Man scales cliff to propose to girlfriend, needs helicopter rescue

Abstract: MORRO BAY, CALIFORNIA - As marriage proposals go, Michael Banks’ was a cliff-hanger. Banks, 27, scaled 600-foot Morro Rock just off California’s Central Coast early Thursday morning to propose to his girlfriend, who was watching via FaceTime video. The good news: Banks’ girlfriend said yes, according to Morro Bay fire Capt. Todd Gailey. The bad news: Banks got stuck, and had to be plucked by helicopter for a tricky, post-proposal flight to safety. Banks “took a different trail down, much steeper” and became stranded, Gailey said. “He couldn’t go any direction, on a sheer ledge, with his feet dangling 80 feet off the ground.” Rescuers called in a helicopter, and Gailey descended by cable to hoist Banks from the narrow ledge, with the rotors spinning near the cliff and ocean spray battering both men. Banks was calm for most of the ordeal, but “a little unnerved” at that part, Gailey said. Morro Rock is a landmark located just offshore from the community of Morro Bay. Climbing is banned but some go anyway and there have been several fatal falls over the years. Typically when someone needs to be rescued they are ticketed, Gailey said. It was not immediately clear if Banks, who was unharmed, was cited. Banks said nothing during the rescue about any second thoughts on his choice of setting for the proposal, Gailey said. However, the fire captain said others should consider a place “where you’re not in danger of falling off a cliff.”

accidents california psychology marriage


Swedes invite world to call random citizens on new hotline

Abstract: STOCKHOLM - Ever felt like calling up a complete stranger in Sweden? Now is your chance. The Swedish Tourist Association has set up a hotline that lets callers worldwide “get connected to a random Swede.” On its website, the nonprofit group says the idea is “to spark people’s curiosity about Sweden — our culture, nature and mindset. To help us do this, we have the people of Sweden.” It’s not completely random. The Swedes who take the calls have volunteered by downloading an app. But they are not vetted or given any instructions about what to say. “It’s like when Swedes travel the world. You don’t know who they’re going to talk to and what they’re going to say,” said Magnus Ling, the head of the Swedish Tourist Association. About 3,000 people had dialed the “Swedish Number” by midday Thursday, a day after it was launched, and roughly the same number of Swedes had signed up to answer calls, Ling said. The website says the initiative honors the 250th anniversary of Sweden’s 1766 Freedom of the Press Act, believed to be the world’s first law supporting the freedom of expression. Ling admitted there was another motive: recruiting members to the tourism association, which is funded through membership fees. Swedes who sign up to receive calls will receive an email inviting them to join the group, he said. The calls are not monitored but they are recorded, “so that if someone says I was threatened or harassed we can go back and see who it was and even block that number,” Ling said. The website didn’t say that calls are recorded when AP checked it Thursday. Ling said it was listed in the user terms, which those answering the calls — but not those making them — must agree to. He later called back saying the information would be added to the FAQ section of the website. The biggest number of incoming calls has come from Turkey. Ling said he didn’t know why, but thought it had to do with the initiative getting attention there both in traditional media and social media. After signing up to test the service, this Stockholm-based AP reporter received four calls, about one an hour. The first was a woman from Turkey with limited English skills. The second hung up. The third was an engineering student from Britain. And the fourth was another journalist: Tim Nudd, creative editor at Adweek in New York. “I just wanted to call and see how this whole thing works,” said Nudd. He, too, was writing an article about it. The hotline follows a similar initiative on Twitter by the Swedish Institute, the government’s own PR agency. Since 2011 it lets a different Swedish citizen manage its official @Sweden account every week. Ling said the feedback he had received on the hotline was almost all positive, though he said a small number of callers were just trying to hook up with Swedish women. “I’ve heard of just one or two such calls,” Ling said.


Man gets life for Tochigi girl's murder despite lack of physical evidence

Abstract: UTSUNOMIYA, TOCHIGI PREF. - A man on Friday was sentenced to life in prison for murdering a 7-year-old girl in Tochigi Prefecture in 2005 in a case that centered solely on dubious confessions rather than physical evidence. The ruling handed to 33-year-old Takuya Katsumata by a panel of professional and lay judges at the Utsunomiya District Court was in line with the prosecutors’ demands. But given the failure of the Tochigi police to recover the murder weapon, the credibility of Katsumata’s confessions — allegedly made under duress — became a major point of contention when his trial began in late February. According to the indictment, Katsumata stabbed Yuki Yoshida to death on Dec. 2, 2005, a day after abducting her on her way home from school in what was then Imaichi, Tochigi Prefecture. He was arrested on suspicion of murder in June 2014 but pleaded not guilty in May 2015. The defense alleged that Katsumata was maltreated during detention and that while he gave conflicting statements during the interrogation process, he eventually settled on a plea of not guilty. The prosecutors said that a video-taped confession showing Katsumata describing the murder with gestures was concrete and realistic. But the defense counsel questioned its credibility, noting that the time he said he killed the girl did not match the time of her death as deduced from the contents of her stomach. The defense also said police coerced him into changing small details in his earlier statements during the initial investigation phase. Moreover, Katsumata’s defense team also claimed he was subject to violence during detention and was told his punishment would be reduced if he admitted guilt. The victim’s family demanded a life sentence. “Our suffering from losing an irreplaceable life cannot be healed. We cannot even allow the defendant to run away from his sin through the death penalty,” they said in a statement read out at the trial.

murder
life sentence
tochigi prefecture
takuya katsumata
confession


Party name undermining Osaka Ishin candidate's chances in Kyoto by-election

Abstract: KYOTO - What’s in a name? The Lower House by-election in Kyoto on Sunday showed that, when it comes to political parties, what you call yourself does matter. Especially if your party’s name is that of a historic rival city voters and residents have traditionally disdained. The poll to replace disgraced Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Kensuke Miyazaki in Kyoto’s No. 3 district after he was forced to resign when extramarital affairs came to light, offered Osaka Ishin no Kai a chance to try to grow its Osaka base outside the city and prefecture. To this end, the party backed Natsue Mori, 34. She ran against Kenta Izumi, 41, who had the support of the Democratic Party. Late on Sunday, Izumi was declared the winner of the race after beating Mori and another candidate, Yukiko Ono, who was backed by the conservative Party for Japanese Kokoro. From March, when Osaka Ishin decided to field a candidate in the Kyoto No. 3 race, it faced a huge problem: its name. Although some party officials have said they prefer it be switched back to Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Restoration Party) after the Upper House election this summer, it appears candidates will be stuck with Osaka Ishin until then. In the Kyoto campaign, which kicked off on April 12, it became clear that running a candidate under a party with Osaka in its name was problematic. In an attempt to overcome the skepticism, Osaka Ishin leader Ichiro Matsui, who is also the governor, and Mori went for the existential, arguing that, no, Osaka as represented in the party name does not refer to the big, brash merchant city that cultured Kyoto people have long looked upon with distaste, if not disgust, but to a state of mind and a call to political action. “In our party’s name, the word ‘Osaka’ in hiragana does not denote the name of a place. It is, rather, symbolic of a political revolution occurring in Osaka,” Matsui claimed during a campaign appearance on behalf of Mori in early April. The party ditched the standard kanji spelling of Osaka earlier in a bid to address the complaint. On the other hand, Mikio Shimoji, an Osaka Ishin member in the Lower House from Okinawa, elected to try and sell the Osaka brand with a more down-to-earth, comparative advertising approach meant to appeal to voters’ thirst for change, regardless of the label on the political bottle. “Sapporo beer isn’t just a beer sold in Sapporo. It’s drunk nationwide,” Shimoji told a rally just before the kickoff of Mori’s campaign, arguing Osaka Ishin’s geographical reach was not limited by its name. Rival Democratic Party officials, including Kyoto-based Upper House member Tetsuro Fukuyama, took advantage of the local traditional dislike of all things Osaka by insisting Osaka’s political revolution should stay in Osaka. Despite the fact they are only about a half-hour apart on the fastest trains, the two cities have long been far apart in many ways. Historically, residents in both places didn’t want much to do with each other. That’s less the case today, especially among younger people, but Osaka’s image is, in general, not that good among Kyoto’s traditional types. At least not good enough to guarantee a large number of Kyoto voters will cast their ballots for an Osaka-named party in this summer’s crucial Upper House election. Beyond the problem of its name, however, there are two other barriers to persuading people in other parts of the country to vote for Osaka Ishin. The first is the party platform, a mixture of neo-liberal, corporate-friendly policies that appeal to the merchant city of Osaka. But in more rural, aging Japan, social welfare concerns, taking care of the elderly and public works spending of the kind Osaka Ishin doesn’t always support are important to voters and local businesses. Nor do voters, especially in tight-knit smaller communities, always share Osaka Ishin’s belief their local bureaucracy is bad and needs further cuts to stimulate economic growth. The second problem is that Osaka Ishin’s Matsui lacks the charisma, independent image and feisty populist appeal of Osaka Ishin founder Toru Hashimoto, who retired from politics last December and is not expected to run in the Upper House election. A former LDP member and ally of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, opposition parties in Osaka have long joked that Osaka Ishin is not a separate party but the Osaka faction of the LDP, or at least the Abe faction of the LDP, on most major national issues. Thus, if the LDP loses big in July and Abe is replaced, many voters wonder what that will mean for the political fortunes of Osaka Ishin’s politicians, regardless of whatever name it eventually chooses? These are all problems party leaders are familiar with. For the moment, though, their focus is now on how to sell the “Osaka brand name” to voters around the country who see Osaka not as symbol of a national political renaissance or even a national product with a local name, but as place too far removed from their own needs, and concerns, to put their trust in.

