While the doors have yet to open for this weekend’s “UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson” event, company officials are already declaring the event a ticket-selling success.

UFC officials today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that ticket sales are still moving briskly for this weekend’s event at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, and the fight card is expected to sell-out all of the nearly 20,000 available seats.

Furthermore, UFC officials are so encouraged by the buzz surrounding UFC 144 that plans for a return to Japan are already under consideration, and multiple annual visits – as well as a version of “The Ultimate Fighter” – are also possible.

“It’s exciting,” UFC president Dana White told MMAjunkie.com of the UFC’s first event in Japan since 2000. I love it here. I’m very excited about coming back here. … This is a place where a lot of great organizations held events. Not only did they build up a lot of Japanese talent but a lot of talent from around the world here in Japan.

“I think the event’s already been successful. We’re close to a sellout already, and obviously the card we put together for this event is phenomenal.”

While official figures have not been released, MMAjunkie.com has learned UFC 144, which takes place Sunday in Japan but airs live in the U.S. on Saturday night, is currently utilizing a modified seating arrangement at Saitama Super Arena that should provide just under 20,000 seats. Less than 2,000 tickets remain at this time, and UFC Asia executive Mark Fischer anticipates the rest will be gone by fight time.

“I think we really put together a great event here,” Fischer said. “It’s going very well. We’re just about a sellout. I think by event day, we’re going to be sold-out, and there’s incredible buzz in the market. … We do expect the last few days to see a late surge and sell whatever is left, which isn’t a lot.

Much of the pre-fight discussion surrounding UFC 144, which sees UFC lightweight champ Frankie Edgar defend his belt against top contender and former WEC titleholder Benson Henderson, has centered around Japan’s ability to serve as a viable market for the UFC. While the country’s MMA landscape has been a bit tumultuous since the 2007 collapse of PRIDE, White believes Japan is ready to host his promotion.

“We’re getting all this stuff dialed in,” White said. “We tried to come back to Japan earlier than this, but the deal we had put together fell apart. We stayed on it and didn’t abandon coming to Japan. The deal didn’t fall apart this time. We got everything done that we needed to get done to put on an event. All the things that go into bringing a live event to a new territory and not getting smashed financially, we got done.”

Fischer said the company is so encouraged by the early results that it’s already considering potential annual returns to the country, including both pay-per-view and “Fight Night” events, in addition to an international version of “The Ultimate Fighter.” He cautions that it’s far too soon to consider those plans concrete, but he remains optimistic Japan will serve as a solid future market.

“I think it’s a little bit wait-and-see but certainly we do feel based on the strength of what we’ve seen so far leading into the event – the buzz, the ticket sales so far – that I think it’s a market we’d love to come back to with a big event at least annually,” Fischer said. “Whether or not we complement that with maybe one or two smaller events – perhaps ‘Fight Nights’ – and we think there’s quite good potential for an ‘Ultimate Fighter,’ maybe in a slightly different format here.

“That’s a little bit wait-and-see, but I do think that in some shape or form, we will be coming back on probably a semi-annual basis – a big event and, ideally, a second event, whether that be a ‘Fight Night’ event or ‘Ultimate Fighter’ format.”

Only five days before UFC 144, a Tokyo-based station has announced plans to broadcast a portion of the event on Japanese terrestrial television.

TV Tokyo, a free-to-air channel which specializes in anime programming, announced Tuesday that it will air a tape-delayed, 90-minute version of UFC 144 “Edgar vs. Henderson” on Sunday at 3:15 a.m. local time. The last-minute broadcast represents a free alternative to the UFC’s live airing on Japanese cable channel Wowow.

While TV Tokyo is the smallest of Japan’s major networks, its reach is considerably larger than that of the UFC’s cable partner. According to a 2011 release, TV Tokyo is viewable by over 32 million households, or about 70 percent of the Japanese population; Wowow reaches approximately 20 million households.

The Octagon was last seen on TV Tokyo in March 2010, when UFC Fight Night 21 aired in primetime via tape delay. The event, which saw former Pride Fighting Championships lightweight star Takanori Gomi take on Kenny Florian, reportedly drew between 3.5 and 5.25 million viewers.

Beginning in July, the start of a new residency management system!

The aim of the new residency management system is to enable the Ministry of Justice to continuously keep information necessary for managing the residency of foreign nationals residing in Japan for the mid-to long-term with resident status, and ensure greater convenience for those foreign nationals.

