NHK to sell relay stations to Softbank

NHK is in talks to sell some 1,050 analog broadcasting relay stations it no longer uses to Softbank Mobile Corp., sources said.
The mobile phone service provider will use the stations — rendered obsolete by the nationwide switch to digital broadcasting last July — mostly as cell towers in mountainous areas because of complaints about reception in rural areas, the sources said Thursday.

Sato joins Rahal-Letterman team

Driver Takuma Sato has signed a deal with IndyCar team Rahal-Letterman Racing. Honda Motorsports announced the move on Friday.
Sato competed in Formula One from 2002-08 before moving to IndyCar in 2010. He drove for KV Racing Technology the last two seasons.

FTC retracts JASRAC fee order

In a rare move, the Fair Trade Commission has retracted a 2009 order to the Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers to end a "monopolistic" fee collection practice, because it couldn't find evidence the copyright body is breaking the Antimonopoly Law.
JASRAC, the nation's largest music copyright protection group, manages the copyrights of more than 7 million tunes. It has nearly full control of the music licensing market for broadcasters in Japan.

Jackson agrees to one-year deal with Nationals

The Nationals are heading to spring training with what appears to be one of the deepest starting staffs in the major leagues.
Edwin Jackson agreed Thursday to a one-year contract with Washington, a deal that gives the Nationals seven potential starting pitchers.

Fujifilm braces for Olympus takeover snub

Fujifilm Holdings Corp. may get snubbed by cross-town rival Olympus Corp. in its attempt to move further away from the photographic film business that dragged down industry pioneer Eastman Kodak Co.
"We aren't too optimistic" that Olympus will welcome a takeover approach or collaboration, CEO Shigetaka Komori said in a recent interview at Fujifilm's Tokyo headquarters. "Olympus will most likely want to run the business by itself."

England's Terry stripped of captaincy

John Terry has been removed as England captain after his trial for racist abuse was delayed until after the European Championship, the Football Association said Friday.
The F.A. announced the Chelsea defender will still be available for team selection.

F.A. must make Terry stand down

Sometime in the next three weeks the Football Association's power brokers will meet to decide whether John Terry should continue to captain England.
Terry's court case concerning an alleged racially aggravated public order offense involving Queens Park Rangers' Anton Ferdinand has been adjourned to July 9, eight days after Euro 2012 ends. Terry denies the charge.

FTC starts second merger screening

The Fair Trade Commission said Friday it has launched a second round antimonopoly screening of the planned merger between Tokyo Stock Exchange Group Inc. and Osaka Securities Exchange Co.
The first round of screening started Jan. 4 and lasted 30 days, but the antimonopoly watchdog decided further assessments are necessary to determine if the merger would undermine fair competition.

Soyuz snag delays trip to ISS

The launch of a Russian Soyuz spacecraft in late May that was supposed to take Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide into space will be delayed by about two months, RIA Novosti news agency reported Thursday.
Quoting Alexei Krasnov, head of the Russian agency's manned space programs, the report said the delay was prompted by the postponement of the next launch of the Soyuz to May 15 from March 30, due to problems with the spacecraft. The Soyuz ferries replacement crews to the International Space Station.

49ers stadium gets OK from owners

NFL owners approved a $200 million loan Thursday to help the San Francisco 49ers build a stadium in Santa Clara.
The team plans to bid for future Super Bowls for the 68,000-seat stadium, which will be built adjacent to the 49ers' facility.

2011 — a year electronics makers want to forget

Major domestic electronics makers have had a rough year, with many this week projecting massive group net losses for the year to March because of the strong yen, natural disasters at home and abroad, and the sputtering global economy.
Industry observers said Friday that factors beyond companies' control, including the Great East Japan Earthquake and Thailand's record floods, clearly affected their businesses — but only to a certain extent.

