TokyoHaneda.com

It was pretty cloudy this morning in much of Japan, but millions of people went outside at 7:30AM and were still able to put on protective glasses and view a rare annular eclipse. Here are some amateur and professional videos that have turned up on YouTube in the last couple hours: The last time Tokyoites [...] (Japan Probe)

A couple days ago, a JAXA/Mitsubishi Heavy Industries H-IIA rocket carried a South Korean satellite into space. It was the first time a Japanese rocket carried a foreign satellite into orbit, marking Japan’s entry into the commercial space race. Here a video clip of the launch: “With the success of this commercial launch, we hope [...] (Japan Probe)

Comedian/Film Director Takeshi Kitano (“Beat Takeshi”) could have a view of homosexuality that isn’t very different from America’s Christian right: “Obama supports gay marriage. You would support a marriage to an animal eventually, then,” Kitano said after being shown footage of people celebrating the US president’s comments. The Original Japanese was: “同性婚が認められたらそのうち動物との結婚も認められるようになったりね“ The comments were [...] (Japan Probe)

The town of Hokuei in Tottori prefecture built several bronze statues in 1999 to celebrate itself as the birthplace of the popular Detective Conan (Case Closed) manga series. Unfortunately, as this news report shows, the statues are very vulnerable to vandalism: Somebody snapped a magnifying glass out of one statue’s hand, and bent a snorkel [...] (Japan Probe)

The BBC World Service has conducted its annual poll measuring perceptions of different countries’ influence in the world. Japan has topped the ranking: “Japan is seen as having the most　positive influence in the world　among all countries evaluated, and　views have improved slightly since 2011. On average, in the 21 tracking countries surveyed, 58 per cent of [...] (Japan Probe)

Earlier this year, it was reported that Tommy Lee Jones would be playing the role of General Douglas MacArthur in Emperor, a film set during the American occupation of Japan. To help spread the hype about the film, the studio recently released this promotional photograph: “Tommy Lee Jones turned up on set that day with [...] (Japan Probe)

Since 2007, Disney has allowed gay couples to participate in its Fairy Tale Wedding program in the United States. Tokyo Disney Resort (TDR) has not banned gay weddings, but they did have some restrictions in place. When LGBT rights activist Koyuki Higashi contacted TDR this year to inquire about holding a lesbian wedding there, officials [...] (Japan Probe)

Paul Watson, the infamous leader of Sea Shepherd, has been detained in Germany. Costa Rican authorities had made a request for his extradition: “He is accused of using his ship, the Farley Mowat, to ram a vessel called the Varadero, which was observed conducting illegal shark-finning activities. In claims filed with prosecutors in 2002, several [...] (Japan Probe)

The BBC reports that a Japanese-style cat cafe (Cafe Neko), has opened in Vienna. Its Austrian customers seem to like it: “The cafe was opened by Vienna resident Takako Ishimitsu, a 47-year-old woman originally from Nagoya, Japan, who moved to Vienna some 20 years ago. She had to spend three years negotiating with city officials [...] (Japan Probe)

The WSJ reports on how Toyota’s CEO mentioned Charlie Chaplin at a recent press conference: In his opening remarks to reporters, Mr. Toyoda said: “Charlie Chaplin, the greatest comedian, was said to reply ‘the next one,’ when asked which of his films he thought was the best. I find his mindset similar to Toyota’s ‘kaizen’ [...] (Japan Probe)

A video shows one of four kangaroos that escaped from cages at an animal importing company in Chiba prefecture: At 1:18 in the video clip, the kangaroo has a close call with a truck! Ten police officers were called in to apprehend the fugitive kangaroos. It took 4 hours for the animals to be captured. [...] (Japan Probe)

[Update: Links to Cached versions of the articles have been added to prevent publishers from making stealth edits.] The Bureau of Investigative Journalism has posted “Dying to be thin: Anorexia in Japan,”(cached version here) a summary an article by freelance writer Georgia Hanias (although labeled as a “review,” it looks like it is pretty much [...] (Japan Probe)

Finally, a robot that can shampoo your head and massage your scalp (apparently without killing you in the process!): Panasonic presents its Head Care Robot. The robot is designed to support staff at hospitals and care facilities with hair washing. The robot will undergo trials for 2 months at Hair Salon Super Seo in Nishiyama [...] (Japan Probe)

This is an update about a story from a few days ago – American Claims Children in Chiba Are Sick From Radiation Poisoning / Raises Thousands of Dollars Online. After Japan Probe and its readers questioned the validity of the fundraiser’s claims, he deleted the fundraising page, holding on to about $7,500 in contributions. Thanks [...] (Japan Probe)

Here is the trailer for “The Nuclear Option,” a interesting-looking documentary that explores the questions surrounding the use of nuclear energy: “Fear, confusion, and uncertainty have long polarized the debate around nuclear energy, making it a casualty of ignorance and poor association. Experts agree a safe, clean, and abundant alternative source of energy is required [...] (Japan Probe)