JAPAN

A Japanese spacecraft that failed on its landmark mission to collect asteroid samples suffered a new setback on Wednesday with its return to Earth delayed by three years until 2010. The Hayabusa spacecraft has been out of control since Friday because of a gas burst caused by leaking fuel.

A large earthquake measuring 6,4 on the Richter scale hit northern Japan late on Friday. The northern region of Tohoku felt ”a strong jolt” from the quake, which happened at 10.13pm local time, according to the meteorological agency. The quake happened 40km underground, the agency said.

Whether a key ingredient for a special batch of sake that has been to outer space and back will change the taste of the rice wine will soon be found out as the brew is being prepared in western Japan. Sake brewers began preparing this year’s batch with yeast that completed a 10-day stay at the International Space Station.

To the untrained ear, monkeys of a certain species may all sound the same, but Japanese researchers have found that, like human beings, they actually have an accent depending on where they live. The finding, the first of its kind, will appear in the December edition of a German scientific journal.

A Japanese spacecraft successfully landed on a far-away asteroid on Saturday for a second time and almost certainly collected the first-ever samples from such a celestial body, Japan’s space agency said. The Hayabusa probe is on a landmark mission to bring back material from the Itokawa asteroid.

A Japanese café started serving up berries that make sour desserts taste sweet on Tuesday, offering dieters the chance to indulge in snacks without piling on the calories. ”You could eat a whole lemon and it would taste sweet,” a spokesperson for Namco, which runs the café, said of the berries.

A Japanese research probe moved within meters of an asteroid on Sunday, but officials then lost contact and it was unclear whether it had successfully landed to collect surface samples, Japan’s space agency said. The Hayabusa probe, which botched a rehearsal earlier this month, is on a mission to collect material from the asteroid during a brief landing and then bring it back to Earth.

Moving beyond the monopoly of sight and touch in the computer world, a Japanese company is offering a service to download aromatic scents at a click of a button. A customer who wants to be surrounded by a new fragrance has a choice of six scented oils ready to mix in a blender, which is hooked up to the computer like a mouse.

A powerful earthquake shook northern Japan early on Tuesday, triggering small tsunami waves that struck towns along the north-eastern coast about 350km away. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. Japan’s Meteorological Agency said the magnitude-7,1 quake hit at 6.39am local time.

For the woman who wants to stay both warm and environmentally conscious this winter — and isn’t bothered by extra bulk under her shirt — a lingerie maker on Wednesday unveiled a thick bra that can be heated in a microwave. Triumph International modelled the bra in Japan.

A self-confessed Japanese cartoon geek said on Friday he will become the world’s fourth space tourist late next year — and he wants to gaze down at the Earth dressed as an ace pilot from a hit animation series. The -million trip will take into space Daisuke Enomoto, a 34-year-old former board director of the Livedoor internet firm.

A 16-year-old Japanese girl was arrested for trying to kill her mother with rat poison and keeping an internet blog narrating how her condition deteriorated, news reports said on Wednesday. The girl, part of an elite high school chemistry club, reportedly admired British serial killer Graham Young and kept severed animal body parts including a cat’s head in her bedroom.

For those willing to spend a little extra money to make next year golden, a Japanese jewellery shop on Tuesday put on sale a wall calendar made of solid gold. The price, appropriately, is 20,06-million yen — equivalent to R1,15-million. The one-sheet 2006 calendar weighs 5,5kg even though it is only 1mm thick.

An earthquake of preliminary magnitude 6,2 rocked eastern Japan late on Wednesday, the meteorological agency said. The temblor shook buildings in Tokyo and nearby areas, including Ibaraki, Chiba and Fukushima prefectures, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.