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Japan Times
Features
Jan 29, 2006

Cultures combined in the mists of time

Adopt "a correct view of history," China and South Korea demand of Japan. Fair enough. We can all agree on the merits of a "correct view" of anything. The difficulty is to define "correct.''
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Jan 28, 2006

Forcing Eriksson out early makes perpetrators look weak

LONDON -- The hypocrisy, double-talk, deceit and lies have plummeted to new depths this week.
JAPAN
Jan 28, 2006

Livedoor overvalued publisher for gains: sources

The Livedoor Co. group deliberately overassessed the value of a publisher owned by an investment union it controlled to increase the gains made from share sales, which were then passed on to it through investor dividends, sources said Friday.
JAPAN
Jan 27, 2006

Russian plane intruded while tracking freighter

A Russian aircraft violated Japanese airspace seven times Wednesday night off northern Hokkaido, government officials said Thursday.
CULTURE / Music
Jan 27, 2006

A band that plays along with the joke

Test Icicles have been in Japan for less than 24 hours, and nearly a quarter of that has been spent talking to journalists. Rory Atwell, the band's eldest member at the ripe old age of 25, is still somewhat game, but his younger bandmates, both just 20 years old, have a different agenda. Devonte Hynes,...
JAPAN
Jan 27, 2006

U.S. no stranger to 'I'm sorry' Japan-style

It's among the most Japanese of traditions: Officials go before the cameras to express deep regret over some alleged wrongdoing and promise to make sure it never happens again.
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jan 27, 2006

Visual- kei goes traditional

It isn't only Demon Kogure's appearance -- as extravagantly coiffed and heavily made-up as befits any visual-kei singer -- that makes him an unlikely candidate to be presenting a lecture-style concert on hogaku (traditional Japanese music). Kogure -- or His Excellency Demon Kogure as he prefers to be...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / BEST BAR NONE
Jan 27, 2006

New blood flows in city's heart

While Shibuya is becoming a boomtown for bars aimed at the young and casual, one small area -- right at its heart -- has been a hot spot for more than half a century.
SOCCER / J. League
Jan 26, 2006

Suzuki ready to join Red Star

Japan and Kashima Antlers striker Takayuki Suzuki is set to join former European champion Red Star Belgrade on a two-year contract, soccer sources said Wednesday.
EDITORIALS
Jan 26, 2006

Preventing a flu pandemic

The chances that the avian flu virus will mutate into a form that can be transmitted from human to human is high enough for the World Health Organization (WHO) to classify the present situation as a "pandemic alert." Should a pandemic break out it would likely do so in Asia. Therefore Japan needs to...
BUSINESS
Jan 26, 2006

Toyota expands Belgium R&D base

Toyota Motor Corp. said Wednesday it has completed the expansion of its research and development center in Belgium, part of its continuing localization of European design and engineering operations to better meet customer needs in Europe.
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Jan 25, 2006

Father says focus key to Kobe's ability to endure, achieve

Fathers are known to be tough on their sons -- especially those who try to follow in their footsteps.
JAPAN
Jan 25, 2006

Fans liked how Horie lived on the edge

Monday's arrest of Takafumi Horie, the 33-year-old founder of Internet services firm Livedoor Co., left the public wondering how he rose to fame so fast and what his impact on society, especially the young generation, will be.
COMMENTARY
Jan 25, 2006

Congressional group aims to improve U.S.-China ties

HONG KONG -- Quietly and without fanfare, an organization has been formed that may help smooth the course of the development of relations between the United States and China. This is the U.S.-China Working Group in the House of Representatives, set up in mid-2005 and now includes 35 members of congress....
BUSINESS
Jan 25, 2006

Will Horie's impact on Japan business world last?

The arrest of Takafumi Horie, 33, founder of high-flying Internet startup Livedoor Co., has shocked business leaders and prompted some soul-searching.
COMMENTARY
Jan 24, 2006

Homestretch for Koizumi

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's structural reform initiative for a "small and efficient government" enters a crucial stage this year, since his term as president of the Liberal Democratic Party (and hence as prime minister) will expire in September.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WORDS TO LIVE BY
Jan 24, 2006

Hisayo Takano

Hisayo Takano is the owner of Club Akasaka, a hostess bar in Tokyo that many of her customers call the best "clinic" they've ever known. It's where they come to regain their strength. Others compare it to the Shoukasonjuku, because, just like at that famous 19th-century school for young leaders, clients...
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Jan 24, 2006

Can Japan absorb foreign influx?

When discussing the recent ethnic riots in France, The Economist newsmagazine ("Minority Reports," Nov. 10, 2005) posed an important question: How come some countries assimilate immigrants more peacefully than others?
SUMO
Jan 23, 2006

Tochiazuma captures third Emperor's Cup title

Ozeki Tochiazuma captured his third career title after overpowering yokozuna Asashoryu on the final day of the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament on Sunday.
JAPAN
Jan 22, 2006

Digital shakeup leaves most traditional camera makers reeling

Business is booming at the camera shop managed by Hiroaki Kitahara, but he has a sense of emptiness regarding the past and is worried about the future.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Jan 22, 2006

When notoriety helps sell books

TOPPAMONO: Outlaw. Radical. Suspect. My Life in Japan's Underworld, by Manabu Miyazaki. Tokyo: Kotan Publishing, 2005, 460 pp., $26.95 (cloth). THE APPRENTICE by Lewis Libby. New York: St. Martin's Griffin, St. Martin edition, 2005, 265 pp., $12.95 (paper). Japan's student movement ended with a whimper...
COMMENTARY
Jan 21, 2006

Is Islam compatible with women's rights?

LOS ANGELES -- About 10 years ago Hillary Clinton delivered a seminal address in Beijing at the United Nations' 4th World Conference on Woman. The then-first lady stirred the international delegates by articulating a more inclusive definition of human rights. Bluntly put: "Human rights are women's rights,"...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
Jan 21, 2006

My dog -- the Buddhist

When it comes to matters of religion, I tend to equivocate.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jan 21, 2006

The rah-rah radish, part I

The cold winter months on Shiraishi Island are dedicated to the daikon, a long, white tapered radish that looks more like a weapon than a vegetable. The kanji for "daikon" literally mean "big root," but I suspect this is a typo for "big brute." At 7 to 12 cm in diameter and 30 to 40 cm long, the radish...
JAPAN
Jan 20, 2006

New agency not needed to guide ODA policy: Aso

The government should set up a policy body under the prime minister to deliberate the use of official development assistance and not create a new agency, Foreign Minister Taro Aso said Thursday.
JAPAN
Jan 20, 2006

Diet hears Soken deny knowing of fraud in '04

General Management Consultant (Soken) executive and chief consultant Takeshi Shikasho on Thursday told the Diet, but not under oath, that he was never informed in 2004 about the building safety fraud centering on disgraced architect Hidetsugu Aneha, although the whistle-blower to the scam claims otherwise....
JAPAN
Jan 20, 2006

Yasukuni 'nightmare' for ties: Seoul ambassador

South Korea's ambassador to Japan called Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's repeated visits to Yasukuni Shrine a "nightmare" -- the sole issue damaging what could have been more amicable ties between the two neighbors.

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