kyoto
ldp
by-election
ichiro matsui
osaka ishin no kai


Kyushu quakes kick off fault-finding search in western Japan

Abstract: OSAKA - The recent, and continuing, earthquakes in Kyushu once again have many people consulting maps to determine just where Japan’s fault lines are situated, and whether where they live is more, or less, likely to see a large temblor anytime soon. In the Kansai region, there are about two dozen major fault lines that lie partially or entirely in the roughly six prefectures — Kyoto, Shiga, Nara, Osaka, Hyogo and Wakayama — that form the traditional heart of the region. There are also fault lines in Fukui Prefecture, including under areas hosting the nuclear power plants that supply much of the region’s electricity. The one that has Osaka residents the most concerned is the Uemachi fault, a roughly 42-km fault that runs from Toyonaka in the northern part of Osaka Prefecture down to the center of the city of Osaka before terminating around Kishiwada, not too far from Kansai airport. Seismologists believe there is only a 2 or 3 percent probability of a major earthquake along this fault over the next couple of decades. Elsewhere, the Mikata and Hanaore fault zones run from Wakasa Bay in Fukui Prefecture — not far from the nuclear plants — down through the city of Kyoto, while the Ikoma fault zone runs along the border between eastern Osaka and Nara Prefecture. The probability of earthquakes occurring along the Mikata and Hanaore fault zones over the next 30 years is judged to be minimal. So where in Japan can one move to get as far away as possible from seismic fault lines? A glance at official geological maps shows that, on Honshu, Okayama Prefecture has virtually no faults, while most of central and northern Hokkaido is also largely fault-zone free. Much of southern Wakayama and many places along the Pacific coast are free from fault lines. But the real worry in those places is a major quake in the Nankai Trough area along the ocean floor that could trigger tsunami. Given the official prediction of a 70 percent chance of a massive earthquake striking the Nankai Trough within 30 years, residents along the coastline from Kyushu to the Kanto region have reason to be careful.

earthquake
kansai
nuclear power plants
fault lines


Toyota, Honda suspend plants rattled by Kumamoto quake

Abstract: Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. were among companies that suspended operations Friday after a powerful earthquake struck Kyushu, damaging factories and supply chains. Flights and trains were also disrupted after the magnitude-6.5 quake, which struck at around 9:26 p.m. on Thursday. Companies operating in the region scrambled to grasp the extent of damage to their facilities and check that their employees were safe. Honda suspended production at its motorcycle manufacturing plant in Ozu, Kumamoto. “It will take time to resume operations,” said a Honda official. Toyota Motor Kyushu Inc. suspended production at three factories in Fukuoka Prefecture on Friday morning. Two of them resumed operations later. Tire maker Bridgestone Corp. suspended production at its Kumamoto plant. Meanwhile, electronics makers are also inspecting equipment at facilities they operate in Kumamoto. Sony Corp. was checking up on nearly 1,000 employees at its semiconductor plant in Kikuyo at the time of the quake. Mitsubishi Electric Corp. was inspecting two factories, one in Koshi that makes semiconductors and another in Kikuchi, which makes liquid crystal displays. It told all workers to stay home. Convenience store operators announced plans to dispatch relief supplies to Kumamoto. FamilyMart Co., Lawson Inc. and Seven & i Holdings Co. are shipping bottles of water and food such as rice balls. There was disruption on transport networks, with four flights canceled linking Kumamoto with Tokyo and Osaka. The flights were operated by All Nippon Airways Co. and Sola-seed Air Inc. Japan Air Commuter Co., an affiliate of Japan Airlines Co., said it will fly between Kagoshima and Fukuoka as an emergency step as bullet train services were suspended in Kyushu. A deadhead shinkansen train was derailed in Kumamoto. The Japan Transport Safety Board dispatched investigators to look into it. The Kumamoto region had already been facing a downturn in business sentiment, including the tourist industry. The Bank of Japan’s Kumamoto branch office this month reported in its local tankan survey of business sentiment that confidence among the area’s companies is likely to slump over the next few months, with pessimists set to outnumber optimists. The index will drop from 7 in March to minus 1 in June. Zero marks an even split on views. Tourism is an important source of revenue for the prefecture, which draws travelers from home and abroad with its Kumamon mascot, a famous castle and Mt. Aso, one of the largest active volcanoes in the country. The castle’s stone walls were damaged by Thursday’s earthquake. The tankan outlook for hotels and restaurants is forecast to decline to minus 11 in June, from zero in March, while for retailers the forecast drop is to 5 from 20. The tertiary sector, which includes the retail and services industries, accounts for more than 70 percent of Kumamoto’s economic output, according to the prefectural government. “Japan’s economy has weak growth momentum and remains in a fragile state with the absence of a powerful and sustained engine for growth,” said Yasunari Ueno, chief market economist at Mizuho Securities Co. in Tokyo. “Any unexpected powerful shock could push the nation into a recessionary phase.”

earthquake
earthquakes
kumamoto
2016 kumamoto earthquake


Dethroned Puerto Rico beauty queen files $3 million lawsuit

Abstract: SAN JUAN - A beauty queen who was dethroned as Puerto Rico’s representative at this year’s Miss Universe contest after organizers accused her of having an attitude problem is taking her fight to court. Kristhielee Caride filed a $3 million lawsuit Thursday in which she demands the return of her crown and the multiple gifts she won, including a car, plastic surgery and a seven-day cruise. She was stripped of her title nearly a month ago. The lawsuit alleges breach of contract and contractual damages. It was filed against PR Crown Entertainment and officials including Desiree Lowry, national director of Miss Universe Puerto Rico. Lowry’s attorney, former Puerto Rico Justice Secretary Antonio Sagardia, said that he declined to meet with Caride’s attorneys at their request. “There’s nothing to talk about,” he said. “Our decision is final.” Caride was stripped of her title after she was criticized for being dismissive and saying in an interview with a local newspaper that she does not love cameras. “That’s like an athlete saying, ‘I don’t like to train,’ ” Sagardia said. Lowry told reporters at the time that Caride never apologized and said only that she was having personal issues and that such an incident would not happen again. However, Lowry said Caride then canceled other appearances because of a doctor’s appointment she refused to reschedule. The lawsuit says Caride underwent an unspecified surgical intervention in late February and needed to rest for a month. It said she then made a required public appearance and did not wear unspecified, required post-operation accessories on Lowry’s orders. The lawsuit also states that a friend of Caride’s suffered a hemorrhage during that time and it affected her emotional state. The lawsuit says Caride was briefly hospitalized for depression after she was stripped of her title. Caride said in a Facebook post last month that beauty queens are not exempt from bad days and that she allowed her feelings to come before her job. She apologized and said she was turning over her sash even though she disagreed with the decision.


Connectivity, news and social media become crucial lifelines in quake-hit areas

Abstract: With lessons learned from the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, mobile phone carriers and media organizations on Friday rallied to offer crucial communications services to victims of the Kumamoto quake. In a first, three major mobile phone providers — NTT Docomo Inc., KDDI Corp. and SoftBank Corp. — said they had activated emergency public WiFi hot spots in Kumamoto Prefecture. The WiFi access point is named “00000JAPAN” and is available free of charge regardless of a person’s existing phone carrier. The idea initially came from the plight of people affected by the Tohoku earthquake in 2011, said Shigeru Morioka of Wireless Lan Business Promotion Association, a liaison group that organized the service. “At the time of the Great East Japan Earthquake, some people complained they couldn’t connect to the Internet because base stations of phone carriers they were contracted to had collapsed,” Morioka said. “By using WiFi, anyone can access the Internet no matter who they have a contract with.” Media organizations also offered live streaming of their coverage to people in affected areas. NHK started emergency online live streaming of NHK news on Thursday for people who do not have access to TV. NHK World also posted English live video updates on its website. TV Asahi also streamed its quake coverage live for several hours via its YouTube channel. To help victims call family and friends to confirm their safety, popular messaging app Line offered a free service to allow app users to call any number, named Line Out , for a domestic call of up to 10 minutes. However, since the service might jam up cell phone lines, Line Corp. urged people to use it only in urgent situations. Meanwhile, the Japan Tourism Agency has provided foreign tourists caught up in the earthquake with safety tips and helpful links on its English website . In line with recent natural disasters, crucial information was also posted on official social media accounts, while survivors tweeted to show that they were safe. Moreover, posts of people in the disaster-hit area proved to be informative thanks to the latest smartphone apps that allow users to stream live videos to the world. Using an iPhone and live stream app Periscope, Noel Vincent, a 25-year-old English teacher who lives in Kumamoto, broadcast early scenes of post-quake Kumamoto and fielded questions from viewers. “There were a lot of people logging in from South America, the United States, Japan — both expats and Japanese citizens — and a very diverse group of people were watching my stream,” Vincent said. His live streaming Thursday was viewed by more than 3,000 users. “This isn’t surprising but the number one question (from viewers) was ‘are you ok?’ or ‘ daijoubu ?’ I did get a lot of comments suggesting that I should go inside, or I should (take) cover under a desk, mainly from Japanese viewers,” he said. “It seems like people’s perception on ‘earthquake preparedness’ varies a lot depending on where they are from.” Vincent said he used the app for the first time to report what was happening at the disaster site. “It was very interesting because I was downtown and a lot of people had been out drinking and were intoxicated,” he said. “But at the same time it was a lot of other people flooding the streets that were nervous, scared, uncertain and didn’t know what to do.” (Staff writer Atticus Massari contributed to this story.) Kumamoto quake info: where to go, how to help

