Top News in Japan — Thursday, August 9, 2007
Posted by Matt Dioguardi on August 9th, 2007
Top news in Japan …
Nagasaki marks 62nd anniversary of atomic bombing. With a strong sense of resolve that the world must never again experience the suffering brought on by a nuclear attack, Nagasaki will carry out somber ceremonies today to remember the dropping of the second atomic bomb.
Japanese story: 核廃絶へ、強い自覚を 長崎６２回目「原爆の日」
More stories follow …
Highest gasoline prices on record in Japan. The average price of one liter of gasoline in Japan has risen to ¥145.1 per liter. This is the highest recorded average since the records started being kept by the oil information center in 1987.
Japanese story: ガソリン最高値を更新 １４５円台に急上昇
Ozawa meets with Schieffer.
(Discussed here.)
Japanese story: 米大使の延長要請を拒否 小沢氏、テロ特措法で
National public servant salaries to rise for 1st time in 9 yrs. Japan’s National Personnel Authority recommended Wednesday that the government raise basic salaries for young national public servants mainly in their 20s, a move that will pave the way for the first hike in overall average pay among national servants in nine years if realized. The authority restricted the latest salary increase recommendations to young civil servants since it aims to rectify the wage gap between young and senior employees, and is also taking into consideration the recent upsurge of young officials leaving the government. (Kyodo News)
Japanese story: 平均年収は９年ぶりアップ 人事院勧告、実施は微妙
Japanese interested in upcoming Korean leaders meeting. This is a top story in Japan. People are very interested in what will emerge from the first summit between the two countries heads of state in seven years. (English story.)
Japanese story: 首脳会談定例化目指す 韓国、緊張緩和も焦点
Tokyo air pollution suit officially concludes. A damages suit over air pollution in Tokyo filed by hundreds of asthma patients officially ended in an out-of-court settlement Wednesday, with seven automakers agreeing to pay 1.2 billion yen to the plaintiffs and 3.3 billion yen to finance a medical subsidy program for the patients. With 520 plaintiffs joining the lawsuit, the 11-year-old case was the first kind of air pollution lawsuit which sought to have automakers such as Toyota Motor Corp. take legal responsibility by filing a suit against them. (Kyodo News)
Japanese story: 東京大気汚染訴訟が和解 提訴から１１年、全面解決
Medical expense in Japan for last year at about ¥32,400,000,000,000. This is the highest number on record, and the third year that such a record has been broken. However, the increase form last year was not very significant, and much less than expected. Based on population forecasts and so on, this is actually a good number.
Japanese story: 医療費横ばい３２兆４千億円 マイナス改定で自然増相殺