Tokyo - Former Japanese foreign minister Taro Aso, the top contender for succeeding newly resigned prime minister Yasuo Fukuda, Friday promised measures to kick-start Japan's lacklustre economy.
When officially announcing his candidature for the September 22 election for the presidency of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), the 67-year-old party hawk promised to "dispel the concerns of the population."
Frustrated by low poll ratings and the opposition blocking his policies in Japan's upper house, Fukuda unexpectedly announced his resignation on Monday.
Tokyo - In high-tech Japan, not only programmers provide protection from viruses and other computer bugs, but also the gods.
At Tokyo's Kanda-Myojin Shinto shrine, the faithful can bring their computer and have the priests use centuries-old ceremonies to ask the gods for help and protection for their computer, a shrine spokesman said Friday.
The shrine is located near the Akihabara quarter, Tokyo's technology hub and popular destination for geeks and lovers of the latest electronic gadgets.
Tokyo - Tokyo stocks plunged Friday, dragged down by Wall Street and a strengthened yen.
The benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average fell 319.05 points, or 2.54 per cent, to 12,238,91.
The broader Topix index of all first-section issues was also down 30.54 points, or 2.54 per cent, to 1,271.11.
Japan's government announced earlier on friday that the country's businesses had cut investment in the second quarter by 6.5 per cent compared to the same period last year.
Tokyo - A Buddhist priest in Japan caused the destruction of his own temple when trying to smoke out some hornets squatting in the building, the Asahi Shimbun newspaper said Thursday.
The 41-year-old tried to burn out a hornet's nest on top of a cupboard in his temple in the central Japanese province Niigata with a home-made bamboo torch.
However, the cupboard caught fire as the angry insects defended their home and attacked the scared priest. The fire soon spread to the rest of the building. While the priest only suffered light burns, the temple burnt down completely.
Tokyo - Former Japanese foreign minister Taro Aso, the top contender for succeeding newly resigned prime minister Yasuo Fukuda, Friday promised measures to kick-start Japan's lacklustre economy.
Tokyo - In high-tech Japan, not only programmers provide protection from viruses and other computer bugs, but also the gods.
Tokyo - Tokyo stocks plunged Friday, dragged down by Wall Street and a strengthened yen.
Tokyo - A Buddhist priest in Japan caused the destruction of his own temple when trying to smoke out some hornets squatting in the building, the Asahi Shimbun newspaper said Thursday.
