Search - u_times

 
 
BUSINESS
Nov 11, 2004

EBC upset over bill to ban prepaid cell phones

The European Business Community in Japan on Wednesday criticized a plan by Japan's governing coalition to present a bill to the Diet, possibly during the current session, to ban the use and sale of prepaid mobile phones on grounds that they are often used in crimes.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 11, 2004

'Uniter' needs bipartisan foreign policy

SANTA FE, New Mexico -- The ballot counting goes on in New Mexico, the battleground state closest to Northeast Asia and U.S. Democrats' last stand, but to what avail? With the presidential election already decided, only the political arithmetic remains.
CULTURE / Stage
Nov 10, 2004

Shakespeare's lovers seduce audiences

"The most wooden performances ever," wrote one London critic of the latest Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) production. "Superb!"
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Nov 10, 2004

Ishii, Otsuka do their best to fill shoes of Japan's biggest stars

The organizers of the Major League Baseball All-Star show currently touring Japan were not able to convince Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners or Hideki Matsui of the New York Yankees to play in this year's Nichibei yakyu, but the appearance of Japanese pitchers Kazuhisa Ishii and Akinori Otsuka has...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 9, 2004

JT ups warnings on cigarette packs

Japan Tobacco Inc. will start printing larger health warnings on the packages of some of its cigarette brands later this month in preparation for stricter labeling regulations that kick in at the end of June.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Nov 9, 2004

Ichiba accepts offer from Rakuten Eagles

Yasuhiro Ichiba of Meiji University, who accepted money from pro baseball clubs in violation of draft eligibility rules, has accepted an offer by the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles to acquire him in a pre-draft arrangement, Takahiro Beppu, former general manager of the university's baseball team, said...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 9, 2004

Peru cash crop quest bears fruit

It was more than 20 years ago that Takayuki Suzuki packed his bags and moved to Peru.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Nov 9, 2004

Classes, groups and driving

Japanese classes I am on a month-long holiday travel staying here in Tokyo. I am interested and looking for Japanese beginner level language courses.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 9, 2004

Neocon lessons for Democrats

WASHINGTON -- As Democrats comb the 2004 election results for lessons, one should be obvious: we need bolder, newer ideas, particularly in this post-9/11 world in the realm of foreign policy. Just as neocons have provided much of the spark and intellectual energy behind modern-day Republicanism, Democrats...
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Nov 8, 2004

Five economic factors point to future deterioration of dollar

The dollar's exchange rate against the yen, which was fluctuating within the 108-112 yen range until early October, has begun to move downward in recent weeks despite such negative factors as the devastating typhoons and earthquakes that ravaged Japan.
JAPAN
Nov 7, 2004

Obituary: Kenzaburo Hara

Former House of Representatives Speaker Kenzaburo Hara died Saturday at a Tokyo hospital, his family said. He was 97.
Japan Times
Features
Nov 7, 2004

Love her or hate her...

Nahoko Takato became famous on the night of April 8 this year, when the Arab satellite broadcaster Al-Jazeera aired video footage of her and two other Japanese held blindfolded at gunpoint in Iraq.
COMMENTARY
Nov 7, 2004

Silence the loose cannons

HONOLULU -- The U.S. presidential election is finally over! Now the hard part begins. I'm not talking about getting North Korea back to the negotiating table; that will come soon enough. Now that Pyongyang knows it has no choice but to deal with the Bush administration, it will find a way to resume the...
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 7, 2004

EU dream has caught America napping

WASHINGTON -- Europe: We love to vacation there, if we can afford it. It's the cultural mecca many of us flock to, to awaken our senses and feed our souls. But Europe as a political entity?
BASEBALL / MLB
Nov 6, 2004

MLB players top local talent

Atlanta Braves outfielder Vernon Wells hit a go-ahead sacrifice fly in the sixth inning and the major league team rallied to crush the Japan All-Star team 7-2 in the first game of an exhibition series on Friday.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Nov 5, 2004

Robben could leave Man United ruing day it passed on him

LONDON -- The Premiership has a new star.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK
Nov 4, 2004

Captivity conundrum over spared bear

In August 1985, I was in Tokyo awaiting the birth of my youngest daughter. One evening, I got a telephone call from Yoshio Kazama, my friend and next-door neighbor in Kurohime -- the beautiful corner of Nagano Prefecture where I live.
JAPAN
Nov 2, 2004

Private rocketeers start small, think big

When Harunori Nagata launched a 1.6-meter rocket for the third time in March, it was still an experiment.
JAPAN
Nov 2, 2004

Hokkaido kids hit by depression

Almost a quarter of junior high school students in Hokkaido who responded to a recent survey suffer depression-linked symptoms, with almost one in five exhibiting possible suicidal tendencies.
SUMO
Nov 2, 2004

Kaio maintains top ozeki position

Promotion-chasing ozeki Kaio, who claimed his fifth Emperor's Cup at the autumn meet, maintained the top ozeki position as the Japan Sumo Association announced the rankings Monday for the upcoming Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament.
EDITORIALS
Nov 1, 2004

Troubling times for the EU

October was a cruel month for the European Union. Although the month closed on a high note with preliminary agreement on a constitution to mark the next stage in the institutional evolution of the EU, ratification of the document is far from certain. At any rate, the lavish signing ceremony in Rome was...
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 1, 2004

Linking Islam to terror spawns hatred

MADRAS, India -- Sadly, since Sept. 11, 2001, much of the world, in particular the United States, has equated Islam with violence and death.
JAPAN
Nov 1, 2004

Public's sympathy for Koda tempered

The news that hostage Shosei Koda was found dead in Iraq was met with sympathy Sunday on the streets of Tokyo, but for many people interviewed by The Japan Times, the grief was tempered by the belief that the government was right in not succumbing to terrorists.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Oct 31, 2004

Sweeping view of socio-economic change and continuity in China for a half-century

HUMANISM IN CHINA: A Contemporary Record of Photography, edited by Wang Huangsheng and Hu Wugong. Guandong: Lingnan Meishu Chubanche, 2003, 488 pp., $40 (paper). China is a society in the midst of sweeping socio-economic convulsions that are rapidly and drastically altering the lives of its citizens....
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 30, 2004

Princeton chief praises Japan's scientists

The president of Princeton University has praised Japan for its contributions to the sciences and expressed hope that U.S. antiterrorism measures leave room for talented scholars from abroad to visit the United States.
COMMENTARY
Oct 30, 2004

Straw poll on Net lands knockout punch

HONG KONG -- In Japan, the Democratic challenger for U.S. president, Sen. John F. Kerry, has so far garnered 88 percent of the Japanese popular vote compared to 11 percent for the incumbent George W. Bush.

Longform

Once smoky, male-dominated spaces, today's net cafes, like Kaikatsu Club, are working to make their operations more attractive to women customers.
The second life of Japan's net cafes