Subsidy eyed to promote study abroad

40 universities could receive 5-year grants

The Yomiuri Shimbun - The education ministry plans to establish a new financial support system for universities encouraging students to study abroad, it has been learned. The ministry aims to promote the idea of studying abroad to Japanese students, who are often regarded as being introverted, to foster human resources who will be motivated to actively participate in the nation's domestic and international affairs. The Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry is targeting about 40 universities and plans to grant from 100 million yen to 200 million yen in annual subsidies to each institution.

Official cherry blossom fete nixed

The government will cancel a cherry blossom viewing party in Tokyo scheduled for April 14 following North Korea's announcement that it plans to launch a rocket, Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura said Friday. The government of Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda made the decision "to prepare for any contingencies," Fujimura said. Last week, Pyongyang announced it plans to launch a "satellite" from April 12-16 to mark the centennial of the birth of Kim Il Sung, North Korea's founder, on April 15. The event at Tokyo's Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden is held annually but also was cancelled last year due to the March 2011 natural and nuclear disasters. Around 10,000 luminaries would have attended the event hosted by Noda, including members of the Imperial family, the Cabinet, diplomats and other invitees from various fields.

IELTS SPEAKING PRACTICE 8

PART 1

                The examiner asks the candidate about him/herself, his/her home, work or studies and other familiar topics.

Colour ·         What’s your favourite colour? Why? ·         Do you like the same colours now as you did when you were younger? Why? Why not? ·         What can you learn about a person from the colours they like? ·         Do any colours have a special meaning in your culture?

Police dogs busy with PR not crime

TOTTORI — Two toy poodles have been tied up doing promotional events instead of crime-fighting duties since they became police dogs in Tottori Prefecture in January. The female poodles — Karin, who turns 2 on Sunday, and Fuga, also 2, — passed the police canine exam in November and have been making TV appearances ever since. They debuted in mid-January at a Tottori Prefectural Police event to publicize 110, the emergency telephone number, and took part in an event in February at a junior high school in the town of Chizu to explain the work of dog trainers. At the Chizu event, Karin trained with other police dogs as trainer Makoto Miyamoto told students what his job is like. Karin walked beside Miyamoto and obeying his command, "Wait." A Labrador retriever also demonstrated its sniffing skills at the event. Miyamoto said it takes three to four years for a police dog to master scent tracking. "It's best for them to get on-site work experience" to master the skills, he said. Poodles, which are used as hunting dogs, carry out orders and learn quickly, according to the Japan Kennel Club.

Denim becomes the perfect fit for Tokyo’s Ginza

Denim and the tony Ginza district in Tokyo never before seemed the right fit, but for one day, they were tailor-made for each other. An outdoor fashion show was held in the Ginza district on March 24 to showcase clothes and other fashion items made of quality denim produced in Japan. More than 150 models walked the 100-meter catwalk covered in denim for the event, the Ginza Runway, on Ginza's central street. The show, watched by crowds of shoppers and passers-by lining both sides of the runway, featured about 200 items by popular brands by apparel companies and students at fashion schools in Japan. The items ranged from pastel-colored jeans, luxurious dresses with frills and kimono, to headwear and bags. The show was the brainchild of a Ginza department store and others, intended to cheer people up after the nation marked the one-year anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11. The denim made in Japan was chosen because it is widely used by top fashion houses around the world because of its high quality. Children from the disaster-stricken Sendai and Tokyo’s Chuo Ward, where the Ginza is situated, made appearances in the show's finale.

Facebook reaches 10M in Japan, doubles users in 6 months

Facebook is 10 million monthly active users strong in Japan, the company announced today at a marketing conference in Tokyo. This figure indicates Facebook has about 10 percent penetration among Japanese Internet users and is quickly gaining on Mixi, Japan’s most popular social network. Mixi reported in February that it has 15.2 million monthly active users. Japan is one of the few countries where Facebook has lower than 20 percent penetration. Russia and South Korea are others, as well as China where Facebook is banned. But Facebook is growing rapidly in Japan. The latest MAU figures are double the 5 million the social network reported in September 2011. Facebook got serious about Japan in 2010, and developed a number of initiatives to increase usage there. The social network began to let users syndicate their Facebook posts on Mixi. It created a job search app for university students. And it prompted users to complete “missions” to fill out their profiles. Judging from a graph shown at fMC Tokyo, Facebook had about 1 million MAU at the start of 2010 and 2 million in 2011.

IELTS SPEAKING PRACTICE 7

PART 1

                The examiner asks the candidate about him/herself, his/her home, work or studies and other familiar topics.

Your country ·         Which part of your country do most people live in? ·         Tell me about the main industries there? ·         How easy is it to travel around your country? ·         Has your country changed much since you were a child?

