Japan appears to be completely insane. These are some lines from Mainichi Daily News today: "A nurse who killed her best friend, sliced up her body up into little pieces with a surgical knife, then systematically disposed of her remains in the trash must be locked up for 18 years, prosecutors demanded at a Saitama court Tuesday." 18 years? I never imagined that Japanese prosecuters could be so brutal in their punishment of helpless murderers.
"A man who broke into a Kobe home wearing women's clothing was arrested Tuesday, police said. Takehito Fujimoto, 30, is the second cross-dressing thief in the past week to be arrested in the Kansai area." This being Japan and all... I wonder if his crime was breaking and entering or wearing womens' clothing...
   "Prosecutors were furious after an appeal court on Tuesday upheld a six-year prison term a lower court had handed down on a former junior high school teacher whose sex-driven torture of a young girl caused her death last year... The 35-year-old teacher had been indicted on charges of illegal confinement resulting in death. Fukumoto handcuffed the 12-year-old girl, who he had met through a telephone dating club, in his car on the night of July 24 last year, and sprayed her in the face with mace, according to the ruling. As the defendant sped along the Chugoku Expressway in a bid to have sex with her at a hotel, the terrified girl jumped from his car. However, the victim, who was still handcuffed, was struck by several vehicles. She was found barely alive but later died as a result of massive blood loss." Six years. Tough but fair.
   "Prosecutors demanded a six-month prison term Tuesday for a local government official who prosecutors say fatally abused 23 cats in a bid to relieve work stress." He should have tortured little girls; they'd let him off easier. Why is it that so many of the bizarre crimes reported on MDN seem involve Japanese government officials?
   "NAGOYA -- A couple have starved to death in a government-funded apartment here after apparently running out of money, police said Tuesday. A pet dog also perished together with the 34-year-old woman and 45-year-old man who withered away after all their money vanished. Although an autopsy will be carried out to determine the exact cause of the pair's deaths, police have ruled out suicide and no toxins were detected in their bodies. All appear to have been dead for some time. A court eviction officer sent to oust the couple from their apartment found their bodies." This scenario is a very realistic fear for me. My money always seems to be running out... I hope Canada won't let me starve...
   "Disgraced archeologist Shinichi Fujimura, who admitted to planting bogus artifacts at 42 digs across the nation, faked discoveries at two more excavation sites in Miyagi Prefecture, local researcher announced Tuesday... Fujimura's antics were exposed in November 2000 after the Mainichi photographed him planting "artifacts" at the Kamitakamori dig in Tsukidate, Miyagi Prefecture. The disgraced archeologist, who earned the nickname "God's Hand" for his knack of making discoveries at sites he took part in excavating, subsequently admitted that he had cooked up findings at 42 excavation sites since the 1970s."

I hope the Mainichi Daily News isn't the Japanese version of The Onion or something. It looks like serious news but I just don't know if all these stories are beleivable. The seemingly endless supply of pedophile teachers who exploit their students as underaged prostitutes; the cring of ross-dressing theives; the guy who stabbed a legislator for 50 dollars; ninja rapists; cars that burst into flames... MDN looks more like a crazy movie script than actual news.