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JAPAN
Mar 17, 2007

Nakai resubmits funds report; utility expenditures now zero

Democratic Party of Japan lawmaker Hiroshi Nakai said his 2005 political funds report, which was filed with a huge amount in the utility expenses column for an office that had no utility bills, has been corrected and resubmitted to the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry.
JAPAN
Mar 16, 2007

Tokyo gubernatorial race heats up

The April 8 Tokyo gubernatorial race entered a new stage Thursday as the two leading contenders unveiled their election platforms centered on public safety and the environment.
JAPAN
Mar 15, 2007

Minister's reticence may backfire

It's turning into a hard week at the Diet for farm minister Toshikatsu Matsuoka, whose political funds report revealed suspiciously high utility expenditures at his rent-free government office.
JAPAN
Mar 13, 2007

Horie didn't like his job, he was just good at it

to try to increase its value, just like any shareholder would," he said between frequent glances at his cell phone. Livedoor shares were trading at around 700 yen shortly after a stock split and before the firm was raided in January 2006 for alleged accounting fraud. By the time Livedoor was delisted...
EDITORIALS
Mar 13, 2007

Japan's ambivalent English

The recent story about problems at an English school in Tokyo reveals perhaps more about Japanese attitudes to studying a foreign language than about the business practices of language schools. In Japan, signing up with enthusiasm too often leads to giving up in frustration. For many, learning to chat...
COMMENTARY
Mar 13, 2007

Dealing with climate change

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol, and the 20th anniversary of the publication "Our Common Future," by the United Nations Brundtland Commission, the landmark report that called for "sustainable development" -- meeting the needs of the present without compromising...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Mar 11, 2007

Signing of Matsuzaka likely helping interest in Japanese baseball grow overseas

I thought there was going to be an increased interest in Japanese baseball in other countries, particularly in North America, after Hideo Nomo made it big with the Los Angeles Dodgers 12 years ago in 1995.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 9, 2007

Diva of the highest order

Sumi Jo first took the notoriously persnickety Italian opera world by storm two decades ago. Such was the hubbub over her performance as Gilda in Verdi's "Rigoletto" in Trieste that the Korean singer, then in her 20s and barely out of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, caught the notice of the...
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Mar 9, 2007

Violinist's 'virtuoso fun'

Promising young Japanese-American violinist Ray Iwazumi makes his Tokyo debut at Opera City Recital Hall on March 17. In an e-mail interview, Iwazumi himself described the evening's program of great Belgian works composed around the turn of the 20th century as an entertaining one, which will combine...
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Mar 9, 2007

Snow Groove like Yuzawa's

The inaugural Snow Groove, which takes place March 24-25 at Pine Ridge Resorts Kandatsu, Yuzawa and the main strip of Yuzawa town in Niigata Prefecture, is a weekend for those who wish to ski/snowboard all day and party all night.
EDITORIALS
Mar 8, 2007

Lack of transparency spells trouble

China plans to increase its defense budget by 17.8 percent to $44.94 billion in fiscal 2007 from the previous year's actual level. The boost, announced a day before the start of an annual session of the National People's Congress, is the largest since a 19.4 percent jump in fiscal 2002. China's defense...
Reader Mail
Mar 7, 2007

Irresponsible story selection

Regarding the front-page, Feb. 21 Kyodo News article: "Archives: Stalin, Kim and Mao plotted Japanese invasion?": No research, no additional information is provided -- just an "unnamed source" floating a rumor from more than 40 years ago, which U.S. intelligence didn't believe and for which there's no...
JAPAN
Mar 7, 2007

LDP, DPJ ranks hear Nanjing denial lecture

About 30 lawmakers from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the Democratic Party of Japan gathered Tuesday to hear a controversial historian talk about why he figures the Nanjing Massacre is a "complete fabrication."
JAPAN
Mar 7, 2007

Asano enters Tokyo race, hits Ishihara autocracy

Former Miyagi Gov. Shiro Asano officially announced his candidacy Tuesday for the Tokyo gubernatorial election in April, saying the capital's government needs to be cleaned up "before things get out of hand."
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Mar 6, 2007

Divorce and a taste of France

More on divorce A reader offers advice to the American reader wondering about the process for divorcing his Japanese wife.
EDITORIALS
Mar 6, 2007

Taking gas heaters for granted

The Japan Industrial Association of Gas and Kerosene Appliances announced mid-February that since 1986, there have been a total of 314 cases of carbon monoxide poisoning involving the use of gas water heaters, room heaters and other gas appliances. Of these cases, 129 resulted in 199 deaths. This announcement...
LIFE / Language
Mar 6, 2007

Eek! It's White Day, so what to say to your gal?

In January 2004, members of a Japan Ground Self Defense Forces contingent headed for Iraq were shown on the news being seen off by their families. It was an emotional moment, with plenty of misty eyes in evidence; but not one of these gallant young soldiers going off to war was seen exchanging a kiss...
EDITORIALS
Mar 4, 2007

Hardship born of an anachronism

An outmoded provision in the Civil Code is causing many remarried women and their children hardship concerning the children's family registry. Article 772 of the Civil Code, which took effect in 1898, stipulates that a baby born to a woman within 300 days of her divorce must be regarded as having been...
EDITORIALS
Mar 3, 2007

Streamlining strategic decisions

A government panel has proposed creating a Japanese version of the U.S. National Security Council. The main task of the new entity would be to work out long-range diplomatic and defense strategies as well as cope with emergencies not limited to defense. The success of the new body would depend on whether...
EDITORIALS
Mar 3, 2007

Risk of interconnectedness

Plummeting stock markets this week marked the first time that a plunge in the Shanghai market has triggered a chain reaction worldwide. It underscores the weight China carries in the world's economy and financial markets as well as the interconnectedness between the Chinese economy and the economies...

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji