Joined: 26 Mar 2007 Posts: 2061 Location: Melbourne Country:
Posted: Fri Dec 17, 2010 2:26 pm Post subject:
Tokyo cracks down on sex comics
The 10 largest publishers of comic books in Japan have attacked the governor of Tokyo for pushing through a law banning the sale of sexually explicit cartoons to minors.
Known as manga these comics are hugely popular in Japan. And while they often deal with subjects like romance and literary classics they're regularly laced with images of hardcore, violent and underage pornography.
The publishers say the ban on selling such cartoons to under-18s is censorship and an infringement on the right to artistic freedom. It's also an industry worth $25 billion a year.
Joined: 15 Jun 2004 Posts: 46182 Location: Los Skandolous, California Country:
Posted: Sun Dec 26, 2010 10:17 am Post subject:
Lightning-like electricity makes mushrooms multiply
When exposed to lightning-like electricity, mushrooms start multiplying, according to an ongoing research.
For decades, farmers in Japan have welcomed storms over their fields, as they believe that lightning strikes provoke plentiful harvests of mushrooms, which are staples of Japanese cuisine, reports National Geographic News.
Now, in four-year study, boffins in northern Japan bombarded a variety of mushrooms in lab-based garden plots with artificially induced lightning to see if electricity actually makes the fungi multiply.
The results showed that lightning-strength jolts of electricity can more than double the yield of certain mushroom species compared with conventional cultivation methods.
�gWe have tried these experiments with ten types of mushroom so far and have found that it is effective in eight species,�h said Koichi Takaki, an associate professor in engineering at Iwate University.
�gWe saw the best effects in shiitake and nameko mushrooms, while we also tested reishi mushrooms, which are not edible but are used in certain types of traditional Chinese medicine,�h he said. (ANI)
Joined: 14 Feb 2009 Posts: 6884 Location: Syracuse, NY Country:
Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 9:11 am Post subject:
Japan population shrinks by record in 2010
– Sat Jan 1, 1:45 am ET
TOKYO – Japan's population fell by a record amount last year as the number of deaths climbed to an all-time high in the quickly aging country, the government said Saturday.
Japan faces a looming demographic squeeze. Baby boomers are moving toward retirement, with fewer workers and taxpayers to replace them. The Japanese boast among the highest life expectancies in the world but have extremely low birth rates.
Japan logged 1.19 million deaths in 2010 — the biggest number since 1947 when the health ministry's annual records began. The number of births was nearly flat at 1.07 million.
As a result, Japan contracted by 123,000 people, which was the most ever and represents the fourth consecutive year of population decline. The top causes of death were cancer, heart disease and stroke, the ministry said.
Japanese aged 65 and older make up about a quarter of Japan's current population. The government projects that by 2050, that figure will climb to 40 percent.
Like in other advanced countries, young people are waiting to get married and choosing to have fewer children because of careers and lifestyle issues.
Saturday's report showed 706,000 marriages registered last year — the fewest since 1954 and a sign that birth rates are unlikely to jump dramatically anytime soon.
Japan's total population stood at 125.77 million as of October, according to the ministry. _________________
Joined: 15 Jun 2004 Posts: 46182 Location: Los Skandolous, California Country:
Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 9:19 am Post subject:
hitomi #1 wrote:
Japan population shrinks by record in 2010
– Sat Jan 1, 1:45 am ET
TOKYO – Japan's population fell by a record amount last year as the number of deaths climbed to an all-time high in the quickly aging country, the government said Saturday.
Japan faces a looming demographic squeeze. Baby boomers are moving toward retirement, with fewer workers and taxpayers to replace them. The Japanese boast among the highest life expectancies in the world but have extremely low birth rates.
Japan logged 1.19 million deaths in 2010 �\ the biggest number since 1947 when the health ministry's annual records began. The number of births was nearly flat at 1.07 million.
As a result, Japan contracted by 123,000 people, which was the most ever and represents the fourth consecutive year of population decline. The top causes of death were cancer, heart disease and stroke, the ministry said.
Japanese aged 65 and older make up about a quarter of Japan's current population. The government projects that by 2050, that figure will climb to 40 percent.
Like in other advanced countries, young people are waiting to get married and choosing to have fewer children because of careers and lifestyle issues.
Saturday's report showed 706,000 marriages registered last year �\ the fewest since 1954 and a sign that birth rates are unlikely to jump dramatically anytime soon.
