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EDITORIALS
May 11, 2005

Confidence in train safety

The safety of public transport in Japan has been thrown into doubt by the April 25 train derailment in Hyogo Prefecture, which killed 107 people and injured 460, and by a succession of other transport-related incidents that have followed -- including train overruns, a bus accident, errors by air traffic...
EDITORIALS
May 9, 2005

Fishing for sustainable profits

The good news for Japan's fisheries is that some of its products enjoy growing demand abroad, particularly in some parts of Asia. This year's government white paper on fisheries stresses the importance of developing overseas markets and highlights a variety of export-oriented initiatives across the country....
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
May 8, 2005

The urban underclass of a modernist Tokyo

THE SCARLET GANG OF ASAKUSA, by Yasunari Kawabata, translated by Alisa Freedman, foreword and afterword by Donald Richie. Berkeley and Los Angeles: The University of California Press, 2005, 231 pp., $17.95 (paper). "Art is bad," Guy Davenport posited, "when it is poor in news," and it is not surprising...
COMMENTARY
May 8, 2005

A 'Eurasian Union' on deck

LONDON -- Where does Europe end and Asia begin? The question is of more than academic interest because the answer will determine what sort of entity the European Union is to be. There are those who talk about "the final completion" of the EU as though a line can be carefully drawn between the states...
EDITORIALS
May 7, 2005

Roots of corporate value

What makes a good corporation? The answer depends partly on whether it takes a long-term and broad-gauged view of its activities. This may help clarify a question raised during the recent takeover battle for Nippon Broadcasting System: To whom does a corporation belong? The question may also serve as...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
May 7, 2005

Knitting trip around Japan ties up more projects

One Japan-related project attracts attention at "Knit 2 Together: Concepts in Knitting," organized by the U.K.'s Crafts Council and on show in London until May 15, from where it will set out to tour Britain as part of the "Knitting and Stitching Show 2005."
COMMENTARY
May 5, 2005

Britain's apolitical election

LONDON -- So powerful has been Prime Minister Tony Blair's dominance of British politics that Thursday's General Election has resolved into one question: Are you for or against his leadership?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
May 4, 2005

Mad artist myth no longer holds

The name Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) invariably invokes a legend -- the legend of a wild, creative genius, out of sync with the stilted, repressive atmosphere of Victorian Europe; who exploded in passionate art and self-destructive disregard of the banal parameters of everyday life; who followed his...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
May 2, 2005

Wash away city-life stress with the traditional onsen experience

THE JAPANESE SPA: A Guide to Japan's Finest Ryokan and Onsen, by Akihiko Seki and Elizabeth Heilman Brooke. Tokyo: Tuttle, 2005, 175 pp., $26.95 (cloth). Here we discover the art and aesthetics of the Japanese hot spring (onsen) experience. Twenty-eight exquisite inns (ryokan) are featured in some 400...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
May 2, 2005

Memoirs of an activist

RESTLESS WAVE: My Life in Two Worlds, by Ayako Ishigaki. New York: The Feminist Press at the City University of New York, 2004, 286 pp., $16.95 (paper). Those who know something about Ayako Ishigaki (or who have cheated and read the afterword to "Restless Wave" before the text proper) will find the first...
Japan Times
Features
May 1, 2005

Heading for the stars on high

KONA, Hawaii -- The big white 4WD driven by Yasuhiro Nishida left the hotel in Kohala Coast at 2:50 p.m. with 13 people on board. It was another windy afternoon on the west coast of the island of Hawaii -- "the Big Island," as this, the largest and youngest in the Hawaiian chain, is known.
EDITORIALS
Apr 30, 2005

Treaty against nuclear terror

Recently the United Nations unanimously approved a treaty that outlaws the use of nuclear weapons by terrorists and their supporters. Incredibly, such actions were not illegal before. The treaty has been touted -- by the United States, no less -- as an important step in the fight against terrorism and...
JAPAN
Apr 30, 2005

