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Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / JAZZNICITY
Jul 13, 2003

The sum of their parts -- and more

One of the common impressions of Japanese jazz is of skilled technicians working studiously within the confines of jazz tradition to turn out polished music. Indeed, many Japanese jazz musicians fail to exploit the full potential of jazz improvisation, preferring instead to remain dedicated, humble craftsmen,...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jul 12, 2003

'Luxury Travel Show' hits town, aiming for TV

Varun Sharma is tall, handsome, immaculately dressed, and can talk the hind leg off a donkey. He is also a truly gentle man in displaying genuine concern for the bell "boy" at the new Marunouchi Four Seasons, who turned out to be a young woman of such tiny, fragile proportions that he feared for her...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 11, 2003

Narita looks to privatization, more profits, lower landing fees

With legislation for privatizing Narita airport set to win Diet approval Friday, the head of the operating authority pledged to do his utmost to make Japan's main gateway more profitable so it can go public in a few years after becoming a wholly state-owned joint stock corporation.
JAPAN
Jul 11, 2003

Human rights lawyer to give talks on Middle East

An award-winning human rights lawyer from the Israeli-occupied Gaza Strip will visit Japan to speak about the situation there and how global society can help the region move toward peace.
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Jul 11, 2003

It's time for Mac to get his act together

Hopefully, Mac Suzuki has turned over a new leaf.
EDITORIALS
Jul 10, 2003

Wrong light at the end of the tunnel

Stock prices and long-term interest rates in Japan have climbed rapidly of late. On Monday, the Nikkei index hit a 10-month high of 9,795 points while yields on 10-year benchmark government bonds topped 1 percent, more than double the level of a month earlier. That is good news if it signals an upturn...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jul 9, 2003

Did sports rags hire students to stuff ballot box for Godzilla?

A couple of selections from the mail bag this week.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 9, 2003

Popular nightclub a microcosm of pain, potential of deflation-beset Japan

Tokyo nightclub owner Sakura Masui is nowhere close to the modern-day geisha girl she appears to be, shuffling demurely in a purple kimono as she pours drinks and chats in hushed tones.
COMMENTARY
Jul 9, 2003

Human rights under siege worldwide

LONDON -- Terrorism is a serious threat to our societies and way of life. We must give top priority to combating it, but if we ignore or undermine the protection of human rights in the process we shall endanger the principles of humanity for which we are purportedly fighting.
JAPAN
Jul 8, 2003

Bounty of frozen fuel under seabed allures, eludes

Like an ice that burns, methane hydrate is cold, white and would light up like a gas stove if held to a flame. And so much of the frozen fuel naturally blankets the seabeds off Japan and elsewhere that scientists say it could power the world for centuries.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 8, 2003

Rush on for graves at Aoyama Cemetery

Despite charges that can top 10 million yen per grave, thousands of inquiries have come in about 50 graves being put up for sale at Aoyama Cemetery in central Tokyo.
JAPAN
Jul 8, 2003

Tests find no link between arsenic, navy

The Environment Ministry said Monday that no evidence has been found to prove the link between contaminated water in a well in Kamisu, Ibaraki Prefecture, and chemical weapons buried in the area by the Imperial Japanese Navy after World War II.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / FRONT-RUNNERS
Jul 8, 2003

Yamato continues to deliver new ideas

Yamato Transport Co.'s parcel delivery fleet with its black cat logo has made "takkyubin" a household word.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Jul 8, 2003

Funeral rites, shipping pets and cheap ink

Funeral rites A reader in America has a friend who requested that his ashes be scattered over Mt Fuji.
BASEBALL / MLB
Jul 8, 2003

Matsui, Ichiro and Hasegawa named for All-Star game

NEW YORK -- New York Yankees outfielder Hideki Matsui and Seattle Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki were picked for the American League team as organizers announced the final results of fan votes Sunday for the MLB All-Star game July 15 in Chicago.
MORE SPORTS
Jul 7, 2003

England A whips Japan 55-20

England A ensured it finished its five-game tour of North America and Japan unbeaten on Sunday as it beat Japan 55-20 at Tokyo's National Stadium.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 7, 2003

A productive EU presidency for Greece

"The Greek presidency succeeded because it had good cooperation with everyone," said Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis, the outgoing president of the European Council, while addressing the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, on July 1. All in Europe realize, he added,...
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 7, 2003

Politics of human migrations

One in five Canadian workers, one in four Australians or -- at the other extreme -- one in 500 Japanese workers is foreign-born today. The 1 million Indians in the United States comprise a meager 0.1 percent of India's population, but earn the equivalent of an astonishing 10 percent of India's national...
COMMUNITY
Jul 6, 2003

Hope for the future takes root in rice fields

ASUKA, Nara Pref. -- The mid-June drizzle had just let up when taiko drum beats marked the opening of the taue (rice-planting) festival.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jul 6, 2003

For the visiting guests of honor

Togo Heihachiro, fleet admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy, dealt a huge blow to the Russian armed forces when he sent the czar's Baltic Fleet to the bottom of the Tsushima Strait in May 1905. It was a stunning victory for Japan in the Russo-Japanese war: A bamboo land had vanquished a Western power....
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jul 6, 2003

The rich visit the poor to teach us a lesson

The fate of the Japanese economy may still be up in the air, but one thing is certain: We are living in an age of reduced expectations. Regardless of what happens to the GDP and unemployment rates, the public does not believe that things can only get better.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jul 6, 2003

The linden city turns over a new leaf

LEIPZIG, Germany -- German cities, even the larger ones, are associated with -- among other things German -- linden trees. In addition to the memory of Frankfurt's linden-lined streets, I remember a joyous summer evening in the city a few years ago when I had supper out in the courtyard of a local restaurant,...
BUSINESS
Jul 5, 2003

Yield surge concerns Shiokawa

Finance Minister Masajuro Shiokawa expressed caution Friday over a surge in the yield on the key government bond.
BUSINESS
Jul 5, 2003

Digital camcorder standard near

Sony Corp., Canon Inc., Victor Co. of Japan Ltd. and Sharp Corp. have come up with a basic concept for a common standard for high-definition digital camcorders.
JAPAN
Jul 4, 2003

Use of child-protection seats is declining, police study finds

The percentage of children who are properly seated in child-protection car seats has edged down for the first time since the seats became compulsory in 2000, the National Police Agency said Thursday.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Jul 3, 2003

Large field mouse

* Japanese name: Aka nezumi * Scientific name: Apodemus speciosus (large field mouse) * Description: These mice are 9-14 cm long, with hazel-brown fur on top, and a white throat and belly. They have large black eyes, a well-developed sense of smell and sensitive whiskers. Females have eight nipples....

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