2003.09.17

Mangyongbong Charge (Mainichi)   Before the Japanese authorities decided not to let Pyongyang intimidate them any longer, the Mangyongbong-92 smuggled in contraband, counterfeit currency and spies while exporting parts to make missiles and, maybe, atomic bombs. Now the first charge has been filed in connection with the infamous ferry -- the captian has been accused of (gasp) carrying too many passengers! Kim Jong-il must surely be demoralized by this severe crackdown by the Japanese authorities.   2003.09.17

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Gang Rape Guilty Pleas (Mainichi)   All those charged in the Waseda University gang rape club plead guilty on the first day of their trial. 2003.09.17

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Japan-DPRK (Kyodo)   Japan urges North Korea to resolve the abduction issue. 2003.09.17

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Japan-Earthquake Prediction UPDATE   The private Yatsugatake Observatory has updated its earthquake prediction for the Kanto (Tokyo-Yokohama) region. As you will recall -- as first reported in English on this blog last Friday -- the self-educated astronomer Yoshio Kushida has predicted a 7.2 magnitude quake to hit on the 16th or 17th of this month, give or take a couple of days. Now they have extended the danger period until the 21st. Perhaps they will just continue extending the danger period until the earth actually rumbles (which it seems to do a few times a month in the Kanto region.) Latest predictions can be viewed at a password-protected website. The password is epio2003. The site is all in Japanese by the way. 2003.09.17

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Daiei Straits (Reuters)   The American vultures, Ripplewood and Lehman, swoop in on the rotting carcass of Daiei. 2003.09.17

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Three Way of the Six-Way (Kyodo)   Three of the parties (Japan. US and ROK) from the Six-Way Talks on North Korea will meet Sept. 29-30th in Tokyo to further plot strategy. 2003.09.17

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N. Korea denounces US-led naval drill as "prelude to nuclear war". N. Korea denounces US-led naval drill as "prelude to nuclear war" North Korea on Tuesday denounced a US-led multi-national naval drill held off Australia to stop trade in banned weaponry as "a prelude to a nuclear war" targeting the communist state. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Pyongyang's official mouthpiece, warned Pyongyang would "further increase its nuclear deterrent force" to cope with what it called the US blockade strategy. [The Agonist] 2003.09.17

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