Police launch major probe into Amagasaki train crash

Driver training -- Page 2
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Apr 29, 2005

NBA labor talks getting bogged down

NEW YORK -- For the first time since dialogue began in earnest a year ago to re-negotiate the NBA's Collective Bargaining Agreement I'm getting negative feedback.
COMMENTARY
Apr 29, 2005

Taiwan opposition tests winds in Beijing

HONG KONG -- Little more than a month after China's passage of its antisecession law, the cross-strait situation has undergone a remarkable change. While there has been some negative fallout, with Taiwan delaying talks on expanding chartered flights between the two sides and banning journalists from...
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 28, 2005

Has China learned a lesson?

It is naturally welcome that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi of Japan and President Hu Jintao of China reaffirmed in Jakarta that friendly Japan-China relations are desirable not only for the two countries but also for Asia at large. It is beyond doubt that good Japan-China relations promote peace and...
BUSINESS
Apr 28, 2005

Nippon Oil to raise gas prices 2.4 yen

The nation's largest oil refiner, Nippon Oil Corp., said Wednesday it will increase the average wholesale price for gasoline and other petroleum goods for May by 2.4 yen per liter to pass on higher crude prices.
BUSINESS
Apr 28, 2005

U.S. team talks up beef to public

A delegation of U.S. agricultural officials and experts met Wednesday with Japanese consumers to explain about American beef and why they want to quickly resume exports to Japan.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 27, 2005

Private rail firms check safety after JR crash

OSAKA-- Kansai's major private train firms said Tuesday they are reviewing safety procedures in the wake of the train crash near Amagasaki in Hyogo Prefecture that killed 73 and injured more than 450.
BUSINESS
Apr 26, 2005

Index, KDDI move to boost mobile content

Index Corp., the leading distributor of content for mobile phones, said Monday it has formed a capital alliance with and will become the largest shareholder of toy maker Takara Co.
BUSINESS
Apr 26, 2005

U.S. more forthcoming on cattle tests

Japanese and U.S. government officials on Monday discussed conditions for lifting Japan's ban on U.S. beef imports in connection with mad cow disease.
COMMUNITY / LIFELINES
Apr 26, 2005

Chinese, a visa poser and used book sales

Chinese learning Is there a Chinese-language school in Tokyo that teaches Chinese to English speakers (only in English; my Japanese skills are beginner level)?
EDITORIALS
Apr 25, 2005

Better India-Pakistan relations

Last week Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh agreed on various new confidence-building measures between the two nations. Their talks, held during Mr. Musharraf's unofficial visit to India on April 17, produced agreement, for example, on the passage of trucks...
JAPAN / BULLETIN BOARD
Apr 24, 2005

15 Japan Times readers can take 'Little Edo' tour for free

15 Japan Times readers can take 'Little Edo' tour for free A tour bus operator in Kawagoe, Saitama Prefecture, will invite 15 readers of The Japan Times as monitors for its "Nostalgic Little Edo Tour" on May 14 free of charge.
COMMENTARY
Apr 24, 2005

A provincial pitch for votes

LONDON -- Britain is now in the grip of a general election campaign with voting due May 5. As with political campaigns generally in the modern world, this one is heavily oriented toward domestic issues and disputes. Globalization and the worldwide information revolution seem to have had the opposite...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Apr 24, 2005

Time for some Showa trivia and Heisei melodrama

GEISHA -- HARLOT -- STRANGLER -- STAR: A Woman, Sex & Morality in Modern Japan, by William Johnston. New York: Columbia University Press, 2004, 245 pp., $29.50, (cloth). ISOLATION, by Christopher Belton. New York: Leisure Fiction, 2003, $6.99, 372 pp., (paper). To be honest, I've never really understood...
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 23, 2005

Academic freedom for all

WASHINGTON -- Academic freedom is close to the hearts of many. Being able to teach what "needs" to be taught, to speak out and to pursue thoughts to wherever they may lead are some of the most crucial components of academia. In light of this accepted axiom it is surprising to learn about opposition to...

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