Search - 2002

 
 
EDITORIALS
Jul 19, 2004

Opaque dental group donations

Tokyo public prosecutors are probing the alleged embezzlement of political campaign funds from the Japan Dentists Federation, the lobby for the Japan Dental Association. The investigation reached a new stage last week when a former Lower House member of the Liberal Democratic Party, Mr. Yukihiro Yoshida,...
JAPAN
Jul 19, 2004

Soga family arrives in Tokyo

Repatriated abductee Hitomi Soga and her family arrived Sunday in Tokyo in a move expected to lead to their permanent residence in Japan, although uncertainty remains over the fate of her American husband accused by the United States of deserting from the army.
JAPAN
Jul 18, 2004

Airlines offered to fly Soga family for 1 YEN

All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines initially offered to fly repatriated abductee Hitomi Soga and her family to Tokyo from Jakarta on a government-chartered flight for 1 yen, government officials said Saturday.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 18, 2004

Straight out of North Korea

In the strange case of U.S. Army Sgt. Charles Robert Jenkins, four seemingly obscure people have been caught up in diplomatic maneuvering among the United States, Japan, South Korea, North Korea, China and Indonesia.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 18, 2004

Dental donation scandal widens

Tamisuke Watanuki, a former speaker of the House of Representatives, has admitted to accepting a 5 million yen donation from the scandal-tainted Japan Dental Association, his office said Saturday.
OLYMPICS
Jul 17, 2004

Takahara misses out

Feyenoord midfielder Shinji Ono and teenage striker Sota Hirayama were included in Japan's final squad for next month's Athens Olympics, but Naohiro Takahara's faint hopes of playing in Greece ended after he was omitted from the 18-man party named by the Japan Football Association on Friday.
JAPAN
Jul 17, 2004

Term upheld for gangster busted under bugging law

The Tokyo High Court on Friday upheld a ruling that found a former gangster guilty of selling illegal drugs based on evidence obtained under the first application of a controversial law authorizing wiretapping.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 17, 2004

Asia seizing new opportunities in Africa

In the Senegalese city of Thies, a new enterprise, "Senbus," is assembling 30-seat buses for the domestic and regional markets. The first units of this first vehicle factory in Senegal rolled out the plant's doors in September 2003, thanks to a partnership between Senegalese investors and Tata International,...
COMMUNITY
Jul 17, 2004

Designing and touring Japanese gardens in U.K.

Robert Ketchell, a designer of Japanese gardens and a guide to gardens in Japan, is at full stretch when we first talk. He is off to meet Princess Anne in Spalding, on Lincolnshire's east coast, where she is due to visit a garden he and his business partner, Jacquie Blakeley, have created.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 16, 2004

Miyake islanders can return home in '05

The village authority of Miyake Island, 180 km south of Tokyo, will lift a nearly four-year-old evacuation order on islanders by early next year, despite ongoing volcanic activity there, village officials said Thursday.
JAPAN
Jul 15, 2004

Four-year term sought for Suzuki

Prosecutors demanded a four-year prison term and 11 million yen fine Wednesday for former House of Representatives member Muneo Suzuki for allegedly accepting 11 million yen in bribes from two Hokkaido companies.
LIFE / Lifestyle / MATTER OF COURSE
Jul 15, 2004

Japan's kindergartens could serve families better

Procreation just ain't what it used to be.
Japan Times
JAPAN / BY THE NUMBERS
Jul 14, 2004

Brewers hope to bask in suds sales as mercury rises

The mood at breweries goes up with the mercury -- when it's blazing hot, ice-cold beer is irresistible and sales skyrocket.
BUSINESS
Jul 14, 2004

Record 74% of Japan manufacturers see profits in China

A record 74.4 percent of China-based Japanese manufacturers responding to a poll posted operating profits in 2003, the Japan External Trade Organization said Tuesday.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 14, 2004

Winning over Hong Kong

SINGAPORE -- After Hong Kongers somberly commemorated the 15th anniversary of Tiananmen on June 5, they jolted China's central government by organizing, like last year, another massive July 1 demonstration, setting the stage for another big political standoff with Beijing ahead of the September Legislative...
BASEBALL / MLB
Jul 13, 2004

Godzilla cracks home run No. 17

NEW YORK -- Hideki Matsui delivered a solo homer into the center field stands to highlight a 3-for-4, two RBI day as the New York Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 10-3 Sunday in the final game before the All-Star break.
JAPAN
Jul 13, 2004

LDP setback could deal a blow to Koizumi's diplomacy efforts

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's diplomatic policies on Iraq and North Korea could take a knock due to the setback experienced by his dominant Liberal Democratic Party in Sunday's House of Councilors election.
JAPAN
Jul 13, 2004

Automakers to start hitting car owners with recycling fees

Automakers will charge car owners recycling fees ranging from 7,000 yen to 18,000 yen starting in January when the automobile recycling law takes effect, the government said Monday.
JAPAN
Jul 13, 2004

Last Greens Japan representative falls

Atsuo Nakamura, the leader and only member of the Greens Japan party in the House of Councilors, lost his seat in Sunday's election, according to the final results announced Monday by the Central Election Administration Committee.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 12, 2004

Abductee's brother sees bid to enter Diet end in failure

Teruaki Masumoto, whose sister was abducted to North Korea in 1978, was heading for defeat in the four-seat Tokyo district.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 12, 2004

Death-penalty debate rages anew in India

MADRAS, India -- India is once again hotly debating capital punishment. This time the discussion has been provoked by the death sentence given to Dhananjoy Chatterjee, who was convicted of raping and murdering a 14-year-old schoolgirl. Indian President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam has stayed Chatterjee's hanging...
JAPAN
Jul 11, 2004

Dental group donation set to result in charges

Prosecutors are set to establish a case against a former Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker and two others on suspicion of embezzlement disguised as a political donation, according to informed sources.

Longform

Rock group The Yellow Monkey played K-Arena Yokohama in June as part of a nationwide tour. Concerts are increasingly popular in the age of social media as users value in-person experiences.
Inside Japan’s arena boom: Sports, sound and city-building