Kyoto aiming to get some royals to return

KYOTO — When the Imperial family moved to Tokyo at the beginning of the Meiji Restoration in 1868, after more than a millennium in Kyoto, many in the ancient capital were convinced the Emperor was just embarking on a long visit and would someday return. Now, more than 140 years later, Kyoto's top political and business leaders are working to have at least some members of the Imperial family take up residence here again. The reasons have less to do with romantic dreams of the past and more to do with modern concerns ranging from safety from natural disasters to the strengthening of Kyoto's role domestically and abroad as the center of traditional Japanese culture.  The seven-prefecture Union of Kansai Governments endorsed a plan to make Kansai a backup capital in the event of a natural disaster in Tokyo, and one of the proposals was to relocate the Imperial family to the region. Now, however, Kyoto's political and business leaders are stressing the social and cultural benefits to the city and the Kansai region of having some Imperial family members in Kyoto.

Food poisoning deaths jumped in '11

Eleven people died from food poisoning in 2011, the first fatalities in three years and the first time the toll has exceeded 10 in nine years, according to health ministry data obtained Saturday. The victims included seven people who died of the O-157 strain of E. coli bacteria, five of whom fell ill amid a rash of cases linked to raw meat served at a "yakiniku" barbecue restaurant chain. However, the total number of food poisoning cases fell to 1,062 in 2011, while the number of people who were sickened also dropped to 21,616. A subpanel of the Pharmaceutical Affairs and Food Sanitation Council, which advises the health minister, will be briefed on further details about the data at a meeting Monday. Source: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120318a9.html

IELTS SPEAKING PRACTICE 6

PART 1

                The examiner asks the candidate about him/herself, his/her home, work or studies and other familiar topics.

Newspaper ·         When did you first start reading newspaper? Why? ·         What different kinds of newspaper are there in your country? ·         How important is it for people to read the news rather than watch it on TV? Why?

Miss Universe-Japan finalist is Manileña

Naomi S. Kida is perhaps the first Japino to make it to the finals of Miss Universe-Japan. Born in Tondo, Manila, in June 1988, she made it to the Top 5 of the beauty contest in Tokyo on June 17, 2011. Naomi is the daughter of Cristina Rivera Santiaguel of Imus, Cavite and Masami Kida, president of a cement production company. Fluent in Japanese, English and Filipino, Naomi regularly visits the Philippines and stays in Almanza, Las Piñas, with her aunt. “If I am back here and speak Tagalog, I have to change my [frame of] mind. It takes me one to two weeks to adjust,” she told the Inquirer over lunch recently in a restaurant in Salcedo Village, Makati City.

Tokyo ranks sixth in competitiveness

NEW YORK — New York ranked first and Tokyo sixth among 120 major cities in the world in terms of competitiveness, according to a survey report released Monday by Citigroup Inc. and the research arm of The Economist magazine. London and Singapore came in second and third, followed by Paris and Hong Kong tied for fourth place. The report ranks cities in eight categories of competitiveness, including economic strength, human capital, institutional effectiveness, social and cultural character, and environment and natural hazards. While many European and U.S. cities earned high rankings overall, Asian cities dominated the top rankings in the economic strength category. In this most highly weighted category, 15 of the top 20 cities are in Asia, and 12 of them are in China. Among other Japanese cities, Osaka ranked 47th, Nagoya 50th and Fukuoka 63rd. "Cities are engines of prosperity and innovation. . . . But as cities vie for investment, talent and business, we recognize that competitiveness is about more than growth," said Citigroup Chief Executive Officer Vikram Pandit.

IELTS SPEAKING PRACTICE 5

PART 1

                The examiner asks the candidate about him/herself, his/her home, work or studies and other familiar topics.

Your local area ·         Where is your hometown? ·         How long have you lived there? ·         What is there to see and do in your local area? ·         What improvements would you like to see made in your local area?

YouTube Ferrari driver in Japan faces speeding charges

A doctor in Japan has landed himself in trouble with the police after posting footage of his drive in a Ferrari sports car on YouTube. He is facing charges of exceeding the speed limit after the footage showed him driving at 124km/h (77mph) in a 40km/h (25mph) zone, police say. The 50-year-old doctor, from Okawa in Fukuoka Prefecture, was reported to police by angry YouTube users. He reportedly said he "wanted people to understand the beauty of a Ferrari". The six-minute video is titled "Ferrari 458 Italia Drive in Japan 2011" in Japanese, and was filmed using a camera positioned behind the driver. It shows the car leaving an underground car park and driving along highways and coastal roads in Fukuoka, southern Japan, on the morning of 24 April 2011.