The system will issue qualifying foreign nationals a resident card containing a portrait photo of the individual, basic personal information such as his/her name, his/her resident status and his/her currently allowed period of stay.
Moreover, because the new system will allow authorities to more accurately track resident status than with the previous system, it makes it possible to introduce measures that will improve the convenience of foreign nationals who legally reside in Japan, such as a maximum period of stay of five years instead of the previous three years, and a new reentry permit system that waives reentry permit formalities for foreign nationals who leave and reenter Japan within one year of the date of their original departure.

The current alien registration system will be abolished with the start of the new residency management system.
More information can be found at http://bit.ly/pQU51f

I was introduced to this dancing by a Student and wanted to share it. In Nagoya they have a yearly festival called “Osu Street Performers Festival”. This is what the Nagoya International Center’s website has to say about it.

This annual festival started in 1978 as an alternative to the Nagoya Festival. Around 250 (45 groups) street performers, musicians, and artists will be showing off their skills with their dances, juggling, and magic routines. The highlight of the festival are the oiran processions through the packed streets of the Osu shopping district. The oiran, were high-class, Edo-era female entertainers only available to Japan’s wealthiest and highest ranking officials.

This event seems to be always held in October. In fact the 34th annual was held just last weekend. The 金粉ショウ(kinpunshou) is a major attraction. The show is performed by DAIRAKUDAKAN and consisted of several dancers painted with gold powder. The women dance topless in g-string bikini bottoms. That’s the kinda cool part. But the downside is the men are also wearing the g-string bikini bottoms.

I’m not really sure the meaning of the custom other than letting the perverts take too many pictures. It is an art though and it’s an impressive dance show. I’ve only seen videos online but I would like to to see it live… Although I would be one of the perverts taking too many pictures.

I found some videos on YouTube from this years festival so enjoy… but not to much.

第３４回（２０１１年）大須大道町人祭　金粉ショウ1/3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzYIOGtC-i4

第３４回（２０１１年）大須大道町人祭　金粉ショウ2/3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daarS5EQFVA

第３４回（２０１１年）大須大道町人祭　金粉ショウ3/3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfB-WkPbUx0

Recorded on my Android phone. – Captured Live on Ustream. It was recorded over 3G and due to the Typhoon, the 3G connection was bad so the video quality is low. Next time I’ll record it to the phone then upload it. My bad!

A powerful typhoon was bearing down on Japan’s tsunami-ravaged northeastern coast Wednesday, approaching a nuclear power plant crippled in that disaster and prompting calls for the evacuation of more than a million people.

Even before its arrival Typhoon Roke turned deadly, with local media and police reporting five people killed or missing after being swept away by rivers swollen with rain.

The storm, packing winds of up to 134 mph (216 kph), was expected to make landfall along Japan’s southeast coast around midday and then cut a path northeast through Tokyo and into the northeastern Tohoku region, which was devastated by the March 11 tsunami and earthquake.

Also in the path of the storm is the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant, which started spewing radiation after it was sent into meltdown by the tsunami.

Takeo Iwamoto, spokesman for Tokyo Electric Power Co., the utility that operates the plant, said the cooling system for the reactors, crucial to keeping them under control, will not be endangered by the typhoon.

He said some construction work around the plant was canceled and utmost efforts were under way to prevent leaks of radioactive water and other material from the typhoon.

Japanese media reports said more than a million people have been ordered or advised to evacuate across the country as their homes may be flooded or buried in mudslides triggered by the typhoon. The numbers varied, as there is no nationwide tally, and the situation has been flexible. The Mainichi nationwide newspaper reported 1.4 million people were issued evacuation warnings, while the Yomiuri newspaper put the number at 1.2 million.

The city of Nagoya temporarily called off an evacuation warning for 880,000 people when swelling in a major river subsided, but officials said the warning was likely to be reissued as the storm neared.

Heavy rains caused floods and road damage in dozens of locations in Nagoya and several other cities, the Aichi prefectural (state) government said.

Television footage showed people wading through water up to their knees in Nagoya, 170 miles (270 kilometers) west of Tokyo. In parts of the city near swollen rivers, rescue workers helped residents evacuate in rubber boats.

