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Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / GARDEN PATHS
Dec 25, 2003

A romantic gem in Tokyo's heart

Japanese gardens were designed for poetry, music and romance; think of all those lovers in "The Tale of Genji" trailing through dew-drenched gardens to trysts with ladies of their dreams.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 25, 2003

Japan defense role urged in '50s

The United States had hoped in the 1950s that Japan would quickly build its defense capabilities and exercise the right of collective defense in exchange for U.S. military assistance, according to diplomatic documents declassified Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Dec 25, 2003

Government to cut ODA by 4.8% in fiscal 2004

The government is cutting foreign aid for the fifth consecutive year by approving a 4.8 percent reduction Wednesday in fiscal 2004 from the initially allocated amount for the current fiscal year.
BUSINESS
Dec 25, 2003

Local governments to lose subsidies worth 1 trillion yen

The national government will cut about 1.030 trillion yen in subsidies to local governments in fiscal 2004, while ceding them around 655.8 billion yen in funds they will be able to use at their discretion, the Finance Ministry said Wednesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 25, 2003

Ex-NCP chief faces charges of violating campaign law

Prosecutors will file a motion against former New Conservative Party leader Hiroshi Kumagai for approving illegal payments made by an aide to a campaign worker in November, investigative sources said Wednesday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Dec 25, 2003

Fighters make deal with Iriki

Right-hander Yusaku Iriki, who was traded from the Yomiuri Giants, has worked out a deal to join the Nippon Ham Fighters after the Pacific League club said it will allow him to try moving to the major leagues via the posting system after three years.
JAPAN
Dec 25, 2003

Tokyo kept war redress out of '67 Singapore accord title

Japan and Singapore compromised over the name of a 1967 agreement on reparations for World War II, referring to the pact by the date it was signed without characterizing its nature, according to newly declassified diplomatic documents.
BUSINESS
Dec 25, 2003

Banks to receive green light to enter securities business

Banks are set to be allowed into the securities business following a recommendation Wednesday by a government panel that banks and other financial institutions be given the ability to act as sales agents for brokerage houses.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Dec 25, 2003

It's Christmas, so meet the family

Dec. 25 is one day when many people make an effort to be with their families, and some might even take time to remember those less fortunate than themselves. So in that spirit, in this week's column we're going to think about our closest relatives, ones who are far less fortunate than us and who face...
LIFE / Digital / NAME OF THE GAME
Dec 25, 2003

Egypt game brought to life

Sphinx is an ancient but not unathletic Egyptian hero with gangly arms and a lion's tail. Tut, short for Tutankhamen, is a goofy prince turned into a mummy before his time by an evil brother -- but being a mummy has certain advantages.
BUSINESS
Dec 25, 2003

Relief eyed for small firms set to go bust

Help may be on the way at last for small business owners who fear being stripped to nothing if their firms go bust.
BUSINESS
Dec 25, 2003

Nakagawa off to U.S., Southeast Asia

Economy and trade minister Shoichi Nakagawa said Wednesday he will visit the United States, Vietnam and Cambodia in January on a nine-day tour to meet senior officials of the three countries.
JAPAN
Dec 25, 2003

Flu season begins

The Infectious Disease Surveillance Center issued on Wednesday this winter's first flu warning to residents of Yamagata Prefecture and cautioned residents of Hokkaido, indicating the nationwide flu season has begun.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 25, 2003

Kyoto pact down but not out

The recent confusing announcement by the Kremlin's chief economic adviser, Andrei Illarionov, that Russia will not ratify the Kyoto Protocol continues to spur some pessimists to declare that death of the pact has come at last. The Kyoto accord is not dead; rather, it is asleep, waiting to enter into...
JAPAN
Dec 25, 2003

Japan's eateries, stores in shock

Reports of the first case of mad cow disease in the United States dealt a blow Wednesday to Japan's food industry, which is still recovering from the fallout over the September 2001 domestic breakout of the fatal brain-wasting disease.
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Dec 25, 2003

Anchor worm

* Japanese name: Ikarimushi * Scientific name: Lernaea cyprinacea * Description: The anchor worm is a small parasite (1-1.5 cm long) that lives in the muscles of freshwater fishes. The female anchor worm has a tubular body divided into a cephalothorax, thoracic region and abdomen. However, you're unlikely...
JAPAN
Dec 24, 2003

Security agency focuses on terror attacks, North Korea

The Public Security Investigation Agency will bolster surveillance of the Islamic community in Japan following threats of terror attacks in connection with the dispatch of the Self-Defense Forces to Iraq, it said in an annual report released Tuesday.
JAPAN
Dec 24, 2003

Political entities' fundraising powers on wane

The amount of funds raised by political entities in 2002 fell 11 percent from the previous year to 287.9 billion yen, according to a Kyodo News tally released Tuesday.
JAPAN
Dec 24, 2003

Jews confined by Imperial forces: papers

The Japanese military during World War II confined in restricted areas an undetermined number of Jews in Shanghai and at least 275 German Jews in the Dutch East Indies, according to declassified diplomatic documents released Wednesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 24, 2003

Okinawa return sought in '68

A leading politician in 1968 sought a partial return of administrative rights in Okinawa ahead of the full return of the U.S.-occupied prefecture, but Washington rejected the demand, according to diplomatic documents declassified Wednesday.
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Dec 24, 2003

Rugby needs to shift its goalposts one way or another

It seems that after every World Cup, the losers all band together and call for rule changes. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," is a concept alien in rugby circles.
JAPAN
Dec 24, 2003

Teachers stray in record numbers

The number of public school teachers who were punished for obscene conduct reached a record-high 175 nationwide in fiscal 2002, which ended March 31, according to the education ministry.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Dec 24, 2003

Kazuo Matsui dropped the Big Egg for the Big Apple

Kazuo "Little" Matsui is set to be the next Japanese star to make a huge splash in the major leagues and become the latest toast of the town in New York.
JAPAN
Dec 24, 2003

Tokyo hesitant to grant Iraq debt relief

There are no doubts about Japan's support for the United States in Iraq. Tokyo was a strong backer of the U.S.-led invasion, is a top contributor to reconstruction and just approved a plan to send troops to the region.

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past