Japan 1 Cameroon 0

CAMEROON coach Paul Le Guen has lauded Samuel Eto’o as a true champion ahead of their opening match against Japan today.

Japan will play Mozambique in a hastily-arranged final pre-World Cup friendly tomorrow as Takeshi Okada’s side seek a much-needed confidence boost ahead of Monday’s opener against Cameroon.

Under-pressure Japan coach Takeshi Okada took few risks in naming his country’s 23-man World Cup squad.

AUSTRALIA’S prime minister set a November deadline for Japan to stop its research whaling programme that kills hundreds of whales a year in Antarctic waters, or face legal action.

Australia’s prime minister has set a November deadline for Japan to stop its research whaling programme that kills hundreds of the creatures every year in Antarctic waters, or face legal action.

Japan 2 Scotland 0

Long-time opposition leader Yukio Hatoyama took office as prime minister today, naming a new Cabinet and vowing to rebuild the economy and refocus Japan’s place on the world stage with his largely untested party.

Long-time opposition leader Yukio Hatoyama was elected prime minister of Japan today, promising to reinvigorate the world’s second-largest economy and shake up government with his left-of-centre party.

Japanese voters cast their votes in nationwide parliamentary elections today which look likely to strengthen Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi’s grip on power and invigorate the leader’s push for economic reforms, including his long-cherished plan to privatise the nation’s postal system.

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi was riding high today in the homestretch of the campaign for weekend parliamentary elections, boosted by polls forecasting a comfortable win by the party that has ruled Japan for a half-century.

Preparation and good luck helped save Japan yesterday from the carnage seen after Algeria’s devastating earthquake last week, it was reported today.