Japan’s Upper House of Parliament voted down legislation to split up and sell the country’s postal service on Monday, prompting Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to follow through on a threat to call snap elections that could shake the ruling party’s grip on power.
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/ 25 October 2004
For four decades, Japan’s high-speed ”bullet” trains have moved millions of people through this earthquake-prone nation efficiently, at high speed and without a single derailment — until now. The 6,8-magnitude quake that ravaged northern Japan on Saturday knocked the Toki No 325 bullet train off its tracks.
Japan in shock after earthquake
In fading light, the murmur of a cool stream soothes your jangled nerves. Your back is slowly massaged, stretching muscles exhausted from the long commute home. Before you know it, you’re fast asleep. It sounds like treatment you might get at an exotic resort. But a Japanese company has developed a sleep machine system it says will deliver a full eight hours of z’s in your own bedroom.
They troop in by the thousands, many with colourful clothing and loud music, and announce their message: the rich countries of the world are hogging the goods of the earth, ignoring the needs of impoverished millions.