social media
earthquakes
wifi
2016 kumamoto earthquake


Kumamoto residents pick up the pieces following Kyushu's strongest quake

Abstract: MASHIKI, KUMAMOTO PREF. - The toll from the high-intensity earthquake in Kumamoto stood at nine dead and over 1,000 injured Friday as rescue crews scrambled to search the debris for survivors. The shallow, magnitude-6.5 quake toppled houses and buckled roads in and around the prefectural capital on Thursday night in what was Kyushu’s first level 7 temblor on the seven-tier Japanese seismic intensity scale. “It was just like the Great Hanshin Earthquake or the Great East Japan Earthquake. I never thought I would experience that here,” mother-of-one Akiko Hakata told The Japan Times. “I hunched over my son to protect him.” Most of the victims were in the town of Mashiki, on the capital’s eastern fringe. But heavy damage was incurred elsewhere, including at historic Kumamoto Castle. The quake struck at 9:26 p.m. at a depth of just 11 km under Mashiki, the Meteorological Agency said, prompting tens of thousands of residents from there and elsewhere to take refuge at public shelters for the night. “Last night, most people stayed outdoors, or stayed inside their cars. It was so cold and frightening,” Hakata said. Officials are fielding hundreds of calls about damage and trapped people, but multiple aftershocks are disrupting rescue operations. At a collapsed house in Mashiki, however, an 8-month-old girl was pulled alive from the rubble 6½ hours after the quake. The effort saw more than 50 policemen and firefighters extract Asami Nishimura from her home after the second floor collapsed while her daughter, Miku, was asleep downstairs. The evacuation centers were packed with dazed people. Emergency food at one center in Mashiki on Friday morning ran out immediately, but supplies recommenced later in the day. At another, Tomiko Takahashi, 94, recounted being awakened by a loud noise from the quake. When the door refused to budge, she got out by squeezing through a crack in the walls, which had partially collapsed. “I can’t sleep because of fear from the aftershocks. I have never experienced something so frightening,” she said. Hakata and her husband were looking for food and a place to charge their phones in Mashiki but said they plan to evacuate to Kumamoto by car because they heard the city still has running water and electricity. Ayumi Ishikawa, 34, said she and her family fled their home without many belongings. “I’m sure we have to be ready for a prolonged evacuation, but I don’t have a sense of reality about this,” Ishikawa said. Mashiki tourism official Shinji Takahashi said 20 to 30 percent of the buildings in town collapsed. “There are 34,000 people living here, so we are preparing four or five elementary schools and libraries to be used as a shelter tonight, and probably for a while,” Takahashi said. Although volunteers have stepped forward to help coordinate the work, he said more manpower is needed. “We are short of staff. If we go on like this, we will be going three or four days without sleep.” The Self-Defense Forces have been deployed, and the National Police Agency said it has dispatched 1,084 officers from 19 prefectures to help. The injured are being treated around town hall, where food and water are being distributed. At a hastily set up medical center, a 16-year-old girl who was diagnosed with a depressed skull fracture she said could not remember what happened. Power was cut in many areas, and gas leaks prompted Saibu Gas Co. to turn off supplies to some homes in the capital. Tens of thousands of households were without running water. The full extent of the damage became clear on Friday. At least 20 buildings collapsed, but many more sustained cracks or other structural damage that may render them uninhabitable. There were also seven fires. Kumamoto Castle, a designated important national treasure and arguably the prefecture’s No. 1 tourist attraction, sustained heavy damage. Part of the castle’s main wall collapsed and tiles fell from its roof. Massive stone embankments crumbled in at least six locations, and numerous cracks emerged in the walls, according to the castle’s management office. The damage in Mashiki may take a long time to repair. The roads were ripped apart, and smashed kawara tiles and shattered walls lay everywhere. Walking down the street is hazardous, given the many cracks in the asphalt and falling debris from buildings, and all the stores are shut. In the meantime, aftershocks continue to jolt the neighborhood. The epicenter was only 120 km from Kyushu Electric Power Co.’s Sendai power station in Kagoshima, Japan’s only active nuclear plant. According to the Kumamoto police, the four men and five women were killed: Toshiaki Ito, 61, Fujito Aramaki, 84, Masataka Murakami, 61, Tatsuya Sakamoto, 29, Sueko Fukumoto, 54, Yoko Miyamori, 55, Tomoko Tomita, 89, Hanae Murakami, 94 and Yumiko Matsumoto, 68. Kyushu Electric said there were no abnormalities in the plant, adding that it is looking into any possible damage. Shikoku Electric Power Co. said its idled Ikata nuclear plant in Ehime Prefecture sustained no damage. JR Kyushu suspended the Kyushu Shinkansen Line after the quake, while power on the Sanyo Shinkansen Line, which connects Honshu to Kyushu, was lost between Hakata and Kokura stations. Operations later resumed at around 9:40 p.m. The Meteorological Agency said it was the first level 7 quake since the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011 and the first on such a scale to hit Kyushu. Remarkably, the heaviest damage was confined to Mashiki, with areas around Kumamoto experiencing strong jolts between 3 and lower 5 on the Japanese scale. Among the numerous aftershocks, however, was one with a preliminary magnitude 6.4 and an intensity of upper 6 that hit the area shortly after midnight, and was preceded by one with a magnitude of 5.7 shortly after 10 p.m. Information from Kyodo added


Sitting atop two faults, Mashiki should expect more shocks

Abstract: Strong aftershocks might rattle southwestern Japan in the coming days as a result of Thursday night’s magnitude-6.5 earthquake in central Kumamoto, the Meteorological Agency and seismology experts say. As of 9 p.m. Friday, 147 aftershocks had been recorded since the quake struck at 9:26 p.m. Thursday, it said. The quake took the seven-tier Japanese intensity scale to its max, making it the first level 7 temblor to rock Kyushu. By number of aftershocks logged within 12 hours of a quake, the Kumamoto temblor ranks third since 1995, the agency said. The top two spots are claimed by the Niigata earthquake of 2004, which resembles the Kumamoto quake, and the Iwate-Miyagi inland quake of 2008. Thursday’s earthquake originated around 11 km below the town of Mashiki, an area of old houses where the Futagawa and Hinagu faults lie. The agency said strong aftershocks often occur after shallow quakes because there is a tendency for the Earth’s crust to be weaker nearer the surface. According to a government task force that researches earthquakes, there is a 0.9 percent probability of a 7.0-magnitude quake taking place on the Futagawa fault over the next 30 years, and a maximum probability of 6 percent of a 7.5-magnitude quake striking the Hinagu rift. Despite heavy investment on research, the government has never succeeded in predicting a major earthquake. The Futagawa fault stretches more than 64 km from the village of Minamiaso to the tip of the Uto Peninsula via Mashiki, while the Hinagu fault runs some 81 km from near Mashiki to the south of the Yatsushiro Sea, the task force says. With rain forecasted for the area over the weekend, the area is at risk of landslides due to the quake-softened ground. An upper 6 aftershock struck at three minutes past midnight and was followed by a lower 6. Two lower 5 shocks and 16 logged as 4s were also recorded. In March 2013, the agency began measuring ground movement intensity for earthquakes of longer duration and came up with a four-level scale. According to that scale, a Level 4 quake is too intense for people to stand. That intensity was recorded for the first time during Friday’s upper 6 aftershock. “With many active faults still undiscovered, it would not be surprising for a similar quake to occur anywhere in the Japanese archipelago,” said Katsuhiko Ishibashi, professor emeritus of seismology at Kobe University. “There is no guarantee that further shaking won’t be stronger than that of Thursday night, so rescuers and evacuees need to be extremely careful,” Ishibashi said. The Meteorological Agency said it is unclear whether the temblor is connected to the faults. But Keiichi Tadokoro, associate professor at Nagoya University’s Earthquake and Volcano Research Center, strongly suspects a link. “The largest intensity figure was recorded only in Mashiki, possibly because the ground there is easily shaken,” he said. The damage is concentrated in a narrow area with many older houses that lack seismic reinforcement, reminiscent of the 1995 Kobe quake that killed about 6,500 people, said Yoshiteru Murosaki, head of the Education Center for Disaster Reduction at the University of Hyogo in Kobe.

earthquake
aftershocks
mashiki
kumamoto precture


Infant rescued from rubble in Mashiki more than six hours after devastating quake

Abstract: KUMAMOTO - An 8-month-old girl was pulled alive from the rubble of a collapsed house in Mashiki, Kumamoto Prefecture, in the early hours on Friday morning, more than six hours after a devastating quake pummeled the area. More than 50 policemen and firefighters were involved in the rescue effort at the home of Asami Nishimura, where the building’s second floor had collapsed. Nishimura’s daughter, Miku, was asleep downstairs when the quake struck. The workers persevered amid aftershocks and the smell of leaking gas, and shortly before 4 a.m. on Friday a cry of joy went up as the child was found unharmed, lying in a narrow space in the wreckage. Mashiki residents had spent a sleepless night in evacuation centers on Thursday. The town’s gymnasium and nearby facilities were packed with people after the magnitude-6.5 earthquake struck, leveling some buildings, sparking fires and ripping up roads. Emergency food supplied Friday morning ran out immediately. Tomiko Takahashi, 94, said she was awakened by a loud noise Thursday night and found broken glass scattered around her room. The door would not open and she had to escape by squeezing through a crack in the walls, which had partially collapsed. “I can’t sleep because of fear of aftershocks. I have never experienced something so frightening,” she said. Ayumi Ishikawa, 34, said she and her family fled their home without taking many belongings. “I’m sure we have to be ready for a prolonged evacuation, but I don’t have a sense of reality about this,” Ishikawa said. The area suffered constant aftershocks all night long, and mothers hunched over their children to protect them whenever the buildings shook. A 79-year-old woman who lives alone said she fumbled about in the darkness at her home for a drug she needs for heart disease but could not find it. “I want to go home to pick it up, but I’m too afraid to go back,” she said. Injured people sought help at a hastily set up treatment center. A 16-year-old girl who was diagnosed with a depressed skull fracture she said could not remember what happened to her. In the neighboring city of Kumamoto, about 100 people gathered in a central park following the quake. Some stayed there overnight, spreading plastic sheets on the ground, locals reported. The quake severely damaged Kumamoto Castle, a designated important national treasure and arguably the prefecture’s No. 1 tourist attraction. Part of the castle’s main wall collapsed and tiles fell from its roof. Stone embankments crumbled in at least six locations and numerous cracks emerged in the walls, according to the management office. Kumamoto quake info: where to go, how to help

earthquakes
evacuees
kumamoto prefecture
mashiki
2016 kumamoto earthquake


Lawyers say official misconduct may be hard to prove in Flint tainted water scandal

