- Latest Popular Stories, Instablogs Community by Ota-ryosuke

Fuel Cell (HydrogenPowered) Wheelchairs

Ryosuke — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 17:45:20 +0000

With the Japanese population aging rapidly, the fuel-cell wheelchair and cart applications have a bright future. In fact, Japan already has the world’s highest proportion of elderly people. More than 20% are over the age of 65 and this figure...

Sex and Flirting in Japan

Ryosuke — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 20:26:41 +0000

Flirting seems like a misnomer. It’s more like an absense of flirting. If you like someone in Japan, there are a couple of different ways of showing it and/or approaching them, none of which really resemble flirting in the...

Scientists: Menstrual Blood Can Be Used to Repair Hearts

Ryosuke — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 18:36:39 +0000

MENSTRUAL blood can be used to repair heart damage, Japanese researchers said today. Scientists obtained menstrual blood from nine women and cultivated it for about a month, focusing on a kind of cell that can act like stem...

China tells IOC to stay away from 'irrelevant political factors'

Ryosuke — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 09:37:46 +0000

China on Thursday urged the International Olympic Committee to keep “irrelevant political factors” away from the Beijing Games, after IOC president Jacques Rogge called on it to improve human rights.

“I believe IOC officials support the Beijing Olympics and adherence to the Olympic charter of not bringing in any irrelevant political factors,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told reporters.

“I hope IOC officials continue to adhere to principles of the Olympic charter.”

Jiang was responding to comments by Rogge earlier in the day here in which he urged China to respect its commitment to improve human rights ahead of the Beijing Games.

Rogge emphasised that Chinese officials had promised when they made their bid to host the 2008 Summer Olympics that being awarded the Games would “advance the social agenda of China, including human rights”.

“This is what I would call a moral engagement rather than a juridical (legal) one,” he told a press conference.

“We definitely ask China to respect this moral engagement.”

Swarm of Bees Attacks Japanese Marathon

Ryosuke — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 17:43:47 +0000

A SWARM of bees attacked half-marathon runners in south-western Japan today, forcing 30 people to be rushed to hospital, rescuers said.

During the race in Saga city, athletes were set upon by the bees as they ran near a river bank, according to one of the local fire departments which dispatched five ambulances because of the incident.