A National Police Agency report made available Thursday showed police departments across the country handled 3,832 cannabis-related cases involving 2,778 offenders last year, both all-time highs since the NPA began tracking records in 1956.

The figure for total cases marked a 16.8 percent increase from the previous year, with the number of offenders rising 22.3 percent. There were 2,374 first-timers, accounting for 85.5 percent of the total offenders and posting a 20.6 percent year-on-year increase.

As for breakdowns in age groups, the combined number of offenders in their teens and 20s went up to 1,736, or 62.5 percent of the total and a 10.6 percent rise. Among them were 49 high school and two junior high school students.

The figures and numbers included highly publicized cases, most notably the arrest of a Russian professional sumo wrestler, Wakanoho, who was caught in Tokyo in August for marijuana possession and kicked out of the Japanese national sport.

Actor Taishu Kase was then apprehended in another high-profile case while a number of arrests of college and university students were reported throughout the year for possessing, smoking, growing or smuggling cannabis or marijuana.

The agency says a main factor in the increase appears to be numerous Internet websites that provide information officials say helps facilitate illegal acts related to marijuana, including how to grow it, indoors or outdoors, and produce it.

Acquiring seeds of the plant over the Internet is relatively easy and seed trades are not illegal under current Japanese laws, making it possible for seed sellers to ward off a police search as long as they post a description noting that growing cannabis is illegal.

Authorities have belatedly launched countermeasures against such deals and their efforts led to the arrest last year of a group who had engaged in Internet seed sales and delivery on charges of helping to grow cannabis.

"There has obviously been an increasing number of occasions in which people get cannabis seeds or learn how to grow it," an NPA official said. "And there's misunderstanding among them about the toxicity (of cannabis and marijuana). Probably that's part of the reason they tried to get into it very easily."

The NPA report also said there were 15,840 cases associated with stimulant drugs in 2008, down 6.4 percent from the previous year, with 11,041 offenders involved, down 8.1 percent. Organized crimes comprised the majority of the cases.

In other types of crimes, 42 gunshot incidents were reported in which 10 people were killed, down from 65 and 21, respectively.

Japan signs deal on $100 billion loan to IMF

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D96AVP300&show_article=1

ROME, Feb. 13 (AP) - (Kyodo)—Japan and the International Monetary Fund formalized an agreement Friday on the former's loan of $100 billion to the Washington-based lender to help it keep assisting cash-strapped countries amid the global financial crisis.

Japanese Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa and IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn signed the terms of the accord in the Italian capital just ahead of a two-day meeting of the Group of Seven financial leaders.

"This loan is not only important for the IMF...but it's mostly important for all countries having problems with the crisis and needing help," Strauss-Kahn said during a signing ceremony.

"This loan of $100 billion is the biggest loan ever in the history of mankind," he said, adding he hopes other countries will follow in Japan's footsteps by contributing funds to the IMF.

For his part, Nakagawa said, "I hope this can be put to good use very quickly." He said that given the global crisis, it is important that the IMF play a major role in tackling it.

Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso unveiled Tokyo's intention in November to lend a maximum of $100 billion to the IMF to shore up the institution's financial standing and help it continue lending.

The IMF has sought to double its lending ability to some $500 billion to boost confidence so that it can handle any future borrowers amid the financial crisis, in addition to recent borrowers such as Pakistan, Iceland and some Eastern European countries.

Japan's total commitment is equivalent to about 31 percent of total IMF quotas. The IMF's lending capacity was about $143 billion before Japan's commitment.

The initial period of the commitment is for one year, and may be extended for up to a total of five years depending on need. Each drawing will carry interest at 0.62 percent.

The Friday and Saturday meeting of the G-7 brings together finance ministers and central bank governors from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States.

A roundup of Japan’s police vehicle fleet

http://www.japantoday.com/category/lifestyle/view/a-roundup-of-japan%e2%80%99s-police-vehicle-fleet

TOKYO — Imagine seeing a Nissan Skyline GT-R closing in on your rearview mirror, red lights ablaze. Packing a straight-six twin-turbo engine, this beast is one surefire way to get you to behave. Who in their right mind would go over the 100km/h speed limit knowing such fully accessorized monsters are lurking, looking for their next victim?

Ever since the early ’90s, domestic manufacturers have churned out a string of affordable sports cars, ranging from your average Subaru Impreza WRX to the top-of-the-line Honda NSX. And Japanese police departments have wasted no time buying them up — effectively creating a fleet of super patoka.

Luckily for urban drivers, the speediest vehicles are used mostly to cruise the highways. On city streets, the police deploy more run-of-the-mill models. The Toyota Crown is probably the one everyone is most familiar with—a big, Japan-only four-door sedan packing, in the latest model, a 3.5-liter V6. Black-and-white Nissan Crews, which like Crowns are also commonly used by taxi companies, are another regular sight in central Tokyo.

Helping the feared parking police squeeze through the tighter alleys of the capital are vehicles like the yellow-plated Daihatsu Mira kei-jidosha, which within the blink of an eye can dispatch four ticket-book-equipped policewomen ready to chalk your tires.