Abstract: MINNEAPOLIS/DETROIT - The lead criminal charge brought on Wednesday against two Michigan state officials in connection with the tainted water supply in Flint, Michigan, could be difficult to prove, lawyers familiar with the state’s criminal law said. The charge against state Department of Environmental Quality water supervisor Stephen Busch and water engineer Michael Prysby alleging “misconduct in office” might also be difficult to deploy against higher-level officials without day-to-day responsibilities relating to the city’s water, the lawyers said. The lawyers interviewed said that to prove official misconduct, the prosecutor, to get a conviction, would have to show that someone acted with intent either by failing to perform a duty or acting in a way that violated a duty. “It has to be more than really screwing up your job or making a negligent mistake in your job,” James Brady, a former federal prosecutor now at the law firm Dykema Gossett in Grand Rapids, Michigan, told Reuters. Official misconduct is a felony carrying a penalty of up to five years in prison. It has been used before in Michigan against police officers accused of excessive force as well as legislators and public officials, including former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, who pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice. Other charges also were lodged against Busch and Prysby, who have pleaded not guilty. A third official, Flint water quality supervisor Michael Glasgow, was charged with tampering with evidence and willful neglect of duty. It was not immediately clear when he would enter a plea. In announcing the criminal charges, state Attorney General Bill Schuette, a Republican, vowed that no one was above the law and said more charges were to come. Embattled Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, a Republican, has been the focus of public outcry over the Flint water crisis. Though he has apologized publicly for the contamination, which resulted from a decision to switch the source of the city’s water, Snyder told a news conference on Wednesday he did not believe he was himself criminally liable. “A handful of bureaucrats created a terrible situation in Flint,” he said. But the governor also highlighted the challenge at the heart of the official misconduct charges. “Was it actually criminal, or was it just poor decision-making?” Snyder asked at the news conference. Busch and Prysby violated the anti-misconduct law when they willfully and knowingly misled other regulators in violation of their “duty to provide clean and safe drinking water” and to protect public health, the state attorney general’s office said. Prysby further violated the same law when he authorized a permit to the Flint water treatment plant despite knowing the plant was deficient, the office said. Demonstrating intent is not often clear-cut, the lawyers said. “This is an amorphous offense, which makes it a challenge for both sides, both for prosecutors and the defense,” said Peter Henning, a law professor at Wayne State University in Michigan and a former federal prosecutor. Theoretically, the lawyers said Schuette or the special prosecutor could go after higher-level officials including Snyder for “misconduct in office” during Flint’s lead crisis but they said it would be a challenge for prosecutors the more removed the official was from day-to-day decisions. The charges against Busch and Prysby are closely related to their duties with the DEQ. “Where it becomes difficult is if it is not clear what that person’s obligations were,” Henning said. Kilpatrick, who resigned as Detroit mayor in 2008, was one senior official in Michigan who faced a misconduct charge. He subsequently pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice, admitting to lying under oath, in a deal with county prosecutors. He was later convicted on separate federal charges and is currently serving a 28-year sentence. Some other U.S. states have similar laws barring official misconduct. Last year, a same-sex couple in Kentucky accused Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis of official misconduct after Davis refused to issue marriage licenses despite a court order; Kentucky’s attorney general opted not to prosecute.


Man pleads guilty over yoga altercation on airplane

Abstract: HONOLULU - A tourist accused of becoming violent because he couldn’t do yoga on a plane pleaded guilty Thursday to interfering with a flight crew. As part of a plea deal, Hyongtae Pae is expected to be sentenced to time served, which was about 12 days, and to pay about $43,600 in restitution to United Airlines. Pae was headed home to South Korea after a Hawaii vacation to celebrate his 40th wedding anniversary when his actions last month forced the pilot to turn the Tokyo-bound plane around. According to court records, he didn’t want to sit in his seat during the meal service, so he went to the back of the plane to do yoga and meditate. Authorities say he refused to return to his seat, threatened crew members and passengers and shoved his wife. Through an interpreter, Pae told the judge in Korean he acknowledges he “caused others to become fearful” and that “it is correct that they were trying to subdue me and I resisted.” Pae tried to bite and head-butt two U.S. military members who was passengers on the flight trying to restrain him, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Darren Ching. He hadn’t been able to sleep in 11 days and felt “excited,” Pae told authorities after he was arrested. U.S. Magistrate Judge Kevin Chang previously allowed Pae to be released, but prevented him from returning home. On Thursday, Pae’s attorney, Jin Tae “JT” Kim, asked the judge to revoke the release so that Pae can return to the Honolulu Federal Detention Center. Pae has run out of money to continue staying in Honolulu and can’t afford to see a doctor to refill medication, which is running out, Kim explained. Chang denied the request and asked that Pae work with court officials to figure out an alternative to incarceration. Sentencing is scheduled for July 28, but officials are working to expedite the hearing so that Pae can return home sooner. Medication has improved Pae’s mental state and he is well-rested, Kim said.


Hurdles cleared but disillusionment, homesickness prompt Filipino health workers to exit Japan

Abstract: MANILA - A number Filipino nurses and caregivers who seized the opportunity to train in Japan to work there have ended up returning to the Philippines, including some who passed the tough licensing exam. “The journey to becoming a nurse in Japan was indeed a mission impossible. . . . We were very tired physically, mentally and emotionally while studying to pass the board exam and working at the same time. All of us were pushed to study even on our rest day,” a Filipino nurse who quit only a year after his deployment in 2011 said recently. The 33-year-old nurse, who requested anonymity so he could freely express his views, is among more than 1,200 Filipino nurses and caregivers who were accepted by Japan starting in 2009 under the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement. Under the program, nurses and caregivers from the Philippines first learn the Japanese language and culture, undergo training in Japanese health facilities, and then take the Japanese licensing exam in their respective profession. Candidates who pass are granted a working visa, allowing them to both work and help graying Japan address its growing shortage of health workers at the same time. A fresh batch of 60 nurses and 275 caregivers is about to complete a six-month Japanese language and culture course in the Philippines before deployment to Japan in June. “Learning the language alone is already difficult, and it’s all the more grueling trying to pass the exam,” the Filipino nurse, who has already migrated to another country after returning from Japan, said in an email message. He complained also of a change in the payment terms in his contract when he started working in the Japanese hospital. To encourage candidates to complete the program, he said they should be allowed to shadow their Japanese counterparts as they perform their jobs, instead of getting assigned tasks usually performed by orderlies or janitors. “If I could turn back the clock, I would have not chosen to sacrifice my career as a public nurse back home and my family life,” the Filipino nurse said. Filipino caregivers Aira Ignacio and Bernadette Villanueva, speaking in a separate interview, also attested to the difficulty of working and studying at the same time when they entered the program in 2011. “There are times when you really wanna give up, because not all things in Japan are good,” Ignacio, 30, said. “There were times during my first year there that I asked myself if that is really the job that I wanted, because I’m not really used to taking care of old people, and doing it alone.” Ignacio, who is a licensed nurse in the Philippines, was assigned to a facility in Okinawa, while Villanueva, 29, went to a facility in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture. But unlike the other nurse, Ignacio and Villanueva endured the challenges of their three-year training program and passed the licensing exam for caregivers in 2015. Both said that while their respective facilities supported them in their studies while they worked, they also had to study in their free time just to make sure they passed the exam. But passing the exam did not lead to a significant increase in pay, contrary to their initial expectations. For this reason, coupled with personal ones — recurring back pain and wanting to be reunited with her family (Ignacio), and marriage plans (Villanueva), the two decided to return to the Philippines last year. Equipped with Japanese skills, the two now have relatively high-paying jobs in Manila as interpreters in hospitals for Japanese patients who cannot speak English. The two agree that their present circumstances are much better than if they had continued working in Japan as licensed caregivers, because aside from the good pay, they are also living with or close to their respective families. Being able to continue speaking Japanese and working in the medical field are additional benefits. But amid their difficulties in Japan, Ignacio and Villanueva said there were plenty of positive things they will never forget, foremost of which is the sense of achievement of overcoming the physical, mental and emotional challenges as affirmed by their successful shot at the licensing exam. “Living in Japan is not like being in heaven. There’s loneliness, homesickness. But when I felt the desire to go home before, I just thought right away of the reason why I went there,” Villanueva said. “We advise them to have lots of patience, because you really have to study and work at the same time,” Ignacio added. The two admit to being open to the possibility of returning if the right offer comes, noting also how they miss the clean environment, the politeness of the Japanese, and the efficiency of the public transport system, among other aspects. According to official data, just over 160 of the nearly 200 Filipino nurses and caregivers who passed the Japanese licensing exam from 2010 up to 2015 are working in Japan. For this year, 56 Filipino caregivers and nurses passed, but there are no data immediately available as to how many of them are employed in Japan. The Japan International Corporation for Welfare Services, which directly handles the program on the part of Japan, said the most common reasons cited by those who passed the exam but decided not to work in Japan are personal and family issues, particularly the desire to just be close to and take care of their parents.


