Search - 2003

 
 
JAPAN
Dec 31, 2005

Overseas challenges attractive for JICA senior volunteers

When Setsuko Inoue was 57 years old, she quit her job as a principal at an elementary school in Tokyo's Suginami Ward and served as a volunteer worker for a day-care center for physically and mentally disabled children in Nepal.
JAPAN
Dec 30, 2005

Rare-disease sufferers want drugs fast-tracked

, a rare, life-threatening disease caused by a deficiency in a lysosomal enzyme. The hereditary, progressive illness causes mental retardation, poor vision and stiffness in the joints. Tomoki's only chance of getting better is to have a bone marrow or blood transplant from an umbilical cord, but his...
JAPAN
Dec 30, 2005

Timetable for quake-proofing tests accelerated

The government will have the earthquake resistance of up to 2 million residences checked in the next 10 years and renovate about half of them to make them stronger, the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry said Thursday.
JAPAN
Dec 30, 2005

Contractors collude to end lawbreaking

Major construction firms will work together to eliminate bid-rigging because the revised Antimonopoly Law that takes effect Jan. 4 mandates harsher penalties for offenders, sources said Thursday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 30, 2005

On and off the charts

Cast an eye over those charts that list the top-selling Japanese pop albums of the year and three musical trends come out on top: There were loose-limbed hip-hop party grooves aplenty (Def Tech and Ketsumeishi); American-influenced punk pop (Ellegarden, Ken Yokoyama and scores of others with Orange County-inflected...
JAPAN
Dec 29, 2005

11 who lost health insurance weren't treated, died

At least 11 people have died over the past six years because they were apparently unable to receive prompt medical attention after having surrendered their national health insurance cards for nonpayment of fees, according to a Kyodo News survey compiled Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Dec 28, 2005

CPI rises for first time in two years but new index sees prices still falling

The government presented conflicting consumer price indexes Tuesday that show deflation may still be around for some time.
BUSINESS
Dec 28, 2005

November jobless rate hits 4.6%

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate came to 4.6 percent in November, up from 4.5 percent in October, the second straight monthly increase, the government said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Dec 27, 2005

Seven & I seals deal to buy Millennium

Seven & I Holdings Co., operator of Seven-Eleven Japan Co., formally announced Monday it will acquire department store giant Millennium Retailing Inc. for about 130 billion yen, creating the country's largest retail group.
JAPAN
Dec 27, 2005

Major effort launched to cut suicide rate

The government set a target Monday of reducing the number of suicides to around 25,000 a year over the next decade, adopting 47 measures centered on boosting counseling services.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Dec 27, 2005

Finding a job after Japan

Rachel spent 3 1/2 years in Tokyo working for one of the big five conversation schools, before returning to the U.S. and working for the same company as a recruiter up and down the West Coast of the U.S.
JAPAN
Dec 27, 2005

Local bureaucrat numbers shrink 11th straight year

The number of local government employees dropped by a record 41,475 in fiscal 2004 to 3.04 million as of April 1, declining for the 11th consecutive year, a government survey showed Monday.
JAPAN
Dec 27, 2005

Rival camps emerge

Two rival factions of Aum Shinrikyo plan to hold separate seminars from Thursday to Jan. 3, according to intelligence authority sources.
BASKETBALL
Dec 26, 2005

Team-player Pippen doing Uncle Scottie proud in bj-league

Just like his uncle, William Pippen runs everywhere from the top of the key to underneath the basket. And the efforts have paid off so far.
JAPAN
Dec 26, 2005

Ito-Yokado, Seibu enter final merger negotiations

The holding firms of supermarket chain Ito-Yokado Co. and Seibu Department Stores Ltd. are in the final phase of merger negotiations, industry sources said Sunday.
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Dec 26, 2005

Tax system overhaul must ensure economic vigor for a dwindling population

The ruling coalition released its tax reform proposals for fiscal 2006 on Dec. 15. Despite the tight fiscal conditions, it is laudable the ruling parties recommended measures aimed at boosting economic activity -- such as those that encourage corporate investment in research and development, expenditures...
JAPAN
Dec 26, 2005

Crown Princess may attend water confab in Mexico

Crown Princess Masako may visit Mexico together with Crown Prince Naruhito in March to attend the Fourth World Water Forum, according to sources.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Dec 25, 2005

Snapshot: All I want for Christmas is a new (digital) camera

This week I would like to tell you about the camera that has been my constant companion to ballgames all around Japan for almost 30 years.
EDITORIALS
Dec 25, 2005

Ground floor of a scandal

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department and the Chiba and Kanagawa prefectural police launched a joint investigation Dec. 20 into Japan's building-design scandal, raiding more than 100 locations in Tokyo and five prefectures -- Chiba, Saitama, Fukuoka, Kumamoto and Miyazaki.
JAPAN
Dec 24, 2005

Prosecutors get papers on defense bid-rigging

The Defense Facilities Administration Agency has submitted documents tied to bid-rigging allegations over installation of electrical equipment, in response to a request from the Tokyo District Public Prosecutor's Office.
JAPAN
Dec 24, 2005

Scandal-hit LDP vet Ito fudged on donations

Veteran politician Kosuke Ito failed to declare 59.64 million yen in political donations that he received from a Tokyo-based political organization between 1990 and 2002, according to sources.
EDITORIALS
Dec 24, 2005

Eking out a trade deal in Hong Kong

It was pretty likely that some deal would get struck at the World Trade Organization (WTO) ministerial meeting that was held last week in Hong Kong. It was inevitable that any such accord would be the product of arduous last-minute negotiations. And it was certain that trade ministers would applaud the...
JAPAN
Dec 24, 2005

Ex-lawmaker Fuwa, 75, may quit JCP helm

Japanese Communist Party Central Committee Chairman Tetsuzo Fuwa, 75, may leave his post in January due to his advanced age, party sources said Friday.
JAPAN
Dec 23, 2005

Political parties' fundraising under 300 billion yen, off 10%

Political parties and affiliated organizations collected a combined 290.8 billion yen in political funds in 2004, a 9.8 percent decline from the previous year and below the 300 billion yen mark for the second time since the early 1990s, a Kyodo News survey revealed Thursday.

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