NEWSWORTHY

There are 5 million vending machines in Japan, half of them offering something to drink. Metropolis, Feb 10, 06.

A hospital in Kumamoto installed a drop box in its wall that can be accessed from inside and outside the hospital and in which parents can leave unwanted babies. Metropolis, Nov 24, 06.

Parents trying to lure their antisocial children out of bedrooms can enlist the help of a "rental sister" service, whose volunteers slowly befriend the youths to reengage with society, according to the Japan Times. Metropolis, Jun 23, 06.

Three doctors were given suspended sentences after a patient died during an operation none of them knew how to perform. They were relying on an instruction manual. Metropolis, Jun 30, 06.

Eighty-five percent of women said they would rather work overtime than go on a date. Metropolis, July 7, 06.

Speed dating parties were seen as a way to to halt the falling birthrate, and were even subsidized by the government. Metropolis, Dec 29, 06.