Three women fatally stabbed, man found wounded in Shizuoka home; son arrested

Abstract: SHIZUOKA - Four people were found stabbed Friday morning, three of them fatally, in their home in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, and a 31-year-old man who was on the run was arrested four hours later for allegedly wounding his father, the Shizuoka Prefectural Police said. Yoshitaka Ikeya, a company employee, has admitted stabbing his father, and the police said they are investigating his connection to the other stabbings, they said. At around 3:10 a.m. Friday, the police received a call from his father, Hisakatsu, a 60-year-old restaurant owner of Hamamatsu’s Kita Ward, saying he had been stabbed in the side by his son, who had fled in a car. The suspect, who apparently caused a car accident in the ward, left the vehicle on a street and allegedly fled. The suspect’s grandmother, 83, mother, 62 and sister, 32, were confirmed dead, the police said. According to the Hamamatsu board of education, pupils of an elementary school in Kita Ward were told to come to school an hour late because of the incident.


Pope visits Rome park unannounced to mark Earth Day, decries money 'god'

Abstract: ROME - Pope Francis has made a surprise visit to one of Rome’s main parks to participate in an Earth Day event. Francis, who wrote an encyclical decrying the exploitation of the Earth’s environment and resources often at the expense of the poor, went to Villa Borghese, a park filled with Sunday strollers. He sat on an outdoor stage along with an Italian priest who has courageously denounced Naples-area mobsters for systemically dumping toxic waste on local farmland in a lucrative, illicit operation often serving legitimate businesses. The pope told the audience that money has become a god “at the center of the world.”


First-time investors urged to turn to inexpensive 'robo-advisers'

Abstract: It appears not many people are into investment in Japan. As of last December, only about 16 percent of Japan’s ¥1.7 quadrillion in personal financial assets was held in stocks, investment trusts or bonds. This is partly due to a general belief that investments are for the affluent or those with financial expertise. Others, meanwhile, just don’t want to take the risk. But a new service known as robo-advisers might change this trend, allowing people to dive into investments more easily. Piggybacking on the growing finance technology sector, companies are now offering the automated wealth management technology service that creates financial asset portfolios and manages investment for clients. Following are some questions and answers about robo-adviser: What do robo-advisers do? Many robo-advisers invest in exchange-traded funds, or ETFs, which are securities that track indexes, such as the Nikkei 225 and NASDAQ 100. To start a service, people fill in information about themselves, such as age, investment experience and willingness to take risks, on robo-adviser websites or apps. Based on those answers, robo-advisers will create asset portfolios suited to the client’s profile. Although it contains the word “robo,” it’s more like an online-based artificial intelligence. But AI-based advisers are not suitable for investing in particular firms’ stocks in a high-risk, high-return approach known as active investing. Such strategies need a more complex analysis on why a particular company is performing well or not. “Robo advisers still cannot make such decisions,” said Toshio Taki, who heads a laboratory to research finance- and technology-related trends at Tokyo-based Money Forward Inc. “Even if they can, those systems are very costly.” Which companies provide robo-adviser services in Japan? While dozens of firms already provide robo-adviser services in the U.S., such firms are only emerging recently in Japan. Money Design Co., a Tokyo-based startup, launched a robo-adviser service called THEO in February. Based on user information, THEO offers a diversified portfolio consisting of 30 to 40 ETFs selected from about 6,000, including from overseas. Nao Kitazawa, the company’s chief operating officer, said THEO took a passive investing style aimed at following long-term market averages. Another firm, 8 Securities, has provided low-cost robo adviser service 8 Now! since last May, while Tokyo-based startup Wealth Navi kicked off its invitation-only service for users who registered their email address in January. Internet giant Yahoo Japan is also reportedly looking into a similar move. Also, Mizuho Bank has been running a Web service called Smart Folio, which provides asset portfolio optimization for users based on questions and answers. But Smart Folio does not actually manage the investment and only gives portfolio suggestions. Why rely on AI instead of fund managers, who usually handle investments or suggest portfolios? Investments have been somewhat exclusive to wealthy people and those who have expertise. But the AI-based service can lower the hurdle for beginner investors, experts and robo-adviser firms said. “Simply put, it has to do with the cost,” said Taki of Money Forward. While securities firms provide asset management services using wrap accounts, they usually require tens of millions of yen in startup capital. This is because securities firms cannot earn enough commission from small-capital investments to cover the cost of human fund managers. But as robo-advisers are cheaper to run, the services are available for those who want to start investing with much smaller amounts of money. “We have really focused on lowering (the) psychological, economic and physical hurdles for customers,” said Kitazawa of Money Design. People can start investing with ¥100,000 through Money Design’s THEO, paying a 1 percent annual management fee. The user interface is easy to understand and people can start or quit anytime via their smartphones, Kitazawa said. As a result, Money Design has attracted about 2,000 users since its launch. Of those, 41 percent have had little investment experience, while 54 percent have invested ¥200,000 or less. About half the users are aged 30 or under. “By creating a product that lowers hurdles and firmly explains that they can start investing easily, it is possible to attract (people previously uninterested in investing),” said Kitazawa. How reliable are robo-advisers? Kitazawa said that the benefit of robo-advisers is to eliminate the subjective views of humans and thus human error. “Our management style is (to let robo advisers) analyze all the data from the past and come up with the best options,” he said. “There is no need to include estimates by humans on how stock prices or interest rates will change next week. It’s an advantage to secure objectivity.” Taki also said that when it came to creating a passive investment portfolio, there was no big difference in whether human experts or robo-advisers recommended investment targets. But robo-advisers still cannot take care of the detailed needs of customers, such as advising on taxes in relation to investments, he said. Also, although more robo-advisers are expected to debut in Japan, Taki added that it will be hard for such firms to differentiate their AI products from rivals because they tend to be similar, as they use the same portfolio-optimization mode. The competition, therefore, is likely to focus on providing cheaper management fees. In addition, attracting consumers who are indifferent to investment, to a service which is also new and unfamiliar to many, is something that robo-adviser firms will need to work on, said Taki.

investments shares ai robo-adviser portfolios


Closing arguments begin in LA 'Grim Sleeper' serial killer trial

Abstract: LOS ANGELES - The “Grim Sleeper” trial was nearly over Monday after months of testimony about a serial killer targeting black women during the 1980s crack cocaine epidemic on the south side of Los Angeles. Lonnie Franklin Jr., 63, faces the death penalty if convicted of killing nine women and a 15-year-old girl between 1985 and 2007. All were shot or strangled, and their bodies were dumped in alleys and trash bins. Perhaps the most riveting witness against Franklin is the only woman known to have survived the serial killings. She described being shot in the chest and sexually assaulted in 1988. Then, she noticed her attacker taking a Polaroid picture of her before pushing her out of his car. When Franklin was finally arrested 22 years later, the same photograph — showing the wounded woman slouched over in a car — was one of many pictures found in his possession, prosecutors said. Franklin was connected to all 10 victims named in this trial through either ballistics or DNA evidence, prosecutors said. Many of the victims were prostitutes; others used cocaine. Franklin targeted women who were “willing to sell their bodies and their souls in order to gratify their dependency on this powerful drug,” prosecutor Beth Silverman told jurors. Before his arrest, a police officer posed as a pizza parlor busboy to collect DNA samples from dishes and utensils Franklin used at a birthday party. Franklin’s defense questioned the DNA evidence. Attorney Seymour Amster told jurors that many victims had DNA from more than one man on their bodies, and that more than 20 DNA tests excluded his client. Both Silverman and Amster acknowledged disliking each other, and at times held heated arguments in the courtroom out of the jury’s hearing. At one point, Amster even yelled at Superior Court Judge Kathleen Kennedy after she ruled that he would have to refile a subpoena. “I am now going to rest. We have no defense,” Amster declared, prompting gasps in the courtroom. “I cannot represent this man any further.” However, he continued on with the case. Authorities dubbed him the “Grim Sleeper” because the killings attributed to him stopped from 1988 to 2002. Dozens of police officers had failed to solve the case in the 1980s, and the renewed killings prompted the creation of a special task force. Franklin was finally arrested in 2010. The closing arguments began with prosecutors after the judge delivered jury instructions on Monday. The process could last two days.


