Bear Beaten Off by 12-Year-Old Girl

A 12-year-old girl camping in the Hokkaido countryside got a rude awakening when a bear attacked her tent, though she soon beat it off and put it to flight with a good kick.

She apparently mistook the bear pressing against the side of the tent for a prank by her younger sister, and so determined to resolve the issue with a good kick, after trying to push the offending bear away through the tent. The bear took fright and promptly fled into the bushes.

No humans were injured in the incident, though the tent suffered much damage, and we do not hear what became of the budding pedobear.

The bear apparently pursued some deer into the camp site, but evidently got distracted by the scent of delicious cake emanating from the tents, and decided to investigate that instead.

There were some fifty people on the campsite, and dozens of tents, with there being a number of witnesses to the bear beating; the bear itself appeared to be young, at only 70kg. Such a young and naïve bear may not have know to be frightened of humans, and therefore posed quite a threat, it is said. Now it knows better.
Source - Asahi, Sankaku Complex

Japanese Missile Defence system

Bellicose beggar-state North Korea may threaten Japan with missile over-flights, but any such launch is doomed by Japan’s superior technology, as the above missile defence diagram illustrates quite clearly.

All kinds of sophisticated defensive systems await the rockets should they come too close for comfort.

However, it is hoped that North Korea will be polite enough not to develop its missile menace too quickly, as all of the systems illustrated (save the PAC-3, which is not strictly designed for such use), from THAAD and ABL to space battleship and mobile suits, are indicated to be in “research”, “development” or “conceptual evaluation.”

Renter Sues Landlord Over Ghost

A renter is suing his landlord based on the fact he was not told the property is supposedly haunted, for ¥5,000,000 ($50,000 – not insignificant by the paltry standards of Japanese settlements). He apparently rented the property ignorant of the alleged supernatural presence, opened an eatery there, and after being told by a friend of the ghostly presence, he claims to have witnessed spectral apparitions and heard strange noises. Now he wants his key money back, as well as some compensation to make up for the undead onslaught.

This sort of thing actually has a whole body of legislation and jurisprudence surrounding it – it is called “stigmatised property”, and frequently there is a duty to disclose such circumstances, though the actual existence of spectres is not something the courts care to deal with. Though usually this applies to not being able to resell a property, rather than merely being an inconvenienced renter. On the other hand, these properties can be made into valuable investment opportunities. S Source - Itainews, Sankaku Complex

Girl Arrested for Charging Phone

A young lady (20) who had the temerity to charge her phone using a socket at a railway station has been arrested for theft of electricity, after a passerby called police to avert the robbery, having stolen 0.015 watt hours (or 54 joules), worth a shocking total of 0.03 yen ($0.0003).

The lady, a student, is suspected of charging her phone at a station whilst waiting with a friend. A passerby saw the crime in progress and dialed 110, summoning police, who came rushing the arrest the thief before she fled with her ill-gotten gains.

After being arrested the thief was repentant: “I understand now it was a bad thing to do.”

Police issued a reprimand, but did not consider her crime grievous enough to prosecute, treating it as a minor offence.

The police in charge had this to add: “Theft is theft, even three hundredths of a yen.”

Source - Asahi, Sankaku Complex

Parents Deny Dying Baby Blood, Have Parenthood Revoked

A mother and father who denied permission for their one-year-old boy to receive a life-saving blood transfusion were stripped of parental authority by courts on the same day, saving the life of the infant.

They cited religious reasons for endangering the life of the boy; speculation centres on them being Jehovah’s Witnesses.

The incident occurred when the infant boy suffered a severe haemorrhage in the alimentary canal, losing a large amount of blood in what doctors considered a life-threatening condition.

For the infant to receive treatment, parental assent was required, but despite doctors trying again and again to persuade them, they refused to allow the needed blood transfusion, claiming it was prohibited by their religion.

Desperate doctors quickly contacted a family court, and within half a day the court judged that as “medical neglect”, the refusal was effectively child abuse. As a result, they legally revoked the parental authority of the pair and passed it to authorities, allowing doctors to go ahead.

Normally such urgent judgments take a week or more, but in this case the court was compelled to act far more quickly; the revocation itself was a temporary measure, although it is not clear how long it lasted.

Source - Itai News, S

The mass media and hospitals are too tactful to reveal what religion was involved (certainly such objections are not normally associated with any Japanese religions); 2ch plausibly speculates that these were Jehovah’s witnesses.

The actions of the parents have been roundly condemned, with many wondering why such a group is not a restricted cult along with Aum Shinrikyo and company.

Gov. Tells Man: “You Can’t Marry, You’re A Woman!”

A man preparing for the happy occasion of his marriage was shocked when local officials told him that he would not be allowed to marry, as government records had him registered as the family’s eldest daughter.

The man, in his thirties, had apparently been registered somehow as a daughter in the “koseki”, the official census records which underlay much local bureaucracy in Japan.

The bungling officials excused themselves thus:

When did you notice?

“When the man came to us to register his marriage. It was a holiday so when someone came to process the documents, they discovered he was registered as ‘eldest daughter’.”
Why did it take you so long to notice?

“The koseki was never used. The man was identified as ‘male’ on his certificate of residence. His driving lisence used this document.”
Did he have a female sounding name?