Japan's total population stood at 125.77 million as of October, according to the ministry.
123,000...that's not even a tenth of how many people pass through the Shinjuku train station in a single day. Big F'in deal.
Joined: 14 Feb 2009 Posts: 6884 Location: Syracuse, NY Country:
Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 9:22 am Post subject:
Tu_triky wrote:
123,000...that's not even a tenth of how many people pass through the Shinjuku train station in a single day. Big F'in deal.
They make it sound like the apocalypse.
Don't know how much so called "experts" know, but the ones who estimate population say by 2050 they'll drop to a population of 99 million, going from the 10th most populus country to about the 20th. _________________
Joined: 15 Jun 2004 Posts: 46182 Location: Los Skandolous, California Country:
Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 9:30 am Post subject:
hitomi #1 wrote:
Don't know how much so called "experts" know, but the ones who estimate population say by 2050 they'll drop to a population of 99 million, going from the 10th most populus country to about the 20th.
If they don't attend to the political and economic situation in Japan, it won't matter.
A drop of 25-26 million in 40 years...seems hardly plausible. They are going to have to start dropping like flies and people will have to stop copulating completely. Every male in Japan will have to take one of these as their new mate and McDonald's will have to become the staple food for the masses instead of green tea and rice.
Joined: 14 Feb 2009 Posts: 6884 Location: Syracuse, NY Country:
Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 9:56 am Post subject:
^^
Found the Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs web page, few years old, what their own estimates are but the new projections should be coming out shortly.
Article 2.5 Population Projection for Japan (Processed Statistics)
Responsible agency: National Institute of Population and Social Security Research, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.
Purpose: To project the long-term trends of the population of Japan.
Contents: The national population by sex and age is estimated based on the Population Census conducted every five years. The total population of Japan as of 1 October 2000 was 126,930,000. According to the recent intercensal estimate, Japan's total population will keep growing, peaking at 127,740,000 in 2006. The total population will then start to decline, to 100,590,000 by 2050 which is the final year of the projection period. A reference estimate shows that it will decline to 64,140,000 by the year 2100.
[Outline of Compilation]
Projection method: The projection is made using the Cohort Component Method. (A method of estimating future population. Breaking down the population by sex and age and using a base year as a starting point, an estimate is calculated by applying to the assumed age-specific birth rate of women, survival rate by sex and age, and international migration rate by sex and age.)
Tabulation items: Transition in the total population, change of ratio of the population of persons over 65 years old, comparison of population pyramids, transition of crude birth rate/ crude death rate/natural growth rate, change in the number of natural birth/natural death/natural growth, etc. _________________
Joined: 15 Jun 2004 Posts: 46182 Location: Los Skandolous, California Country:
Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 10:04 am Post subject:
hitomi #1 wrote:
^^
Found the Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs web page, few years old, what their own estimates are but the new projections should be coming out shortly.
Don't worry all the tuna in the world will become extinct prior to 2050 and the Japanese population will board the new Spaceship Yamato to explore the galaxy in order to preserve the world's otaku.
Until then Japanese robotics will advance enough to prop up a government run by old men.
Joined: 14 Feb 2009 Posts: 6884 Location: Syracuse, NY Country:
Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 10:10 am Post subject:
Tu_triky wrote:
Don't worry all the tuna in the world will become extinct prior to 2050 and the Japanese population will board the new Spaceship Yamato to explore the galaxy in order to preserve the world's otaku.
Until then Japanese robotics will advance enough to prop up a government run by old men.
Yes, but the thing that worries me the most is the amount of Idols decreasing. _________________
Joined: 15 Jun 2004 Posts: 46182 Location: Los Skandolous, California Country:
Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 10:26 am Post subject:
hitomi #1 wrote:
Well, alright, problem solved! And finally an Idol with a personality.
Haha. All kidding aside, the problem of Japan's decreasing population has been an issue for some time now. I think they have more pressing near term problems, as do most governments, but the inertia which blocks the path to change, both political and economic, is a significant obstacle to any meaningful reform.
Joined: 14 Feb 2009 Posts: 6884 Location: Syracuse, NY Country:
Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 11:18 am Post subject:
Europe is a lot like Japan too as far as having a negative population growth, their immigration allows them to stay somewhat stable though. Economy plays a big part in it, so many are making less while things cost so much more it's hard to have big families anymore. _________________
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And finally an Idol with a personality. 
