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EDITORIALS
Sep 17, 2006

Have a nice 'sol'

It's that time again. Every so often, life on our planet just seems so bleak there's nowhere to look but out. That was certainly the case this past week. Not only did the usual whack-a-mole wars keep flaring and simmering, even good things had their dark sides. Here in Japan, the welcome birth of a prince...
BUSINESS
Sep 16, 2006

Mixi shares close at 3.12 million yen

Shares of Mixi Inc. ended their second day of trading on the Tokyo Stock Exchange at 3.12 million yen Friday, up from the initial price of 2.95 million yen fetched in the morning.
JAPAN
Sep 15, 2006

Peeping economist nabbed in groping

Economist Kazuhide Uekusa, who was once a regular guest on TV programs but was convicted for trying to look up a girl's skirt in 2004, has been arrested on suspicion of groping a 17-year-old female high school student on a train in Tokyo, police said Thursday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 15, 2006

No Use For A Name

Formed in California by guitarist Tony Sly and drummer Rory Koff, No Use For A Name have been entertaining punks old and new with their infectious, fast-paced anthems since 1987. After releasing two albums on New Red Archives, the band inked a deal with punk heavyweight Fat Wreck Chords in 1993. Owned...
JAPAN
Sep 15, 2006

Abe holds tongue on Japan's war deeds

has sent signals" they want to improve the Japan-China relationship, he said. Abe's strategy has been to keep his opinions to himself about Japan's actions in the 1930s and 1940s.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / JAZZNICITY
Sep 15, 2006

Big-band education

On the sidewalk, in the parking lot and on the entrance stairs outside Fuchu Mori Art Theater Hall in western Tokyo last month, throngs of university students were fingering melody lines in the air, scrunching their faces trying to remember chord changes and counting out tempos in whispered voices. ...
EDITORIALS
Sep 14, 2006

Beware the dangers of drunk driving

The recent deaths of three young children in Fukuoka in a car accident caused by a drunk driver has highlighted Japanese society's misplaced tolerance toward driving under the influence of alcohol and the lack of awareness among drivers that it is illegal to drive after ingesting alcohol. Even worse,...
CULTURE / Music / THE SECOND ROOM
Sep 14, 2006

Psychedelic radar 09.15

Vision Quest: Sept. 16-18
BUSINESS
Sep 14, 2006

Mitsubishi Motors launches new eK minivehicles

Mitsubishi Motors Corp. launched fully remodeled eK Wagon and eK Sport minivehicles Wednesday in hopes of meeting its domestic sales target of 302,000 units for this business year.
JAPAN
Sep 13, 2006

Birth of a male has raised profile of 'second princess'

Princess Kiko can do no wrong these days.
EDITORIALS
Sep 13, 2006

MSDF must run a tighter ship

On the evening of Sept. 5, the Vulcan 20 mm machine gun on a Maritime Self-Defense Force high-speed missile boat was accidentally fired at the Ominato base in Mutsu, Aomori Prefecture. At least one of the 10 rounds hit a tree a mere 12 meters from a house. Only through sheer good luck were injuries or...
JAPAN
Sep 13, 2006

Builders face 6.7 billion yen in penalties for rigging bridge bids

The government and four highway operators are seeking payment of 6.7 billion yen in penalties by Sept. 29 from 38 contractors for allegedly rigging bids on bridge projects since 2003, government officials said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Sep 12, 2006

Imperial imposters get 26 months

The Tokyo District Court on Monday sentenced a man and a woman to 26 months in prison for staging a fraudulent wedding reception in which they pretended to be members of the Imperial family and bilked guests out of 12 million yen in cash and a painting.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 12, 2006

Condo owners see dreams shattered in Aneha scandal

When Mitsuhide Taira moved into his 150-sq.-meter condominium in Grand Stage Kawasaki Daishi in November 2004, he thought he had found the perfect place for his wife and him to raise their three preschool-age children.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Sep 12, 2006

Owning the bragging rights to work addiction

The Japanese were once famed for their work ethic. Now, shigoto-chudoku (workaholism) has been franchised out to the rest of the world and become a fact of globalized life.
JAPAN
Sep 10, 2006

Exec denies Fukushima bid-rigging

The chairman of Fukushima-based construction contractor Sato Kogyo Corp. has denied involvement in rigging bids for a sewage system project ordered by the Fukushima Prefectural Government, investigative sources said Saturday.
JAPAN
Sep 9, 2006

METI submits criminal complaint on Mitutoyo

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry filed a criminal complaint on Friday against precision instrument maker Mitutoyo Corp. and its executives on suspicion of unlawfully exporting two measuring devices that could be used to make nuclear weapons to Malaysia in 2001, ministry sources said.
EDITORIALS
Sep 8, 2006

Japan joins the Great Game

Acentury ago, Russia and Britain contested for influence in Central Asia in a competition known as the Great Game. One hundred years later, Central Asia remains a vitally important region, and the governments fighting for influence have increased, and now include Japan.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / COUNTER CULTURE
Sep 8, 2006

Dover Street shop storms into Tokyo

When it comes to revolutionary retail concept stores in Japan, there's no getting away from Tokyo's Aoyama district. That area's latest major opening comes from none other than Japan's epoch-making fashion house Comme des Garcons.
JAPAN
Sep 8, 2006

Kimura admits window-dressing but denies fraud in building safety scandal

Former Kimura Construction Co. President Moriyoshi Kimura, a key figure in the building safety scandal, pleaded not guilty Thursday to fraud for allegedly selling a building he knew did not meet earthquake-resistance standards, but admitted to window-dressing.
JAPAN
Sep 7, 2006

Fans, patients, shop owners weigh in on Imperial birth

Amid heavy security Wednesday, the media, Imperial enthusiasts and well-wishers swarmed to prestigious Aiiku Hospital in Minato Ward, Tokyo, during the wee hours to wait for Princess Kiko to give birth.

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