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BUSINESS
Jun 22, 2006

Plethora of features leaves novice PC users flummoxed

Personal computer makers' call centers are buzzing these days.
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Jun 21, 2006

Pacers ponder shipping out Jermaine

MIAMI -- If you read a quote by a named Pacers official or an unnamed source denying Jermaine O'Neal is being shopped, do not fall for it.
EDITORIALS
Jun 21, 2006

Medical reforms need work

The laws passed last week by the Diet to curb the growth in the nation's medical spending testify to the government's determination to solve the problem. While the laws include positive elements, they are not problem-free. The government needs to continuously review the nation's medical system. Rationalizing...
EDITORIALS
Jun 19, 2006

A united lobby for life

Japan has seen more than 30,000 people kill themselves annually for eight consecutive years since 1998. Last year, 32,552 people took their own lives, a total that breaks down to 89.18 suicides per day and 3.71 suicides every hour. Certainly these are grim figures.
EDITORIALS
Jun 17, 2006

Mr. Fukui's poor judgment

Bank of Japan Gov. Toshihiko Fukui has made public that he invested 10 million yen in an investment fund led by maverick fund manager Mr. Yoshiaki Murakami, who was arrested June 5 on suspicion of insider trading involving purchases of Nippon Broadcasting System Inc. shares.
JAPAN
Jun 17, 2006

Diet passes North sanctions bill

The Diet passed a bill Friday that requires the government to impose economic sanctions on North Korea if Pyongyang fails to make progress in addressing its human rights situation, notably resolving the fate of abducted Japanese.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jun 16, 2006

Old tipple with new spirit

KAGOSHIMA -- Some Japanese traditions are best left alone. Those who would attempt to capitalize on the popularity of Kyoto's ancient temples by placing soft-drink machines and loudspeakers inside them deserve the severest form of punishment a society can devise, like being forced to watch a TV program...
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jun 16, 2006

Behold a make-believe world

The work of Tokyo-born filmmaker Junichi Okuyama, widely known by his nickname of "Mr. Experimental Film," will be marked at the weeklong "Anarchy Film Festival," from June 16.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jun 16, 2006

Popularizing music

Fete de la Musique au Japon 2006, now in its fifth year, takes place in the Kansai area June 17-18 and June 21 in Osaka, Kobe, Miho, Suita, Takatsuki, Ibaraki and Otsu.
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jun 16, 2006

Wanted: Contestants for kids' cooking competition

Hattori Nutrition College in Tokyo is currently recruiting elementary school-age children -- and their parents -- to contest its "12th Hattori Kids' Cooking Contest" to be held July 28. The theme for the competition is primarily breakfast, and in particular, "breakfast made from tomato with miso soup."...
BUSINESS
Jun 15, 2006

Livedoor execs meet with shareholders

CHIBA -- Livedoor Co. investors finally had their say Wednesday as the scandal-tainted firm held its first shareholders' meeting since its top executives were arrested in January.
BUSINESS
Jun 15, 2006

LDP finance chief tells BOJ to think twice about hiking rates in summer

The chairman of a Liberal Democratic Party panel on monetary policy said Wednesday the economy was not ready for higher interest rates and called on the Bank of Japan to delay any move to push them higher.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 15, 2006

Fuji Rocking 10 years on

Fuji Rock Festival is the biggest event on the calendar for many Japanese and foreign residents alike. Sure, it costs a stack of cash to go, but the festival is not your typical commercial venture. Word on the street is that it has been anything but a money spinner for concert promoter Smash Japan. Instead,...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Jun 13, 2006

Fuss over fingerprinting

No consistency The new law requiring foreigners to be fingerprinted and photographed at Japan's airports is unfair.
EDITORIALS
Jun 12, 2006

If you can't trust the elevators

It is taken for granted by most people that an elevator moves only after its doors are securely closed and not while the doors are open. But events on the evening of June 3 at a 23-story condominium building in Tokyo's Minato Ward have betrayed this trust.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 12, 2006

Arms race widening in Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia's return to prosperity since the financial crisis of 1997 has brought a regionwide splurge on new weapons. Most Southeast Asian countries are, indeed, now busily modernizing their armed forces. So far, most have done so without compromising their autonomy in security matters. But with...
EDITORIALS
Jun 11, 2006

Whither the newspaper?

What does the future hold for newspapers? It all depends on what you think a newspaper is and where on the planet you are standing. If you are a literal-minded type who considers the concept inseparable from actual newsprint and your view is restricted to, say, North America or Japan or Australia or...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jun 11, 2006

Stick-thin, gay, or preferably both -- a television career awaits

Truth in advertising has never been strictly enforced in Japan, especially with regard to health-related claims. Breweries can get away with promoting "low-calorie" beers as weight-loss aids, while pharmaceutical makers sell vitamin supplements that claim to do everything from clear up your skin to help...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jun 11, 2006

Gaijin superstars nothing foreign to Sanyo All-Star Series

Continuing here from last week's column about Japan's upcoming Sanyo All-Star Series, this time with the focus on foreign players. There is a limit to how many gaikokujin can be included on the 28-man Central and Pacific League rosters, but with a bit of leeway.
EDITORIALS
Jun 10, 2006

Tragedy in a farming community

The investigation into the murder of a 7-year-old boy in a farming community in northern Honshu has taken a bizarre twist. A 33-year-old woman from the community was arrested and she initially admitted that she had abandoned the body of the boy near a river.
BUSINESS
Jun 10, 2006

METI's long-term plan aims for 2.2% annual growth

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said Friday it has finalized a strategy document that it believes will help Japan achieve real economic growth of 2.2 percent on average between fiscal 2004 and 2015.
BUSINESS
Jun 9, 2006

FSA, New Zealand to share intel

The Financial Services Agency said Thursday that it has signed an agreement with the Securities Commission of New Zealand to exchange information to clamp down on insider trading and other illicit securities transactions conducted across borders.
BUSINESS
Jun 8, 2006

Investment funds subject to stricter regulation under new law

A bill tightening regulations on investment fund operators and boosting transparency in the financial markets cleared the Diet on Wednesday.
EDITORIALS
Jun 8, 2006

The act of a professional?

Mr. Yoshiaki Murakami, who has drawn intense public attention as Japan's most controversial investment fund manager, was arrested Monday by the Tokyo Public Prosecutor's Office on suspicion of violating the Securities and Exchange Law. He is suspected of having engaged in insider stock trading when his...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 8, 2006

A lifetime in search of Japan's true self

Shohei Imamura, who died on May 30, had one of the great careers of postwar Japanese film, winning the Cannes Palme d'Or twice, as well as many other awards and honors. But he spent much of that career on the fringes of the industry, like a bull elephant who separates himself from the herd and goes his...
BUSINESS
Jun 6, 2006

Firms log 15.5 trillion yen profits

Combined pretax profits by companies totaled a record 15.51 trillion yen in the January-March quarter, up 4.1 percent from the same period last year, according to a Finance Ministry survey released Monday.
BUSINESS
Jun 4, 2006

Murakami quizzed on NBS

Prosecutors and financial regulators have questioned well-known fund manager Yoshiaki Murakami on a voluntary basis over possible insider trading in connection with purchases of shares in Nippon Broadcasting System Inc. in 2005, investigative sources said Saturday.
COMMENTARY
Jun 1, 2006

Will tottering governments hold back Europe's future?

LONDON -- Like a vampire rising from the grave, the issue of a new constitution for the European Union, which many people had assumed was dead and buried, has returned to haunt the corridors of power and government in the capitals of Europe.

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