Police in nearby Gifu prefecture said a 9-year-old boy and an 84-year-old man were missing after apparently falling into swollen rivers.

Toyota Motor Corp., Japan’s No. 1 automaker, which is headquartered in Toyota city in Aichi, canceled production for later in the day as a precaution.

More than 200 domestic flights were canceled and some bullet train services were suspended, according to the Kyodo News service.

The storm was bringing rain and wind to the Tokyo area, and commuters were being warned to go home early before the storm hits the capital Wednesday afternoon.

A typhoon that slammed Japan earlier this month left about 90 people dead or missing.

A small hot spring resort in eastern Japan plans to recruit three women to become geisha in an effort to preserve a tradition and to boost tourism, a local official said Friday.

Shimoda city, 130 kilometers southwest of Tokyo, has set aside 5.23 million yen for a six-month geisha training project, using national subsidies available for employment programmes, a city spokesman told AFP.

The trainees will receive a daily wage of roughly 6,200 yen and will be expected to work five days a week for six months to March, he said.

“Once they finish the program, they will demonstrate their art” at a local festival celebrating the life of a 19th-century geisha, he said.

Despite their image in the West as little more than prostitutes, geisha are in fact highly skilled women who dance, play musical instruments and entertain their clients with games and conversation.

Demand for geisha has steadily dropped over the years across Japan, but their presence at various tourist events delights visitors, the city official said.

Three decades ago, Shimoda boasted 200 active geisha, but only five part-timers remain, the city official said.

And they are the only people who have passed on local dance and songs—unique cultural assets that the city hopes to preserve.

“We hope that the new geisha will eventually join our efforts to revitalize the city’s tourism,” and stay employed in the tourism sector, he said.

“Our hope is that they will join our five geisha and carry on our traditional art,” he said.

After the March 11 earthquake and tsunami destroyed everything from houses to street lights, the town of Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, has been so dark and quiet at night it’s unnerving.

But the light coming from a convenience store that reopened in late July has become a symbol of hope for the community.

“Unless people start reopening their businesses, the town will never take the first steps toward reconstruction,” said Taiko Tanisawa, the 63-year-old owner of the reopened Marutani store, as she warmly greeted customers.

While Tanisawa and her family survived the catastrophe, her house and the store she ran since 1994 were destroyed by the tsunami and an ensuing fire caused by a propane gas leak.

The March 11 disasters killed 799 of Otsuchi’s 16,000 residents, including the mayor, and a further 608 were still missing as of the end of August. In addition, the tsunami either destroyed or damaged about 70 percent of the town’s homes.

“I felt that we should not remain in Otsuchi,” said Tanisawa, who after March 11 considered leaving the town with her family and making a fresh start somewhere else. But she ultimately changed her mind because her neighbors kept encouraging her to reopen. She hopes the locals will interpret her reopened business as a step toward reconstructing the devastated town, even though the new store is only one-fifth the size of the previous one.

Six months after the 9.0-magnitude quake and subsequent tsunami killed more than 15,700 people and left nearly 4,100 missing in the Tohoku region, survivors are trying to move forward and rebuild their shattered lives and communities.

In the worst-hit coastal regions of Iwate and Miyagi prefectures, various restoration efforts have made progress, such as building temporary accommodations for evacuees who lost their homes and had to live in shelters, restoring crippled infrastructure and clearing debris in commercial and residential areas.

But the massive piles of debris kept in temporary storage sites along the coast are just one indicator that a huge amount of work remains to be done.

Creating new jobs is a priority, as many people who worked for businesses that were wrecked in March remain unemployed. A recent labor ministry survey showed that at least 70,000 people in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures lost their jobs because of the quake-tsunami catastrophe.

The pace of recovery is slowest in Fukushima Prefecture, where the crisis at the crippled No. 1 nuclear station has forced thousands of residents in the government-set 20-km no-go zone around the leaking plant, as well as some living in radioactive hot spots outside the zone, to evacuate their homes. It remains unclear when, or even if, they will be able to return to their hometowns.

The central and local governments have set a 10-year goal to fully restore disaster-hit areas in the devastated northeast, and plans to rebuild ruined communities have finally started to move forward.

But rebuilding Tohoku won’t come cheap.

According to the central government’s basic reconstruction plan released July 29, reconstruction costs will total at least ¥23 trillion over the coming decade, and cash-strapped local governments are asking the state to finance the bulk of those expenditures.