IELTS SPEAKING PRACTICE 4

PART 1

                The examiner asks the candidate about him/herself, his/her home, work or studies and other familiar topics.

Friends ·         How important is friendship to you? ·         Do you have friends who live in other countries? ·         What qualities do you look for in a friend? ·         What kind of thins do you like to do when you get together with your friends?

Anti-nuke protests erupt in Japan

Thousands of antinuclear protesters took to the streets of Tokyo and other cities Sunday, the first anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami that triggered the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant. Near the head office of Tokyo Electric Power Co., which runs the crippled complex, demonstrators called for the country to abandon nuclear power and restore the prefecture, where more than 100,000 residents were forced to relocate. In Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture, some 16,000 people attended an antinuclear gathering in the city and called for scrapping all of Japan's 54 commercial reactors, which provided a third of its electricity before the Fukushima disaster.

Japan wants cuisine listed as UNESCO heritage

TOKYO — Japan said Friday it was applying to UNESCO to have its cuisine listed as a global cultural treasure as part of a bid to restore global confidence in its food after the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Tokyo is to ask the UN's educational, scientific and cultural arm to register "Washoku: Traditional dietary cultures of the Japanese" as part of the intangible heritage of humanity, the foreign and agriculture ministries said. "Washoku" or the Japanese diet, is traditionally based on rice, fish and vegetables, but the varied and highly seasonal cuisine of the country has won it plaudits around the world. The government said washoku was characterised by respect for nature and the importance placed on the way in which dishes are served as well as the quality of ingredients used. The nation also "needs to restore confidence in Japanese food, which has been adversely affected by rumours due to the nuclear accident" at Fukushima, the government said.

IELTS SPEAKING PRACTICE 3

PART 1

                The examiner asks the candidate about him/herself, his/her home, work or studies and other familiar topics.

Transport ·         How do you usually travel around your town or city? Why? ·         What do you think of public transport in your town or city? ·         How do you think we could persuade more people to use public transport?

Entertainment ·         Do you go out a lot or do you prefer home entertainment? ·         What kind of things do you watch on TV? ·         Can you easily entertain yourself when you are alone? ·         Are there many places for entertainment in your area?

Yanai, Japan's wealthiest man, ranks 88th on Forbes' list of world's richest

SINGAPORE — Japan's richest man, Tadashi Yanai, has been ranked 88th on the Forbes business magazine list of the world's wealthiest people. Forbes said Thursday that Yanai, founder and president of Fast Retailing Co., which operates the Uniqlo casual clothing chain, is tied for 88th on the list with a net worth of $10 billion, up from 122nd last year. He is the only Japanese on Forbes' top 100 lists for this year. Mexican telecommunications magnate Carlos Slim Helu, with a net worth of $69 billion, is at the top, followed by Americans Bill Gates and Warren Buffet. More than one-third of the people on the top 100 list are from the United States. Among the Asian region, Hong Kong and India have four each, Malaysia two and mainland China one.

Retired woman makes international splash with photos of Japan

At age 62, Hiromi Fujita decided to try something new and took up photography as a way to enjoy her retirement years. Now the 75-year-old woman's photos of Japanese landscapes and traditional art performers have been displayed at exhibitions in France, Russia and Germany, among other countries. Last fall, she published a collection of her work in a book titled “Osozaki Demo Hana wa Saku,” (Flowers Will Bloom Even If They Are Late). “There must be many people who think they are too old to start something new,” Fujita says. “I meant (the title of the book) to show that no matter how old you are when you take up something, you will eventually be rewarded in your own way."

Robot built to explore nuclear plant

The Yomiuri Shimbun - A Tokyo company has developed a small, highly mobile robot that will be sent into the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant to take photos inside reactor buildings and measure radiation levels. Topy Industries Ltd. said the "Survey Runner" robot will be used to help with repair work at the plant after checking its performance and other details. The Survey Runner is expected to be able to maneuver around areas where other robots could not. It can even go up and down steep, wet stairs--an essential feature because coolant water has been injected into the reactors since the crisis at the plant began--and can turn around in a space just 70 centimeters square.

Toyota Prius hybrid remains top seller

Kyodo - Toyota Motor Corp.'s Prius hybrid topped the February sales rankings in Japan, retaining first place for the ninth consecutive month, with its sales nearly doubling from a year earlier to 35,875 units, industry bodies said Tuesday. Honda Motor Co.'s Fit subcompact came in second with sales of 24,973 units, up 48.0 percent, followed by Daihatsu Motor Co.'s mini vehicle Mira, which posted sales of 22,023 units, marking a 3.2-fold year-on-year increase, according to data compiled by the Japan Automobile Dealers Association and the Japan Mini Vehicles Association. Toyota's Aqua hybrid, which was released in December, rose to fourth place with sales of 21,951 units. Source: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nb20120307a5.html

IELTS SPEAKING PRACTICE 2

PART 1

                The examiner asks the candidate about him/herself, his/her home, work or studies and other familiar topics.

