Archive for March, 2005

Tuberculosis - The Modern Epidemic

The Modern Epidemic: A History of Tuberculosis in Japan
By William Johnston
Harvard University Press, 1995, 432 pages.
Tuberculosis is a very serious disease. In human history it has killed millions and will continue to kill many more. In the industrialized world it is considered a very serious disease of the past. That is, if […]

Pet memorial services are not “religion”

This is a translation of a Yomiuri On-Line article posted on March 24, 2005.
A religious corporation filed a lawsuit in the Nagoya district court arguing that Buddhist memorial services for pets are the equivalent of a religious act and fees for those services should not be taxed. Chief Justice Kato dismissed the lawsuit on […]

This baby-sitting robot can sing and dance

The following is a translation of an article from the Asahi News
NEC announced on the 16th that they have invented “Child Care Robot PaPeRo,” with improved functions to play with and watch over children. It has the ability to help caregivers in places such as kindergartens and nursery schools. It will be exhibited […]

Book Review: Kafka on the Shore

Kafka on the Shore
By Haruki Murakami
Translated by Philip Gabriel
Knopf, 2005, 436 pages.
海辺のカフカ
村上春樹著者
新潮社、2002年、2冊
“Kafka on the Shore” is the story of 15 year old Kafka Tamura, who runs away from his father and his home in Tokyo, and finds his way to a small private library in Takamatsu, in Shikoku. But “Kafka on the Shore” is […]

Escaped tiger, too cute?

The following is a translation of an article appearing on The Asashi Shimbun website.
An earthquake with an intensity of 7 out of 7 on the Japanese seismic scale has just occurred, and a tiger has escaped from its cage.—Under this hypothetical scenario the Tennouji Zoo in Osaka practiced capturing escaped animals.

The real 1975 incident of […]