Japan’s first lunar probe ends mission

Japan’s first lunar probe made a controlled crash landing on the moon Thursday, successfully completing a 19-month mission to study the Earth’s nearest neighbor, Japan’s space agency said. The remotely controlled satellite, named after the folklore princess Kaguya, had been orbiting the moon to map its surface and study its mineral distribution and gravity levels. It was dropped onto the surface of the moon at 3:25 am. (1825 GMT), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, said in a statement. Full Story : USAToday.com…..

Double atomic bomb survivor found in Japan

A 93-year-old Japanese man has become the first person to be officially recognised as a survivor of both atomic bombs dropped on Japan by the United States at the end of the Second World War. Mr Yamaguchi was in Hiroshima on a business trip on Aug 6, 1945, when a US B-29 dropped an atomic bomb on the city. He then returned to his home in Nagasaki just in time for the second attack, officials said. Mr Yamaguchi is one of about 260,000 people who survived the attacks, which killed 140,000 in Hiroshima and 70,000 in Nagasaki. Full Story : Telegraph.co.uk……..

Japan warns it may shoot down North Korean satellite launcher

Japan today threatened to shoot down a satellite that North Korea plans to launch early next month if it shows any signs of striking its territory. Officials in Tokyo said they reserved the right to destroy any threatening object in mid-flight, despite North Korean warnings that it would consider such a move an act of war. Full Story : Guardian.co.uk

@ a glance : Japan launches satellite to monitor greenhouse gases

Japan launched a satellite on Friday to monitor greenhouse gases around the world in the hope that the data it gathers will help global efforts to combat climate change. Full Story : Reuters…

@ a glance : Toyota to shut car plants for 11 days

Toyota is halting production at most of its domestic plants over an additional 11 days in February and March, highlighting the impact of the relentless decline in global demand for cars. Full Story : FT.com…….

@ a glance : Japan says China’s gas drilling ‘regrettable’

Japan’s foreign minister said Tokyo had protested over Chinese gas drilling in a disputed East China Sea field, which it called regrettable Full Story : Businessspectator.com……..

@ a glance : Japan Q4 GDP to post worst fall since 1974

Japan’s gross domestic product has likely shrunk in the October-December quarter by 12.1 per cent on an annualised basis, Full Story : Businessspectator.com.au…

Pearl harbor day

On December 7, 1941 - 67 years ago  this day- Japanese air crafts bombed United States Pacific Fleet center at Pearl Harbor. The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Japanese navy. Airfields, port facilities, and warships were attacked and severely damaged on Pearl Harbor day. Next day, President Franklin Roosevelt addressed the Congress with his eloquent speech requesting a declaration of war.

” Always will we remember the character of the onslaught against us.
No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.

I believe I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost, but will make very certain that this form of treachery shall never endanger us again.
Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory and our interests are in grave danger.
With confidence in our armed forces - with the unbounding determination of our people - we will gain the inevitable triumph - so help us God.”

iPod a Fire Risk Warns Japan

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry in Japan warned consumers of Apple’s iPod Nano fire hazard. The ministry said it had received three reports of minor fires caused by overheating devices. The Ministry had begun an investigation into the incidents. The iPod Nano uses a rechargeable lithium ion battery. Lithium ion battery has been known to overheat on rare occasions in personal computers and mobile phones. A particular care is needed when charging iPods according to the statement by the ministry.

G-8 For Controlling Global Emissions

The Group of Eight leading industrial nations agreed on halving world emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050. In the battle against global warming all major economies are called to join to eliminate the potentially dangerous rise in world temperatures. The G-8 countries include the United States, Japan, Russia, Germany, France, Britain, Canada and Italy.

Photo Source: http://president.wbcsd.org

Japanese Mobile System reaches 250M bps

In trials of a future 3G cellular technology, a download speed of 250M bps (bits per second) has been achieved by NTT DoComo, Japan’s biggest mobile service provider. The speed was attained in outdoor tests near the carrier’s research and development laboratory in Yokosuka, Japan. The new system is named “Super 3G” and expected to be launched commercially in the next decade. DoCoMo’s network in Japan currently offers download speeds up to 3.6M bps.

Japan can cut emissions by 11%

A study by Japan’s trade ministry says that the nation can cut greenhouse gas emissions by 11 percent by 2020 below 2005 levels. EU plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions by a fifth by 2020 compared to 1990 levels.