Experts say rebuilding disaster areas is not simply a matter of returning them to their predisaster state. Redesigning towns and cities must take into account the probability that another monster tsunami will someday strike the region, they say. In addition, plans must factor in the aging populations of the disaster-hit communities, which even before March 11 were shrinking as residents aged and the young moved away in search of work.

“What we need to do is design cities (and towns) in which people can live comfortably and safely,” said Arata Endo, an associate professor at Kogakuin University and an expert on urban planning. “We must make them better places to live in than before, as the size of the communities shrinks.”

Since May, Endo has led a committee that includes architects, disaster management experts and local resident representatives to draw up a plan for rebuilding wrecked districts in the city of Kamaishi, Iwate Prefecture.

The committee is seeking to produce a blueprint of how Kamaishi should ideally look in 20 years’ time, Endo said.

He stressed that it is crucial to solicit residents’ ideas, even though it may not be possible to include them all in the final plan.

The committee will submit its plan later this month to Kamaishi’s disaster rebuilding committee for approval. Providing it gets the green light, the municipal assembly — which was slated to hold an election Sunday — will hammer out the plan’s details.

In the case of Otsuchi, however, recovery and rebuilding efforts have been delayed by the loss of the mayor and dozens of municipal officials in the March disasters. A new mayor wasn’t elected until the end of August.

In the meantime, some residents decided to stand up and take matters into their own hands. In May, Otsuchi native Tomohiro Akazaki and others created a resident council to gather suggestions for rebuilding their ruined town.

“I wanted to be part of rebuilding my hometown. It will be really sad if it disappears,” said Akazaki, 33.

The council held six rounds of discussions with residents and submitted its rebuilding suggestions to Otsuchi’s municipal office in July.

“The town office may ignore the opinion of a single residentbut hopefully they will listen to a group of residents,” Akazaki said.

Of the projected ¥23 trillion reconstruction budget for the next decade, the central government plans to spend ¥19 trillion in the first five years. This includes ¥6 trillion that already has been secured in the first and second extra budgets for fiscal 2011, and Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda’s new administration is aiming to submit a third supplementary budget to the Diet in October.

To cover the costs, the government is considering hiking taxes, although no decision has been made on which ones to target.

Kogakuin University’s Endo said the central government must decide swiftly on the projects to be financed by the budget, so that local governments can soon start their rebuilding efforts.

Back in Otsuchi, Tanisawa said she is worried about the town’s future as she fears that many young residents who lost their jobs in the disasters will move away, accelerating Otsuchi’s depopulation. In terms of rebuilding the town, Tanisawa called for more streetlights, because the darkness of the blacked-out town frightens her at night.

“If someone tries to attack my store, no one would come to help me,” she said. Due to safety concerns, she closes her new store at 8 p.m. — her previous business stayed opened until 11 p.m.

“My old neighbors, who are now living in temporary housing far away, also hope to return to their original neighborhoods,” she said. “I hope residents will eventually return, and the town will again shine brightly.”

Major convenience store chain FamilyMart Co this week unveiled its mobile convenience store—a newly developed truck that will start selling products in the devastated Tohoku region from later this month.

The 3-ton truck can hold approximately 300 different items, ranging from “bento” lunchboxes to cup noodles, drinks, candies and many more. It features a refrigerated case powered by propane gas, for preserving vegetables and other perishable items.

FamilyMart says three trucks will be open for business from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. in Miyagi, Iwate and Fuksuhima prefectures. The company said the idea for the trucks was conceived because many evacuees still have trouble getting to stores, or are in areas where stores were destroyed.

After more than a decade, the wait is finally over. The Ultimate Fighting Championship® confirmed at a Tokyo press conference today that 2012 will mark the return of the world famous Octagon® to Japan.

Japan’s Saitama Super Arena will host a blockbuster UFC® event on February 26, 2012. It will serve as the organization’s first event in Japan since UFC 29 held in December 2000. It will also serve as the first UFC event in Japan since the organization was purchased by Zuffa, LLC in 2001.

“This February, the wait is finally over – the UFC is coming back to Japan,” UFC President Dana White said. “For fans in Japan who’ve never witnessed a UFC event live, this is going to be an incredible experience and one you won’t want to miss. It’s been over 10 years since a UFC event was held in Japan and we’re pumped to bring the fastest-growing sport in the world there once again.”

