H1N1 flu death suspected in Hokkaido
Authorities in Japan's northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido are looking into a suspected fatal case of the new H1N1 influenza.
The case involves a female public health worker in her 40s who was found dead in a hotel room in Wakkanai City on Sunday.
She had been coughing and had a 38.7-degree fever the previous day. A simple test confirmed that she had type A influenza, which includes the new H1N1 strain.
The woman spent the night at the hotel. She was found by a hotel worker, who went to check on her condition after she failed to emerge by noon.
Local authorities say a closer test later found she was infected with the new flu. They say that although the immediate cause of death was ruled as cardiac arrest, they will look into the relation between her death and the virus.
Nine days before she was found dead, the woman interviewed new-flu patients on a small island off the coast of Wakkanai City.
Quake disaster drills held in Tokyo & across Japan
Disaster drills are being held across Japan to prepare
for major earthquakes in the tremor-prone country. Tuesday marks the 86th anniversary of the Great Kanto Earthquake, which left 140-thousand people dead.
In Tokyo, drills are being held on the assumption that a massive quake, with a magnitude of 7.3, has hit the northern part of Tokyo Bay.
The scenario is that the earthquake has jolted Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba and Saitama Prefectures with an intensity of 6-plus on the Japanese scale of 0 to 7. This means people cannot remain standing and unreinforced concrete walls may collapse.
The government set up a mock emergency task force at the Prime Minister's Office and another one in Ariake, on Tokyo Bay, one of the designated bases for disaster relief operations.
Prime Minister Taro Aso told a mock news conference
that police, firefighters and Self-Defense Forces units have been deployed from across the country to take initial action.
In a video conference with the task force in Ariake, Aso called on the team to immediately dispatch emergency medical teams and deliver relief supplies to the disaster zone.
In Kawasaki city, adjacent to Tokyo, 4 prefectures and 4 major cities are jointly holding another disaster drill. Participants are to practice transporting emergency supplies and carrying the injured to areas outside of the quake-hit regions.
Some 800,000 people are expected to take part in various mock exercises across the country.
DPJ asks 2 opposition parties for coalition
Japan's Democratic Party, after winning a landslide victory in Sunday's general election, has officially asked 2 other minor opposition parties to start discussions on forming a possible coalition government.
The largest opposition Democratic Party won 308 seats in the 480-seat Lower House of the Diet.
On Monday, party leader Yukio Hatoyama and other senior officials confirmed the party's policy to call on the Social Democratic and People's New parties to hold talks on forming a coalition government.
Hatoyama then officially conveyed the request to the leaders of the 2 parties.
Democratic Party Secretary General Katsuya Okada told reporters that his party wants to discuss the issue earnestly because forming a coalition government is a very important matter.
Social Democratic Party leader Mizuho Fukushima and other senior officials confirmed the party's plan to create a consultative body among the 3 parties to discuss policies, with a view to forming a coalition government.
The party also decided to hold a meeting of national representatives on Wednesday before finalizing the party's stand on the coalition issue.
The People's New Party decided to hold a meeting of lawmakers to discuss a possible coalition.
The Democratic Party gained a majority in the 2007 Upper House election, and has since been aiming to form a coalition with the 2 parties to secure control of the upper chamber.
The Social Democratic Party and the People's New Party each have 5 seats in the Upper House.
Iran offers new nuclear proposal
Iran says it has prepared an updated nuclear proposal for Western countries that want it to stop uranium enrichment.
Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, made the remark to reporters on Tuesday.
The content of the proposal remains unclear, but Jalili expressed readiness to hold talks with the West by saying Iran is ready to use its capacities to remove common concerns on the international scene.
The 5 permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany are scheduled to hold high-level talks in Frankfurt on Wednesday on Iran's nuclear program.
Western countries are ready to strengthen economic sanctions against Iran if it does not begin negotiations by the end of the month.
Iran is unlikely to include a halt to uranium enrichment in its latest proposal. But it apparently hopes to avoid further sanctions by showing a positive stance towards dialogue with the international community.
Democrats to begin coalition talks
The Democratic Party plans to begin negotiations on Wednesday with the Social Democratic Party and People's New Party on forming a coalition government.
They aim to reach an agreement next week.
Democratic Party leader Yukio Hatoyama met the head of the People's New Party, Shizuka Kamei, on Tuesday.
They confirmed that their parties and the Social Democratic Party will discuss the possibility of setting up a coalition government.
In the planned negotiations, the Democratic Party will take up the joint campaign pledges of the 3 parties for Sunday's Lower House election.
These include reviewing postal privatization and not raising the consumption tax over the next 4 years through an overhaul of government spending.
The Social Democratic Party and People's New Party plan to basically agree to incorporate the joint pledges in a final deal.
However, the Democratic Party and Social Democratic Party have different views on some issues.
The SDP wants an immediate end to the refueling mission of the Maritime Self-Defense Force in the Indian Ocean.
A special session of the Diet will convene on September 16th to designate Democratic Party leader Yukio Hatoyama as the new prime minister.
Washington Post editorial harsh on Hatoyama
An editorial in the Washington Post says Japan's Democratic Party leader Yukio Hatoyama, who is expected to be the country's next prime minister, is seeking a rupture with the United States.
The opinion piece in Tuesday's paper stresses that the Democratic Party's landslide victory in the Lower House election has brought about political competition.
