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JAPAN
Jan 26, 2005

Get ready, hay fever sufferers

Cedar pollen, a major cause of hay fever, may be prevalent in Japan until mid-May, about a month longer than average, according to weather information provider Weathernews Inc.
JAPAN
Jan 26, 2005

Panel: Is a woman's place on the throne?

A private advisory panel to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi kicked off discussions Tuesday on the Imperial House Law, with the central theme to be whether and how a female could ascend to the Chrysanthemum Throne.
JAPAN
Jan 25, 2005

Japan mulled buying cruise missiles for pre-emptive self-defense: Ishiba

The government considered arming itself with Tomahawk cruise missiles to pre-empt ballistic missile attacks but gave up because it would contradict the postwar policy of not maintaining an offensive capability, former Defense Agency chief Shigeru Ishiba said Monday.
JAPAN
Jan 23, 2005

Koizumi's old faction now under funding scrutiny

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party faction to which Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi once belonged is suspected of failing to submit official reports on details of funds distributed to its member lawmakers, sources said Saturday.
EDITORIALS
Jan 10, 2005

Mr. Gonzales and Abu Ghraib

The nomination of Mr. Alberto Gonzales as U.S. attorney general in the second Bush administration has focused attention once again on revelations that the United States has used torture on terror suspects. Since the first photographs of those misdeeds were made public last summer, there has been a steady...
JAPAN
Jan 8, 2005

China's Yasukuni ire 'puzzles' Japanese

For Tokyo native Mie Kondo, 31, Yasukuni Shrine is no more than a scenic area she used to visit with her family and a sightseeing spot to which she still likes taking visitors.
JAPAN
Jan 7, 2005

Postal privatization, budget issues await Diet on Jan. 21

The Diet will convene Jan. 21 for this year's ordinary session, which is scheduled to run through June 19, the government said Thursday.
JAPAN
Dec 29, 2004

Civilian controls over military matters seen in the balance

As Japan prepares to redefine the Self-Defense Forces as a bona fide military, the government will have to address the sensitive question of how much say SDF officers should have in national security.
JAPAN
Dec 27, 2004

Government to craft legal steps for antimissile action

The government is working out emergency legal steps for prompt activation of a missile defense shield when signs are detected that an enemy is preparing to launch, according to government officials.
JAPAN
Dec 12, 2004

Yachi tabbed as vice foreign minister

Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura has decided to appoint Assistant Chief Cabinet Secretary Shotaro Yachi as vice foreign minister, according to sources.
JAPAN
Dec 11, 2004

Defense policy overhauled to meet new global threats

The government announced Friday plans to conduct a sweeping overhaul of its defense policy, adjusting Japan's armed forces to better handle new threats such as terrorism and giving them a greater global role.
EDITORIALS
Dec 10, 2004

Challenges for Mr. Karzai

Afghanistan's three-year drive for stability reached a milestone when Mr. Hamid Karzai was sworn in Tuesday as its first popularly elected president. But the road is strewn with obstacles. Ethnic and tribal divisions are clouding prospects for national unity. As yet, there is no end in sight to terrorist...
BUSINESS
Dec 9, 2004

Economy watchers' index declines again

Business confidence of workers with jobs sensitive to economic trends worsened for the fourth consecutive month in November, the government said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Dec 4, 2004

Hosoda apologizes to former sex slaves for wartime acts

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda on Friday apologized to former sex slaves for Japan's sexual violence against them during World War II.
JAPAN
Dec 4, 2004

Push 1970s boomers to breed: white paper

The government should take effective measures targeting people in their late 20s and early 30s over the next five years to reverse Japan's falling birthrate, according to a white paper released Friday.
JAPAN
Dec 2, 2004

Crime victims may get key role in trials

The Justice Ministry is considering introducing legislation that would allow victims of crime to play a greater role in the trials of their accused offenders, ministry sources said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Dec 1, 2004

Arms export shift turns low key

The government will not stipulate the planned lifting of its self-imposed ban on arms exports when in the next week or so it adopts a new basic defense policy, according to politicians who attended the ruling coalition's security panel meeting Tuesday.
JAPAN
Nov 30, 2004

Iraq troop level may remain at 600 if mission is extended, Hosoda says

If the government extends the Ground Self-Defense Force humanitarian mission in Iraq beyond the current Dec. 14 deadline, it would aim to maintain the present deployment level of about 600 troops, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda indicated Monday.
JAPAN
Nov 25, 2004

Faction treasurer fingers Muraoka

A former treasurer of the Liberal Democratic Party's largest faction pleaded guilty Wednesday to failing to report a 100 million yen political donation in 2001 but said former Chief Cabinet Secretary Kanezo Muraoka played a key role in the coverup.
BUSINESS
Nov 20, 2004

New GDP calculation likely to show shrinkage

The government is maintaining its bullish view on the economy even though the real gross domestic product is projected to have shrunk in the third quarter with the adoption of a new GDP data calculating method, the economic minister said Friday.
BUSINESS
Nov 19, 2004

Koizumi puts off final decision on contentious subsidy reforms

Blocked by fierce opposition from his own party, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Thursday postponed finalizing a plan to give more fiscal freedom to prefectural and municipal governments.
JAPAN
Nov 18, 2004

Opposition hears Muraoka deny shady funds link

Former Liberal Democratic Party heavyweight Kanezo Muraoka reiterated Wednesday he had nothing to do with a shady 100 million yen donation made to his party faction and claimed money matters were handled by others, including former Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiromu Nonaka.
JAPAN
Nov 13, 2004

Consumers help GDP edge up just 0.1%

Slumping corporate spending and exports caused the economy to slow to a crawl in the July-September period, with real gross domestic product expanding just 0.1 percent from the previous quarter, Cabinet Office data showed Friday.
JAPAN
Nov 12, 2004

Lawmakers question delayed response to sub

Ruling bloc and opposition lawmakers Thursday criticized the government's slow response to a mystery submarine that intruded into Japan's territorial waters the previous day.
EDITORIALS
Nov 9, 2004

Making money politics not pay

In yet another case of political corruption, former Lower House member Muneo Suzuki, who once held important posts in the Cabinet and the Liberal Democratic Party, has been sentenced to two years in prison by the Tokyo District Court for bribery and other offenses. Significantly, the court did not grant...
BUSINESS
Nov 6, 2004

Key economic gauge stays below boom-or-bust line

A key gauge of the current state of Japan's economy stayed below the boom-or-bust line of 50 percent in September for the second straight month, stirring concerns that the nation's economic recovery might have peaked.
JAPAN
Oct 26, 2004

MSDF to remain in Arabian Sea

The government decided Monday to extend the deployment of Maritime Self-Defense Force vessels in the Arabian Sea as part of the U.S.-led antiterror mission by another six months to May 1.
EDITORIALS
Oct 22, 2004

The bounds of the security treaty

The United States is reviewing the role of its military bases in Japan in line with its plans for global troop redeployment (or "force transformation" as the U.S. Defense Department calls it). This is raising concerns that some realignment plans involving U.S. forces stationed here might exceed the geographical...

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