$1M gold tub stolen from hotel in Japan

A gold bathtub worth 120 million yen ($988,100), which was stolen from a hotel near Tokyo May 30, 2007, is seen in this photo taken June 2005. Japanese police are scratching their heads over how the bathtub weighing some 80 kg was stolen from a shared bathroom for men on the 10th floor of the hotel. REUTERS/Kyodo

Japanese Secret Revealed for the First Time

The Japanese have finally revealed a mystery for you. Now, through the miracle of high technology, we can see how it is done.

With the aid of a screen-magnifying lens, the mechanism becomes apparent.

Click here and find out how the small arrow on your computer monitor works when you move the mouse.

The image may take a minute or two to download and when it appears, slowly move your mouse over the light gray circle and you will see how the magic works.

19 prefectures to see 20% population drops by '35

Nineteen out of the 47 prefectures will likely experience at least a 20 percent drop in population in 2035 as the birthrate plunges and the proportion of elderly grows, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry said in a report released Tuesday.

Only Tokyo and Okinawa Prefecture are projected to increase their populations compared with 2005 during the three-decade period.

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Family split between Fla. and Japan by immigration policy

BRADENTON, Fla. – Keith Campbell and his Japanese-born wife spent his 47th birthday half a world apart because of an immigration dispute. Critics say the case illustrates how making mistakes in getting visas and permanent U.S. residency can lead to life-changing consequences for families.

“It's kind of a surreal thing,” Campbell said recently as he waited to have his daily Web-cam chat with his wife, Akiko, and their two sons, ages 4 and 1, who are in Nagano, Japan. “We haven't done anything wrong.”

Immigration officials say Akiko Campbell, 41, committed fraud in 1998 when she entered the U.S. with a fiancee visa after she had already gotten married to Keith. Now she's now prohibited from re-entering the country for 10 years.

Since she left in January, Keith Campbell has spent time furiously writing lawmakers, printing bumper stickers, talking to anyone who would listen and putting up a Web site – www.bringakikohome.com – to tell their story.

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Bradenton, FL 34210-2970

Miss Japan crowned Miss Universe 2007

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Riyo Mori, a 20-year-old dancer from Japan who hopes to someday open an international dance school, was crowned Miss Universe 2007 Monday night.

Miss USA Rachel Smith, who slipped and fell to the floor during the evening gown competition and was jeered by the Mexican audience during the interview phase, was the contest's fourth runner-up.

Mori nervously grabbed the hands of first runner-up, Natalia Guimaraes of Brazil, just before the winner was announced. She was trembling in awe as the diamond-and pearl-studded crown was placed on her head.

Mori, from the small town of Shizuoka at the base of Mount Fuji, won the cheers of the Mexico City audience when she opened her interview, saying "Hola, Mexico!"

"I learned how to always be happy, be patient and to be positive, and this is what I want to teach to the next generation," she said during the interview competition.

For Every Season, Turn, Turn

It's a striking paradox: how Japan, most modern of nations, remains exquisitely in tune with nature.

Newsweek International

Updated: 2:06 p.m. PT May 26, 2007

June 4, 2007 issue - Spring means the sakura are coming: cherry blossoms that drive Japan wild. Pink and white explosions dot the countryside and cities, briefly transforming what was, just a few weeks earlier, still a drab, cold landscape. Here, during Kobe's Hanami (flower festival), workers have left the office early to picnic under the glory.

The Nielsen's in Karuizawa

Otokomae tofu makes a handsome U.S. debut

EDGEWATER, N.J. (Kyodo) A Kyoto-based tofu maker is poised to make inroads into the U.S. market on the back of the strong popularity of its products in Japan and health-conscious American consumers.

A brand of tofu named Otokomae (Handsome Guy) that created a sensation among young Japanese when it appeared in July 2004 made its full-fledged U.S. debut Friday at a Japanese supermarket near New York.

Shingo Ito, president of Otokomae Tofuten Corp., based in Nantan, Kyoto Prefecture, plans to sell his unique brand of tofu that boasts a big kanji character for "otoko" (male) on the package at Japanese specialty stores first before hitting regular supermarkets.

The company shipped some of its tofu products to retailers on the West Coast last year.

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Japan melons from bankrupt city fetch record price

TOKYO (Reuters) - A pair of melons from the Japanese city of Yubari -- better known lately for going bankrupt than for its farm produce -- fetched a record 2 million yen (8,400 pounds) at the...

Fish fraud: The menus said snapper, but it wasn't!

A red snapper (bottom) and a red sea bream — which is sometimes sold as red snapper.
(Al Podgorski/Sun-Times)

A Sun-Times investigation: The sushi menus said red snapper, a fish prized for its flavor -- and priced accordingly. But the Sun-Times found good reason to question whether diners are getting what's promised. And there's reason to believe diners around the country similarly are being taken in.

Japan child numbers at record low

The number of children under the age of 15 in Japan has fallen to a record low, government figures show. As of 1 April, there were 17.38 million children aged 14 or below in the country - down...