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Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 17, 2003

Koizumi hints at October election

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi suggested Tuesday he may dissolve the House of Representatives next month because holding simultaneous Lower and Upper House elections in summer "is not a good idea."
EDITORIALS
Sep 15, 2003

Looming specter of tax hikes

The government's budget deficit continues to swell at an ominous pace. According to an estimate by the Finance Ministry, the total amount of bond issues in fiscal 2004 may exceed 41 trillion yen -- a sum roughly half the size of the budget. The figure could be revised downward, possibly to less than...
JAPAN
Sep 14, 2003

Hospital malpractice rises four-fold in '02

University hospitals across Japan reported 39 malpractice cases to the government in fiscal 2002, more than four times the number in the previous year, according to documents obtained by Kyodo News.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Sep 14, 2003

That obscure object of trivial pursuits

Last week, I read a review of the new Sofia Coppola movie, "Lost in Translation," on the Web. The movie, which was received enthusiastically at the Venice Film Festival, is about two Americans who strike up a friendship in Tokyo, and the writer referred in passing to the "unfathomable craziness of [Japanese]...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Sep 14, 2003

From West to East: Ian Buruma casts his light on the making of modern Japan

INVENTING JAPAN: 1853-1964, by Ian Buruma. New York: The Modern Library, 2003, 194 pp., $19.95, (cloth). This is a satisfying hors d'oeuvre that awakens readers' intellects while whetting their appetite for more substantial fare. It is a quirky, opinionated and selective narrative redolent of what is...
JAPAN
Sep 13, 2003

Brain-damaged patients bounced, shaken to live music

The high-pitched sound of an alto saxophone accompanied by an electronic piano resonated in the examination room, replicating the tunes often heard in pachinko parlors, while a semiconscious patient lay in bed.
JAPAN
Sep 13, 2003

Defector describes childhood of pain

A North Korean who was once detained in the notorious Yodeok concentration camp called on South Korea, Japan and other nations to join hands to pressure the Kim Jong Il regime.
MORE SPORTS
Sep 13, 2003

Shop until you drop: Eriksson may be next on Chelsea's list

LONDON -- Sven-Goran Eriksson quits his job as head coach of England to become manager of Chelsea where he takes over from Claudio Ranieri.
JAPAN
Sep 12, 2003

Some embassies just don't cooperate

Japan may be trying to crack down on foreigners who don't have a visa, but some embassies aren't all that cooperative when it comes to deportation procedures.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 12, 2003

Forget Kyoto and Ginza, latest tourist draw is 100 yen shops

Those 100 yen shops, symbols of collapsing prices, are popular with foreign tourists visiting Japan.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 12, 2003

It's time for Japan to stake wind power claim: advocate

A favorable wind is blowing for renewable energy these days amid mounting environmental concerns and fears of over-reliance on exhaustible fuels.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 11, 2003

Seniors enjoy thespian therapy

Kiyoko Goto, 86, dried her eyes several times as she watched the action unfold before her.
BUSINESS
Sep 11, 2003

Clothing manufacturers create new fad: nutritional T-shirts

Japanese fabric and clothing makers are competing fiercely in a brand new field: T-shirts and other clothing containing popular dietary supplements.
LIFE / Digital / NAME OF THE GAME
Sep 11, 2003

Let's roll -- at 800 kph

If there was ever a litmus test for hardcore gamers, "F-Zero GX" (F-Zero), a new antigravity racing game by Nintendo for the GameCube, is that test.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 10, 2003

Ancient Buddhist scripture fragments discovered in Bamiyan valley caves

Japanese experts have found a number of Buddhist scripture fragments dating from the seventh century in caves in Bamiyan, central Afghanistan, according to the National Research Institute for Cultural Properties.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 10, 2003

Music of the spheres

Acid Mothers Temple and the Melting Paraiso U.F.O. is arguably one of the most influential Japanese bands in the world at this moment.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Sep 10, 2003

Scout Niblett

Scout Niblett deserves to be a star just on the strength of her name. Born Emma Niblett, she adopted "Scout" as a performing moniker because of an obsession with the leading character in the Southern saga "To Kill a Mockingbird."
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 10, 2003

Centenarians to surpass 20,000 mark this month

The number of centenarians in Japan is expected to reach a record 20,561 by the end of September, topping the 20,000 mark for the first time, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry said Tuesday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 10, 2003

Foreign execs coached through local game

The American executive blurted out a series of questions he had been unable to ask for a year.
EDITORIALS
Sep 9, 2003

Can do in Cancun?

Trade ministers from 146 states gather in Cancun, Mexico this week to jump-start international trade negotiations. It is difficult to exaggerate the importance of this week's meeting. The Doha round, launched nearly two years ago, has stalled, the victim of a global economic slowdown and growing ill...
SUMO
Sep 9, 2003

Asashoryu marches ahead

Grand champion Asashoryu brushed aside fellow Mongolian Kyokutenho to win his second straight bout while ozeki Kaio and Chiyotaikai stayed hot on the trail with victories of their own at the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament on Monday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / FRONT-RUNNERS
Sep 9, 2003

'Yakiniku' chain weathers hike in beef tariff

The fallout from the Aug. 1 tariff increase on beef has not yet reached the nation's largest "yakiniku" grilled-beef restaurant chains.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Sep 9, 2003

Scootering, start-ups and an update

Scooter licenses Maynard never learned to drive in Canada before moving here in 1972 ("yes, 31 years ago, sigh"). Living and working in Tokyo's Yoga district, he has had no need to drive a car, and is put off by the 250,000 yen starting price for local driving schools.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Sep 9, 2003

Waging war on the U.S. presence

If you're a reader of Japanese newspapers or a viewer of Japanese TV news, you're probably well aware of the U.S. military presence in Japan.
EDITORIALS
Sep 8, 2003

Moving too fast on missile defense

The Defense Agency's plan to build a missile-defense system is causing much controversy here. The basic question is whether such a system is urgently needed and whether it is suitable for ensuring the peace and security of Japan. The question should be addressed very carefully from various angles. The...
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Sep 8, 2003

Taking the blue pill in a deflationary world

"Welcome to the real world," says Morpheus, captain of the hovercraft Nebuchadnezzar. That is how the cult-movie serial "Matrix" first ventured out into its progressively surreal world. Fans avidly await the coming of the third and (supposedly) last installment of the saga later this year.

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