Search - 2004

 
 
BUSINESS
Jul 5, 2006

Big life insurers apologize to policyholders

Major life insurance companies, reeling from a series of misdeeds, held their annual meetings of policyholders' representatives Tuesday.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / ON THE BOOK TRAIL
Jul 4, 2006

"The Possum Always Rings Twice: A Chet Gecko Mystery," "Strange Happiness"

"The Possum Always Rings Twice: A Chet Gecko Mystery," Bruce Hale, Harcourt; 2006; 112pp.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 3, 2006

European women caught in leisure trap

PRAGUE -- Black Friday in the United States traditionally is the day after Thanksgiving that signals the start of the holiday season sale. At daybreak, people line up before department stores to get the special "early bird" bargains.
JAPAN
Jul 2, 2006

81% want to be told of dementia

More than 80 percent of people surveyed say they want to be informed if they are someday diagnosed with dementia, according to the National Institute for Longevity Sciences.
JAPAN
Jul 1, 2006

Tadaki to be new top prosecutor

The government appointed Keiichi Tadaki as prosecutor general at the Supreme Public Prosecutor's Office in a Cabinet decision effective Friday, government officials said.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 1, 2006

Nukaga calls mission to Iraq a success

Japan's 2 1/2-year military deployment in Iraq was a success that will serve as a lesson for future missions as the country moves to assume a bigger role in regional and global security, Defense Agency chief Fukushiro Nukaga said in an interview Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jun 30, 2006

Civil servant guilty of political activity, avoids fine

The Tokyo District Court convicted a government official Thursday of violating the National Civil Service Law for passing out copies of the Japanese Communist Party newspaper in 2003.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jun 30, 2006

Digital art with a punk attitude

Kensuke Sembo and Yae Akaiwa are two Tokyo-based artists who engage a variety of technology. Working under the name Exonemo, the duo's current installation, "World B/Turn over your awareness to play the B-side," marks the 10th anniversary of the two-man collective and runs for a further two weeks through...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / THE SECOND ROOM
Jun 30, 2006

Psychedelic radar 06.30

Solstice Music Festival 2006: July 15-17
BUSINESS
Jun 29, 2006

Average household income rises first time since 1998

Average annual household income rose 0.1 percent from a year earlier to 5,804,000 yen in 2004 for the first rise in eight years, according to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry's national livelihood survey released Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Jun 29, 2006

21% fewer nonbank lenders in '05

There were 14,236 registered nonbank lenders in Japan at the end fiscal 2005, which ended March, down 20.9 percent from the previous year, as many consumer credit firms shut their doors in the face of tighter regulations, the Financial Services Agency said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jun 28, 2006

Police may be sent to East Timor

The government is considering taking part in the U.N. peacekeeping operations in East Timor, which has been rocked by violence, according to government sources.
BUSINESS
Jun 28, 2006

Livedoor to maintain financial services, chief says

Livedoor Co. will still provide financial services after it sells off its financial-business arms, Livedoor President Kozo Hiramatsu said Monday.
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 27, 2006

Becks bends Ecuadorians

STUTTGART, Germany -- England played poorly once again and won, but Sven Goran Eriksson's men are unlikely to get away with anymore woeful performances such as this one if they are to reach the World Cup final.
EDITORIALS
Jun 27, 2006

Think about it and vote again

One year after French and Dutch voters rejected the proposed European Union constitution in referendums, EU leaders have agreed to extend the "period of reflection," setting the second half of 2008 as a deadline for deciding what to do about the bloc's moribund document. The conclusion of the EU leaders'...
COMMENTARY
Jun 27, 2006

Iraq pullout is not the end

The Japanese government has formally decided to withdraw Ground Self-Defense Force troops from Iraq. The decision reflects Tokyo's judgment that recent developments in the country -- the beginning of a formal government, appointment of three security ministers and the transfer of security powers to Iraq...
JAPAN
Jun 27, 2006

Successor inherits ever-unpopular deficit mess

Most banks have shed their burden of bad loans. The Nikkei 225 average has recovered from rock bottom and the economy is finally picking up. But what about Japan's debt-ridden finances?
COMMENTARY
Jun 26, 2006

South Korea and China also stir the pot

NEW YORK -- A friend of mine in Tokyo has sent me two recent proposals to improve Japan's relations with its neighbors. One, by the Japan Association of Corporate Executives, deals with China and is addressed to both the Japanese and Chinese governments; the other, by the Kansai Association of Corporate...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jun 25, 2006

Giants looking to bring in late comers with 'Heat Up' ticket promotion at Tokyo Dome

Discounts for tickets to Yomiuri Giants home games?
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jun 25, 2006

What's in it for them to return us to 'prewar values'?

The leaders of many countries evoke their nation's history as if it were an idyll of virtue and civility. They gaze into the mirror of the past and see no dark blemish, only purity, goodness and light.
BUSINESS
Jun 24, 2006

Son says Vodafone can top rivals with content

Mobile phone carrier Vodafone K.K., which Softbank Corp. acquired in April, can outperform rivals NTT DoCoMo Inc. and KDDI Corp. by funneling content from Softbank subsidiary Yahoo Japan Corp. into its mobile business, Softbank President Masayoshi Son said Friday.
CULTURE / Music
Jun 23, 2006

Utada Hikaru "Ultra Blue"

Utada Hikaru's back on form -- whatever that means. Her English-language "Exodus' album in 2004 was a global flop, yet undeservedly so; an experimental set that chose artistry over chart domination, it was a quiet masterstroke after three albums of undiluted pop smashes. She said it was the album she'd...
COMMENTARY
Jun 19, 2006

Tokyo's hard line slowing solution to abduction issue

Japan is understandably upset over past abductions of its citizens by North Korea. But rightwing pressure has made a solution almost impossible. It is a good example of how emotional nationalism and Tokyo's manipulations can damage sensible foreign policies.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Jun 18, 2006

Kanjani 8 hosts "Suka*J" on TV Tokyo, Nihon TV's "Tetsuwan Dash" and more

Always on the lookout for new variety show ideas, TV Asahi experiments with the idea of mathematical probability.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Jun 17, 2006

England's performance against minnow doesn't bode well

MUNICH -- Two years ago at Euro 2004 Swiss referee Urs Meier received death threats after disallowing Sol Campbell's potentially winning "goal" for England against Portugal because of a foul by John Terry, a subjective decision but one to which video evidence gives credence.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Jun 17, 2006

Miyade, Ramirez power Swallows

Ryuji Miyade hit a go-ahead two-run homer and Alex Ramirez drove in four runs, leading the Yakult Swallows to an 8-4 win over the Chiba Lotte Marines in interleague action Friday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 17, 2006

Indoor play centers pricey but safe havens for kids

Parents often want their kids to play indoors because of bad weather, the threat of sunburn or other environmental factors, and increasingly, because of the fear of crime.

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