Democratic Party of Japan leader Seiji Maehara apologized Saturday to senior officials from regional DPJ chapters for the leadership's handling of the fiasco over a fabricated e-mail message.</PARAGRAPH> <PHOTO> <TABLE WIDTH='250' ALIGN='RIGHT' BORDER='0'> <TR> <TD><IMG ALT='News photo' BORDER='0' SRC='../images/photos2006/nn20060305a4a.jpg' WIDTH='250' HEIGHT='288'/></TD> </TR> <TR> <TD><FONT SIZE='1'><B>Democratic Party of Japan leader Seiji Maehara –

talks to DPJ Secretary General Yukio Hatoyama at a meeting of senior officials from the party's local chapters in Tokyo on Saturday.

But the regional representatives criticized the way the executives dealt with the matter, and called on Maehara to step down as leader and DPJ lawmaker Hisayasu Nagata, who made the allegations based on the fake e-mail, to give up his Diet seat.

Wealthy foreign nationals picking up ultimate souvenir — a condo in Tokyo
A high-end property in the fashionable Daikanyama district in Tokyo
Japan dispatches five language education 'partners' to India
Five members of the Japan Foundation's Nihongo Partners program (front) gather at the Japanese Embassy in New Delhi on Monday.
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Japan's major art events converge this fall
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Our Planet

As of August 2024, the number of confirmed chagusaba farmers had fallen to 302, just over half the 582 reported in 2015, according to the Shizuoka Chagusaba Farming Method Promotion Council.
Shizuoka farmers fight to preserve sustainable tea method that’s steeped in tradition
By Kai Wilson

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One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
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By Alex K.T. Martin

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Foreign wrestlers have a long history in sumo
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