Gronkowski back at practice

Rob Gronkowski practiced with the New England Patriots for the Super Bowl for the first time Thursday. Now coach Bill Belichick is waiting to see how the All-Pro tight end's injured ankle responds.
Gronkowski, recovering from a high sprain in his left ankle, participated on a limited basis for the first time since being injured Jan. 22 in the third quarter of the 23-20 win over the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game.

U.S. fighter said flew low over school

A U.S. F/A-18 fighter jet flew over an elementary school in Miyoshi, Hiroshima Prefecture, at a dangerous and illegally low altitude in December, the Japanese Communist Party's local chapter said.
According to an investigation by the party's Hiroshima prefectural committee, the aircraft flew over the school at an altitude of about 200 meters around 1:20 p.m. Dec. 20, in violation of the Aviation Law, which sets the minimum level at 300 meters.

Flowers, Humphrey ignite Broncos

John Flowers scored 34 points and John "Helicopter" Humphrey poured in 31 as the visiting Saitama Broncos defeated the Chiba Jets 93-79 on Friday night in the bj-league.
Saitama, which trailed 15-4 early in the game, scored 64 second-half points and held the hosts to 40.

In Okinawa, meddling seen as nothing new

Okinawa Defense Bureau chief Ro Manabe's alleged attempts to influence the Feb. 12 Ginowan mayoral election by indirectly suggesting that ministry officials and their families vote for Atsushi Sakima over Yoichi Iha have angered, but not surprised, Okinawans, who say such interference by Tokyo in local politics is nothing new.
Ginowan is home to U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, which Tokyo and Washington want to relocate to Henoko farther north on Okinawa Island.

Agency checks Aum-linked sites

The Justice Ministry's Public Security Intelligence Agency on Friday inspected locations linked with Hikari no Wa (Circle of Rainbow Light), a splinter group of Aum Shinrikyo.
Some 70 officials from the agency inspected the group's biggest facility in Tokyo's Setagaya Ward and also locations in Miyagi, Chiba, Kanagawa, Nagano, Aichi, Osaka and Fukuoka prefectures.

Manabe denies he intended to sway voters

The Defense Ministry's Okinawa bureau chief strongly denied Friday trying to sway the way ministry officials and their relatives may vote in Ginowan's mayoral election or encouraging them to support a specific candidate, but admitted his actions could be construed as unlawful.
Ro Manabe, giving unsworn testimony in the Diet, has faced withering criticism over allegedly attempting to sway certain voters in the Feb. 12 mayoral race, and opposition parties have been calling on Defense Minister Naoki Tanaka to sack him.

Scientists say contamination of ocean fish minimal so far

The massive radioactive fallout from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant has sparked fear in seafood lovers and commercial fishermen both at home and abroad, and some worry the contamination could pass through and even become more concentrated in the ocean food chain.
But more than 10 months after the three reactor meltdowns, testing of thousands of fish, including tuna, bonito and "sanma" (Pacific saury), caught far from Tohoku's coast has turned up little contamination.

UNDP starts eco-tourism survey on disputed isles

At Moscow's request and with the aim of promoting eco-tourism at a nature reserve to draw Russian and foreign visitors, the United Nations Development Program has began a survey among residents of a Russian-held island off Hokkaido, sources said Friday.
In Tokyo, which claims sovereignty over the island and three others, Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura refrained from saying whether the government will lodge a protest.

Elpida to map out rehab by March

Elpida Memory Inc. President Yukio Sakamoto said the struggling semiconductor maker will work out rehabilitation plans by the end of March through consultations with its main creditor banks and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
"Our main banks recommend we consider tieups" with foreign chip-makers, Sakamoto told reporters Thursday.

Ukiyo-e prints inside Costa shipwreck

A collection of ukiyo-e woodblock prints by painter Katsushika Hokusai and others is among the valuables trapped inside the capsized cruise ship Costa Concordia on Italy's Tuscan coast, its operator said Thursday.
About 6,000 artworks, including paintings and antiques, passenger valuables and jewelry sold in the ship's stores remain inside the Costa Concordia, raising concerns that they could be stolen by enterprising divers. Costa Crociere said it does not know the value of the items.