Japan has made an enormous contribution not only to traditional martial arts by inventing styles like jiu-jitsu, karate and judo, but also to the sport of mixed martial arts. As well as hosting four UFC events from 1997 to 2000, the nation of Japan also became renowned for its incredible live PRIDE FC® shows from 1997 to 2007.

“Japan has played a huge role in helping get the sport of mixed martial arts to where it is today,” White added. “UFC stars such as Rampage Jackson, Wanderlei Silva, Minotauro Nogueira and Mirko Cro Cop all made names for themselves fighting in PRIDE and dozens more fought in front of the passionate Japanese fans at some point in their careers.

“Japan has also produced world-class fighters such as Yoshihiro Akiyama, Takanori Gomi and Yushin Okami, all of whom have represented their country well in the Octagon, headlining major UFC events all over the globe.”

The full card for the Tokyo event, along with ticket information, will be announced in the coming months. For more information, or current UFC fight news, visit UFC.com. All bouts live and subject to change.

I can’t wait for this. I think a rematch between Ortiz and Silva would be great. The Axe Murderer is loved in Japan. I really hope UFC continues to ignores Aoki for this event. That will really piss him off. LOL.

If I go to the Dynamite show as I am planning, This will be a great couple of months for me!

By the way, Sorry for stealing the Rock’s line in the title but it seemed only fitting.

Shoganai Japan…

Slow-moving rains lead to heavy flooding and landslides, with more than 30 people still missing.

At least eight people have been killed and more than 33 others are missing after Typhoon Talas swept across western Japan.

More than 450,000 people were ordered to evacuate their homes as the tropical storm caused flooding and landslides on Sunday on its path northwards towards the Sea of Japan.

Al Jazeera’s Steve Chao, reporting from Ishinomaki, said wind speeds at the peak of the storm had reached 140 km per hour.

“The bigger threat was that Typhoon Talas was moving so slowly which meant it was dumping heavy, heavy rain over the southern parts of Japan,” our correspondent said.

In one area alone, Nara Prefecture, more than 1,600 mm of rain fell, causing landslides which swept a 73-year-old man to his death when his wooden house collapsed.

Currently more than 73,000 people remain without electricity.

According to NHK, 94 people were injured in 18 prefectures in central and western Japan, while further torrential rain continued to hit the Kii Peninsula and neighbouring areas.

The television channel reported that “since the approach of Talas on Thursday, close to 1,800 mm of rain, a record level, accumulated in some areas in Nara, 1,500 mm in Mie, and 1,100 mm in Wakayama.”

A further 50 to 80 mm is expected overnight, according to Japan’s Meteorological Agency.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUJ7EHeCwTE

This morning I woke up to find the following message from Numazu City.


joe様

◆放送日
平成23年8月15日(月)、11時45分
◆放送対象地域
　全市
◆内容
　今日は、戦没者を追悼し、平和を祈念する日です。正午になりましたら、戦没者の冥福と世界平和を祈り、1分間の黙祷をしましょう。


***Loosely Translated by Google and Shoganaijapan***

Mr. Joe

◆ Air Date
2011/08/15(Mon) 11:45
◆ Broadcasting Service Area
Citywide
◆ Message
Today, We pray for peace and mourn the casualties from the war. At noon, Let's have a moment of silence to pray for world peace and the souls of war casualties.


This is a 2 minute commercial for Sapporo Beer called “Legendary Biru”, which has been shown in North America for the past year and this video has about 3 million hits in YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-Rs6YEZAt8

I forgot about this commercial. I’ve seen it a couple times before. Watching it again I realized that Sapporo really used foreigner’s stereotypical thinking of Japan. Let’s see… Samurai? Check. Bonsai tree? Check. buddha? Check. Taiko Drums? Check. Sumo Wrestlers? Check. Dragons? Check. Geisha? Check. I could go on and on.

Before I came to Japan this is what I imagined about Japan but it is truly more than that. I think many people would be surprised about the new Japan.

I really do like this commercial. Sapporo really knew what they were doing when they made this. Even look at the Buddha statues, They are the North American fat Buddhas not the typical Buddha in Japan. It really does appeal to foreigners. I understand why it has so many hits on YouTube and I hope it upped the sails for Sapporo.

