fashion brands with popular music acts. Now in its sixth year, the six hour show has established itself as the epicenter of Japan's "kawaii," or cute culture, a culture that has gained a global following in recent years. On Saturday, the Saitama Super Arena, just outside of Tokyo, looked more like a cross between a concert and circus than a fashion show. Popular models strutted their looks down the runway, as adoring fans screamed their names, while other show-goers crowded booths featuring everything from makeup to a foot massage. In between, the TGC stage featured a mini ballet performance, and an appearance by Cirque de Soleil. (ABC News)

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Japan hold India 1-1 with last-minute equaliser - NDTV.com

Ordos (China): India squandered a golden opportunity to pick up full points and conceded a last-minute goal to draw 1-1 with Japan in their second match at the inaugural Asian Champions Trophy hockey tournament on Sunday.

After the power-packed 5-0 win over China in their tournament opener on Saturday, the match against Japan turned out to be anti-climax for the Indians.

For India Gurwinder Singh Chandi (22nd minute) scored his second goal of the tournament while Naoto Shiokawa equalised for Japan in the 69th minute.

India now have four points from two matches while the Japanese, who had lost their opening encounter 2-3 against South Korea, have one in their kitty.

India will next play South Korea on Tuesday after a rest day on Monday.

Against Japan on Sunday, the Indians did all the hard work and should have won by a larger margin but for the errors committed by the forward line.

However, it was Japan which started strongly with three forwards raiding the Indian defence but young Rupinder Pal Singh and V Raghunath held firm.

Upfront, the India forwards did well but lacked cohesion. They attacked in groups of four-five players both from the middle as well as from the flanks, but lacked co-ordination inside the Japanese striking circle.

For the first 15 minutes, neither side could make much headway as both the teams tried to wrest control on the midfield.

India's first scoring chance came in the 16th minute but an unmarked Gurwinder lost control of the ball inside the Japanese circle.

From there on, the Indians kept attacking looking desperately to open the scoring and finally succeeded in the 22nd minute through Gurwinder.

Gurwinder scored from a rebound after Roshan Minz's initial shot was blocked by Japanese goalkeeper Katsuya Takase.

A few minutes later, India got their first penalty corner of the match but it went abegging as Ravi Pal failed to trap the ball.

The Indians were also done in by their tendency to hang onto the ball for long, giving the Japanese the chance to fall back.

Just a minute before the breather, India earned their second penalty corner but to no use as Ravi Pal once again faltered in trapping the ball cleanly.

After the change of ends, Japan looked a completely different side as they came out all guns blazing in search of the equaliser and forced as many as three saves from the Indian defenders.

In the 47th minute, Rupinder Pal Singh came up with a fine save and then cleared for Yuvraj Walmiki, who sent a fantastic through ball for Roshan Minz inside the Japanese striking circle.

But Minz's shot went wide with only Japanese goalkeeper Takase to beat.

Soon after, the Indians were down to 10 men as Rupinder was shown a yellow card for an infringement.

But to everyone's astonishment, India went on the defensive midway through the second half, which inspired Japan to launch a full-blown offence on the rival citadel.

India custodian PR Sreejesh also came to his side's rescue on more than one occasion. He played his part by bringing off two brilliant saves to ensure India's 1-0 lead.

The consistent pressure on the rival defence saw Japan earn their first penalty corner of the match in the 59th minute but once again an in-form Sreejesh came to India's rescue by keeping out the powerful flick.

India then launched a counter-attack which led to their third penalty corner, but Rupinder Pal Singh's powerful flick was saved by a Takase.

A brilliant Takase was yet again in the thick of things when he denied Danish Mujtaba in the 63rd minute.

Sreejesh was equally upto the task pulling off two more brilliant saves from Japan's two successive penalty corners in the 66th and 67th.

Japan's consistent pressure finally paid off when Shiokawa scored the equaliser from almost zero angle just a minute before the hooter.

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