Japan Industry Minister Resigns over Make-Up Scandal: Reports

Tokyo:  Japan's industry minister resigned on Monday over claims she spent political donations on make-up and other items unconnected to politics, reports said, in a blow to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Yuko Obuchi, who had been tipped to potentially become the country's first female prime minister, handed Abe her letter of resignation during a 30-minute meeting with the premier, public broadcaster NHK and Jiji Press news agency said.

Abe accepted her resignation, according Jiji.

Obuchi said she would hold a news conference soon. She would be the first minister to resign since Abe took power in December 2012.

Obuchi was a star minister when Abe reshuffled his cabinet in September, becoming the country's first woman in charge of economy, trade and industry -- a powerful portfolio that includes oversight of the energy sector.

The clean-cut 40-year-old was the most prominent of a new wave of women promoted to leading Cabinet positions.

But she is now facing claims that, over the five years to 2012, her political funding body spent more than 10 million yen ($95,000) on things unconnected to politics, including cosmetics and accessories at a department store.

Her political group has also invited residents in her electoral district in central Japan on bus tours to see theatre performances in Tokyo at fees below actual costs -- a move opposition lawmakers have called "vote-buying".

Story First Published: October 20, 2014 07:13 IST    

Lionel Messi Scores Brace as Argentina Rout Hong Kong

On a day when Neymar put four goals past Japan, his Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi scored two in Argentina's 7-0 thumping vs Hong Kong. 

Argentina strolled to a 7-0 friendly win over Hong Kong on Tuesday, with superstar Lionel Messi and Napoli striker Gonzalo Higuain both netting a brace. (Four-star Neymar mesmerises Japan)

Coach Gerardo Martino started with a second-string side that saw Barcelona's Messi, Manchester United's Angel Di Maria and Sergio Aguero of Manchester City all on the bench.

Messi came on with half an hour of the match remaining. By then the score was already 4-0 but soon the little wizard had made it five, playing a neat one-two before dinking the ball over goalkeeper Yapp Hung-fai.

He was then instrumental in Argentina's sixth, pulling the ball back from the byline to give Nicolas Gaitan of Benfica the easiest of tap-ins from inside the six-yard box.

It was Gaitan's second goal of the match. The first came just before half-time when he cut in from the right and smashed the ball in with his left foot.

Just a minute earlier Higuain had scored his first, heading down a cross from the left.

The forward got his brace and Argentina's fourth with a simple pass into a open goal less than ten minutes into the second half.

Sevilla's Ever Banega had opened for Argentina on 19 minutes, pouncing on some woeful Hong Kong defending.

Yapp fumbled a weak effort which landed at the feet of Lee Chi-ho who scuffed a clearance straight to Banega, for the midfielder to drill the ball home.

With five minutes to go Messi scored his second and Argentina's seventh, taking the ball down beautifully with his left foot before going past three Hong Kong defenders and rifling it low into the corner.

Other stars who didn't start for Argentina included Sergio Romero, Pablo Zabaleta, Javier Mascherano, Martin Demichelis and Erik Lamela.

Manchester City's Zabaleta entered the fray on 60 minutes with Di Maria and Mascherano coming on ten minutes later -- all three coming through the match unscathed.

 

Four-Star Neymar Helps Brazil Thrash Japan in Friendly

Neymar underlined his star billing as he moved to 40 goals in just 58 games for Brazil and gave new coach Dunga a fourth straight win with no goals conceded. 

Singapore: Barcelona superstar Neymar thumped four goals past Japan in a spectacular solo performance as Brazil hammered the Asian champions 4-0 in Singapore on Tuesday.

The 22-year-old Barcelona forward was a class apart at Singapore's national stadium as he scored all of Brazil's goals and nearly provided more in front of a sell-out crowd.

Neymar underlined his star billing as he moved to 40 goals in just 58 games for Brazil and gave new coach Dunga a fourth straight win with no goals conceded.

The victory also rounded off a successful Asian mini-tour for this year's World Cup hosts after Saturday's convincing 2-0 win over arch-rivals Argentina in Beijing.

Neymar looked dangerous from the off. In an ominous start, he had a penalty shout waved away and grazed the side-netting with a free-kick.

He duly put Brazil ahead on 18 minutes when he ran on to Diego Tardelli's penetrating through-ball, scampered around goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima and finished with aplomb.

Neymar pierced the Japanese defence once again when he evaded the attentions of Tsukasa Shiotani on the left and went close with a shot which rolled across the goalface.

But Japan were not prepared to roll over and Yu Kobayashi flashed a volley over the crossbar as the Blue Samurai nearly found a quick reply.

Bundesliga's Shinji Okazaki almost found the target with a glancing header and Brazil dealt poorly with a corner on the stroke of half-time in signs of hope for Japan.

But Japanese optimism receded three minutes after the break when half-time substitute Philippe Coutinho won possession in midfield and prodded the ball forward for Neymar.

With Japan's offside trap sprung, Neymar had plenty of time to pick his spot and put his second goal of the night past Kawashima.

Okazaki, now bolstered by substitute Keisuke Honda, remained industrious and made the Brazilian woodwork shudder with a fierce shot that cannoned off the near post.

Neymar should have have sealed his hat-trick when he rounded a defender and shot with the goal at his mercy, only to see the side-netting bulge.

The 22-year-old was tormenting the defence and he set up first Liverpool's Coutinho and then 65th-minute substitute Robinho for carbon-copy chances on the left which both went wide.

Kaka arrived to huge applause in the 72nd minute and he quickly drew the best from Kawashima as his firm header, from a Neymar cross, was palmed onto the bar.

But the ball was not cleared and although Kawashima kept out Coutinho's fierce drive, Neymar pounced on the rebound for his third on 77 minutes.

Four minutes later and Neymar got his fourth of the night, and 40th in a Brazil shirt, when he met Kaka's hanging cross from the left at the far post.

Substitute Yoichiro Kakitani nearly grabbed a late consolation for Japan. But there was to be no fillip as the Blue Samurai look ahead to their Asian Cup defence in January.

 

Typhoon Vongfong Leaves Two Dead, Nearly 100 Injured in Japan

Tokyo:  A powerful storm that battered Japan with high winds and torrential rain, and killed two people, headed off out over the Pacific on Tuesday and was downgraded to a tropical depression.

Typhoon Vongfong, at one point the strongest storm to hit Japan this year, was on Tuesday afternoon off the coast of the Tohoku region devastated by a 2011 earthquake and tsunami, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

After the storm passed through western Japan, a 90-year-old man in was found dead in a field irrigation ditch, while a 72-year-old man drowned. Another person was missing and nearly 100 people were injured.

Vongfong brought heavy rain to Tokyo through the night and snarled traffic across much of the country on the last day of a three-day holiday weekend. More than 600 flights were cancelled nationwide on Monday and more than 60 cancellations were expected on Tuesday, the NHK broadcaster said.

The sun returned to Tokyo on Tuesday morning and commuter train services were getting back to normal but heavy rain pounded northern Japan.

High tides flooded coastal areas in Kesennuma city, where land along the water sank because of the 2011 earthquake.

More than 800,000 people nationwide had been urged to leave their homes, while more than 150,000 homes lost power, NHK said.

Tokyo Electric Power Co, the operator of the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant, said on Monday it had increased water transfer and storage capacity to prevent an overflow of radioactive water being stored at the plant.

A Monday baseball playoff game in Osaka for Japan's Pacific League, between the Orix Buffaloes and the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, was postponed. It was the first time a Nippon Professional Baseball playoff game was cancelled because of a typhoon.

© Thomson Reuters 2014