Although I prefer Kirin Lager…

Japan Makes the Digital Switch

Broadcasters completed the switch to digitized terrestrial TV broadcasting at noon Sunday, ending the analog transmission that began more than a half century ago, except in areas hit hard by March’s earthquake and tsunami.
Recognizing that some people nationwide have yet to prepare for the analog-to-digital shift, the telecom ministry has increased staff to provide technical help before analog TVs turn grainy by midnight Sunday.

Digital broadcasting provides higher quality images and sound, while broadcasters can transmit data in a compressed format using only two-thirds of the bandwidth needed for analog broadcasting.
The extra bandwidth can be used for new types of broadcasting for mobile handsets and telecommunication for the purpose of disaster response, ministry officials said.
The broadcasting industry estimates 100,000 households failed to buy essential equipment such as digital tuners and antennas as of Saturday.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications exempted viewers in Miyagi, Iwate and Fukushima prefectures from the nationwide start of the land-based digital TV broadcasting, putting off the project there until March.
Japan’s analog television service began in 1953.
Broadcasters digitized their transmission of programs in stages after the relevant law cleared the Diet in 2001. Digital broadcasting began in Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya in 2003 and spread nationwide in 2006.

I am not really sure if beer lovers really need this kind of gadget, but Takara Tomy is ready to sell it (in Japan only – at least initially). The company has showcased the so-called “Beer Hour” in Tokyo today, a small device that’s supposed to make it easier to pour beer from cans into glasses.

According to Takara Tomy, the Beer Hour is “optimized” for the cans Japan’s four top breweries produce (I have no idea what that means). But the company also says that basically every beer can holding between 350ml and 500ml will fit, including those not made in Japan.

Takara Tomy will started selling the Beer Hour in yellow and black on May 19 (price: $25).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCVndnBizg

Typhoon Ma-on was located about 300 km northeast off Okinawa’s Minamidaito Island at noon Monday, traveling northward at about 25 kph, the agency said.

The season’s sixth typhoon could cause heavy rain Monday in areas ranging from Kyushu to the Pacific coast of central Japan and is expected to approach western to eastern Japan on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The weather agency issued high wave warnings for most of the southern coast from Kyushu to southeast of Tokyo.

Due to the typhoon, airlines on Monday canceled a total of about 40 flights mainly to or from Kyushu and Okinawa.

Typhoons and tropical storms buffet the nation during the Northwestern Pacific cyclone season, in some cases damaging buildings and infrastructure. Ten tropical storms and typhoons hit Japan during 2004, killing more than 60 people and causing billions of dollars in damage.

Tepco reactor lid rush

Tokyo Electric Power Co. is rushing to install a cover over a building at its crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant to shield it from wind and rain as Typhoon Ma-on approached the country’s coast from the south.

The cover will be placed over the turbine building of reactor 3 “momentarily,” Hajime Motojuku, a Tepco spokesman, said Sunday. The utility also detached a hose from a barge docked near the plant that stores contaminated water, he said, without elaborating.

They beat the Americans for the title in a riveting final Sunday night, 3-1 on penalty kicks, after coming from behind twice in a 2-2 tie. The star of the shootout was feisty goalkeeper Ayumi Kaihori, who made two brilliant saves in the shootout.

Joyous fans decked out in the national team’s dark blue uniforms hugged and sang in Tokyo as they watched their team lift the winner’s trophy on live broadcasts from Germany.

“This is a chance to forget the nuclear disaster and everything else, to just unite and celebrate,” said 22-year-old Toru Komatsu.

All tournament long the teammates reminded the world they were playing for their battered country, still reeling from the devastation of the March 11 quake and tsunami. Did they ever. They held the gleaming trophy high above their smiling faces as confetti swirled around the podium, flecking their hair with gold.

“Before we went to the match tonight we had some commentary on television and we heard comments on the situation in Japan,” coach Norio Sasaki said. “We wanted to use this opportunity to thank the people back home for the support that has been given.”

This was Japan’s first appearance in the final of a major tournament, and it had not beaten the Americans in its first 25 meetings, including a pair of 2-0 losses in warmup games a month before the World Cup. But the “Nadeshiko” pushed ahead, playing inspired soccer and hoping their success could provide even a small emotional lift to their nation, where nearly 23,000 people died or were reported missing.

