Japanese lawmakers reject postal reform bills, PM dissolves parliament News
Japanese lawmakers reject postal reform bills, PM dissolves parliament

[JURIST] Japan's House of Concilors [official website, English version], the upper house of the Japanese parliament, voted 125-108 Monday to defeat a plan by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi [Wikipedia profile; official website, English version] to privatize the nation's postal service [official website], Thirty members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party [political party website] either voted against or failed to vote on the plan. Koizumi, keeping to an earlier promise, called for elections following the defeat, pitting himself against rival Katsuya Okada of the Democratic Party of Japan [Wikipedia backgrounder; political party website, English version]]. AP has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Charlemagne crowned Holy Roman Emporer

On December 25, 800 A.D., Charlemagne was crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Leo III in Rome, Italy. During his lifetime, Charlemagne united most of Western Europe for the first time since the fall of the Western Roman Empire. He is credited with spreading the rule of law throughout his dominions as well as starting the French and German monarchies.

President Andrew Johnson pardoned Confederates

On December 25, 1868, President Andrew Johnson granted an unconditional pardon to all who had been involved in "insurrection or rebellion" during the US Civil War.