Every Sunday we gather the week’s weird and interesting Japanese news and present it to you in our Sunday News column. It might not always be hard-hitting news, but we hope that it still informs and entertains you. Enjoy!
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[threecol_two]Japan crop circle not made by UFO: Scientific explanation for mystery circle: Sure, the headline says that this had been debunked as any sort of alien activity, but I think we all know the real story here. After all, this isn’t the first sign of alien activity in Japan: we’ve written about the clear, incontrovertible proof of aliens in Japan not once, not twice, but three times before. So who are you going to believe — so-called “experts” and “scientists,” or your ol’ pals at Tofugu? I think that the answer is clear. [via News On Japan][/threecol_two] [threecol_one_last]Japanese scientists win spoof Ig Nobel award for ‘SpeechJammer’: Japan has a long history of winning Ig Nobel prizes, the prize awarded for offbeat inventions. This year, they took home an Ig Nobel once again for the SpeechJammer, a device which is meant to stop people from talking by emitting noises meant to discombobulate speakers. [via News On Japan]
Japanese tooth patch may reduce decay: Japanese scientists have developed a thin film that can prevent tooth decay and even make teeth appear whiter. Now if only Japanese scientists can develop a film that can turn regular teeth into yaeba, then they’d be set. [via Reddit][/threecol_one_last]
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[threecol_one]Burglars in Japan First to Get Hands on iPhone 5: Some people wait in line for hours, even days to get their hands on the latest and greatest iPhone. A few entrepreneurs in Osaka though, has decided to circumvent the traditional channels and just take the damn phones. Who knew that getting the cutting edge phones was so easy?
Apple Botches China and Japan Maps in iOS 6: The newest version of Apple’s mobile operating system has been making headlines all week for its buggy new maps apps. The problem seems even worse (if that’s even possible) in Japan and China, where the Maps app has a plethora of problems, including listing the infamous Senkaku/Diaoyu islands twice. At the very least, that solves that whole debacle. Thanks, Apple! [via Hacker News][/threecol_one] [threecol_two_last]
Ex-Porn Star’s Viral Call for Sino-Japanese Peace [SFW]: There have been lots of different approaches to relieving the tension between Japan and China that’s been growing over the last couple of weeks, ranging from diplomacy to protest. But one voice has risen above all the others: the voice of Sola Aoi, former Japanese porn star. Her call for “Japanese-Chinese friendship” has been a breath of fresh air in this atmosphere of vitriol, and has caught fire on Asian social networks. Between this porn star and Apple, we ought to have this whole territorial dispute solved in no time at all! [via News On Japan][/threecol_two_last]
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