Chinese firm sending 10,000 on trip to Japan

After much lobbying from Tokyo, a Chinese health food and cosmetics company picked Japan as the destination of its free group tours awarded to 10,000 people for their strong business performances.

Beijing-based Baojian.com will offer the group tours--the largest to Japan--in October.

"The economic effects from the group tours will be at least several hundred million yen," said an official of the government's Japan Tourism Agency, which had asked Baojian.com to choose Japan for the tours.

The trips will be awarded to the company's sales agents who have achieved positive business results and their family members. Baojian.com has about 500 sales outlets in China.

Some of Baojian.com's 3,000 employees will join the tours, the company said.

The group tours will take the winners to either Tokyo or Osaka for six-day visits, during which they will travel to onsen hot spring resorts and shop at large electric appliance stores.

Baojian.com had previously sent employees on group tours to Thailand and Taiwan.

When the Japan Tourism Agency invited Baojian.com executives to Japan, they met tourism minister Seiji Maehara, who promoted Japan as a destination for the group tours.

The company ended up picking Japan over South Korea for its next group tours.

The government plans to triple the 2009 number of foreign visitors to Japan to 20 million by 2016, with an eye on travelers from China.

Earlier this month, Japan eased visa requirements 　for individual Chinese tourists.

The Japan Tourism Agency will open a booth at a trade fair in Guangzhou, southern China, next month. Agency officials will also visit companies in Shanghai to urge them to choose Japan as the destination of their group tours.

和約

中国の会社は日本に10000人の中国人旅行者を送った。彼らは日本で温泉を楽しんだり、買い物を楽しんだりした。政府は2016ねんまでに中国人旅行客を3倍に増やそうと考えてる。そして中国人に対するビザを緩和した。

感想

今の中国の発展はすごいですね。日本の経済も中国人旅行者を増やすことによって良くなるといいですね。

単語

firm　会社

destination　目的地

traveler　旅行者

health　健康

promote　促進する

Asashoryu served with papers

Tokyo police have sent papers to prosecutors on former yokozuna Asashoryu for allegedly assaulting an acquaintance while drunk during the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament in January, a source close to the investigation said Monday.

The source said the 29-year-old former sumo grand champion from Mongolia, whose real name is Dolgorsuren Dagvadorj, fractured the nose of a 39-year-old acquaintance with a punch while riding together in a car after drinking in Roppongi in the early hours of Jan. 16.

The former yokozuna told police in May that he had no intention of assaulting the man, saying, "My hand might have hit him in the car. I'm sorry for causing trouble."

After the incident, the victim submitted a copy of a medical certificate to the Azabu Police Station and the former yokozuna also submitted papers for an out-of-court settlement to the police on Feb. 2.

The victim later told police he was assaulted by Asashoryu but did not want him to be punished. The Metropolitan Police Department, however, determined Asashoryu intentionally hit the man and sent papers to prosecutors, according to the source.

Asashoryu announced his intention to retire on Feb. 4 as sumo's governing body was discussing his punishment.

和約

朝青竜は1月に知人男性を殴ったとされ書類送検されました。この事件が問題となり朝青竜は2月4日に引退することを発表しました。

感想　

野球賭博などで問題になっている相撲が今とても話題になっています。悪い事で話題になるのではなく、国技なのだから良いことで話題になってほしいです。

単語

source　源

victim　犠牲者

punish　罰する

retire 　引退する

incident　事件

50 people dead in China after heavy rain

BEIJING--Flooding, landslides and torrents of mud have killed 50 people in southern China and another 15 are missing after days of torrential rain, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said late on Saturday.

More than 17 million people spread across nine provinces have been affected by downpours since the start of July, the ministry said in a statement on its website.

Some 42,000 homes collapsed, and another 121,000 were damaged and hundreds of thousands of hectares of crops were spoilt or destroyed, with an early estimation of the cost of the rains as high as 8.9 billion yuan ($1.3 billion).

Among the dead were four miners killed by a gas explosion after heavy rain cut off power at their pit in southwestern Guizhou province, stopping ventilation equipment.

A wet start to the summer shows little sign of letting up. Nearly 400 people died after heavy rains in June, and storms are forecast to hit some badly affected areas again as early as the start of this week.

That could also put extra strain on weak river banks.

Along many rivers that feed into the Yangtze, China's longest river, water has risen over flood warning lines -- in one part of southwestern Chongqing municipality, by some 3 meters (10 ft), the official Xinhua news agency said.

和約

中国での土砂災害で50人が亡くなりました。1700万人の人が災害の影響を受け、約42000帯は崩壊しました。豪雨の影響は深刻な事態となっています。

感想

自然災害の恐さは計り知れないものだと思います。現地の人々が少しでも早く元気になってくれればと思います。

単語

affect　影響する

kill　殺す

estimation 　見積もり　

forecast　予報

agency　代理店

ANIME NEWS: PiFan set to feature Japan anime July 15-25 in South Korea

The annual Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival (PiFan) takes place in the South Korean city from July 15-25 this year. Since its launch in 1997, the festival has grown in scale and increased its presence in the field of "fantastic films."

Now in its 14th year, the festival brings together about 200 feature-length and short films from around the world in the science fiction, suspense, fantasy, horror and action genres.

The festival has eight sections--including the official competition section with a lineup of 12 works--as well as special programs and retrospective screenings.

An Asian film festival, PiFan includes many Japanese films and animations every year, and this year is no exception.

Of special note is the Japanese anime "Gintama The Movie," an entry in the Puchon Choice competition section. The only other Japanese work in this section is "Confessions." As the sole animated film, "Gintama" will be up against feature films for the Best of Puchon, Best Director and Jury's Choice awards, among others.

The Ani Fanta section focuses on animations, and many Japanese anime are shown in this category. This year, "Detective Conan: The Lost Ship in the Sky," a recent theater release, will be screened, in addition to "Planzet" and "Negadon: The Monster From Mars," both directed by Jun Awazu.

One of two specials in the retrospective series is "Asian Major Studio--Sunrise Mobile Suit Gundam: Memories of Universal Century," which focuses on the robot animation. The "Mobile Suit Gundam" first movie trilogy, the "Mobile Suit Z Gundam" trilogy and the first episode of "Mobile Suit Gundam UC" will be screened. It is rare for such films to be featured in South Korea, and this event is sure to delight local Gundam fans.

和約

アジアの映画祭は毎年沢山の日本の映画が公開される。今年は韓国で映画祭が行われたが、日本のアニメは現地の人々を喜ばせた。

感想

世界に通用する日本のアニメはすごいですね。

単語

event　出来事

fantastic　魅力的な

annual　毎年の

festival 　お祭り

film　フィルム