Mexican town's annual festival fetes donkeys with races, fancy dress parade

Abstract: OTUMBA, MEXICO - This is a place where every donkey will have its day — a small town just north of Mexico City that gives the beasts of burden a chance on May Day to kick up their hooves. The annual donkey fair in Otumba attracts up to 40,000 people who come to see the animals compete in costumes and race around a track with jockeys on their backs. Tourists squeeze through the jammed fairgrounds wearing donkey ears and munching on classic fair cuisine, including the local version of burritos — a dish popular both north and south of the Mexican border that borrows the Spanish word for donkey. Costume themes for the animals ranged from the ride-sharing Uber to pre-Hispanic temples, and Donald Trump was a category in itself this year. Four families dressed their donkeys in likenesses of the U.S. Republican Party presidential candidate who has vowed to build a border wall to keep out Mexican immigrants he has called “rapists.” Adolfo Garcia Aguilar, who works on a cattle farm, said his family pitched in to dress his burro in a red tie, black boots and a blond wig. “We’ll see how we do — if they kick us out, donkey and all,” Aguilar joked before Sunday’s costume competition. Other Trump-decked donkeys featured signs that declared: “Impostor! I’m the real Donald Trump!” and “If I win the 12,000 peso ($700) prize, I’ll put a wall between Otumba and Teotihuacan,” referring to the famed pre-Aztec city of pyramids nearby. None of them won much favor with the audience at the 51st annual donkey fest, though. Audience applause chose the winners: donkeys emulating a Smurf, a firefighter and an Uber ride. Zeus Laredo, a physics teacher who attended the fair with friends, said he backed the eventual winner: a donkey dressed up as the papa Smurf who was attended by an entourage of people in Smurf costumes. Otumba was an important donkey market during Spanish colonial times, standing at the crossroads of major roads leading to Mexico City, where the beasts pulled heavy loads and carried travelers. Today, however, farmers use tractors and pickup trucks, and the donkey population is in decline. The animal that won the jockey race is more a pet than a worker. The 12-year-old winning jockey, Wilfrido Lemus Corona, learned to ride his donkey, Veso, when his grandfather plopped him on top when he was just 6 to carry him across the fields, his mother Patricia Corona Espinosa said. Family and friends threw the tiny jockey into the air Sunday after he scored his third consecutive win. He also took home 12,000 pesos in cash. With donkey numbers declining, Otumba’s Flores family decided to open a donation-funded sanctuary they named “Burrolandia,” or Donkeyland. It currently hosts 30 donkeys that German Flores said would otherwise have ended up at the slaughterhouse. At Burrolandia they live out the rest of their days grazing and can be visited by tourists on weekends. Flores said the majority of their donkeys came from farmers who either could not afford them anymore or who no longer had room after moving away from their farms. Fair organizer Juan Carlos Chavez said Otumba hopes its annual festival creates awareness about the animals. “Donkeys are wonderful animals,” he said. “People say they don’t understand, but they do.”


Kamakura boasts ancient history, hip beaches

Abstract: Kamakura, an ancient capital city during the Kamakura Period (1185-1333), may not be as popular as Kyoto, but it is one of the few places near Tokyo where visitors can explore the nation’s ancient history. Currently major tourist draws, the Great Buddha statue, Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine and other temples and shrines dotting the area reflect the power of the Kamakura shogunate (1192-1333) of times past. Strolling through the bamboo garden at Hokokuji Temple, tourists can easily forget that it’s just an hour’s train ride from skyscraper-filled Tokyo. Visitors can enjoy the tranquility of the garden, which sports some 2,000 stalks of bamboo, while sipping matcha green tea at the temple cafe. A little closer to Kamakura Station, many students on field trips as well as tourists flock to Tsurugaoka shrine even on weekdays via the Dankazura, a walking approach route that was recently refurbished. Visitors should bear in mind that on weekends the area around the shrine can get heavily congested as thousands of people descend on it. But Kamakura boasts more than just ancient history. The city is also home to the Shonan area, known for its popular surfing spots and beaches. Shonan attracts residents who commute to Tokyo but still want to live in a rural but hip seaside town. Visitors view the bamboo garden from a cafe at Hokokuji Temple in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, on April 16. | SATOKO KAWASAKI Maidens in costume walk in front of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, on April 16. | SATOKO KAWASAKI Tourists take photos of the Great Buddha in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, on April 16. | SATOKO KAWASAKI Yuigahama beach in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, is seen on April 16. | SATOKO KAWASAKI Children wave at a Kanagawa Railway train, better known as the Enoden, in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, on April 16. | SATOKO KAWASAKI

kamakura
tsurugaoka hachimangu shrine
hokokuji
great buddha


Okonomiyaki gives you nutrients you need!

Abstract: Recent visitors to Cat Street near Harajuku might have noticed a curious little pop-up giving away bottles of pills. A neon red cross glowed behind the counter while two women in white lab coats showed customers scientific-looking charts on clipboards. Hangover cure after a night out? Not exactly. The sign outside read Fast Food Aid. Panels inside explained the concept: The customer hands over a fast-food restaurant receipt and, in return, receives a bottle of food supplements customized to replace the nutrients missing from that meal … for free. Public service? Nah. Fast Food Aid turns out to be part of a clever marketing campaign for a chain of restaurants specializing in the okonomiyaki savory pancake. Dohtonbori is promoting a new restaurant opening in Hiroo (on May 26) by cheekily spelling it out: The healthy ingredients in Dohtonbori’s healthy okonomiyaki have all the nutrients you need. The campaign is part of Dohtonbori’s recent makeover, which includes a new emoji-like logo and “Tasty-healthy” slogan. It is also announced the chain’s new policy of only using domestically grown vegetables by issuing a public apology for “not having done so earlier.” The Fast Food Aid popup ends on May 4, but you can always go to any of the Dohtonbori stores later for a fix.


Provocations mount as Iran threatens to close Strait of Hormuz to U.S., allies

Abstract: TEHRAN - The deputy commander of Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard said Iranian forces will close the strategic Strait of Hormuz to the United States and its allies if they “threaten” the Islamic Republic, Iranian state media reported Wednesday. The comments by Gen. Hossein Salami, carried on state television, follow a long history of both rhetoric and confrontation between Iran and the U.S. over the narrow strait, through which nearly a third of all oil traded by sea passes. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Monday criticized U.S. activities in the Persian Gulf. It’s unclear whether that signals any new Iranian concern over the strait or possible confrontation with the U.S. following Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers. “Americans should learn from recent historical truths,” Salami said, likely referring to the January capture of 10 U.S. sailors who entered Iranian waters. The sailors were released less than a day later, though state TV aired footage of them on their knees with their hands on their heads. “If the Americans and their regional allies want to pass through the Strait of Hormuz and threaten us, we will not allow any entry,” Salami said, without elaborating on what he and other leaders would consider a threat. “Americans cannot make safe any part of the world,” he added. Lt. Rick Chernitzer, a spokesman for the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet in Bahrain, said American sailors “continue to operate in accordance with professional maritime standards and international law” in the Persian Gulf region. “We remain thoughtful, vigilant and responsible mariners as we conduct our operations here,” Chernitzer said in a statement to The Associated Press. “We do, however, reserve the inherent right to self-defense.” The U.S. and Iran have a long history of confrontations in the Persian Gulf. They even fought a one-day naval battle on April 18, 1988, after the near-sinking of the missile frigate USS Samuel B. Roberts by an Iranian mine during the Iran-Iraq war. That day, U.S. forces attacked two Iranian oil rigs and sank or damaged six Iranian vessels. A few months later, in July 1988, the USS Vincennes in the strait mistook an Iran Air flight heading to Dubai for an attacking fighter jet, shooting down the plane and killing all 290 people on board. U.S. Navy officials say they face near-daily encounters with Iranian naval vessels. In January, an unarmed Iranian drone flew over a U.S. aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf, the first such overflight since 2014, according to Navy records obtained by AP. The U.S. has also criticized what it called a “highly provocative” Iranian rocket test in December near its warships and commercial traffic. Iran said it has the right to conduct tests in the strait and elsewhere in the Gulf. Iran sank a replica of a U.S. aircraft carrier near the strait in February 2015 and has said it is testing “suicide drones” that could attack ships. On, Wednesday, Iran filed a formal protest with the Swiss Embassy in Tehran, which handles American interests, over a resolution filed by Rep. J. Randy Forbes, R-Va., that referred to the body of water as the “Arabian Gulf” and objected to Iran’s actions there. A report by the state-run IRNA news agency quoted Iran’s Foreign Ministry as saying the country will take any necessary action to maintain security, peace and stability of the Persian Gulf region. Forbes’ office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

iran
u.s. navy
iran nuclear deal
strait of hormuz
suicide drones


Defense lawyer, with guide dog's help, carries welfare-related caseload

Abstract: KOBE - Lawyer Kimiko Yoshie walks through a narrow aisle in court, led by a guide dog. Taking a seat on the defense side, she gently pats the dog’s head and smiles at him as he stretches at her feet. Being visually impaired, 45 year-old Yoshie from Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, is always with Kuru, her 7-year-old male Labrador retriever, including in court. Other than helping Yoshie dodge obstacles, Kuru’s laid-back attitude also helps calm defendants and other clients she meets for the first time, Yoshie said in an interview held prior to International Guide Dog Day on Wednesday. Although she has lost 98 percent of her vision from sickness, she laughs off the impairment with her cheerful character, saying she suffers no inconveniences. But Yoshie, who is an active member of the court and involved in welfare-related lawsuits, is a rare example of a guide dog-assisted practicing lawyer, according to the Japan Federation of Bar Associations. Just prior to starting her law studies at Nagoya University, Yoshie was diagnosed with pigmentary degeneration of the retina and told she may go blind by the age of 40. Thinking she might have to give up her dream of working for the United Nations and unable to discuss the situation with her friends or family, she was then certified as seriously handicapped at age 24. The turning point came when Yoshie started working for a law office four years later. Impressed by a female lawyer establishing a support organization for children with leukemia in postwar Iraq, she decided to focus on helping the underprivileged. Yoshie passed the national bar examination after five years of challenges. Initially based in Nagoya, she tackled such lawsuits as questioning the constitutionality of the law to help impaired people become financially independent, and cases involving mentally impaired consumers. Since her illness worsened gradually, she contacted a guide dog association to ensure her safety and that of others around her. She met Kuru in spring 2010. In spring 2013, after getting married, Yoshie moved to a law office in Kobe. “There are many cases in which people with disabilities would rely on judicial power. “Being a lawyer with an impairment, I would like to defend my clients while empathizing with them,” she said, adding that she will continue working on welfare-related lawsuits, together with Kuru.