After each game, the team unfurled a banner saying, “To our Friends Around the World — Thank You for Your Support.” On Sunday, they did it before the match and afterward they had a new sign to display: Champion — the first Asian country to win this title. Saki Kumagai completed a fairy tale finish with the decisive spot kick.

Tournament MVP Homare Sawa forced penalties with an equalizer in the second extra period as Japan twice came from behind, and Kaihori saved two penalties in the shootout before Kumagai buried the winner. “I’m both delighted and surprised,” said Kumagai. “I just hit the ball as hard as I could.”

The Americans had taken the lead in the second half of normal time through a superb strike from Alex Morgan, but Aya Miyama capitalized on poor defending to equalize in the 81st minute.

The U.S. went in front for the second time in the match in the 104th minute through Abby Wambach’s header but Sawa flicked in a corner to secure the Golden Boot with her fifth goal of the tournament. “I can’t believe it,” said Sawa. “We have got this result because we never stopped fighting until the end. This has been my goal and now I can take home the gold medal.”

The team, whose Nadeshiko nickname comes from a pink frilled carnation symbolizing grace and beauty, is sure to be given a heroes’ welcome when it returns after capturing the imagination of the Japanese public.

“There is no happier president than a World Cup winner,” said Japan Football Association president Junji Ogura. “The players have showed the brilliance of Japanese women. I want Sawa to be on the organizing committee if Japan hosts the Women’s World Cup.”

The victory came against a backdrop of concern about the crippled nuclear power plant run by Tokyo Electric Power Co., which has leaked radiation into the sea and surrounding areas.

Several members of the national squad played for the former professional team sponsored by the electric company, with at least one working at the plant before it was damaged. But Nadeshiko provided at least a brief respite from the bad news on Monday morning.

“It has been so scary with the earthquake and everything,” said 22-year-old Miaki Tomiyama. “The team has given us happiness.”

NAGOYA — Police said Saturday they have arrested a 35-year-old man in connection with robberies, which took place at Japanese fast food restaurant chain Sukiya in Aichi and Gifu prefectures.

Police arrested the suspect, identified as office worker Tsuyoshi Nagaya, for one robbery in Nagoya, but said they plan to charge him with another that took place in Gifu Prefecture. Investigators say they believe he may have committed other robberies within the two prefectures and that they are currently accumulating evidence to strengthen their case.

According to police, Nagaya told his wife he was going out to a night job when robbing stores. He would then return home and hand her the stolen money, telling her it was his wage.

Nagaya allegedly researched his crimes online where webpages exist that explain how to rob Sukiya restaurants. The restaurant was, until recently, considered an easy target for criminals and has been the subject of several robberies recently.

According to police, a Sukiya robber’s “manual” exists online, as well as a map indicating which stores have been hit recently. Police believe Nagaya based his crimes on this information.

A police spokesman said, “We believe one of the reasons Sukiya has been seen as a soft target is because there are periods of time during which there is only one member of staff on duty.”

Following the revelations that a systematic and coordinated network of robbers was targeting Sukiya stores, parent company Zensho told the press, “We have been cooperating closely with the police and working hard to tighten our security. We’ve seen a steep decline in the number of robberies recently.”

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The June 26 finale of TBS’ time-travel drama “Jin,” a follow-up series to the original which was shown in 2009, achieved ratings of 26.1%, according to Video Research Ltd. By surpassing the 25% mark, the series has beaten the original, whose 2009 finale achieved 25.3%. The new series also beat its predecessor on average ratings with 21.3% over the original’s 19%.

The drama stars Takao Osawa, 43, as a brain surgeon named Jin Minakata, who has spent the last two years in anguish as his fiancee lies in a coma following an operation he performed. After the incident, Jin passes out at the hospital and awakens to find himself transported back in time to the Edo period. While trying to figure out what has happened to him, he saves lives and meets historical figures like Ryoma Sakamoto.

The series has been trying to stand up favorably in comparison with its much-lauded prequel, as well as facing stiff competition from Fuji TV’s “Marumo no Okite.”

Osawa said, “If we were able to spread a little courage and energy around Japan at this time, I am pleased.”

The serialized drama has proved so popular on the back of season one’s high evaluation at the international TV trade fair in Cannes that it will be broadcast in North America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and some African countries. According to TBS, this marks the first time one of their programs has achieved such wide-ranging broadcast deals.