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COMMENTARY / World
Jun 1, 2006

The coming 'St. Putinsburg' summit

PRAGUE — St. Petersburg is a great place in early summer, when the "White Nights" bathe the city's imperial palaces and avenues. Small wonder, then, that Russian President Vladimir Putin likes to show off his hometown.
BUSINESS
May 31, 2006

Industrial output hits record high

Industrial production rose a seasonally adjusted 1.5 percent in April to set a record high, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said Tuesday.
EDITORIALS
May 30, 2006

The means to a sustainable end

The Cabinet has adopted the third Basic Environment Plan since the first one was approved in 1994. Based on a report by the Central Environment Council, the latest plan, a revision of the second plan (adopted in 2000), is titled "The Way to a New Rich Lifestyle in a Sustainable Society."
BUSINESS
May 30, 2006

Japan antes up for World Bank research

The government will extend up to $2 million to the World Bank to help strengthen its research on key development issues, including agriculture and climate change.
EDITORIALS
May 27, 2006

Meetings fail to thaw chill

Foreign Minister Taro Aso held separate meetings with his South Korean and Chinese counterparts earlier this week -- the first such get-together in five months and one year, respectively. Although he managed to clinch agreements on some bilateral issues, Japan's relations with its closest neighbors remain...
BUSINESS
May 27, 2006

AIG insurer pair in Japan to merge

U.S. insurer American International Group Inc., will merge next year 2007 in a bid to reinforce their competitive edge, sources said Friday.
BUSINESS
May 27, 2006

CPI extends rise on 0.5% gain in April

The consumer price index, a closely watched indicator in connection with the Bank of Japan's monetary policy, rose 0.5 percent in April from a year earlier for the sixth straight monthly increase, the government said Friday, supporting the view that the economy is moving out of deflation.
BUSINESS
May 27, 2006

FSA hits Saikyo failure to report embezzlement

The Financial Services Agency slapped Saikyo Bank with a business-improvement order Friday for failing to report that employees had been embezzling from depositors' accounts, FSA officials said.
JAPAN
May 24, 2006

Danish director films 'most soothing' robot

A Danish director is making a documentary on Japan's therapeutic Paro robot, which looks like a baby harp seal, to show how "the world's most soothing robot" helps patients.
JAPAN
May 23, 2006

Importer's rare tortoises a labor of love

Before he heads off to work, Masakazu Utsunomiya has a unique daily ritual of tender loving care -- he bathes and feeds the rare Burmese starred tortoises he keeps in his modest Tokyo apartment and ensures their tanks' temperature is just right.
COMMENTARY / World
May 19, 2006

Russian flirtation with the fascist threat

MOSCOW -- Today's Kremlin thinks that democracy was being built too quickly in Russia. The government does not say that it is against democracy, only that it is untimely and needs to be delayed -- a logic that manifests itself in most official decisions. Thus, at the beginning of the current decade,...
JAPAN
May 18, 2006

Chongryun, Mindan hold historic talks

The leaders of the pro-Seoul and pro-Pyongyang groups in Japan ended 60 years of hostilities Wednesday with a reconciliation meeting in Tokyo.
JAPAN
May 18, 2006

Opposition lawmakers lash out at conspiracy bill

Lawmakers, lawyers and citizen groups voiced opposition Wednesday to a proposed bill that would make conspiracy to commit a crime punishable for more than 600 offenses even if no crime is actually carried out.
BUSINESS
May 18, 2006

March industrial output up 0.2%

Industrial output grew a seasonally adjusted 0.2 percent in March and rose an unadjusted 1.6 percent in fiscal 2005, the government said Wednesday in leaving the data unchanged from a preliminary report.
JAPAN
May 16, 2006

Old books find new life with young

Defying conventional wisdom, more young Japanese are getting interested in secondhand books -- not only to read but also taking pleasure in selling them at flea markets -- thanks in part to an enterprising young woman who started selling used books on the Internet.
JAPAN
May 16, 2006

Crime reporting turns murky as cops clam up

Police are increasingly opting not to release names of crime victims, giving rise to fears that criminal cases will become opaque, facts will become obscure and the validity of evidence in doubt.
BUSINESS
May 16, 2006

April wholesale prices up 2.5%

Wholesale prices increased 2.5 percent in April from a year earlier for the 26th straight monthly rise, reflecting the upward trend in the prices of oil and nonferrous materials, the Bank of Japan said Monday.
Japan Times
LIFE / WEEK 3
May 14, 2006

Home and away

AUSTRALIA Respect brings harmony without being workaholic
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
May 12, 2006

Mancunian with a golden voice

He's a lifelong fan of Manchester United, but don't hold that against him.
JAPAN
May 12, 2006

Conspiracy bill raises questions as Diet showdown nears

A controversial bill aimed at making conspiracy a crime will likely take its first step toward law as the ruling coalition is ready to ask a House of Representatives panel to approve the legislation over strong objections from the opposition parties.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / THE SECOND ROOM
May 12, 2006

Psychedelic radar 05.12

Saturday, May 13
BUSINESS
May 12, 2006

Automakers' profits up on overseas sales

Japan's major carmakers got a boost in earnings and profits in fiscal 2005 but the figures show many are relying on overseas sales, mainly in the United States, as domestic sales stagnate.
EDITORIALS
May 11, 2006

Conspiring on a weak bill

The ruling and opposition parties are waging a battle in the Lower House's Judicial Affairs Committee over a bill that would introduce the "crime of conspiracy." The crux of the proposal is that one would be punished for joining others to plan a crime even if the crime was not actually carried out or...
BUSINESS
May 10, 2006

Disney properties' profit down in '05 due to Aichi Expo

The operator of Tokyo Disneyland said Tuesday it posted a pretax profit of 26.69 billion yen in fiscal 2005, down 13.5 percent, due to the World Exposition in Aichi.

Longform

Growing families are being priced out of Tokyo’s condo market, forced to choose between downtown convenience and suburban space.
Is living in central Tokyo still affordable?