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CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Jul 9, 2006

Classical Japanese text -- what is lost and found in translation

THE TALES OF THE HEIKE, translated by Burton Watson, edited with an introduction by Haruo Shirane, glossary and bibliographies compiled by Michael Watson. New York: Columbia University Press, 2006, 216 pp., illustrated, $24.50 (cloth). The "Heike Monogatari," that famous account of the events that led...
CULTURE / Books
Jul 9, 2006

A bumper-car experience in Toyota-land

NOTES FROM TOYOTA-LAND: An American Engineer in Japan, by Darius Mehri. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press, 2006, $26 (cloth). Toyota is booming, but its PR department has had its hands full with a high-profile sexual harassment lawsuit in the United States -- and now this damning insider's revelations...
JAPAN
Jul 8, 2006

Tokyo snubs Pyongyang threat over sanctions

Japan rejected North Korea's demand Friday to drop new economic sanctions over the North's Wednesday missile launches, ignoring Pyongyang's threat of "stronger measures" and "devastating consequences" unless it reversed its decision.
BUSINESS
Jul 8, 2006

New BOJ rules ban its execs from most types of investment

The Bank of Japan adopted new rules Friday banning its executives from engaging in most types of investment, including stocks and private equity funds, in response to the public furor over personal investments BOJ Gov. Toshihiko Fukui made before he became chief of the central bank.
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jul 7, 2006

Drum 'n' bass in the place

Many cities have had their musical moments. Manchester became "Madchester" in the late 1980s on the back of the Happy Mondays and Stone Roses' baggy vibes; Seattle had its grunge explosion soon after that; and by the mid-1990s, Bristol was the place to be for urban music. Massive Attack and Portishead...
BUSINESS
Jul 6, 2006

JBF chief slams launches as brinkmanship, 'intolerable'

Japan Business Federation Chairman Fujio Mitarai expressed strong regret Wednesday about the launch North Korean missiles that came down in the Sea of Japan.
JAPAN
Jul 4, 2006

Isle tensions flare up again

Tensions between Tokyo and Seoul flared again Monday when South Korea began maritime research in waters around islets under its control that are also claimed by Japan.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Jul 4, 2006

Travel firm rapped over foreigner ticket policy

The nation's largest discount travel agency, HIS, which also runs foreigner-friendly No.1 Travel, has based the price of some air tickets from Japan on the nationality of the traveler, possibly in breach of Japanese law, The Japan Times has learned.
JAPAN
Jul 2, 2006

Risk of molecular substances weighed

The health ministry has started researching potential toxicity risks of molecular substances increasingly used in a broad range of products, from information technology devices to cosmetics, ministry officials said Saturday.
JAPAN
Jul 2, 2006

81% want to be told of dementia

More than 80 percent of people surveyed say they want to be informed if they are someday diagnosed with dementia, according to the National Institute for Longevity Sciences.
JAPAN
Jul 1, 2006

Tokyo, Fukuoka apply for '16 Olympics

is all smiles Friday with Tsunekazu Takeda, chairman of the Japanese Olympic Committee, at the JOC secretariat in Shibuya Ward as he submits the capital's proposal to host the 2016 Olympic Games. KYODO PHOTO
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jun 30, 2006

Lecture to celebrate Bach's 'inventions'

The NEC Early Music Lecture by Masaaki Suzuki, musical director of the Bach Collegium Japan, takes place July 1 at Tokyo Opera City Recital Hall. There will also be a cembalo performance as part of the same event.
CULTURE / Music
Jun 30, 2006

Summer Sonic

W hen & Where: Summer Sonic takes place Aug. 12-13 at Chiba Marine Stadium, Makuhari Messe in Chiba Prefecture; and WTC Open Air Stadium, Osaka Intex and Zepp Tokyo in Osaka. Shows begin at 11 a.m. on both days. The lineups on Saturday switch cities on Sunday.
BUSINESS
Jun 30, 2006

Shiseido, Tosoh get OK for defensive measures

Shareholders in top cosmetics maker Shiseido Co. and major chemical maker Tosoh Corp. separately approved measures Thursday to defend against corporate takeovers.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jun 30, 2006

Digital art with a punk attitude

Kensuke Sembo and Yae Akaiwa are two Tokyo-based artists who engage a variety of technology. Working under the name Exonemo, the duo's current installation, "World B/Turn over your awareness to play the B-side," marks the 10th anniversary of the two-man collective and runs for a further two weeks through...
COMMENTARY
Jun 30, 2006

Rewriting the line on Japan

HONG KONG -- There are encouraging signs that both China and Japan are looking for ways to ease the prolonged deadlock between their two countries and improve relations -- an essential prerequisite to any strengthening of East Asian regional integration and the eventual emergence of an Asian community....
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 29, 2006

WTO: a call for 'enlightened negotiators'

The current multilateral trade negotiations under the auspices of the World Trade Organization (WTO) are approaching the moment of truth. The major gridlock among key players, such as Japan, the United States, the European Union and Brazil seems, however, difficult to be unlocked at the series of ministerial...
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 29, 2006

Uribe raises hope for Colombia's future

PRAGUE -- A leftwing tide has supposedly been sweeping Latin America. But President Alvaro Uribe's re-election in Colombia may not only have begun the process of reversing that tide; it has perhaps also shown conservative and liberal parties across the continent a way forward -- one that may soon be...
BUSINESS
Jun 28, 2006

Toshiba shareholders OK poison pill

Toshiba Corp. shareholders approved measures to fend off hostile takeover bids at their annual meeting Tuesday, company officials said.
JAPAN
Jun 28, 2006

Pension system bugbear only got band-aid fix

Five years was not enough time for Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to overhaul the nation's ailing pension system.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Jun 28, 2006

Marine management is all at sea

Our oceans and seas are in deep trouble, and if the Japanese government is to be believed, part of the blame rests with the whales.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 27, 2006

Warner Japan taking greater interest in local movie scene

Warner Entertainment Japan Inc., a subsidiary of U.S. media giant Time Warner Inc., plans to acquire more Japanese films and increase local production of movies in response to the growing popularity of domestic films, said William Ireton, who was named president of the company in May.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WORDS TO LIVE BY
Jun 27, 2006

Tadanobu Tsunoda

Tadanobu Tsunoda, MD, 79, is the author of "The Japanese Brain" (now in its 38th Japanese edition), and the inventor of the Tsunoda Key Tapping Machine. He developed this simple analog system in the 1960s, and claims it is still the most accurate machine in the world for measuring the brainstem's switch...
EDITORIALS
Jun 26, 2006

Keeping an eye on the beef

Japan agreed last week to lift its ban on imports of American beef after the United States accepted Tokyo's demand for stricter safety checks. Imports will resume only after Japanese experts have checked the 35 U.S. meatpackers authorized to process beef for export to Japan. Even after imports resume,...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jun 25, 2006

Who needs a trial when the media has hanged, drawn and quartered the accused?

Cynicism comes naturally to members of the tabloid press, who report sensational news in a sensational way and rarely think about what exactly it is they're doing. All they care about is the gory details. However, their coverage of the murder of a 7-year-old boy last month in Akita Prefecture and the...
BUSINESS
Jun 24, 2006

Son says Vodafone can top rivals with content

Mobile phone carrier Vodafone K.K., which Softbank Corp. acquired in April, can outperform rivals NTT DoCoMo Inc. and KDDI Corp. by funneling content from Softbank subsidiary Yahoo Japan Corp. into its mobile business, Softbank President Masayoshi Son said Friday.

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