Search - 2002

 
 
BUSINESS
Feb 11, 2006

Asahi taps subsidiary head in bid to keep suds on top

Asahi Breweries Ltd. said Friday it had named Hitoshi Ogita, president of Asahi Soft Drinks Co., to replace President Koichi Ikeda, as the country's top brewer faces growing pressure from rival Kirin Brewery Co.
OLYMPICS
Feb 10, 2006

Upset-minded duo looking to end 50-year drought

If Japan is to have its say in any share of upsets and surprises at the Winter Olympics in Turin, slalom specialists Akira Sasaki and Kentaro Minagawa are arguably the best bet.
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Feb 10, 2006

18,000 years in the making

Having been the centerpiece attraction at last year's Aichi Expo, the Yukagir Mammoth head is now on display in Tokyo, part of the "Yukagir Mammoth Museum" being held at the Fuji Television building. The remains of the woolly mammoth were discovered in 2002 in permafrost near Yukagir village, located...
BASEBALL / MLB
Feb 9, 2006

Ozeki to sign minor league contract with Brewers

Former Seibu Lions outfielder Tatsuya Ozeki is set to sign a minor league contract with the Milwaukee Brewers shortly, baseball sources said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Feb 9, 2006

Mizuho exec admits stealing data for mob

Tokyo police arrested a Mizuho Bank official Wednesday on suspicion of embezzlement for allegedly leaking customer information to a company linked to the mob.
JAPAN
Feb 9, 2006

Ex-envoy admits secret pact on Okinawa

A former senior Foreign Ministry official admitted Wednesday that Japan secretly shouldered $4 million in costs for Okinawa's reversion from U.S. control in 1972.
JAPAN
Feb 8, 2006

Pressure prizing open door for refugees

Last year, Japan's contribution to the United Nations refugee agency was second only to the United States.
LIFE / Language
Feb 7, 2006

Practical reasons for praising entrance exams

On Saturday, Jan. 21, history was made. And I was a part of it by simply taking a 30-minute listening test. It was the first time that the unified university entrance exams, prepared by MEXT's National Center for University Entrance Examinations, had included listening comprehension. This may very well...
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Feb 6, 2006

Source: Saito to sign with Dodgers

Japanese right-handed pitcher Takashi Saito is likely to sign a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers shortly, baseball sources said Sunday.
MORE SPORTS
Feb 6, 2006

Dementieva batters Hingis at Pan Pacific

Russia's Elena Dementieva ended Martina Hingis' bid for a first singles title in her comeback with a crushing 6-2, 6-0 win in the Pan Pacific Open on Sunday.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Feb 5, 2006

How will Valentine, Hillman and Brown fare in 2006?

One-fourth of the 12 Japanese pro baseball teams in 2006 will be led by American managers. Their performances this season may dictate whether the recent trend for the Central and Pacific Leagues to hire foreign kantoku will continue or if the clubs will return to putting native Japanese in charge.
EDITORIALS
Feb 5, 2006

A tradition not yet finished

The bad news just keeps on coming for fans of conventional cameras. Nikon Corp. will stop manufacturing most of its film cameras, and Konika Minolta Holdings Inc. will completely withdraw from the camera and film business. The sad thing is that these makers have long contributed to Japan's photographic...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Feb 5, 2006

When building bridges becomes a fruitless endeavor

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi prides himself on his plain-spoken approach to politics. His popularity guarantees that people listen to everything he says, and because what he says tends to be simple it has the power of a pronouncement, regardless of whether or not it makes any sense.
JAPAN
Feb 4, 2006

Tokyo to leverage whole talks on abduction issue

In a move to pressure North Korea a day before bilateral talks between Tokyo and Pyongyang are to start in Beijing, Foreign Minister Taro Aso said Friday that Tokyo may consider abandoning the three-track talks on security, abduction and normalization if there is no progress on the abduction issue.
JAPAN
Feb 4, 2006

Pro-Pyongyang groups set for tax scrutiny

The government will urge municipalities that provide tax breaks for pro-North Korean group facilities to consider whether such preferential treatment is appropriate, Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe said Friday.
MORE SPORTS
Feb 2, 2006

Kashima undergoes surgery, to skip world c'ships

Japanese gymnast Takehiro Kashima, a member of Japan's gold medal-winning team at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, underwent shoulder surgery last week and is expected to miss this year's world championships, sources close to him said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Feb 2, 2006

Nissan issues all-new Moco in bid to tap minicar shift

Nissan Motor Co. launched a fully remodeled version of the Moco minivehicle Wednesday that is being supplied by Suzuki Motor Corp. on an original equipment manufacturing basis.
JAPAN
Feb 2, 2006

Police conduct wiretapping in murder case for first time

Police said Wednesday they used wiretapping in a murder case for the first time last year and arrested a suspect in the gangland slaying.
BASKETBALL
Feb 1, 2006

Johnson changes roles for Saitama

The Saitama Broncos, struggling through the bj-league season, announced on Tuesday that head coach Charles Johnson will become a player/coach beginning in February. The league office said a player/coach is not authorized to coach while playing.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK
Feb 1, 2006

'Twin' trip full of pleasant surprises

First of all, let me wish you a very happy new Year of the Dog, which Chinese people all over the world welcomed in last weekend.

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