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OLYMPICS
May 7, 2005

Takahashi eyes Osaka, Beijing

Sydney Olympic gold medalist Naoko Takahashi said Thursday she is working toward a full comeback to a major marathon race in time for the 2007 world championships in Osaka and the Beijing Olympics one year later.
OLYMPICS
May 7, 2005

Murofushi to miss Osaka meet

Athens Olympic hammer throw champion Koji Murofushi has pulled out of this weekend's IAAF Grand Prix meet in Osaka after failing to fully recover from illness, athletics sources said Thursday.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK
May 5, 2005

Swallow tales to silence those who speak with forked tongues

It was 1969, and I was driving our open-topped Mercedes Unimog to Asmara to get some building supplies and other gear not available in Gondar, the nearest town to the Simien Mountain National Park in Ethiopia where I was then a game warden.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / NEW ART SEEN
May 4, 2005

Girls in the company of wolves

For more than a decade female Japanese artists have been a dynamic force in contemporary photography, and now they are making big waves in other artistic media as well, as the phantasmagoric work of Tomoko Konoike best illustrates.
COMMENTARY
May 4, 2005

Some pits remain in Vietnam's growing bowl of cherries

LOS ANGELES -- The people of Vietnam -- who celebrated the 30th anniversary of the United States' final pullout from Saigon on April 30 -- are getting with the market-oriented, rich-is-glorious, we-love-anyone-with-money (including Westerners), China-clone program of economic reform (while keeping dissidents...
EDITORIALS
May 4, 2005

A new Constitution by the people

Fifty-eight years ago, on May 3, 1947, the postwar Constitution of Japan came into effect. Today this new national charter, underscored by its pacifist principles, is broadly accepted by the Japanese public. Yet, strange as it may seem, this is a constitution enacted by Imperial order, not by popular...
SOCCER / World cup
May 3, 2005

Shutout no problem

Japan midfielder Toshiya Fujita believes the Asian champions can take full advantage of FIFA's decision to hold their upcoming World Cup qualifier against North Korea behind closed doors.
COMMENTARY
May 3, 2005

Journalism turns deadly in the Philippines

MANILA -- Many Filipinos are proud of the freedom the press enjoys in their country but this rosy picture has been tarnished by the killings of a number of journalists. With 13 Filipino journalists killed last year and four media workers murdered so far in 2005, the Philippines -- according to the Brussels-based...
EDITORIALS
May 3, 2005

Nonproliferation plus disarmament

An international conference to review the Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) opens at the United Nations Monday. The 1970 treaty is riddled with inefficacy, as illustrated by North Korea's nuclear-weapons program, Iran's moves to enrich uranium, and the existence of an international black market for nuclear...
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
May 3, 2005

Rail passes, credit and changing your cash

More credit queries I notice lately you've had a lot of queries regarding credit cards in Japan. One question I'm curious about is -- why?
EDITORIALS
May 2, 2005

Losing the war on terror?

The U.S. government has just released its annual report on terrorism, and it makes for grim reading. Equally troubling is the report's omissions: This year it does not give the specific number of terrorist attacks last year. Yet serious terrorist incidents are increasing, a finding that is even more...
COMMENTARY
May 2, 2005

Mending Japan-China ties

LONDON -- European issues inevitably seem remote to readers in Japan just as Far Eastern problems are remote to the public in Britain. But no one concerned about world peace can be other than apprehensive about friction between major powers in the Far East, especially against the background of threats...
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
May 2, 2005

Transition to 'payoff' system went smoothly, but full impact unknown

On April 1, the government's limited deposit guarantee, known as the "payoff" system, took full effect as scheduled. So far, the measure hasn't resulted in any visible disturbances, such as a major shift of funds out of bank accounts. Why?
COMMENTARY
May 2, 2005

Caldron of simmering views

In advance of Constitution Day, on Tuesday, research commissions on constitutional reform from both houses of the Diet last month adopted final reports summarizing five years of debate. The Lower House panel focused on amending the supreme law, including revision of the war-renouncing Article 9.
COMMENTARY / World
May 2, 2005

Strong apology needs a willing recipient

HONOLULU -- The issue of Japan's apology for invading China from 1931 to 1945 and occupying Korea from 1910 to 1945 just won't go away, for two reasons:
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 1, 2005

Soundz from Germany

Classical German culture had a profound influence on modern Japan, especially in the fields of philosophy and medicine, but recent German trends have had to compete for attention with all the other international cultural imports. The Deutschland in Japan Year aims to give Germany a higher profile here,...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 30, 2005

JR West driving career involves tests, bullying

OSAKA -- Every day, they are responsible for the safety of millions of lives. Without their services, the nation would, quite literally, come to a standstill. And they are under constant pressure to ensure that one of the world's most efficient train systems is on time.
JAPAN
Apr 30, 2005

Medal of Honor awardees announced

Veteran actress Chieko Baisho, who starred in the popular Tora-san films, and a 15-year-old boy who saved a drowning man, are among 837 individuals and 13 groups to be awarded Medals of Honor in May, the government said Wednesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 30, 2005

Are dress codes key to global warming?

Just as a 1,000-km journey begins with a single step, it seems that the arduous process of reducing Japan's greenhouse gas emissions starts with the simple removal of a few neckties.
COMMENTARY
Apr 29, 2005

Taiwan opposition tests winds in Beijing

HONG KONG -- Little more than a month after China's passage of its antisecession law, the cross-strait situation has undergone a remarkable change. While there has been some negative fallout, with Taiwan delaying talks on expanding chartered flights between the two sides and banning journalists from...
JAPAN
Apr 29, 2005

Teikoku Oil seeks rights to test-drill in disputed seas

A Japanese oil company on Thursday requested test-drilling rights in the East China Sea, in disputed waters just a few kilometers from where China is preparing full-scale drilling.
BUSINESS
Apr 29, 2005

Golden Week may add 200 billion yen to GDP

This year's Golden Week holidays from Friday to the first week of May will likely add 200 billion yen to the nominal gross domestic product by fueling expenditures, according to a private think tank.
SOCCER / World cup
Apr 28, 2005

Mixed news from Japan's overseas stars

Hamburg SV striker Naohiro Takahara and Feyenoord midfielder Shinji Ono are expected to join the national squad prior to Japan's Kirin Cup match against the United Arab Emirates, Japan Football Association President Saburo Kawabuchi said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Apr 28, 2005

Earth Simulator masters car crash

A team of engineers and scientists have succeeded in duplicating a car crash scenario down to the very last detail by using the Earth Simulator supercomputer system, one of the fastest in the world.
BUSINESS
Apr 28, 2005

Nippon Steel profit jumped five-fold in '04

Nippon Steel Corp. said Wednesday its group net profit totaled 220.60 billion yen for fiscal 2004, a 5.3-fold jump from the year before, thanks to brisk steel sales amid strong demand at home and abroad.

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