A seal found far from its home grounds, swimming upstream in Tokyo's Tama river, may be a sign from nature that a major earthquake is imminent, flaps Shukan Post (9/13). Shukan Taishu (9/16) hollers about what happens when girls are exposed flagrante delicto in the act of masturbation. Fuji TV's mistreatment of a cow got it in hot water with program sponsors and the Tokyo metro government, moos Shukan Gendai (9/14). Yomiuri Weekly (9/15) groans that Japan's toto soccer lottery sales have plummeted by half since the World Cup last June. Aera (9/9) rasps that 8 million Japanese suffer from dry mouth syndrome. Shukan Jitsuwa (9/12) lists 10 foods that it insists will help you avoid getting blind drunk. Shukan Bunshun (9/5) introduces a spray repellent with an odor powerful enough to chase off those pesky, predatory crows. Shukan Shincho (9/5) gasps that hosts who make house calls for female customers are enjoying booming demand. Foreign species brought into Japan and released into the wild are creating havoc for the environment, rants Spa! (9/3). Asahi Geino (9/12) reveals scandalous sex incidents involving celebrities that were covered up by the TV stations. Weekly Playboy (9/10) says police are putting the squeeze on revenues from parking meters. Young women's spoken Japanese has become so unrefined, it's enough to bring listeners to tears, sobs Sunday Mainichi (9/8). (Compiled by Masuo Kamiyama)

Growing numbers of women are developing an itch for a titch, according to Spa! 22/3/2000. Though it sounds like a tall story, young women's one-time affinity for men possessing the three "great" requisites -- great wage, great academic record and great height -- appears to have fallen by the wayside.

"When our bodies are meshed together, it's sensational to be able to see his face," says a woman who's been going out with a short guy for the past two years. Her words about mini men are mimicked by another woman.

"Just looking at him kindles my maternal instincts. When he asks me if he can place his head in my lap, he's so cute I could eat him."

Where once women looked down on short men, it seems such guys are now discovering there's virtue in being vertically challenged.

"If you hang around with a tall guy, he gets all the attention rather than it being directed at me, the woman. Don't you think that's insulting to women?" asks Ami Ishimoto, a 21-year-old student with a Lilliputian lover.

Others tell Spa! their preference for pip-squeak paramours stems from the greater sense of equality wee wooers bring to a relationship.

"Because he realizes being short is looked down upon, my guy's learned to promote himself in other ways. He's a sharp dresser, fun to be with, knows how to have a good time and looks good," says Mika Kita, 26. "Because he's always thinking about others, he's popular among both men and women."

Megumi Yamamoto, 21, says she likes her shrimpy swain because he can see things from her level. "When we're watching a video at his home, our eyes are at the same level, so I can cuddle him with ease. It's just so much more natural because he's shorter than me."

Practical reasons also appear to influence the choice of a puny partner.

"I don't have to keep looking up to see his face like I'd have to do with a taller guy. That stops my neck from getting hurt," says one woman.

Spa! notes that some girls say most itty-bitty blokes also have a bit of an inferiority complex about being short, which makes the girls feel at ease knowing that their little man doesn't often prance around town looking for ways to use his little man.

Fraternal relations inspired Natsumi Kono to pick her diminutive date.

"Sharing clothes is really something that only women can do amongst themselves. Being able to exchange clothes with a guy means that a relationship feels more like it's one between people of the same sex instead of having a different gender," she says.

Keiko Numada, though, is more blunt than most when explaining why short suitors dwarf all others.

"It's much easier to slap him in the face!"

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