TOKYO, Mar. 23, 2009 (Kyodo News International) -- ----------
Papers sent on U.S. military ship commander, boat captain
YOKOHAMA - The Japan Coast Guard sent papers to prosecutors Monday on a U.S. military ship commander and the captain of a boat over a collision between their vessels last month in Yokosuka port in Kanagawa Prefecture, officials of a local Coast Guard office said.
The Yokosuka Coast Guard Office filed the papers on the 42-year-old commander of the Aegis destroyer Lassen and the 43-year-old captain of the small pleasure boat who lives in Tokyo for alleged professional negligence resulting in endangering traffic, the officials said.
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Chinese forced laborers, kin appeal rejection of damages suit
FUKUOKA - A group of Chinese has appealed a high court ruling that dismissed a damages suit filed against the Japanese government and two Japanese companies for forcing 45 Chinese nationals to work as laborers in Japan during World War II, sources close to the matter said Monday.
The March 9 Fukuoka High Court ruling noted that individual Chinese have no right to demand war reparations from Japan as the right was abandoned under a postwar agreement between Tokyo and Beijing, upholding the Fukuoka District Court's dismissal of the lawsuit.
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Indonesian jet makes emergency landing after engine failure
JAKARTA - An Indonesian passenger jet made an emergency landing at Hang Nadim airport on Batam Island after experiencing engine failure Monday morning, but there were no casualties among its 116 passengers and six crewmembers, a local airport spokesman said.
The Jakarta-bound Boeing 737 plane operated by Sriwijaya Air was diverted to Hang Nadim airport after its pilot reported failure of its left engine following takeoff from Raja Haji Fisabilillah airport on Bintan Island, about 50 kilometers away, Hang Nadim airport spokesman Hendrawan told Kyodo News.
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Suit filed over Iwakuni base noise seeking 540 mil. yen in damages
YAMAGUCHI, Japan - About 480 people living near the U.S. Marine Corps' Iwakuni Air Station in Yamaguchi Prefecture filed a damages suit Monday against the Japanese government seeking some 540 million yen in compensation for noise from U.S. military aircraft as well as a ban on some flights.
A series of lawsuits have been filed over aircraft noise around U.S. military bases in Japan, such as the Atsugi base in Kanagawa Prefecture and the Kadena base in Okinawa Prefecture, but it is the first such case involving the Iwakuni base.
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Population of women in Japan sees 1st decline on record
TOKYO - The number of females in Japan fell for the first time on record as of October last year, the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry said Monday.
The female population was estimated to be 65.44 million as of Oct.