The two-wheeled approach to policing is also very common. Official vehicles range from the squeaky pushbikes, equipped with the latest in umbrella-holding technology, all the way to the top-of-the-line Honda VFR800P “shiro-bai” — one of the most tactical weapons thanks to its compact (easily concealed) size.

The best way to get a glimpse of these and other cars is at one of the yearly inspection parades put on by regional departments. In search of the latest and greatest, we attended one recently put on by the Chiba Prefectural Police at Makuhari Messe.

On top of the dozens of “shiro-bai” driving in formation, we spotted a few undercover cars, including the brand new Toyota Crown Majesta and the Subaru Legacy B4 turbo, both stealthily deployed on the Higashi-Kanto Expressway. There was also the massive Isuzu Giga armored bus, used to transport riot police and prisoners. At the other end of the scale were the hybrid Toyota Estima and the frugal, futuristically styled Mitsubishi i.

The sheer variety of vehicles attracts some pretty hardcore “otaku” who fanatically attend every one of these parades with their cameras documenting the rarer machinery on display.

For more information on future parades, keep an eye on the websites of your area’s police websites. Or push the pedal to the metal, and roll the dice — you may earn yourself a real close look.

NHK 24 hours worldwide

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/ed20090208a1.html

NHK last week began its new worldwide 24-hour all-English TV service. The expanded broadcasting will now extend into some 70 countries via satellite, cable and the Internet. That means more people in more places will now be seeing Japan much more of the time.

Since its inception in 1995, NHK's international TV broadcasting has increased its reach to 80 million households worldwide. The plan to increase that to 110 million households worldwide this year is an admirable goal. With the current economic crisis making travel prohibitively expensive for many tourists, the service may serve as one of Japan's primary interfaces with the world.

This service offers more than colorful brochures or friendly tourist information. With programs that give insight into Japan's cultural heritage and social issues, NHK's increased programming will establish an image of Japan that has far-reaching consequences. As a counterpoint to "strange Japan," news, documentaries and features have the potential to present diverse aspects of Japan with care and critical understanding.

In addition to the noncommercial shows, however, the new service will also include television programs made by commercial TV stations, including commercials. The running of commercial content alongside NHK documentaries and features seems a slight confusion of intentions. In this YouTube age, though, where each clip of video silliness takes on its own cyber-life, any insistently promotional or simplistically superficial programs run the risk of backfiring. Let's hope the directors create and select programs seriously and thoughtfully.

Those concerns aside, the service seems a sure-footed step in the right direction of letting the world know about Japan. More and more people around the world have become fascinated with Japanese culture, and NHK now has a chance to enhance the international flow of information in a positive and meaningful way. Japan's engagement with the world is still a work in progress, but progress is being made.

World's 1st official MLB restaurant to open in Tokyo

http://www.japantoday.com/category/features/view/worlds-first-mlb-official-restaurant-to-open-in-tokyo

MLB Cafe Tokyo will open in Ebisu on Sept 17.

TOKYO — Baseball is about to go into the restaurant business. MLB Cafe Tokyo, Major League Baseball’s (MLB) first official restaurant, is scheduled to open on Sept 17 in front of Sapporo Breweries’ headquarters at Ebisu Garden Place in Tokyo.

"Baseball is the most popular sport in Asia. Many Asians are now playing in MLB. That`s why we think a restaurant with a concept associated with MLB, rather than individual teams, will be popular,” said Kaz Sakuma, Chief Operating Officer of Sunrise Japan Foods Co which will manage the eatery.

The 3-story MLB Cafe Tokyo will be 1,600 square meters in area and have 260 seats, including a VIP area. A 500-inch giant TV monitor will show both live and recorded MLB games. The restaurant plans to offer lunch and dinner for about 1,500-2,000 yen and 3,000-4,000 yen respectively. The facility also includes a wedding chapel and a shop selling MLB goods.

Sakuma said, “MLB Cafe Tokyo is not just a restaurant featuring baseball. We would like to promote ‘food education’ through healthy eating.” The restaurant plans to hire popular Japanese chef Masashi Nagasaka to supervise its cuisine that will be original food based on regional specialties of MLB team hometowns, such as clam chowder with Japan’s burdock root and crab cakes made of tofu. Sunrise Foods also plans to have entertainment events in the restaurant so “customers can enjoy it like Disneyland,” said Sakuma.

While the restaurant business has been declining and marked a 0.8% decrease in sales last year, according to the Japan Food Service Association, Sakuma is optimistic about the project. “As people are eating out less frequently, they tend to choose value for money. The current situation is a golden business opportunity for us.”

Sunrise already operates the cafe chain “news DELI” which collaborates with other companies, such Dell Computer, Sony and even a banana brand, to promote their products and services in its cafe outlets. Sakuma said the cafe chain is not just a cafe but an effective medium for commercial promotion. “The business model interested MLB officials,” he said.

Sakuma expects 100,000 people to visit MLB Cafe Tokyo as a new sightseeing spot and 600-800 million yen sales a year from the restaurant and bridal businesses respectively. He also plans to organize events for children to meet professional MLB players to foster future major leaguers as part of Sunrise’s CSR (corporate social responsibility) activities.