Search - news

 
 
BUSINESS
Dec 7, 2005

75.2% unwilling to eat U.S. beef, survey indicates

Although the government is likely to lift the ban on beef imports from the United States this month, 75.2 percent of surveyed consumers are unwilling to eat U.S. beef, according to results of a telephone survey released by Kyodo News on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Dec 7, 2005

8 billion yen outlay eyed to repair shoddy condo fiasco

and land minister Kazuo Kitagawa, addresses a government meeting Tuesday on aid for condominium owners in the shoddy building scandal.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 7, 2005

Japan, Iraq finalize energy support deal

Japan and Iraq agreed Tuesday that Tokyo will extend financial and technical support for oil and natural gas projects in the war-ravaged country, which intends to expand oil production capacity to 2 million barrels per day next year, a Japanese official said.
JAPAN
Dec 7, 2005

Asbestos payout set at 3 million yen

The government on Tuesday accepted a ruling coalition proposal to give 3 million yen in condolence money and funeral fees to people who lost family members to asbestos-linked diseases, 200,000 yen more than the government's initial proposal.
JAPAN
Dec 6, 2005

LDP, New Komeito agree to create Defense Ministry

The secretaries general and policy chiefs of New Komeito and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party officially agreed Monday to draft a bill to turn the Defense Agency into a ministry.
BUSINESS
Dec 6, 2005

Abe suggests income tax breaks may stay in place

Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe voiced support Monday for a proposal to delay the cancellation of income tax cuts if it would harm the economy.
JAPAN
Dec 6, 2005

Koizumi plans tour of Middle East

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will visit Israel, the Palestinian territories and Turkey in early January, the government announced Monday.
JAPAN
Dec 6, 2005

Most support ending male-only succession

A survey on Imperial succession showed Monday that 71.9 percent of respondents support allowing the male-line Imperial tradition to be broken, saying the child of a female monarch should be able to become an emperor or reigning empress.
COMMENTARY
Dec 5, 2005

Koizumi's success hinges on transparency

LOS ANGELES -- The Japanese are trying to sell their Asian neighbors a plan to rearm militarily -- and become more like a "normal" nation and less like a thoroughly defeated World War II aggressor. In their view, this shouldn't make anyone nervous.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Dec 4, 2005

Fantastic finish

TODOROKI, Kanagawa Pref. -- Gamba Osaka clinched its first-ever J. League championship on a dramatic final day of the season Saturday, beating Kawasaki Frontale 4-2 as Cerezo Osaka conceded a last-gasp equalizer to FC Tokyo that denied it the title.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Dec 4, 2005

Carp skipper Brown can't wait for spring training

New Hiroshima Carp manager Marty Brown is excited about his challenge and can't wait for spring training to begin.
EDITORIALS
Dec 4, 2005

On Iraq, another war of words

Not for the first time, U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has become an object of media derision over a language question. The word-loving secretary is always a tempting target, but this time -- as in the past -- journalists might have done better to hold the jokes. Words are the media's stock in...
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 4, 2005

HIV prevention programs need to grow

BANGKOK/MANILA -- In a region that is home to two-thirds of the world's population, an HIV prevalence rate of 0.4 percent -- significantly lower than sub-Sahara Africa -- translates into more than 8 million adults and children living with HIV. More than 1 million people were newly infected with HIV in...
MORE SPORTS
Dec 3, 2005

Taniguchi leads at Nippon Series

Toru Taniguchi shot an even-par 70 Friday to maintain his lead after the second round of the Nippon Series JT Cup. Taniguchi had four birdies and four bogeys to stand at 6-under 134, while Shinichi Yokota fired a 68 to narrow the gap to one stroke at Tokyo Yomiuri Country Club. Chris Campbell of Australia,...
JAPAN
Dec 3, 2005

State mulls insurance for faulty condos

The Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry is considering a new insurance plan that would compensate people with defective condominiums, ministry officials said Friday.
JAPAN
Dec 3, 2005

Panel to ponder overseer to handle foreign aid loans

The government on Friday appointed former Prosecutor General Akio Harada as head of an advisory panel tasked with discussing which entity should handle foreign-aid loans, a pending issue in the process of consolidating state-run financial institutions.
JAPAN
Dec 3, 2005

New panel to take aim at crimes by foreigners

The government plans to set up a panel to discuss measures to prevent crimes by foreigners in the wake of the recent arrest of a Peruvian man on suspicion of killing a 7-year-old girl in Hiroshima, Justice Minister Seiken Sugiura said Friday.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Dec 3, 2005

Giants raise Abe's salary

Yomiuri Giants catcher Shinnosuke Abe re-signed Friday with the Central League club for an estimated yearly salary of 140 million yen. Abe, who batted .300 with 26 homers and a career-high 86 RBIs, will get a 20 million yen pay raise after renewing his contract in his sixth year next season. Yomiuri...
COMMENTARY
Dec 2, 2005

Influence of French violence

PARIS -- No use telling Japan Times' readers about Beaujolais. Most of them surely have had the opportunity of tasting this refreshing, though somewhat acidic, wine from France. The day in November when new production went on sale used to be celebrated in many places by popular feasts, as a tribute to...
BUSINESS
Dec 2, 2005

LDP bill ups ante in China gas dispute

A Liberal Democratic Party panel compiled a bill Thursday to protect the vessels used by marine resource explorers and fishermen in Japan's 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone.
JAPAN
Dec 1, 2005

Condo repairs to cost at least 14 billion yen

The cost of repairing hotels, condominium complexes and other structures built with false quake-resistance data has so far been tallied at over 14 billion yen, the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry said Wednesday.
EDITORIALS
Nov 30, 2005

China's environmental challenge

Achemical spill on China's Songhua River is a grim reminder of the costs attendant to China's breakneck economic development. The release of toxic chemicals underscores three sets of challenges that China faces as it modernizes: environmental practices of its businesses, government's response to the...
JAPAN
Nov 30, 2005

Aso wants Rice focused on Asia

Foreign Minister Taro Aso said Tuesday he will make a three-day trip to the United States starting Friday to talk with his U.S. counterpart, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, on security and other issues.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT
Nov 30, 2005

'Secret' dolphin slaughter defies protests

Japan's annual slaughter of thousands of dolphins began Oct. 8 in the traditional whaling town of Taiji on the Kii Peninsula of Honshu's Wakayama Prefecture. These "drive fisheries" triggered demonstrations, held under the "Japan Dolphin Day" banner, in 28 countries. The protests went almost entirely...
BUSINESS
Nov 30, 2005

Unemployment rises to 4.5%

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate jumped to 4.5 percent in October from 4.2 percent in September, the government said Tuesday, adding that the rise in the jobless figure is temporary and reflects workers seeking better jobs amid the economic recovery.

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years