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BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Aug 25, 2006

Interleague, playoff plans agreed

The Central League and the Pacific League agreed Wednesday to have 24 interleague games for each club -- a reduction from the current 36 games -- and postseason playoffs for both leagues from next year.
JAPAN
Aug 25, 2006

Ricoh reveals seven accidents with its shredders

Office machine manufacturer Ricoh Co. said Thursday there were seven cases of children being injured by Ricoh paper shredders between 1985 and 1997, including one serious injury.
EDITORIALS
Aug 24, 2006

Plenty of room for other ideas

Foreign Minister Taro Aso became the second person to announce his candidacy for the Liberal Democratic Party presidential election next month, following Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki. Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe, the front-runner in the race, is expected to throw his hat into the ring Sept....
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 23, 2006

Brewers basking in the summer economic heat but the future looks flat

As the summer heats up, the beer is flowing around backyard barbecue grills and rooftop beer gardens in city centers. And this year, a recovering economy is putting a little extra fizz into beer sales.
JAPAN
Aug 22, 2006

Aso declares candidacy for LDP race

Foreign Minister Taro Aso officially declared his candidacy Monday for the Liberal Democratic Party's presidential election, throwing his hat into a ring where Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe is already expected to win by a landslide.
EDITORIALS
Aug 20, 2006

Homegrown political terror

On Aug. 15, the 61st anniversary of the end of World War II -- the day when Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi paid homage to the war dead at Yasukuni Shrine -- the house of the mother of former Liberal Democratic Party Secretary General Koichi Kato burned down. The veteran politician is a known critic...
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Aug 20, 2006

A nation of animal lovers -- as pets or when they're on a plate

The Japanese consider themselves a compassionate people when it comes to an animal's fate. Memorial stones have been erected in whaling villages since the early Edo Period (1603-1867), as they are today at slaughterhouses. Buddhist priests are hired to read the sutras before altars set with incense and...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 19, 2006

Train stations with malls face higher property taxes

Are they train stations or shopping malls?
BUSINESS
Aug 19, 2006

Futata snubs Aoki bid, backs Konaka buyout

Menswear retailer Futata Co. said Friday it will accept Konaka Co.'s offer to make it a wholly owned subsidiary, rejecting menswear rival Aoki Holding Inc.'s proposal.
JAPAN
Aug 19, 2006

Tokyu contractor kills self following tax probe grilling

A branch office head of Tokyu Construction Co. has committed suicide after being questioned by prosecutors in connection with alleged tax evasion by engineering firm Mizutani Kensetsu Co., sources said late Thursday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Aug 19, 2006

Robert Neff

Think public spirit, think Robert Neff.
BUSINESS
Aug 17, 2006

Sony braces for impact of massive battery recall

Sony Corp. is cooperating fully with personal computer maker Dell Inc.'s recall of 4.1 million notebook computer batteries supplied by Sony, but it does not know how much the recall will cost, a spokesman said Wednesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 16, 2006

'Stubborn maverick' makes good on promise

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Tuesday took his last opportunity while in office to visit Yasukuni Shrine on the anniversary of Japan's wartime surrender, finally following through on a campaign pledge he made before his April 2001 inauguration to break the diplomatic taboo by making the contentious...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 16, 2006

Tax hike gets people to stub out for good

Miho Shimada has seen the difference 1 yen can make.
JAPAN
Aug 15, 2006

Floating crane hits power line, causes Tokyo-area blackout

A raised construction crane on a barge moving downriver hit high tension lines Monday morning in Edogawa Ward, Tokyo, causing blackouts in the capital and neighboring prefectures for nearly three hours that brought rush-hour transportation to a halt.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 15, 2006

Mutton caramel, fish ice cream as regional fare goes over top

Trying popular and quirky local fare is often part of the summer vacation experience, and not all items are necessarily guaranteed to be tasty.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 15, 2006

No shortcuts to free access

Last January, a major scandal broke over budget hotel chain Toyoko Inn Co.'s illegal removal of special guest rooms and parking spots set up for the disabled after the construction of those facilities had passed official inspection. Toyoko Inn converted the special rooms into normal rooms and the special...
Japan Times
LIFE
Aug 13, 2006

His Emperor's reluctant warrior

Samurai-born and steeled in Japan's harsh military culture, Gen. Tadamichi Kuribayashi had lived five years in North America but was largely unknown to Washington's leaders when he was ordered to defend Iwo Jima "at all costs." The U.S. would pay dearly for underestimating him.
JAPAN
Aug 13, 2006

Firms see expansion lasting through spring

More than 90 of 100 major firms expect the economy to keep expanding until next spring, but more than 80 are concerned about oil price hikes and an economic slowdown in the United States, a Kyodo News survey shows.

Longform

In 2020, 38% of all households were single-person. That figure is projected to rise to 44.3% by 2050.
The rise of AI companionship in a lonely Japan