However, it points out that Hatoyama is an inexperienced politician. It says he has called for a more Asia-centered foreign policy, sometimes dressing this up with assaults on American "market fundamentalism" and other ills of globalization.
The editorial also says that the threat of a nuclear North Korea makes Japan's neighborhood too dangerous for the Japanese government to seek a rupture with Washington, or for the Obama administration to let one develop.
Iran offers new nuclear proposal
Iran says it has prepared an updated nuclear proposal for Western countries that want it to stop uranium enrichment.
Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, made the remark to reporters on Tuesday.
The content of the proposal remains unclear, but Jalili expressed readiness to hold talks with the West by saying Iran is ready to use its capacities to remove common concerns on the international scene.
The 5 permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany are scheduled to hold high-level talks in Frankfurt on Wednesday on Iran's nuclear program.
Western countries are ready to strengthen economic sanctions against Iran if it does not begin negotiations by the end of the month.
Iran is unlikely to include a halt to uranium enrichment in its latest proposal. But it apparently hopes to avoid further sanctions by showing a positive stance towards dialogue with the international community.
Democrats to begin coalition talks
The Democratic Party plans to begin negotiations on Wednesday with the Social Democratic Party and People's New Party on forming a coalition government.
They aim to reach an agreement next week.
Democratic Party leader Yukio Hatoyama met the head of the People's New Party, Shizuka Kamei, on Tuesday.
They confirmed that their parties and the Social Democratic Party will discuss the possibility of setting up a coalition government.
In the planned negotiations, the Democratic Party will take up the joint campaign pledges of the 3 parties for Sunday's Lower House election.
These include reviewing postal privatization and not raising the consumption tax over the next 4 years through an overhaul of government spending.
The Social Democratic Party and People's New Party plan to basically agree to incorporate the joint pledges in a final deal.
However, the Democratic Party and Social Democratic Party have different views on some issues.
The SDP wants an immediate end to the refueling mission of the Maritime Self-Defense Force in the Indian Ocean.
A special session of the Diet will convene on September 16th to designate Democratic Party leader Yukio Hatoyama as the new prime minister.
Washington Post editorial harsh on Hatoyama
An editorial in the Washington Post says Japan's Democratic Party leader Yukio Hatoyama, who is expected to be the country's next prime minister, is seeking a rupture with the United States.
The opinion piece in Tuesday's paper stresses that the Democratic Party's landslide victory in the Lower House election has brought about political competition.
However, it points out that Hatoyama is an inexperienced politician. It says he has called for a more Asia-centered foreign policy, sometimes dressing this up with assaults on American "market fundamentalism" and other ills of globalization.
The editorial also says that the threat of a nuclear North Korea makes Japan's neighborhood too dangerous for the Japanese government to seek a rupture with Washington, or for the Obama administration to let one develop.
US new auto sales rise 1st time in nearly 2 years
New car sales in the United States rose for the first time in nearly 2 years, due to the government's so-called "Cash for Clunkers" incentive program.
US research firm Autodata said on Tuesday that new car sales in August were close to 1.3 million units. That's a 1 percent rise from a year earlier and the first rise since October 2007.
The government subsidy program helped boost sales, offering consumers up to 4,500 dollars to trade an older vehicle for a fuel-efficient model.
Japanese automaker Mazda saw sales rise by just over 12 percent, while Honda's were up nearly 10 percent, and Toyota's, 6 percent.
Among US automakers, Ford sales soared 17 percent. But sales plunged nearly 20 percent at General Motors and more than 15 percent at Chrysler, as the two companies moved out of bankruptcy protection earlier this year.
With the end of the rebate program in July, there are now concerns that auto sales could start heading south again.
Japan to set up fund for natural environment
Japan will provide 10-million dollars to set up a new international fund that helps developing nations protect the environment.
Japan said it made the decision in advance of a meeting next year of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity in the city of Nagoya. About 190 countries will take part in the meeting, aimed at protecting wildlife and preserving plant diversity.
Japan says it hopes the new fund will encourage developing nations to create their own environmental projects, so they will understand why all UN member nations have to support biological diversity.
Japan's Environment Ministry said it hopes the Convention's secretariat in Montreal, Canada, will manage the new fund. It said the secretariat and the Japanese government would jointly screen requests from developing nations before providing financial aid for their projects.
Japanese officials say Japan, as chair of next year's meeting, is showing leadership with this initiative to encourage the setting of a new target for promoting global environmental protection.
DPJ asks government for smooth power transfer
Democratic Party leaders have asked the outgoing government to provide information on important issues to ensure a smooth transfer of power.
Democratic Party Secretary General Katsuya Okada made the request of Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura on Wednesday. He asked that the government instruct each ministry and agency to give the Democratic Party all the information it needs to deal with the current issues.
Specifically, Okada asked about measures for handling the new influenza virus and about preparations for possible natural disasters.
He asked for details on implementation of the last supplementary budget and about plans for next year's initial budget.
Okada also asked for briefings on upcoming diplomatic business.
Kawamura replied that the government is, in principle, ready to cooperate for a smooth succession of administrations.
Okada later told reporters that his party is currently focused on gaining a clear understanding of the current situation. He said they will start preparations to implement policy once the new government is launched in 2 weeks.
最終更新：2009年09月03日 07:12