lawyers
disability
guide dogs
kimiko yoshie


New law bans bias against people with disabilities, but shortcomings exist, say experts

Abstract: On April 1, a new law aimed at advancing the rights of people with disabilities took effect explicitly banning discrimination against them and requiring government bodies and private-sector businesses to pay greater attention to their needs. While the Law to Eliminate Discrimination against People with Disabilities will make life easier to some extent for the nation’s 7.8 million people with impairments, experts point to its shortcomings and limitations. Why did Japan create the law? The law is part of the government’s moves to align domestic laws with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, signed in 2007 and ratified in 2014 and to which Japan is a signatory. The law cleared the Diet in June 2013, but took effect only in April to provide time for the public and private sectors to prepare. What does the law ban and seek? The law comprises two key parts. For the first time it bans “unjust discrimination” against people with disabilities. It also asks government agencies and private businesses to take “reasonable accommodation” to remove social barriers for such individuals. What is considered discriminatory under the law? The government has issued rough guidelines on examples of acts deemed discriminatory, under which organizations cannot refuse to serve people because of their disabilities, delay responses to their requests or bar their attendance to symposiums or other events. Signs that say “No people with disabilities” are now banned. Examples of “reasonable accommodation” include “writing documents from dictation upon request,” “using illustrations, dictations, cards and PC tablets to communicate,” and “making seating arrangements in a way that take their disabilities into consideration.” But the examples do not cover every situation and leave room for interpretation and negotiation. Also, the central and local governments are legally mandated to take measures, but private-sector entities are only asked to “strive” to take action. Private-sector organizations can be slapped with a fine of up to ¥200,000 if they don’t report to authorities on their practices when asked or make false claims in their reports. Do these pointers provide enough information for people to take proper action? Rights advocates say no. “The law does not clearly define what exactly constitutes discrimination,” said Kiyoshi Harada, an official at the secretariat of Japan Disability Forum. JDF is a nongovernmental network consisting of 13 national-level organizations working on behalf of people with impairments. “The law’s significance lies in the fact that municipal governments and businesses are asked to take action. This has given people legal grounds to lodge complaints when they have issues,” Harada said. He said “reasonable accommodation” is specific to individual needs and hard to generalize. “It’s different from ‘barrier-free’ regulations, where rules are much more clear-cut, such as the size of certain building equipment or angles of ramps.” For example, blind workers might ask their employers to make documents available in Braille. Employers are required to respond to such requests to the best of their ability, but they might find it financially difficult to put all documents in Braille. In such cases, explaining their difficulty to those who made the requests and offering alternatives, such as providing documents in advance or electronic versions, can be regarded as fulfilling their obligation, Harada said, noting that, this way, blind employees have time to ask other people to read the documents for them or use computer software that reads out typed text. Now that the law is in place, data on what kind of requests are made and how they are dealt with can be collected. Such a database will eventually set standards for unacceptable behavior and for recommended practices, he said. What if parties disagree on the law’s requirements? The law merely says the central and local governments should respond adequately to requests for consultation from people with disabilities, their families and other supporters to resolve disputes. Specifically, welfare officials at both government levels are encouraged to create regional councils to help resolve conflicts, though it is not mandatory. Council members can include representatives of rights groups, family members, government officials and academics. According to a recent survey by the Cabinet Office, only 112, or 6 percent, of 1,741 municipalities in Japan had set up such councils before the law took effect. Exactly what these councils are supposed to do is not spelled out in the law, however. The law must be reviewed in three years. How can it be improved? Harada said the regional dispute-settlement mechanism should be beefed up, and ideally be separated from government oversight. Japan has no independent watchdog that handles issues related to human rights, not only for people with disabilities but also for other vulnerable members of society, including women. “Ideally, we’d like to see something like the Board of Audit of Japan, which supervises government spending,” he said. “For example, the Justice Ministry has a bureau that deals with human rights issues, but because it is a ministry bureau questions (of neutrality) arise when it comes to human rights at prisons, which the ministry also supervises. We need a mechanism similar to the audit board.” The law should also make it mandatory for companies to take “reasonable accommodation” on the issue, he added. “I want people to know the law, as it is the first one of any kind banning discrimination,” Harada said. “The law could be the first step to creating a society where everyone — regardless of whether they have a disability — will be free of discrimination.”


Eiffel Tower to host four residents during soccer tournament

Abstract: PARIS - Four lucky competition winners are set to be the first people in history to use the Eiffel Tower as a vacation home next month. Rental company HomeAway is taking over part of the first floor of the iconic landmark for the duration of the UEFA Euro 2016 soccer tournament in Paris, and transforming it into living quarters. The competition opened Thursday for the chance to stay in the famous monument, which provides panoramic views onto the Arc de Triomphe, the Sacre Coeur and the Seine River. Brian Sharples, HomeAway CEO, called the move “unprecedented” and said it was “guaranteed to provide the most epic vacation memories of a lifetime.”


Filipino health workers tout program offering careers in Japan

Abstract: MANILA - Filipino health workers training in Japan under an intergovernmental program are increasingly taking up the opportunity to learn about Japanese health care and practice their profession in the country. “I believe that if I’ll be able to work in Japan, I will learn even more and grow professionally,” Filipino nurse Angelito Custodio told Kyodo News. “The health care system in Japan is very good and the technology in Japan is very high.” Custodio, a 25-year-old licensed nurse in the Philippines who has worked for more than three years at a hospital in Bulacan province just north of Manila, is part of the eighth group of Filipinos currently preparing to travel to Japan for training. His group consists of more than 60 nurses and 275 caregivers who began a six-month Japanese language and culture course in Manila late last year. They will continue similar training during their first six months in Japan after their expected deployment in June. As with earlier aspirants, the new candidates will then be assigned to different health facilities in Japan and go through training while preparing to take the Japanese licensure exams for nurses and caregivers. Once they pass the exams, they have a chance to work in Japan. “I want to work in Japan because it is one of the safest countries in the world,” said Mary Jane Balberona, 29, one of the candidate caregivers in the latest group. “The people are very well-disciplined and I’m very interested in the Japanese culture. Aside from that, I believe that my service would be of value in Japan,” Balberona said. Both she and Custodio acknowledge that one of the major difficulties is learning the Japanese language, which is very different from Filipino and English. Having applied for the program in 2014 but failed to make the cut, Balberona said she took a 150-hour Japanese language course in preparation for her second attempt. Custodio, whose older brother was part of the program’s seventh group and remains in Japan in the hope of eventually passing the license exam for nurses, said the current language and culture course handled by the Japan Foundation is helpful. “It’s quite difficult but we know that if we practice every day, in the future we’ll be able to speak somehow in Japanese,” he said. Yuka Otani, one of the 22 Japanese teachers sent from Japan to teach the current batch of candidate health workers, said Filipinos were more adaptable to foreign languages, including Japanese, because they were already accustomed to multiple languages. Having taught the Japanese language in Malaysia and Vietnam as well, she said Filipinos were also “more cheerful in learning” and creative in presenting their skills. Japan has accepted over 1,000 Filipino nurses and caregivers under the program since its launch in 2009, three years after the two countries forged the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement. Official data show that more than 250 Filipinos have passed the Japanese license exams, with most currently working in Japan. Ruby Pink Abriol, 31, a Filipino nurse who passed the Japanese license exam for nurses in 2014, said she had zero knowledge of the Japanese language when she joined the third batch of applicants in 2011. Speaking to Kyodo News during her recent vacation in Manila, Abriol admits that even now, she is still not confident of her Japanese proficiency. “I was like a working student in Japan. Half-day is spent for studying and half-day for working. At night I study for about four hours. And on my days off I study for eight to 12 hours,” she said. In addition to the language barrier, Abriol said she also has had to adjust to the working environment in Japan, where people are focused, professional-minded and can sometimes be very strict. She was also surprised when she was assigned cleaning and janitorial tasks during her early days in Japan. Even after passing the nurse license exam, there are limits to what she is allowed to do to patients on her own and the salary increase is minimal. “It’s really a tough job because it takes lots of responsibilities . . . but professionally, it’s advantageous,” said Abriol, who will take up a new challenge when she starts working at a different hospital in Japan this month. Unlike other aspirants who have left Japan without completing the program or even after they have passed the license exams, Abriol decided to continue to work in the country for now. “Passing the board exam was really difficult. Not everyone can have this privilege,” she said. Despite the hardships, she encourages fellow Filipino health professionals not to pass on the opportunity to train and work in Japan, because for her, the benefits outweigh the disadvantages. But while she advises aspirants to study and adjust to the Japanese culture, she also hopes Japan will do the same toward Filipinos and other foreign workers “so that both governments’ long-term goals will be met.” “Japan really needs health workers. That’s a long-term need. I’m hoping and wishing they will learn to adapt to foreigners so that a lot of nurses can also come (to work in Japan),” she said. Abriol is proud about one of the differences she sees between Filipino nurses and their Japanese counterparts in that the former consider their career as a “personal” job. “We treat patients like family,” she said.