Hobbies ·         Tell me about any hobbies you have now or had in the past. ·         Do you feel you have enough free time for hobbies? Why? Why not? ·         How important is it for people to have hobbies at different ages? ·         If you had the chance to take up a new hobby, what would it be? Why?

How to spot a yakuza front company

Shukan Taishu Venus (Feb. 22) sets about determining what commoners can do to protect themselves from unknowingly associating with crime syndicates. There are thousands of yakuza front companies operating in Japan, says the tabloid. “I used to work at such an organization,” confesses a freelance writer. “Many other employees did not know, however, that a gang group was behind it.” To avoid working for such a firm, the writer suggests research. “You should at least check the company’s name on the net,” the source says. “While it is important to see what users on bulletin boards say, what’s crucial is to know the number of years it has been in business and its history.”

The Weekend Xbox Japan Conquered Akihabara

On a chilly afternoon this past weekend, well over 100 people waited in line in Akihabara to see Microsoft’s “Xbox 360 Kansyasai in Akiba” (Xbox 360 Festival of Thanks in Akihabara). The event was a joint effort between Microsoft and Capcom, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Japanese release of the original Xbox (February 22nd, 2002), and to promote some of the upcoming titles to the Xbox 360. Aside from game demo machines, the event included a raffle, on-stage interviews, and demonstrations for Dragon’s Dogma, Crimson Dragon, Diabolical Pitch, Biohazard Operation Raccoon City and Steel Battalion.

Subsidy eyed to promote study abroad

  40 universities could receive 5-year grants

The Yomiuri Shimbun - The education ministry plans to establish a new financial support system for universities encouraging students to study abroad, it has been learned. The ministry aims to promote the idea of studying abroad to Japanese students, who are often regarded as being introverted, to foster human resources who will be motivated to actively participate in the nation's domestic and international affairs. The Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry is targeting about 40 universities and plans to grant from 100 million yen to 200 million yen in annual subsidies to each institution.

Hiroshi Hoketsu, Japanese equestrian qualifies for London Olympics at age 70

TOKYO — Japanese equestrian Hiroshi Hoketsu qualified for the London Olympics at age 70, although it’s not yet clear if he will actually compete. The oldest Olympian in history is Swedish shooter Oscar Swahn. He won a silver medal at the 1920 Antwerp Olympics at 72, his sixth medal in three games. Hoketsu qualified by winning an international dressage meet in France on Thursday. Japanese equestrian officials said Sunday an announcement will be made soon on whether he will ride in London. Hoketsu will turn 71 on March 28.

Doll displays celebrate Japan's girls

Japanese families have traditionally used dolls to decorate their homes ahead of March 3 Girls' Day celebrations. Known as the hina matsuri (doll festival) it's a time to pray for the health and welfare of the nation's daughters. If you don't have hina dolls in your home, don't worry. You can still take part in the tradition if you head out to Konosu, Saitama Prefecture. Konosu, which has a history as a doll-making center that dates back to the Edo Period (1603-1867), vows to impress visitors with its gigantic set made up of a 31-step, red-carpeted staircase decked with 1,807 traditional ornamental dolls. The 7-meter-tall pyramid, placed inside City Hall, includes figures of the Emperor, Empress, servants and musicians, among others. While this would no doubt be the biggest draw of the annual Konosu Bikkuri Hina-matsuri, there's more. In the city, 7,000 to 8,000 dolls are currently on show at storefronts, schools and public halls.

Okada to pursue casino project in Philippines

Billionaire Kazuo Okada, accused by Wynn Resorts Ltd. of making improper payments to Philippine gambling regulators, said he will "vigorously" pursue his casino project in the country. "I intend to vigorously continue my $2 billion investment," the Japanese businessman said in a statement read to lawmakers in Manila on Monday. "Rest assured that I will be able to prove that all of the accusations are baseless and are lies that have been blown out of proportion." The Las Vegas-based casino company has accused Okada of giving more than $110,000 in payments and gifts to Philippines officials, including chief gambling regulator Cristino Naguiat. Universal Entertainment Corp., where Okada is a chairman and owned a 20 percent stake in Wynn Resorts, said in September it would open a casino and hotel in Manila by December 2013. Wynn forcibly redeemed Universal's stake on Feb. 19 and its Macau unit ousted Okada from its board for his "unacceptable conduct" on Friday.