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JAPAN
Dec 21, 2005

Key straits get high-tech map

Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore have jointly drawn up electronic sea charts of the Malacca Strait and Singapore Strait, the Japan Coast Guard said.
JAPAN
Dec 17, 2005

Specialty exams abound for those who want certification

A wide range of extraordinary examinations are given in Japan to promote tourism or to ensure that local culture will be handed down safely from one generation to the next.
JAPAN
Dec 17, 2005

Record 5 million ambulance calls cast doubt on disaster preparedness

The government Friday called for establishing an effective emergency rescue system as the number of ambulance dispatches topped 5 million for the first time in 2004, exposing potential problems for the swift transfer of the sick and injured during major disasters.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Dec 17, 2005

Nine lives: meditating cats in paradise

Celebrity cat profile
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 17, 2005

New power landscape demands sophisticated approach to China

With China firmly on its path toward becoming a top player in the world economy, it is crucial for Japan to work out a relationship with its giant neighbor or risk hampering the rise of Asia as a whole, a renowned U.S.-based journalist told a recent lecture meeting in Tokyo.
EDITORIALS
Dec 16, 2005

Advocate for the elderly

Next year Japan will take another step forward toward strengthening the protection of the weaker members of society. The Diet has passed a law to prevent cruel treatment of the aged and to assist those taking care of them. Preparations are being made for implementing the law in April. Enactment of the...
BUSINESS
Dec 16, 2005

Hitachi vice president promoted

Hitachi Ltd. said Thursday its current executive vice president, Kazuo Furukawa, will become the president of the leading electronics maker April 1.
MORE SPORTS
Dec 15, 2005

NFL focuses on Japan development

After all the years of Japanese players failing to make it to the NFL, it has been decided that now is the time to get serious and make some changes to this sorry showing.
JAPAN
Dec 15, 2005

New system snags first parolee

A man who disappeared while on probation was found through a new information-sharing system between police and probation officers to find missing parolees, the National Police Agency said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Dec 15, 2005

Panel plans to slash special accounts

The Liberal Democratic Party's administrative reform panel drafted a policy proposal Wednesday to reform special government accounts in a bid to secure some 20 trillion yen to strengthen the state's deficit-ridden finances.
JAPAN
Dec 13, 2005

J-Com to cost 912,000 yen a 'share'

Japan Securities Clearing Corp. said Monday it will force Mizuho Securities Co. to settle its erroneous sell order involving J-Com Co. stock by paying 912,000 yen in cash apiece instead of delivering actual shares.
JAPAN
Dec 13, 2005

Panel to combat epidemics induced by global warming

The Environment Ministry will set up a special advisory panel to look into diseases that may become epidemics in the near future as temperatures rise in Japan due to global warming, according to ministry officials.
JAPAN
Dec 9, 2005

Panel gives final OK for young U.S. beef

is just one step. The real test is still to come, of Japan's ability to check (that) the U.S. is implementing precautions" against BSE, said Yasuhiro Yoshikawa, who heads the prion research group under the commission that drafted Thursday's report. "The report was based on a number of preconditions,...
JAPAN
Dec 9, 2005

Over decade after accident, Monju may be reborn

channel 9 and through 26 public address towers set up inside the city limits," said Fumiyoshi Kato, an official in the municipal nuclear power safety section. The evacuation areas are mostly elementary schools and public halls. However, Kato said they do not contain much in the way of emergency supplies....
JAPAN
Dec 7, 2005

Ambassador tapped to probe abductions

Japan on Tuesday appointed its ambassador to Norway as special envoy for overseeing human rights issues, including North Korea's abductions of Japanese citizens, government officials said.
BUSINESS
Dec 6, 2005

Capital spending up 9.6% for quarter

Capital spending grew 9.6 percent in the July-September quarter on an all-industry basis to 12.56 trillion yen for the 10th straight quarter of expansion, the Finance Ministry said Monday.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 5, 2005

Soft power matters in Asia

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts -- U.S. President George W. Bush recently returned from Asia after attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum summit, but he should continue to pay attention to another Asian summit to which he was not invited. In December, Malaysia will host an East Asian Summit that...
COMMENTARY
Dec 5, 2005

Koizumi's success hinges on transparency

LOS ANGELES -- The Japanese are trying to sell their Asian neighbors a plan to rearm militarily -- and become more like a "normal" nation and less like a thoroughly defeated World War II aggressor. In their view, this shouldn't make anyone nervous.
EDITORIALS
Dec 3, 2005

Cut spending before raising taxes

With Japan's economic recovery gaining momentum, the government appears set to increase taxes across a broad spectrum. The Tax Commission last week proposed a series of tax-code changes for fiscal 2006, including an abolition in 2007 of the flat-rate tax cuts for individual income taxes that had been...
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Dec 2, 2005

NGO puts on two fundraising classical concerts

The Japan International Volunteer Center (JVC) is organizing two classical concerts to raise money for its relief and development work in Asia, the Middle East and Africa. This year, the JVC will present two seasonal concerts, Bach's "Christmas Oratorio" at Izumi Hall, Osaka (Dec. 10) and Handel's "Messiah"...
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 1, 2005

U.S. English-only laws harm immigrants

SANTA MARIA, California -- The Latino population has increased 500 percent in the past 15 years in State Rep. Courtney Combs' district, located between Cincinnati and Dayton. That has created a communication problem between residents and government officials, according to Combs, a Republican.
JAPAN
Dec 1, 2005

Shocked reactions to suspect's arrest

Japanese-Peruvians living here expressed shock and worried about their community's image after a man of Peruvian and Japanese descent was arrested Wednesday in connection with the murder of a 7-year-old girl in Hiroshima.
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Nov 30, 2005

Guts and glory the key elements to the Takahashi story

Is there anything more compelling in sports than a once great champion, who has been written off by just about everybody, recapturing their former glory in dramatic fashion?
JAPAN
Nov 30, 2005

Moviemaking sector, state seeking to foster young talent

Film production and distribution companies are reviving efforts to foster young directors and other moviemaking professionals.
JAPAN
Nov 30, 2005

EHomes chief ties Japan ERI to coverup of faked quake data

EHomes Inc. President Togo Fujita on Tuesday told a Diet committee that Japan ERI Co., which certified construction applications with faked quake-resistance data by architect Hidetsugu Aneha, was involved in hiding the falsifications after discovering them about a year ago.
BUSINESS
Nov 30, 2005

Industrial output rises 0.6% as outlook improves

Industrial production rose a seasonally adjusted 0.6 percent in October, capping three straight months of gains for the first time in two years and spurring the government Tuesday to hike its basic assessment of output.

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