Bitcoin operators await regulation in Japan amid push for legitimacy and widespread use

Abstract: Bitcoin operators are keenly watching the Diet as it deliberates bills to regulate the currency, believing the legislation is key to regaining the public trust’s in the virtual tender and luring more players to the industry. The bitcoin phenomenon fell under a cloud following the 2014 bankruptcy of Mt. Gox, a bitcoin exchange that claimed $390 million worth of the virtual currency disappeared from its computer system. Users lost their bitcoins and the firm’s CEO, Mark Karpeles, was arrested last year for allegedly falsifying data. Learning from the bitter experience, the government is set to place bitcoin operators under its supervision. At the same time, it will recognize the digital currency as similar to money, setting a legal definition for the first time once the bills pass the Diet and take effect. The bills passed the Lower House last month and are currently under deliberation in the Upper House. As fintech, a term coined by combining “finance” and “technology,” flourished worldwide, Japan wanted to keep up with the trend by creating legislation to cover bitcoins. “This is epoch-making,” said Mike Kayamori, CEO of Quoine, a Tokyo-based bitcoin exchange, adding that Japan was at the forefront globally of trying to establish legal definitions around bitcoin trade. Approved by the Cabinet in March, the bills to revise laws including the Banking Act and Payment Service Act stipulate that virtual currencies have “asset-like values” that can be used in making payments and can be transferred digitally. The legislation also obliges bitcoin business exchanges to comply with various regulations — something nonexistent when the Mt. Gox fiasco took place — and the Financial Services Agency is expected to become the industry’s watchdog. As such, the new regulation will require bitcoin exchanges to register with the government and submit annual reports. When necessary, the FSA will be able to conduct an on-site inspection and issue business improvement orders. To prevent the virtual currency from being used for money laundering and terrorism, operators will also be obliged to confirm the identity of users when they open accounts. Yuzo Kano, CEO of Tokyo-based startup bitFlyer, which also runs a bitcoin exchange, said he believed a key point in the legislation was that it protected bitcoin users. “It will help improve the trust in the virtual currency,” he said. He said without the bills, users would distrust the entire system because it was not recognized by the government. “I am hoping the new rules will stimulate the growth of the industry,” he said. Bitcoin — a decentralized cryptocurrency launched in 2009 — is used in transactions via a peer-to-peer network that connects users’ computers directly instead of via a main server, enabling users to transfer small amounts of the virtual currency almost free of charge. Its core technology, blockchain, a public ledger that logs every transaction and is considered impervious to fraud, has been touted as revolutionary, since it achieves a legitimate currency system without a central authority, such as a bank or government. Once the new regulations are in place, industry officials hope bitcoins will be seen as a legitimate currency that will attract more new players. After their mandatory registration, bitcoin business operators will gain a “significant level of trust” that will make it easier to work with other firms, especially with conservative Japanese banks, said Kayamori, who is also a former senior vice president of SoftBank Group in charge of its Asia operations. The key to running financial services is to cooperate with banks, because they provide corporate accounts, he added. “The business-to-business field will really grow and various applications will be available to consumers, such as a payment method,” he said. Kano of bitFlyer agreed, saying the system needed to attract major Japanese companies for it to spread because most bitcoin companies were currently startups. Although it has been growing, the Japanese bitcoin market is still in its infancy and too small for many startups to compete, so “nobody is really making a profit,” said Kano. “It’s essential for big firms to enter the market, especially major payment and commerce firms,” he said. Bitflyer users increased to 150,000 in March, up from 100,000 in January, with most users in Japan. Quoine, whose exchange service is used in other parts of Asia, said trade volume in March was ¥12 billion, a 200-fold jump from the same month a year ago. “The market itself has been growing, so I’m hoping everyone will be happy someday,” Kano said. Kayamori of Quoine said he believed bitcoins had great potential to spread in Japan for two main reasons — the popularity of foreign exchange and widespread loyalty programs. After the new rules take effect, existing financial institutions will probably start offering investment options for the virtual currency, said Kayamori. He added that investing in virtual currencies was similar to foreign exchange trade, so bitcoins could be a popular investment option. One setback, though, could be that bitcoin is known as a volatile investment tool. In November 2013 it traded at about $1,200 per bitcoin, but this is now about $450. Another positive factor, Kayamori pointed out, is that Japan had a variety of widespread loyalty programs, including T-point and Ponta cards. The virtual currency, which can be used to make payments not only in Japan but also to participating stores overseas, could be an option to convert those loyalty points, he said. In Japan, more and more shops are accepting bitcoins. According to Coincheck, another Tokyo-based startup that provides an exchange service and bitcoin payment system, there are over 1,000 such stores now. Kayamori said Quoine had talked to loyalty program operators who have shown interest. But they are currently reluctant because accounting procedures and the legal status of the virtual currency remain unclear. “They are literally waiting” for the rules to be in place, said Kayamori.

diet
bitcoin
mt . gox
virtual currencies


30-year-old Siamese is world's oldest living cat

Abstract: MANSFIELD, TEXAS - A Siamese cat born during President Ronald Reagan’s administration has been named by Guinness World Records as the world’s oldest living cat. Guinness says Scooter celebrated his 30th birthday on March 26. He lives in Mansfield, Texas. Owner Gail Floyd attributes Scooter’s longevity to staying active. She tells Guinness he keeps busy by traveling and has visited 45 of the 50 states. Some of his favorite activities include getting blow-dried after baths and snacking on chicken every other day. Scooter isn’t Guinness’ oldest cat of all time, though. That mark belongs to a fellow Texas cat that lived to be 38.


Sea Shepherd founder Paul Watson, a man who rams whalers for a living

Abstract: PARIS - He’s a fugitive on Interpol’s Red List and a marine vigilante who’s done jail time after extradition requests. Yet to many, he’s also a heroic marine conservationist who risks his life and those of his crew to save countless endangered whales, turtles, dolphins and sharks from slaughter. Love him or loathe him, Paul Watson, the 65-year-old, silver-haired founder of Sea Shepherd and co-founder of Greenpeace is now a celebrity because of his job: ramming whaling boats for a living. Watson has a hit U.S. reality TV series, “Whale Wars,” that has aired on the Discovery Channel since 2008 about his organization’s fight against Japanese whalers. And his influence reached new heights with the award-winning documentary “Sharkwater,” which conservationists say resulted in shark finning being banned worldwide. Both have attracted a new legion of global fans to Sea Shepherd’s controversial approach of battering whaling and fishing ships. The tactics have landed him in the legal hot water even as they boost his renown. During an interview with The Associated Press in Paris, Watson — a dual U.S.-Canadian citizen — was stopped four times in the street by fans of all nationalities who asked for autographs. “The camera is the most powerful weapon we’ve ever invented, so we had to utilize that weapon. That’s why we created the (reality) show,” he said. France has granted Watson political asylum, shielding him from extradition requests by Costa Rica and Japan on charges that he asserts are trumped up. Watson now lives as an international fugitive in a luxurious 18th-century chateau near Bordeaux. “It’s not bad,” he said with a smile. Japan says Watson allegedly masterminded Sea Shepherd’s disruption of Japanese whale hunts in the Antarctic Ocean and thus put whalers’ lives at risk during the hunt. Watson’s career has been as stormy as the seas he’s traveled. Co-founder of Greenpeace in 1969, he left the organization eight years later. “I left Greenpeace because protesting is submissive. Like ‘Please, please, please don’t kill the whales,’ ” he said. The same year he founded Sea Shepherd with the mantra using “aggressive nonviolence” to protect marine life. “We’ve never caused a single injury to anyone but all the stories of ramming ships are true,” he said, his eyes sparkling. Getting celebrities on board has boosted his cause. It was not until the 1970s, when he got blond bombshell Brigitte Bardot to pose “cheek-to-cheek” with a baby seal on the ice, that he first realized the “power of celebrity.” “It got us the cover of every major publication in the world,” he said. Now it’s an integral part of his organization’s outreach. A scary-looking Sea Shepherd ship — a camouflaged vessel painted with jagged shark’s teeth — was docked in front of the world’s media at the celebrity-filled Cannes Film Festival this month with activist Pamela Anderson in tow, drawing attention to the campaign against Antibes’ Marineland, Europe’s largest Sea World-style theme park. Sea Shepherd is suing the marine park for negligence that they claim led to the deaths of an orca and other animals — allegations that Marineland officials deny. “I don’t love the celebrity thing, but it’s what gets the message across,” Watson said, citing supporters including Christian Bale, William Shatner, Pierce Brosnan, Sean Connery and Richard Dean Anderson. “We can’t lose because we’ve got two James Bonds, Batman, Captain Kirk and MacGyver on our advisory board.” Isn’t he forgetting Robert Redford, who is also on the board? “Robert Redford wasn’t a superhero in ‘Captain America,’ he was a villain,” he laughed. Humor is just the veneer on a focused, dogged determination that’s carried him through six decades of fighting for the rights of marine life. An Interpol Red Notice is the closest instrument to an international arrest warrant in use today — the police organization circulates those notices to member countries listing people who are wanted for extradition. Watson said the original charges from Japan — the world’s biggest whaling nation — date from 2010, when a Japanese whaling vessel cut a $2 million Sea Shepherd boat in half. The Sea Shepherd captain then boarded the Japanese ship — “to confront the whaler who just destroyed his boat” — and was summarily arrested. Watson claims the captain “made a deal” with the Japanese to suspend his sentence “in return for him saying that I ordered him to board.” Watson says the captain wrote an affidavit to the U.S. State Department a year later admitting that he’d lied to Japan, which led the U.S. to ignore the extradition request — after briefly handcuffing him when he crossed the border from Canada. He says the Costa Rica request is also trumped up and is linked to the Japanese charges. Watson’s charm comes from his effortless way of making extreme positions seem highly reasonable. He says all the property that Sea Shepherd destroys by ramming it at sea is being used for criminal activity. “So we don’t see a problem with that,” he explained.