What’s On The Tube

WHAT WAS ON THE TUBE (DEC. 3 – DEC. 7)

The following are the lengths of time six “wide shows” on four channels in the Tokyo area devoted to certain topics. The programs cover everything from politics to celebrity gossip.

The listing is provided by Reservia Corp.

1. The wide shows just can’t get enough of yokozuna Asashoryu. The regional sumo tour in Kyushu is packed with fans seeking a glimpse of the Mongolian grand champion, who never stops being the talk of the town. But he is also reported to have an injured right heel. Some media reports speculate that he may go back to Mongolia again to recuperate. 3 hr, 36 min, 46 sec

2. The national baseball team, led by manager Senichi Hoshino, defeats Taiwan to secure a berth in the Beijing Olympics. Japan’s offense plays small ball, while pitcher Yu Darvish’s strong outing is backed by solid innings from Japan’s relievers. Japan finishes 3-0 in the Asian Baseball Championship tournament, which also features South Korea and the Philippines. 2 hr, 35 min, 10 sec

3. Pity Yoshimi Watanabe, state minister in charge of financial services and administrative reform and public servant system. Not only does his title overcrowd his business card, but his plan to push through a realignment of independent administrative agencies is being stymied by bureaucrats and other Cabinet members. Now, is anyone really surprised? 2 hr, 23 min, 48 sec

4. A 39-year-old plumber is arrested on suspicion of assaulting a woman, stealing her bank card and using it to withdraw money from an ATM in Kawaguchi, Saitama Prefecture, in July. The suspect also admits to having tried to use a bank card of another woman living in the same apartment as the first victim. The second woman was found slain on Nov. 1. 2 hr, 4 min, 52 sec

5. Investigators find a bicycle in Kagawa Prefecture believed to be that of Keiko Miura. Masanori Kawasaki, Miura’s brother-in-law, was arrested in connection with the deaths of the Miura and her two granddaughters. Kiyoshi Yamashita, father of the two girls, suggests Kawasaki had proposed to Miura while his own wife was recuperating from cancer treatment. 1 hr, 8 min, 47 sec

6. Miyazaki Governor Hideo Higashikokubaru’s catchphrase “Dogenkasento,” which roughly means “We’ve got to do something,” is one of the most popular phrases this year, as is “Hanikami Oji,” or “Bashful Prince,” the nickname of golfer Ryo Ishikawa. Ex-health minister Hakuo Yanagisawa’s description of women as “birth-giving machines” didn’t make the list. 1 hr, 5 min, 49 sec

7. The influenza onslaught comes earlier than usual. The health ministry urges people to wear masks, get early vaccinations and take other preventive steps. The disease, mainly the type-A Soviet flu, is reaching epidemic proportions in Hokkaido and the Kanto, Kinki and Sanin regions. The number of flu patients this year is the highest since surveys started in 1987. 48 min, 59 sec

8. Boxer Daiki Kameda publicly apologizes for fighting dirty in a loss to champ Daisuke Naito. His news conference comes on the same day as Asashoryu’s. The two also wore similar fur coats. Was there a fashion memo sent to controversial athletes that day? Some sports papers speculate Kameda had hoped the media would be preoccupied with the sumo wrestler that day. 41 min, 56 sec

9. Osaka Governor Fusae Ohta, losing popularity, says she won’t seek re-election in January. Toru Hashimoto, an outspoken lawyer and TV personality, denies reports that he is a possible candidate to replace Ohta. Other potential candidates are comedians, including Kiyoshi Nishikawa and Shinsuke Shimada. But the woes facing Osaka are no laughing matter. 38 min, 30 sec

10. NHK releases a list of singers to appear in the famed “Red and White Song Contest” on Dec. 31. The public broadcaster was desperate to turn around dwindling viewing ratings by bringing in big names, such as Eikichi Yazawa, Mariya Takeuchi and Hikaru Utada. Some of them declined. NHK may have to rely on a song by ZARD, a popular singer who died earlier this year. 33 min, 3 sec

Kanji for fake sums up state of nation

12/13/2007

Seihan Mori, the chief priest of Kiyomizudera temple in Kyoto, writes the kanji “nise” which means “disguise” or “fake,” on paper screen Wednesday. The Chinese character was chosen as most suitable in describing the year in Japan, which has been marked by scandals involving food mislabelling, missing pension records and falsified political fund reports, among other things. The character was chosen in a public poll by the Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation. About 18 percent, or 16,550, of the 90,816 entries chose the kanji. ?

But the Brazilian-Japanese were not going to take things lying down. When confronted by a group of right-wing thugs driving a loudspeaker screaming out messages along the lines of “Foreigner Go Home,” the foreigners took on the harassers in a very non-Japanese way: they firebombed the soundtruck.

One molested workforce, one education empire… one Nazi pervert leader