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COMMENTARY / World
Oct 31, 2003

APEC's inevitable discussion of security

BANGKOK -- The recent Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Bang kok could, in an oversimplified manner, be summarized as an event in which economic issues were overshadowed by a strong security agenda. Moreover, the whole exercise was partly sidelined by the spectacular arrangements on the Thai...
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / NAME OF THE GAME
Oct 30, 2003

N-Gage fails to engage

It's no use beating around the bush, N-Gage, the new hand-held cellular telephone/video game system hybrid from Nokia, is quite probably the worst game system in video game history -- and that's counting such notable disasters as the Nintendo Virtual Boy and the Bandai Pipin.
JAPAN
Oct 30, 2003

Aum bred social cult of fear, passion for security

OSAKA -- The trial of Aum Shinrikyo leader Shoko Asahara effectively concludes when his lawyers present their closing arguments before the Tokyo District Court on Thursday and Friday.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT
Oct 30, 2003

Winged lords of high places

It was in early November 2002 that we drove on a rough mountain track from Guiyang to Caohai Nature Reserve on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Oct 29, 2003

Mediation is the medium

"It's a transmission station," says David Elliott of the Mori Art Museum, which opened to the public Oct. 18. "It's a beacon beaming things out to the rest of the city, intimately connected with it."
MORE SPORTS
Oct 28, 2003

U.S. muscle proves too much for speedy Japan

GOSFORD, Australia --They say good things come in threes. Following Sunday's games that saw England and Ireland win two wonderfully competitive games, the United States and Japan produced a pearl of a match at a sold-out Central Coast Stadium on Monday evening.
EDITORIALS
Oct 27, 2003

The reality of pension reform

With a general election around the corner, major political parties in Japan are playing up pension reform as a top campaign promise. That is only to be expected as the average age of the Japanese population rises at an accelerated pace. The question is what should and can be done to build a sustainable...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Oct 26, 2003

JT campaign aims to blunt war on smokers

Several weeks ago this newspaper published letters from non-Japanese readers who complained about a Japan Tobacco advertising campaign that depicts Western men and women with exaggerated noses sniffing cigarette smoke out of wine glasses. Two of the writers were angered by the image itself, saying that...
COMMUNITY
Oct 26, 2003

IT star shines over 'Silicon Valley'

BANGALORE -- Weatherwise, Bangalore tends to be cooler than most cities in India, but businesswise it's the hottest destination.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Oct 26, 2003

The Road Ahead

The heat built up as our five-hour bus ride from Delhi took us toward the searing Thar Desert. Then, after clocking up 260 km heading south on the national highway, buildings began to grow as we approached Jaipur, capital of the state of Rajasthan. Our journey may have been equivalent to traveling between...
EDITORIALS
Oct 25, 2003

N. Korea: down but not out

BRUSSELS -- In the middle of Pyongyang, a new building attracts attention and customers. The Tong Il market is thronged with thousands of North Koreans haggling and buying from an extensive array of products. Fresh meat and dried fish, Spanish oranges and North African dates, suits, skirts, shoes and...
Japan Times
JAPAN / PARTY LINE
Oct 25, 2003

NCP has grand policy designs but LDP poll support falls shy

The New Conservative Party says the core policy issues in the Nov. 9 general election are boosting national security, revising the Constitution and reviving the economy, but its own tallest order will be getting its few members voted in.
BUSINESS
Oct 25, 2003

Woo foreign investors, make babies: report

Already mired in its worst economic slump in decades, Japan could see its growth decline even further as its citizens age and its population shrinks, the government said in an annual economic assessment released Friday.
COMMUNITY
Oct 25, 2003

Palette mixes people of every color and capacity

Naoko Taniguchi is a pioneer in bringing mentally handicapped individuals into the community. Thirty years ago, when she began volunteer activities, families still regarded the disabled as a source of shame. She says the situation is improving, "though there will be no major shift until companies hire...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 23, 2003

Expert lays bare environmental carnage of war

While environmental destruction is often the last thing considered when war breaks out, this form of devastation can take decades -- if not centuries -- to correct.
Japan Times
JAPAN / PARTY LINE
Oct 23, 2003

JCP to stick with criticism of Koizumi, U.S. security ties

The Japanese Communist Party has no plans to change tack ahead of the upcoming general election, training its guns on the policies of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, whom it accuses of pandering to big business and the United States.
BUSINESS
Oct 23, 2003

Direction error spurs drug recall

Major drugmaker Eisai Co. said Wednesday it will recall a cough medicine and expectorant in view of an erroneous description in the directions inside the package.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 22, 2003

War dead said to haunt Iwojima

IWOJIMA ISLAND -- At 2:30 a.m., Yoshikatsu Takeda was awakened by a knock on his door. He knew no one was there, but he got up and opened it anyway.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Oct 22, 2003

It's a man's, man's world . . . unfortunately

Last week I looked at two plays depicting the lives of women. This week, the focus is two excellent contemporary comedy dramas about modern Japanese history -- and that means it's big-shot male politicians, bureaucrats and gangsters who hold center stage.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 22, 2003

Outside watchdog needed to monitor prisons: U.N. expert

An independent entity comprising nongovernmental organizations and experts is needed to monitor human rights conditions in prisons, according to Dr. Ole Rasmussen of the United Nations Committee Against Torture.
JAPAN
Oct 21, 2003

Lawyer slams immigration process as Muslim is deported

A Muslim woman from a West Asian country who had applied for refugee status in Japan was deported via Narita airport last week, despite the fact that preparations for legal action on her behalf were under way, it was learned Monday.
JAPAN
Oct 21, 2003

Empress admits fears over Emperor's prostate surgery

Empress Michiko, on the occasion of her 69th birthday Monday, confessed that she was worried when Emperor Akihito underwent surgery to remove his cancerous prostate in January.
JAPAN
Oct 21, 2003

Chuo Line to get pedestrian overpasses

The transport ministry has decided to construct pedestrian bridges near railway crossings in western Tokyo that at times are only open one minute during an entire hour, it was learned Monday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / FRONT-RUNNERS
Oct 21, 2003

Toho to take domestic smash 'Bayside Shakedown 2' overseas

A Tokyo-based motion picture company is poised to take on Hollywood with a live-action cop film that was a hit in Japan this summer.
BASEBALL / MLB
Oct 20, 2003

Zuleta's bat adds volume to Fukuoka Dome noise

FUKUOKA -- Game 2 of the Japan Series at the Fukuoka Decibel Dome.

Longform

Dangami House is a 180-year-old former samurai residence of the Kato clan, who ruled over Ozu, Ehime Prefecture, until the Meiji Restoration.
A house, a legacy and the quiet work of restoration in rural Japan