Search - 2003

 
 
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Feb 4, 2007

Upson saga illustrates how much power today's players have on transfers

LONDON -- West Ham United should beware after signing Matthew Upson from Birmingham City.
Reader Mail
Feb 4, 2007

Credit a politician who speaks up

Regarding the Jan. 25/26 article "Kyuma: U.S. invasion of Iraq a mistake": Isn't it strange that whereas U.S. President George W. Bush already admits that mistakes were made in deciding to start the Iraq war in March 2003, the leaders in Japan won't say anything about having dispatched some of our Self-Defense...
BASKETBALL / ONE-ON-ONE WITH ...
Feb 3, 2007

Evessa coach Tennichi influenced by Westhead

The Japan Times will feature periodic interviews with players in the bj-league -- Japan's first professional basketball circuit -- which is in its second season. Head coach Kensaku Tennichi of the Osaka Evessa is the subject of this week's profile. He led the Osaka Evessa to the bj-league's first championship...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
Feb 3, 2007

Love Stories: the five rules

All is fair in love and war, but still there are rules. At least -- according to a romance-reading colleague -- there are rules in love stories.
JAPAN
Feb 1, 2007

H5N1 confirmed at Okayama farm

Dozens of chickens that started dying two weeks ago at a poultry farm in Okayama Prefecture were killed by the H5N1 strain of bird flu, agriculture officials confirmed Wednesday, fueling concerns about the future of the poultry industry.
EDITORIALS
Jan 31, 2007

Preparing for a pandemic

Three recent outbreaks of avian influenza -- the first two in Miyazaki Prefecture in Kyushu and the third in Takahashi, Okayama Prefecture -- serve as a warning about a possible outbreak of an influenza pandemic that could cause millions of deaths worldwide. Virus samples taken from dead chickens in...
Reader Mail
Jan 31, 2007

Iraq war opposed from the outset

Regarding Robert Lezzi's Jan. 10 letter, "Benefits of returning to the draft": Putting aside the fact that a draft would put the United States in the same league as repressive regimes like North Korea and Iran, his comments ignore reality. He says that only when a draft is reinstated "will Americans...
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jan 30, 2007

Press clubs: Exclusive access to, pipelines for info

Because "kisha" press clubs provide easy access to information provided by the central and local governments and business associations, membership is considered essential for mainstream news organizations.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jan 30, 2007

Lend an ear to an ancient practice

The tools and rules of hygiene are generally cut and dry: Brush your teeth at least twice a day, floss once, remember to bathe, and clip your nails to meet your own taste. But what about cleaning your ears? For some people, once every couple of weeks is enough, but others like to do it every day.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Jan 27, 2007

Agents receiving massive sums for little work on transfers

LONDON -- The following conversation took place at a house in England recently . . .
CULTURE / Music
Jan 26, 2007

The Good, The Bad and The Queen "The Good, The Bad and The Queen"

Just shy of 40, Blur/Gorillaz vocalist Damon Albarn has ticked most of the boxes of middle-age rock star cliches: He's done film scores ("Ravenous"), got "down" with ethnic music (2002's "Mali Music") and he's flirted with politics (he's a prominent antiwar activist). The Good, The Bad and The Queen...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Jan 24, 2007

One dive at a time

They say time and tide wait for no man, and it's safe to say that few people understand this truism as well as diver and explorer Dr. Greg Stone, one of 12 individuals recently named a National Geographic Adventure Hero of 2006.
LIFE / Language
Jan 23, 2007

Translations blunted by discarded 'somethings'

One of the great pleasures of life in a country not your own is savoring its literature in the original language.
JAPAN
Jan 22, 2007

TV entertainer voted Miyazaki governor

," said Higashi, 49, an apprentice of comedian Beat Takeshi, after learning he had won. "We must change Miyazaki together." Higashi, 49, whose real name is Hideo Higashikokubaru, apparently attracted voters by shedding his image as a comedian and receiving no backing by any political party.
COMMENTARY
Jan 22, 2007

Unshackling Japan's defense

On Jan. 9 the Defense Agency was upgraded to full ministry status. At a ceremony marking the change, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said it was a major step from the "postwar regime" toward a foundation for national rebuilding.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jan 21, 2007

The media merry-go-round fueled by sensational murders

On Jan. 5, 21-year-old Yuki Muto was arrested for murdering his sister, Azumi, on Dec. 30 at their home in Shibuya, Tokyo. He reportedly told police that he killed Azumi because she criticized his unsuccessful attempts to get into dental college and belittled his ambitions, later adding that he was under...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Jan 21, 2007

Sex in the Forbidden City

Rene Leys, by Victor Segalen, translated and with an introduction by J.A. Underwood, preface by Ian Buruma. New York: New York Review of Books, 2003, 210 pp. $14 (paper) "Who is this lad, this Belgian youth, who forbids Manchu princes possession of their future concubines? . . . . Who . . . has attained...
EDITORIALS
Jan 21, 2007

Holding off on a rate hike

The Bank of Japan's Policy Board has decided to maintain the overnight call rate, the key short-term interest rate, at 0.25 percent -- the rate it adopted last July when it scrapped its zero interest rate policy. The final conclusion of the Policy Board's discussions last week departs somewhat from BOJ...
JAPAN
Jan 20, 2007

Abe keen to revive controversial conspiracy bill

parties so the bill can clear the Diet," Abe told reporters. In 2000, Japan signed the U.N. Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime, which set guidelines for crime-fighting cooperation. The treaty obliges member countries to enact domestic legislation that establishes conspiracy as a crime....
JAPAN
Jan 20, 2007

'Yokohama Incident' appeals dismissed

The Tokyo High Court on Friday dismissed appeals brought by the relatives of five men convicted in the so-called Yokohama Incident, the nation's worst case of repression of journalistic freedom during the war.

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