Ex-lawmaker Tomobe dies at 83

Tatsuo Tomobe, a former Upper House member who was expelled from the Diet in 2001 after being convicted of fraud, died last Saturday at age 83, police said.
Tomobe was found unconscious in the toilet at his Tokyo home early Saturday morning by his wife and was confirmed dead after being taken to a hospital, the police said Friday.

Gagner joins elite company with eight-point outburst

When your name is being mentioned alongside Hall of Famers Wayne Gretzky and Paul Coffey, you know it's been a special night.
It was a spectacular evening for Sam Gagner who scored four goals and four assists to tie a club record and lead the Edmonton Oilers over the Chicago Blackhawks 8-4 on Thursday.

Threat of intervention as yen rises

Finance Minister Jun Azumi indicated Friday that Japan might intervene in the currency market to stem any further strengthening of the yen, attributing the currency's rise in recent weeks to "speculative" moves by investors.
"I believe that since last week, speculative moves to buy the yen (and sell the dollar) have been spreading on falls in interest rates in the United States," Azumi told reporters. "As I have said, (the government) will closely watch market developments and respond appropriately.

The political hygienists' assault on free speech

Dina Galassini does not seem to pose a threat to Arizona's civic integrity. But the government of this desert community believes you cannot be too careful. And state law empowers local governments to be vigilant against the lurking danger that political speech might occur before the speakers notify the government and comply with all the speech rules.
Last October, Galassini became annoyed — like many Ron Paul supporters, she is easily annoyed by government — about the city's plan to augment its spending with a $29.6 million bond issue, to be voted on by mail by Nov. 8. On Oct. 6, she sent emails to 23 friends and acquaintances, urging them to write letters to newspapers and join her in two demonstrations against the bond measure. On Oct. 12, before she could organize the demonstrations, she received a stern letter from the town clerk: "I would strongly encourage you to cease any campaign-related activities until the requirements of the law have been met."

Lone Brazilian school in Nagoya to shut down

Nagoya's only Brazilian school, Colegio Brasil Japao, is closing down after running into financial difficulties due to a falling number of students.
Many of the students' parents, who emigrated from Brazil in search of work, have lost their jobs in the tough economic climate and are now unable to afford the tuition. But parents are still hoping the school can somehow keep running and educating their children.

Record lows recorded at 38 locations

The country experienced severe cold weather Friday and morning temperatures dropped to record lows at 38 locations nationwide, the Meteorological Agency said.
From Tohoku to Kyushu, 16 prefectures recorded their lowest temperatures ever, including the town of Kusu in Oita Prefecture, where the mercury fell to minus 14.7 degrees, and Mashiki, Kumamoto Prefecture, where the temperature plunged to minus 8.4.

Craft beer connoisseur knows his suds

Domestic and imported craft beers have found an ever-growing number of Japanese fans in recent years, and festivals in major cities and smaller towns have offered the public a chance to sample numerous ales, lagers and porters, as well as a variety of German beers and more exotic concoctions that contain everything from sweet potatoes to oranges and chocolate.
Attend a festival or drop by a craft beer restaurant and it's likely the owner, as well as the punters, will know Phred Kaufman.

Publisher implements introduction-only hiring

Iwanami Shoten Publishers only plans to hire people with personal connections with the company, the long-established firm said.
Following the announcement Thursday, the publisher will require job applicants to submit letters of introduction from authors of books published by Iwanami or introductions by its employees.

70% of ports and airports not checked, survey finds

More than 70 percent of infrastructure such as ports and airports have not had regular inspections due partly to a lack of funding and manpower, according to a study by the internal affairs ministry.
That ministry urged the infrastructure ministry to properly inspect these facilities as required by law and conduct repairs deemed necessary in the inspections. The internal affairs ministry surveyed port, airport and river infrastructure to see if they are properly maintained for safety and cost efficiency.

