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Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Oct 12, 2003

Livin' la vida loca

Charles Darwin must have been a regular at whatever passed for a bar on the HMS Beagle. During the ship's five-week stop at the Galapagos, the scientific superstar-to-be got his kicks from riding the trunk-size tortoises that give the islands their name -- galapago is Spanish for "saddle." Despite the...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Oct 12, 2003

Back to life, back to prosperity

Ecuador was built on bananas. Then, in the 1970s, this tiny South American country struck oil. Forward thinkers, though, are looking to tourism to keep Ecuador's economy afloat when the oil dries up -- as it is expected to do an estimated 15 years from now.
JAPAN
Oct 12, 2003

Japanese man kidnapped in China is found safe

Three Chinese men were detained Saturday in northeast China for allegedly kidnapping a 66-year-old Japanese tourist and demanding a 5.1 million yen ransom from his family.
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM MOSCOW
Oct 12, 2003

Keeping score on first ladies

MOSCOW -- Throughout the past 60 years or so, the problem-ridden relations between the White House and the Kremlin have been burdened with one more factor: the rivalry of the first ladies.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Oct 12, 2003

Telling 'The Tale of Genji' through its forgotten poetry

A STRING OF FLOWERS, UNTIED: Love Poems from The Tale of Genji, by Murasaki Shikibu, translated by Jane Reichhold and Hatsue Kawamura. Berkeley: Stone Bridge Press, 2003, 238 pp., $18.95 (paper). Threaded throughout the 1000-page length of the "Genji Monogatari" (The Tale of Genji) are some 800 poems....
BUSINESS
Oct 11, 2003

Clothing boutiques become a promising arena for shoe sales

At a boutique in the trendy Harajuku district of Tokyo, a young woman picked out a black pleated miniskirt and went into a fitting room to try it on. Soon after, a saleswoman brought her a pair of long white boots.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Oct 11, 2003

Peter Miller

Peter Miller's becoming an original photogravure print artist was, he says, a gradual development. "It didn't come to me in a flash. I taught myself through trial and error, mostly error," he said. "There is no limit to it, and I am still learning. I etch and print the plates myself, as the entire process...
JAPAN
Oct 11, 2003

Famed lawyer caught in own net

Renowned lawyer Kohei Nakabo's sudden announcement Friday that he would give up his practice over his alleged involvement in a swindle in connection with debt collection was greeted with a mixture of surprise and coolness.
JAPAN
Oct 11, 2003

Homegrown chopsticks pitched in project to boost forest-thinning

"Waribashi," or disposable wooden chopsticks, are usually hated by environmentalists as a symbol of deforestation.
MORE SPORTS
Oct 10, 2003

Ex-sekiwake Kaneshiro dies at 49

Former sumo wrestler Kaneshiro died of a heart attack on Sunday, his family said Tuesday.
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Oct 9, 2003

The roots of national security grow under our very feet

For many policymakers, the concept of national security now simply means possessing the capacity for overwhelming destruction. Armchair warriors find such thinking reassuringly straightforward and comforting, a neat and tidy corollary of "Might makes right." It is also pure fantasy.
MORE SPORTS
Oct 8, 2003

Experts tip All Blacks or England for World Cup

Former All Black legend Colin Meads recently caused a stir when he said that he thought England would beat New Zealand in the final of the 2003 Rugby World Cup. For a New Zealander to admit such a thing was considered by some in the land of the silver fern to be treasonous!
CULTURE / Art / NEW ART SEEN
Oct 8, 2003

The future's so pink ...

In preparation for the arrival of Junichiro Koizumi, George Bush, Vladamir Putin and 18 other world leaders for the Oct. 20-21 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Bangkok, Thai authorities have swooped down on the city. They have rounded up and shipped out hundreds of Cambodian beggars, thousands...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 7, 2003

Russian expert holds out hope for Kyoto

The fate of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol was thrown into jeopardy when Russian President Vladimir Putin failed last month to provide any indication that his country would ratify it.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Oct 7, 2003

Time to come clean on foreign crime wave

For those who read and watch the Japanese press, these are scary times. Foreign crime is allegedly on the rise, members of the new Koizumi Cabinet are making clear policy statements against it, and the National Police Agency is ready for a new push.
EDITORIALS
Oct 6, 2003

Can Rengo stand up for the weak?

Over the years the image of Japanese trade unions as labor's standard bearer has become steadily tarnished. Their activities no longer hit the headlines except during annual labor-management negotiations. Even the name "shunto" -- the spring labor offensive -- now seems almost irrelevant because the...
COMMENTARY
Oct 6, 2003

Industry sounds out of key in its campaign against P2P

WASHINGTON -- The recording industry seems to believe that there is no greater enemy of all that is good and wonderful than peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing technologies. Thus the Recording Industry Association of America's campaign to sue grandkids and grandparents who violate copyrights by swapping...
JAPAN
Oct 5, 2003

Radiologist gave 254 people excess doses at state hospital

A total of 254 patients at a state-run hospital in Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture, were administered radiation doses in excess of the amount prescribed by doctors over a seven-year period between 1988 and 1999, according to government and hospital officials.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 5, 2003

Fertility experts urge health insurance help

In response to the increasingly serious problem of Japan's falling birthrate, patients and medical professionals involved in fertility treatment are calling for the cost of treatment to be covered by national health insurance.
MORE SPORTS
Oct 4, 2003

Van Gundy building offense around Yao

NEW YORK -- Steve Francis isn't looking to challenge Jeff Van Gundy's authority or be perceived as a rebel. He also doesn't want to give the impression he's second-guessing his strategy.
JAPAN
Oct 4, 2003

Doctors, nurses to face war-crisis working orders

The Cabinet on Friday endorsed a revision to a Cabinet ordinance on the Self-Defense Forces Law to allow governors to order doctors, nurses, pharmacists, construction firms and private railway, bus or truck companies to continue working in times of emergency if requested by the Defense Agency chief....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / THE SECOND ROOM
Oct 4, 2003

Dad(o) hands down a family tradition

Frederic Holyszewski (aka Dado, Deedrah) was raised in the countryside of Fontainebleau, south of Paris. His parents handed down strong family traditions that grew out of a humble background. It was a charmed setting in which to grow up -- Fontainebleau even has a castle. And music was a pillar of his...
JAPAN
Oct 3, 2003

Fertility treatment carries heavy price

Women typically pay between 500,000 yen and 4 million yen to undergo in vitro fertilization treatment, sometimes borrowing money for the procedure, according to a recent study in Oita.
JAPAN
Oct 3, 2003

LDP cowed by specter of Tanaka comeback

Cleared of misappropriation allegations, Makiko Tanaka, one of the nation's most popular politicians, is on the verge of a comeback.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Oct 3, 2003

England could use experience, skill of McManaman in lineup

LONDON -- When Sven-Goran Eriksson names the England squad this weekend for the decisive Euro 2004 qualifying tie in Turkey on Oct. 11 it is a safe bet that Steve McManaman will not be included.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 2, 2003

Tokyo wards clamping down on public smoking

Ward governments around Tokyo got tough on smokers Wednesday as various ordinances took effect that ban smoking along public streets.
BUSINESS
Oct 2, 2003

Cabinet joins clamor for greater interference in currency market

Cabinet ministers said Wednesday that Japan will remain ready to intervene in the foreign-exchange market to stem volatility, after the nation's monetary authorities stepped into the currency market Tuesday in New York to stem the yen's ascent.

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