“Not at all, it was clearly male. Somebody made a mistake copying his name into the koseki. He even had an elder sister, so the family ended up with two eldest daughters. It’s 100% our mistake.”
So his marriage still isn’t on?

“Based on the law, his records must be amended before he can marry. We tried to correct his birth certificate, but it had already been destroyed by us. We had to chase up his mother’s records, and consult with higher up; we hope to have it revised tomorrow.”
And the “eldest daughter’s” response?

“This has been infuriating. The section chief of the bureau came to my house, and explained ‘At the start of your life, there was an inexcusable mistake’ and was so apologetic I did so much as raise my voice, instead dealing with him in a gentlemanly way. I’ll be going ahead with the marriage registration soon.”

Source - Sankaku Complex, ZakZak

Cats Scrutinise Police over Incident

Police seem to have aroused the interest of cats in this latest incident in Miyagi prefecture. See the incident in full below.

Source - Sankaku Complex, alfalfa.livedoor.biz

Kannagi's Takenashi Reports on Recovery

Kannagi manga creator Eri Takenashi has updated her official "Takenashi Note" website on Wednesday — for the first time since October 31 — to report on her recovery from her illness and surgery. She was admitted into a hospital last November, but she has since left the hospital and is continuing to recuperate at home. Her Kannagi manga has been on hiatus from Ichijinsha's Monthly Comic Rex magazine since the January issue, which shipped in December.

Takenashi thanked her readers for sending her about 270 get-well email messages. She also received flowers and the traditional Japanese string of origami cranes for recovery, which she said brought tears to her eyes. While she cannot give a definite word on when Kannagi will resume, Takenashi said that she is dedicated to recovering every day first with the goal of restarting the manga.

Kannagi's story centers around Nagi-sama, a goddess who come to life before an art student when he carves a statue from a Kannagi tree. The anime version just ran in Japan from last October to December.

Source: Comic Natalie, Anime News Network

Cockroach Cuisine

Upset over finding a cockroach in his meal, on complaining the restaurant patron was generously offered the meal at half price, we hear. This was not to the patron’s liking; instead he demanded the bill be waived, or the restaurant prove there was no danger to his health from eating cockroaches by eating a roach themselves.

The staff member dealing with the irate customer saw no alternative but to rescue the establishment from the loss of a half price meal, and so ate the roach. The poor cockroach eater was reduced to tears and had to be escorted home.

Source - Sankaku Complex

Only in China - Goldfish Toilet

Another fine example of Chinese ingenuity, this toilet combines fish keeping practicality with water saving economy. Not only does it incorporate water saving technology, with a direct connection of the flush function to the water supply obviating entirely the need for an apparently wasteful reservoir, it is also a shrewd piece of marketing, as with no need for a water reservoir the aquarium serves no purpose other than to draw onlookers and prompt questions about what happens to the fish, easily fielded with a informative lecture on the new water saving technology.

Source - sankakucomplex, recordchina

Electric cars in the limelight at Shanghai Expo

With concern of a green future and in answer to the Chinese government's appeal for energy-efficiency, global and domestic automobile manufacturers are showcasing their electric car models at the ongoing Shanghai auto show.

Troubled carmaker General Motors is displaying the production version of its Chevrolet Volt - a vehicle that delivers up to 64 km of gasoline and emission-free electric driving.

The Volt, expected to be introduced in China by 2011, uses electricity stored in its 16-kWh, lithium-ion battery to move the wheels at all times and speeds.

"Bringing the Volt to China shortly after its debut in the United States in 2010 is part of GM's commitment to sharing our latest achievements in energy diversity with our second-largest market," said Kevin Wale, president and managing director of GM China. "It will take China one step closer to its goals of clean transportation and energy freedom."

Battery and car supplier BYD Auto, backed by US billionaire investor Warren Buffett, has three electric models - F3DM, F6DM and e6 on display at the show.

The company has sold more than 80 F3DM electric cars, the first mass-produced model in the world, priced at around $22,000 each, to the Shenzhen government for tests before public use.

"We have cooperated with local government to set up around twenty 220V-charger pillars in parking lots around offices and residential areas," said Yang.

"The next step is to establish a charging station with 380V input. This will provide quick charging in 10 minutes and make the battery 70 percent full, enabling driving the car up to 70 km."

Hebei-based Great Wall Motor unveiled its GWKulla all-electric car, with plans to enter the market next year, while Chery debuted its concept battery car - the Riichi M1.

China relies on imports for nearly half of its oil. "If China continues current growth rates it will almost double oil imports by 2030," said a McKinsey report released at the end of last year. "But greater use of electric cars would cut this growth by around a quarter."

Considering the huge green potential in China, German luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz is showcasing its electric concept car BlueZERO, which can run on batteries or fuel cells.

"The flexible BlueZERO concept allows electro-mobility for every requirement, and highlights the fact that Mercedes-Benz is the world's only car manufacturer to already have in place all the key technologies for electric cars offering full everyday practicality," said Dieter Zetsche, chairman of Daimler AG and head of Mercedes-Benz.

Another German carmaker BMW is exhibiting its near-zero emission electric car Mini Cooper E at the show, slated for mass-production in 2010.

Japanese automaker Nissan and Toyota are also displaying their electric concept cars at the Shanghai auto show.

Source - chinadaily