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JAPAN
Aug 24, 2005

Court nixes policy payout to family of journalist slain in Iraq

The Tokyo District Court on Tuesday rejected a demand by the wife and son of a freelance photojournalist assassinated in Iraq to receive insurance benefits over his death.
BUSINESS / INDUSTRY TRENDS
Aug 23, 2005

DVD gives lesser players chance to shake up camcorder market

A major shift in recording media from tape to disc is taking place in the camcorder market, with manufacturers rapidly expanding their DVD-compatible model lineups.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 22, 2005

LDP rebels launch another new party

Koki Kobayashi and three other rebels from the Liberal Democratic Party formed a new party Sunday, with Yasuo Tanaka, the outspoken governor of Nagano Prefecture, taking the top position.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 21, 2005

Rallying round home-grown sounds

It's the final day of this year's Rock in Japan festival, which took place Aug. 5-7. Holding court in the HMV DJ booth is entertainer Yoshiaki Umegaki. He's a late fortysomething transvestite sporting a tall blue wig and playing with his plastic breasts under a fetching blue sequined number while pouring...
BUSINESS
Aug 6, 2005

Sapporo, Asahi lower projections over slow sales

Leading brewers Sapporo Holdings Ltd. and Asahi Breweries Ltd. said Friday they have lowered their earnings projections for the current business year due to slower-than-expected sales of beerlike alcoholic beverages.
Japan Times
JAPAN / 60 YEARS AND ONWARD
Aug 5, 2005

Postwar labor scene still grim for working women

Choice has been a long time coming for Japan's working women.
BUSINESS
Aug 2, 2005

Broadcaster-control revision postponed

The government and the ruling coalition parties have given up trying to pass legislation this Diet session to prevent a foreign company from gaining control of a domestic broadcaster partly through an affiliate in Japan, sources said Monday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 24, 2005

Ryan Kisor Quartet

The "young lions" was a phrase used (in fact, overused) to describe the resurgence of young jazz musicians in New York that started in the 1980s. More marketing tool than stylistic category, young lions still felt like a term of respect, all things considered. One of the best, and youngest, of this generation...
BUSINESS
Jul 23, 2005

NEET figure remains high at 640,000: report

The number of young people not studying, working or looking for work remained at a record-high level of about 640,000 in 2004 -- a trend since 2002 -- according to a government white paper released Friday.
JAPAN
Jul 22, 2005

Dangerous diesel fumes identified

A Japanese research team said Wednesday it has identified several chemical substances emitted from diesel-powered vehicles that can cause low blood pressure and other cardiac irregularities in people who inhale them.
JAPAN
Jul 22, 2005

Dangerous diesel fumes identified

A Japanese research team said Wednesday it has identified several chemical substances emitted from diesel-powered vehicles that can cause low blood pressure and other cardiac irregularities in people who inhale them.
BUSINESS
Jul 16, 2005

White paper targets red tape, menace of deflation

The government issued its annual economic white paper Friday, calling for greater deregulation and other market-driven reforms aimed at slimming down the bureaucracy.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 15, 2005

Interest now obsessive for first 'otaku' test

Thousands of young Japanese men are expected to take a nationwide exam next month that would, if they pass, grant them recognition as experts in the field of "otaku," or geeks.
JAPAN
Jul 15, 2005

NPA finds 51 trafficked women

The National Police Agency said Thursday that 51 women were trafficked into Japan and forced to work in the adult entertainment industry in the first half of 2005, the highest figure on record for the first six months of a year.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Jul 10, 2005

Coming out of the linguistic closet

QUEER JAPAN FROM THE PACIFIC WAR TO THE INTERNET AGE, by Mark McLelland. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2005, 248 pp., 15 b/w photos, $34.95 (paper). Japanese homosexuals face a peculiar problem. There is a true confusion among terms for sex, gender, sexual orientation, and gender expression. As one scholar...
COMMENTARY / WASHINGTON UPDATE
Jul 9, 2005

Brace for more bipartisan battles in wake of Supreme Court justice's retirement

WASHINGTON -- The July 1 announcement by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor that she is retiring marks the end of a distinguished 24-year career, and the beginning of a crucial struggle by President George W. Bush to find a replacement.
JAPAN
Jul 8, 2005

'G4' submits resolution on UNSC, finds just 23 backers

Japan, Germany, India and Brazil jointly submitted a resolution Wednesday at U.N. headquarters in New York to expand the U.N. Security Council, with only 23 other members listed as joint backers.
JAPAN / Q&A
Jul 8, 2005

Why is Japan so impatient to land a permanent seat in the UNSC club?

Japan moved a step closer toward its goal of becoming a permanent United Nations Security Council member Thursday, as the so-called Group of Four nations -- Japan, Germany, India and Brazil -- submitted a resolution on the matter to the U.N. Secretariat. The following are some basic facts on the UNSC...
JAPAN / Q&A
Jul 8, 2005

Why is Japan so impatient to land a permanent seat in the UNSC club?

Japan moved a step closer toward its goal of becoming a permanent United Nations Security Council member Thursday, as the so-called Group of Four nations -- Japan, Germany, India and Brazil -- submitted a resolution on the matter to the U.N. Secretariat. The following are some basic facts on the UNSC...
BASEBALL / MLB
Jul 6, 2005

Marines rookie Kubo June MVP

Chiba Lotte Marines rookie right-hander Yasutomo Kubo was named the MVP for the month of June after winning all three starts during the month, the Pacific League announced Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jul 5, 2005

Thai woman admits selling girl into sex trade

A Thai woman in Kanagawa Prefecture has been arrested on suspicion of selling a teenage Thai girl to a woman who manages prostitutes, and a Japanese man in Tokyo was taken into custody for introducing the girl to another man for purposes of solicitation, police said Monday.
JAPAN
Jun 20, 2005

Miyazawa urges Koizumi not to visit Yasukuni

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi faced fresh pressure Sunday over his visits to Yasukuni Shrine, with former Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa saying Koizumi should not go again because it would hurt Japan-China relations.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / NEW ART SEEN
Jun 15, 2005

The art that rocks the boat of war in Iraq

If you don't like U.S. President George W. Bush -- particularly if you don't support his war in Iraq -- then there is a new gallery exhibition in Tokyo that you will relish.
COMMENTARY
Jun 11, 2005

Slots, cops, and deception

LAS VEGAS -- The Japanese have been kicking around the idea of building American-style casinos in Japan for four years now. The Parliament Committee on Casinos with 100 Diet members has been gathering information on casinos, and Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara has been a major proponent of the idea. In...

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