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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...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 23, 2005

Cold weather fuels even higher kerosene prices

An increased demand for kerosene due to recent unusually cold weather has pushed retail prices of the heating oil to record highs.
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.

Longform

Once smoky, male-dominated spaces, today's net cafes, like Kaikatsu Club, are working to make their operations more attractive to women customers.
The second life of Japan's net cafes