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JAPAN
Jan 12, 2005

Fuji Xerox chief's home targeted

Suspected rightists hurled two Molotov cocktails into the grounds of Fuji Xerox Co. Chairman Yotaro Kobayashi's home in Meguro Ward, Tokyo, over the weekend.
SUMO
Jan 11, 2005

Asashoryu rolls as Kaio stumbles

Ozeki Kaio's fresh bid for promotion to yokozuna suffered a hammer blow Monday after he was handed a shock defeat by Kotonowaka on the second day of the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament.
COMMENTARY
Jan 10, 2005

Improving Japan's leverage

To promote national interest in diplomacy, it is essential to set goals, establish basic policies to achieve them and work out overall strategies, while keeping in mind the links between individual goals and between those of nations and regions. However, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi lacks such strategies....
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jan 9, 2005

Highlights and lowlights of a year in the media

Media Person of the Year: Bae Yong Joon
JAPAN
Jan 8, 2005

China's Yasukuni ire 'puzzles' Japanese

For Tokyo native Mie Kondo, 31, Yasukuni Shrine is no more than a scenic area she used to visit with her family and a sightseeing spot to which she still likes taking visitors.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Jan 8, 2005

Lyn Hazzard

Women of Yokohama recognize good, reliable newcomers to their community when they see them. They invite their allegiance to the Yokohama International Women's Club.
JAPAN
Jan 7, 2005

Underground economy expected to boom

"No money and you're dead" is essentially what yakuza characters in novels and comic books say, and they mean that literally.
EDITORIALS
Jan 6, 2005

Uncertain economic prospects ahead

The world's economic outlook for 2005 is uncertain at best. Pessimists may worry about worst-case scenarios, but economic disasters, unlike natural disasters, can be prevented through better planning and management. Much depends on how major economic powers -- particularly the United States, Europe,...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK
Jan 6, 2005

Buckwheat booze lifts locals' spirits

The first flurries of snow usually fall here where I live in Kurohime in mid-November, just at the start of the hunting season.
JAPAN
Jan 5, 2005

Massive response to tsunamis still not enough: aid groups

Japanese aid groups participating in the largest international disaster relief operation in Southern Asia said Tuesday that efforts to help the survivors are falling short despite the unprecedented level of support and donations.
JAPAN / DEMOGRAPHIC DILEMMAS
Jan 4, 2005

Marital expectations help ensure singles ranks soar

She's a 38-year-old Tokyo working woman, enjoys single life, drives a sports car and dines at gourmet restaurants.
MORE SPORTS
Jan 4, 2005

Komazawa takes fourth straight ekiden title

Two of the five Komazawa University runners won their legs Monday to lead their team to its fourth straight overall title in the Tokyo-Hakone collegiate ekiden road relay.
EDITORIALS
Jan 3, 2005

Pile of unfinished business

This year has the potential to shape the world in profound ways. Some key events, and their results, will be instantly evident. Much of their impact will not be visible for years to come, however. We can identify with reasonable certainty what those moments will be, but only guess at their outcome and...
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM MOSCOW
Jan 3, 2005

Putin's tragic gaffes of 2004

MOSCOW -- The year 2004 has had mixed blessings for Russian President Vladimir Putin. He won re-election in a landslide, and though the results were probably rigged, by and large they still reflected voters' sympathies well enough: Russia likes its president.
COMMENTARY
Jan 1, 2005

Aim for change, not utopia

The 20th century was an era of utopias. Until the mid-1970s, many young Japanese believed that a socialist society was a utopia. While I was a student at a prefectural high school in Kyoto in the late 1950s, a classmate of mine with North Korean parentage returned to his homeland, which he thought was...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 31, 2004

Reincarnated banks pitch brighter, better service

With their long lines and officelike interiors, typical Japanese banks can be a turnoff for customers.
BUSINESS
Dec 31, 2004

Probe sheds light on Seibu Railway share shenanigans

Former Kokudo Corp. Chairman Yoshiaki Tsutsumi sold up to 3 billion yen in shares of subsidiary Seibu Railway Co. to each of three buyers before a report-falsification came to light in October, according to the buyer companies.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 31, 2004

Laying a foundation for a new East Asia

SINGAPORE -- Optimism for East Asian integration and community building ran high at the conclusion of the 10th ASEAN Summit on Nov. 30 in Vientiane, Laos, and the back-to-back meetings between the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations and its Asia-Pacific partners -- China, Japan, South Korea,...
BUSINESS
Dec 31, 2004

Daiei may exit Okinawa, Shikoku

Daiei Inc. might shut down all of its stores in Okinawa, Shikoku and the Chugoku region based on a revival plan mapped out by the Industrial Revitalization Corp. of Japan, sources said Thursday.
BUSINESS
Dec 30, 2004

IRCJ to set up new Daiei management team in May: Saito

The Industrial Revitalization Corp. of Japan plans to set up a new management team for ailing retailer Daiei Inc., IRCJ President Atsushi Saito said Wednesday.
CULTURE / Film
Dec 29, 2004

In the atrophied heart of America

Super Size Me Rating: * * * * 1/2 (out of 5) Director: Morgan Spurlock Running time: 96 minutes Language: English Currently showing [See Japan Times movie listings] Buffalo Soldiers Rating: * * 1/2 (out of 5) Director: Gregor Jordan Running time: 98 minutes Language: English Currently...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 29, 2004

Joetsu Shinkansen back on track after quakes

The Joetsu Shinkansen Line resumed full services between Tokyo and Niigata stations Tuesday for the first time since massive earthquakes struck Niigata Prefecture in late October.
CULTURE / Art / NEW ART SEEN
Dec 29, 2004

Cheers to contemporary art

The years are passing too quickly for this no-longer-young critic. Lest you think me embittered, let me start this year in review on a high note by trumpeting the star of 2004, a grand old dame who looks as bright and new as the day she was born -- the Hara Museum of Contemporary Art. Built in the Bauhaus...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 29, 2004

Buy local produce

Japanese films had a good 2004, even if eight of the 10 top box-office slots went to Hollywood. The Japanese exhibition business is coming to resemble the American one, with more multiplex screens and wider openings. This structure favors major Hollywood product -- the latest "Harry Potter" or "Lord...
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Dec 28, 2004

Legal bank robbery

Mention residents tax to any foreigner living in Japan and chances are, you aren't likely to win any favorable responses. Otherwise known as city tax, ward tax or inhabitants tax to name just a few aliases, this is probably one of the most dreaded and least understood of all the taxes in Japan. It is...
BUSINESS
Dec 28, 2004

Yoshinoya cooks up a 573 million yen profit

Yoshinoya D&C Co., which used to be the country's largest "gyudon" chain before U.S. beef was banned a year ago, said Monday it returned to profitability during the three months ended Nov. 30.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Dec 28, 2004

Boating, studying and moving to Japan

The last column of the year! Where did the weeks go?
BUSINESS
Dec 28, 2004

Tax return raises Mizuho profit

Mizuho Financial Group Inc. on Monday raised its group net profit estimate to 720 billion yen for the current fiscal year from 440 billion yen following a Supreme Court ruling last week.
COMMENTARY
Dec 27, 2004

Extract the Yasukuni thorn

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's practice of making annual visits to Yasukuni Shrine is a thorn in the side of Japan-China relations.

Longform

Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.
With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear