News Headlines - 05 January 2014

▽Japan and its neighbours: A slap in the face | The Economist

THE first visit by a Japanese prime minister in seven years to the Yasukuni shrine in Tokyo, made by Shinzo Abe on December 26th, looks like a diplomatic disaster. China, South Korea and America had all made clear their opposition to his going to a temple where the spirits of 14 high-ranking war criminals are enshrined, along with those of 2.5m other Japanese war dead. But Mr Abe had said he regretted not having visited the shrine during his first stint in the job in 2006-07. He may well have felt he had little to lose, and judge now that his decision to go has been vindicated by the international reaction.

▽Commentary: Asia's Worst Nightmare: A China-Japan War | The National Interest

From an intellectual standpoint, we have little trouble comprehending the disputes pitting the Asian rivals against each other. For example, both Tokyo and Beijing claim sovereignty over the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands, a tiny archipelago near Taiwan and the Ryukyus.

▽Chinese balloonist rescued by Japan near disputed islands | theguardian.com

A Chinese balloonist who crashed into the sea while attempting to fly to a disputed island in the East China Sea has been rescued by Japanese coastguards, marking a rare instance of co-operation between the two countries, which are locked in a fierce territorial row.

▽Japanese man dead, wife injured in Ecuador shooting - The Japan News

A Japanese man died and his wife was injured after being shot in Guayaquil, the largest city in Ecuador, on Dec. 28, it was learned Saturday.
While visiting Ecuador on their honeymoon, the couple were shot after getting into a taxi, according to local media reports.

▽BBC News - Quest to grow human organs inside pigs in Japan

I am standing in a fully functioning operating theatre. A surgeon and team of specialists in green smocks are preparing to operate. But I'm not in a hospital. I am on a farm deep in the Japanese countryside. On the gurney about to undergo the knife is a six-month-old female pig.