Genba, U.S. huddle anew over '06 base pact

Foreign Minister Koichiro Genba revealed Friday evening that Tokyo and Washington have been holding talks on reviewing the 2006 bilateral accord over the realignment of U.S. bases in Japan.
"What the Japan-U.S. agreement is basically aiming for is to maintain deterrence and at the same time alleviate the burden on Okinawa. We are currently holding talks flexibly and taking a calm approach," Genba said in a hastily convened news conference. "But I cannot say anything further because we are still in the middle of discussions."

TSE glitch no payday for platforms

Japan's alternative trading platforms missed out on a potential payday as regulators stopped them from fielding orders when a computer error caused the biggest trading disruption in six years Thursday at the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
The glitch at the TSE disabled trading of 241 issues for three hours. Japan's biggest bourse hasn't yet been able to measure the impact on trading, Chief Information Officer Yoshinori Suzuki said Thursday in Tokyo.

Fourth extra budget easily clears Lower House

The Lower House on Friday approved a ¥2.53 trillion fourth supplementary budget for fiscal 2011 to finance disaster relief measures in the northeast and provide financial support for struggling local companies.
The budget's passage was assured since the ruling Democratic Party of Japan controls the powerful lower chamber, but the major opposition parties also supported it.

Rose puts on show at MSG

Derrick Rose and Carmelo Anthony are both All-Star starters. Only Rose is the reigning MVP, and he was the one who owned Madison Square Garden on Thursday night.
Rose had 32 points, 13 assists and a basket seemingly every time the Knicks were poised to rally in the Bulls' 105-102 victory.

Valentine's Day — the perfect holiday for one

Valentine's Day is coming up, and once again, you may be wondering how to deal with it in Japan.
If you're a guy, it's easy: Do nothing at all and be showered with chocolates from girls. If you're a girl? No chocolate for you! But wait. We're smarter than that. And no, we don't hold out for the illusory "White Day" when men are supposed to return a gift to the ladies they received chocolate from. Guys can't even remember anniversaries, let alone White Day, which sounds more like your wedding day. Girls will make darn sure we end up with chocolate — by buying it for ourselves.

Suppliers cut jobs amid yen battering

Japan Inc. is suffering and the supply chain is bearing the cost.
Sumco Corp., a supplier to Sony Corp. and Toshiba Corp., said Thursday it will cut 1,300 jobs.

Panasonic expects to book record ¥780 billion net loss

Panasonic Corp. forecast a record net loss of ¥780 billion for the current year, making it the latest consumer electronics giant to predict declining earnings because of the stronger yen, a slower global economy and the floods in Thailand.
The revision compares with the ¥420 billion loss the company predicted in October.

State of the Union: campaign time

For the last few months, followers of U.S. politics have been treated — or subjected — to a steady diet of Republican campaigns. Democrats have been mostly quiet as the GOP candidates battle among themselves for the nomination. President Barack Obama will be the Democratic Party candidate and, as president, he struggles to stay above the fray, looking and acting presidential. All the while, however, he is laying the ground work for the fall when he shifts into campaign mode.
In his 2008 bid for the White House, Mr. Obama pledged to change the way that Washington does business. He promised to heal, or at least bridge, the yawning partisan divide in that city. By every account, he failed. Preparing for the 2012 campaign, Mr. Obama has decided to reclaim that lofty vantage point, but he has introduced a populist twist, arguing that the source of the stalemate is a political system that protects a privileged few but demands sacrifices from the rest of the country. He signaled that tack — one urged on him by left-leaning supporters — in a speech in early December at Osawatomie, Kansas, that channeled U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt's "New Nationalism."

Cellphone taps resulted in 22 arrests last year

Police wiretapped mobile phones in 10 investigations last year and the eavesdropping led to the arrest of 22 people, a Justice Ministry report to the Diet showed Friday.
The 10 investigations involved narcotics trafficking, underworld-conspired murder and gun possession, three of the four areas in which courts issue wiretapping warrants. All 22 arrests involved drug-trafficking cases, according to the report.