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Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jan 6, 2006

Butoh troupe stages 'spiritual carnival'

Torifune Butoh Sha has been challenging audiences' perceptions of contemporary dance not only in Japan but in Europe and the United States since it was founded in 1991. Comprising around 30 enthusiasts including housewives, high school dropouts and government employees, the troupe was founded by butoh...
JAPAN
Jan 4, 2006

Income disparities rising in Japan

During the period of high postwar economic growth, most people in Japan came to consider themselves part of a middle class.
EDITORIALS
Jan 4, 2006

Fading image of safety

Japan was once thought to be one of the safest countries to live in by residents as well as visitors. But a series of incidents the past year suggest that this is no longer the case. Crimes and accidents have cost people their lives, while the shirking of responsibility and business ethics on the part...
JAPAN / FRAMING THE FUTURE
Jan 4, 2006

Crime fight goes high-tech to protect kids, assets

Not long ago most people in Japan felt this was one of the most crime-free nations in the world, but recent high-profile, violent crimes have shattered that sense of security.
JAPAN
Jan 4, 2006

National cancer database in works

The health ministry is preparing a national database of registered cancer patients that will include their treatments and posttreatment condition in a bid to fight cancer, the No. 1 killer in Japan, according to ministry sources.
JAPAN
Jan 3, 2006

Tokyo slams China's denials in diplomat's suicide

A diplomatic spat between Japan and China over the suicide of a Japanese Consulate General official in Shanghai rippled further Sunday as Tokyo issued a statement calling Beijing's claims made a day earlier untrue and also noting there were "regrettable actions" taken by the Chinese side.
JAPAN / FRAMING THE FUTURE
Jan 3, 2006

Japan's quake-preparedness quest never-ending

Amid the scores of shoddily built high-rises connected to disgraced architect Hidetsugu Aneha, the fraud scandal may have had one positive outcome -- reawakening society's sense of urgency to prepare for a major earthquake.
BUSINESS
Dec 31, 2005

High hopes harbored for mobile phone television broadcasts

Digital TV broadcasts to mobile phones are scheduled to begin in April, and expectations are high the new service will create a portable fusion of broadcasting and the Internet.
JAPAN
Dec 30, 2005

New Pyongyang approach needed: summit architect

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's annual visits to Yasukuni Shrine and his surprise visit to Pyongyang in 2002 all reflect a diplomatic decision to defy "gaiatsu," or foreign pressure, a former top diplomat recently reckoned.
BUSINESS
Dec 30, 2005

Japanese banks follow manufacturers into China

With the promise of large profits overwhelming any concerns about the political tension between Tokyo and Beijing, Japanese companies continue to expand in China. And following behind them are Japanese banks.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 30, 2005

Pull of the people

My album of the year was M.I.A.'s "Arular," for a number of reasons. First, it's a party album whose energy and imagination never flag. Second, it's utterly distinctive: Maya Arulpragasam's nursery-rhyme rapping style doesn't sound like anybody else's. Third, it's a work of art whose local specificity,...
EDITORIALS
Dec 29, 2005

China's new 'peace offensive'

China has launched a public-relations offensive. The publication of a white paper on the country's "peaceful development" is designed to quiet concerns about China's growing affluence and how Beijing intends to use the influence that it wields. It is a difficult assignment. China may be assured of its...
JAPAN
Dec 29, 2005

11 who lost health insurance weren't treated, died

At least 11 people have died over the past six years because they were apparently unable to receive prompt medical attention after having surrendered their national health insurance cards for nonpayment of fees, according to a Kyodo News survey compiled Wednesday.
JAPAN
Dec 29, 2005

China slammed over diplomat's suicide

Tokyo has lodged protests with Beijing four times since last year over the 2004 suicide of a diplomat at the Japanese Consulate General in Shanghai, claiming China violated an international treaty by trying to blackmail him for intelligence, government sources admitted Wednesday.
EDITORIALS
Dec 27, 2005

Front line on health-care costs

The government has decided to lower medical fees paid through the public health-insurance systems to hospitals, clinics and pharmacies, beginning in April. Fees paid to doctors will be reduced by 1.36 percent; fees for drugs and medical supplies will be cut by 1.8 percent. The decision is in line with...
JAPAN
Dec 27, 2005

High-tech TVs putting ads on defensive

Nippon Television Network Corp. has been skillfully inserting commercials into the late-night drama "Wonder Tours" that began broadcasting in September.
JAPAN
Dec 27, 2005

Major effort launched to cut suicide rate

The government set a target Monday of reducing the number of suicides to around 25,000 a year over the next decade, adopting 47 measures centered on boosting counseling services.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 27, 2005

Dazed Meiji Yasuda seeks outside help

For scandal-hit Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co., the biggest task ahead is how to reflect outsiders' voices in management decisions, newly appointed President Kenji Matsuo said.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Dec 27, 2005

Lighting brilliance from Kouichi Okamoto

Lighting is many things to many people. For many, it's simply a practical tool to combat darkness. For others, it plays the role of mood enhancer. Carefully calibrated lighting can transform a space both subtly and dramatically.
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Dec 26, 2005

Tax system overhaul must ensure economic vigor for a dwindling population

The ruling coalition released its tax reform proposals for fiscal 2006 on Dec. 15. Despite the tight fiscal conditions, it is laudable the ruling parties recommended measures aimed at boosting economic activity -- such as those that encourage corporate investment in research and development, expenditures...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Dec 25, 2005

Creators, not hacks

OUTLAW MASTERS OF JAPANESE FILM by Chris Desjardins. London, New York: I.B. Tauris, 2005, 262 pp., $19.95 (paper). IRON MAN: The Cinema of Shinya Tsukamoto, by Tom Mes. FAB Press, 2005. 237 pp., $24.95 (paper) Foreign critics used to worship at the altars of Akira Kurosawa, Yasujiro Ozu and Kenji Mizoguchi...

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