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CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Nov 20, 2005

There's no morning calm for Korean crime stories

THE DOOR TO BITTERNESS by Martin Limon. New York: Soho Press Inc., 2005, 278 pp., $23 (cloth). FADE TO CLEAR by Leonard Chang. New York: Thomas Dunne Books, 2004, 322 pp., $23.95 (cloth). DARK ANGEL by Geoffrey Archer. London: Arrow Books, 2005, 482 pp., £6.99 (paper). It's 1973, and Sergeants George...
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Nov 19, 2005

Eagles land Matsuzaki in draft

The Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles won the right to negotiate a deal with Tohoku Fukushi University left-hander Shingo Matsuzaki in the first round of picks at the baseball amateur draft on Friday. Rakuten is the only team allowed to select a player in the first round after the 11 others earlier applied...
MORE SPORTS
Nov 19, 2005

Takahashi to run despite injury

Sydney Olympic champion Naoko Takahashi said Friday she is suffering from inflamed leg muscles but has not changed her plan to make a comeback in Sunday's Tokyo International Women's Marathon. Takahashi, who has not appeared in a competitive marathon for two years, told reporters that she injured three...
JAPAN
Nov 19, 2005

Aso pitch for isles' joint development surprises bureaucrats

Foreign Minister Taro Aso's suggestion to undertake joint economic projects with Moscow on four Russian-held islands off Hokkaido that are claimed by Japan completely caught some ministry officials off guard Friday.
BUSINESS
Nov 19, 2005

BOJ on same page with ruling bloc, Fukui assures

The Bank of Japan's goal is to sustain economic growth, just like the politicians who are decrying any suggested attempt by the central bank to end its ultraloose monetary policy, BOJ Gov. Toshihiko Fukui said Friday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 19, 2005

Certifier hoodwinked on quake-proofing

A Tokyo-based company that state-certifies construction applications said Friday it noticed no problems during its examination of faked applications by a Chiba-based architectural firm.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Nov 18, 2005

Left-hander Noguchi joins Giants

Free agent left-hander Shigeki Noguchi signed a two-year contract worth an estimated 200 million yen with the Yomiuri Giants on Thursday.
JAPAN
Nov 18, 2005

TBS expected to reject merger with Rakuten

Tokyo Broadcasting System Inc., a TV and radio broadcaster, will reject a proposal by Rakuten Inc. to integrate their managements under a holding company, sources have said.
JAPAN
Nov 17, 2005

War criminals, war dead same: Abe

The government should not look into the responsibility of the accused Class-A war criminals honored at Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine and instead count them among the nation's 2.46 million war dead, Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Nov 17, 2005

Murakami fund may still hold 6.5% stake in TBS: sources

An investment fund led by Yoshiaki Murakami notified Tokyo Broadcasting System Inc. earlier this month that it still holds a 6.5 percent stake in the TV broadcaster, sources said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Nov 17, 2005

Liquor union boss held in embezzling, vows to air bribes

A former senior official of a liquor retailer union was arrested Wednesday for allegedly embezzling about 16.5 million yen from the union's pension fund.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 17, 2005

Strategic changes for Japan-U.S. alliance

HONOLULU -- Much of the American and Japanese news coverage of the new security agreement between Washington and Tokyo has focused on its political aspects but overlooked the far-reaching strategic changes it has projected for the revitalized alliance.
JAPAN
Nov 16, 2005

Japan boosts U.S. ties at own risk

The United States has been Japan's most important ally since World War II and the U.S. nuclear umbrella of the Cold War came to define their security alliance.
BUSINESS
Nov 16, 2005

TSE releases new computer measures

The Tokyo Stock Exchange released Tuesday a set of measures to prevent future computer system breakdowns like the one that shut down the world's second-largest equity market on Nov. 1.
JAPAN
Nov 15, 2005

Action plan for bird flu includes ban on gatherings

The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry unveiled a plan Monday empowering the government to ban public gatherings and quarantine people to counter the potential outbreak of a new strain of bird flu against which humans have yet to develop an effective defense.
BUSINESS
Nov 15, 2005

Toyota hopes revamped RAV4 revs up its sales

Toyota Motor Corp. unveiled a fully revamped version of the RAV4 sport utility vehicle Monday to stimulate domestic demand following a year-on-year decline in quarterly sales.
JAPAN
Nov 12, 2005

Government denies reaching decision on GSDF pullout

The government on Friday denied a newspaper report that it might pull the Ground Self-Defense Force contingent out of Iraq by September.
JAPAN
Nov 12, 2005

Girl, 15, found slain at home

A 15-year-old high school girl was found slain apparently from a deep neck wound early Friday in her apartment in the western Tokyo suburb of Machida.
JAPAN
Nov 12, 2005

State seeks quicker U.S. forces realignment

The government approved a policy Friday to speed up measures to complete the U.S. military realignment in Japan, including budgetary matters, Cabinet members said.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Nov 12, 2005

Celebrity bull cownters misperceptions

Celebrity profile
JAPAN
Nov 12, 2005

July-September 0.4% rise ups GDP for four quarters

Domestic demand nudged the economy forward in the July to September quarter, tallying 0.4 percent growth in real terms, for an annualized rate of 1.7 percent, the Cabinet Office said Friday.
BUSINESS
Nov 11, 2005

MMC sees signs of life in first half

Struggling Mitsubishi Motors Corp. said Thursday its losses narrowed significantly in the first half of fiscal 2005.
BUSINESS
Nov 11, 2005

Softbank rides broadband to 4.4 billion yen operating profit

Softbank Corp. said Thursday it posted its first first-half operating profit in five years, helped by steady growth in its high-speed Internet service.
JAPAN
Nov 10, 2005

Half-year Iraq duty extension urged

The Ground Self-Defense Force reconstruction assistance mission in Iraq needs to be extended by at least six months past its Dec. 14 expiration, a government source has said.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 10, 2005

North Americans to get 'manga' in Sunday comics

Charlie Brown, Garfield and other longtime favorite cartoon stars will soon be sharing space in North American newspapers with doe-eyed women in frilly outfits, effeminate long-haired heroes and cute fuzzy animals.

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