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BUSINESS
Mar 11, 2005

JR East bullet train test to exceed 400 kph

East Japan Railway Co. will begin testing a bullet train in June that will operate at speeds up to 360 kph.
SOCCER / World cup
Mar 10, 2005

Aussies seek switch to Asian confederation

The Australian soccer federation is seeking to join the Asian Football Confederation in a switch from the Oceania Football Confederation, Japan Football Association VP Junji Ogura said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Mar 10, 2005

New agriculture policy may signal shift to more competitive farming

A government panel came up with a 10-year plan Wednesday on basic agriculture policy that focuses on paying subsidies to productive farmers and raising the food self-sufficiency rate to 45 percent by fiscal 2015.
BUSINESS
Mar 10, 2005

Foreign CEO signifies a more globalized Japan

First it was Mazda, then Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors. Now it's Sony.
COMMENTARY
Mar 10, 2005

Avoiding sham democracy

LONDON -- There is all the difference in the world between democracy and constitutional democracy.
LIFE / Digital / NAME OF THE GAME
Mar 10, 2005

A tip of the hat to a venerable series

The kingdom of Hyrule is in trouble. But then, the kingdom of Hyrule is always in trouble, and so is its legendary princess -- Zelda.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 9, 2005

How diplomacy can defuse the North Korean crisis

WASHINGTON -- "The sure way to miss success is to miss the opportunity," a wise man once observed. Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura asked U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to visit Japan "at the earliest possible opportunity" during a bilateral security meeting in Washington on Feb. 19. When...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / NEW ART SEEN
Mar 9, 2005

Thank you to all art

Today, in case you didn't know it, is Thank You Art Day, a day to celebrate contemporary art made by anyone anywhere. Artist Yoshiaki Kaihatsu, a Tama Art University graduate, began the annual event in 2001 with an eye to, as he says, "vitalizing the Japanese art scene, because the Japanese art market...
COMMENTARY
Mar 8, 2005

Deterrence for less in Asia

The Japan-U.S. alliance is evolving into one that "plays a vital role in enhancing regional and global peace and stability," according to a joint statement issued last month by the defense and foreign ministers of the two countries. The statement sets common strategic goals for dealing with the new security...
MORE SPORTS
Mar 7, 2005

Riri wins Lake Biwa, de Lima pulls up

Kenya's Joseph Riri won the Lake Biwa Marathon on Sunday, edging defending champion Jose Rios of Spain by three seconds.
COMMENTARY
Mar 7, 2005

Bush narrows U.S.-EU gap

PARIS -- "Forgive the Russians, ignore the Germans, punish the French." U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice didn't appreciate being reminded of this famous statement, which she made in 2003 while serving as U.S. President George W. Bush's national security adviser. The purpose of Rice's recent visit...
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 6, 2005

Jubilo hands Marinos defeat in season opener

YOKOHAMA -- Jubilo Iwata drew first blood in the race for the new J. League championship with a controversial 1-0 victory over Yokohama F. Marinos at Nissan Stadium on Saturday.
EDITORIALS
Mar 6, 2005

Dolls without borders

'T here is no new thing under the sun," said the preacher (Ecclesiastes, 1:9). Well, the preacher had it half right. Sometimes people come up with a brand-new thing in response to an age-old reality. Consider the case of Hong Kong-based software developer Eberhard Schoeneburg. According to recent reports,...
COMMENTARY
Mar 5, 2005

India's new double standard

NEW DELHI -- The growing warmth in U.S.-Indian relations is getting strangely reflected in India's adoption of U.S.-style dual standards on democracy.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Mar 5, 2005

Classy acts to follow in voice, audition coaching

Last month, Alice Hackett and Robert Tsonos were facing each other onstage in "Les Liasons Dangereuses," produced by Tokyo International Players. Now they are facing me, talking about coaching and training actors, writers, businesspeople and teachers -- anyone who needs help with projecting personality,...
MORE SPORTS
Mar 4, 2005

Oda leads the field after qualifying round

Nobunari Oda
EDITORIALS
Mar 4, 2005

Ailment needs a national response

For sufferers of kafunshou (pollen allergy) or hay fever, this is shaping up into a really bad year. Because of last summer's sweltering heat, the amount of cedar pollen in the air is forecast to rise two or three times above average, possibly exceeding the worst-ever level of 1995. Reports say that,...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK
Mar 3, 2005

Unique 'twin' woods branch out

Our little Afan Woodland Trust here in Kurohime in Nagano Prefecture is twinned with the Afan Forest Park in South Wales. Most folk have heard of twinned cities (though I believe that Americans call them "sister cities"), but as far as I know, our twinning of forests is unique, and -- as sometimes happens...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 3, 2005

Group wants BMW Tokyo chief as Daiei president

A consortium led by trading house Marubeni Corp. has proposed making BMW Tokyo Corp. President Fumiko Hayashi the new president of ailing supermarket chain Daiei Inc., sources said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Mar 2, 2005

FSA seeks to slap public tender offer rules on off-hours trading

The Financial Services Agency plans to apply public tender offer rules, which require public announcement of details of the offers, to acquisitions of a one-third or greater stake in a firm through off-hours trading in Japan, FSA sources said Tuesday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 2, 2005

Struggling aviation startups using wrong strategy, expert says

Despite the emergence of budget airlines that pose a threat to major carriers around the globe, Japanese startup carriers are still struggling to take off, with some already in rehabilitation.
MORE SPORTS
Mar 1, 2005

LPGA adds incentive

The top-ranked ladies golfer in the Japan LPGA women's money rankings after the Salonpas World Ladies Golf Tournament in May will be invited to compete in the McDonald's LPGA Championship the following month, the Ladies Professional Golfers' Association of Japan said Monday.
MORE SPORTS
Feb 28, 2005

Mixed day for Kitajima

Olympic breaststroke champion Kosuke Kitajima had a mixed day at the short-course national championships Sunday as he won the 200 meters but finished second to Oleg Lisogor of Ukraine in the 50 meters.
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Feb 28, 2005

Beware of financial conglomerates in FSA's Wild Kingdom

Every year, the media trot out a list of Japan's most popular phrases. Last year's "phrase of the year" award went to "I feel ultra-fine!" -- the quote by swimmer Kosuke Kitajima who brought home multiple gold from the Athens Olympics.
COMMENTARY
Feb 28, 2005

Police have let trust escape

The Japanese police system was once regarded as one of the best in the world, but that is no longer true. In a spate of scandals, some officers are said to have created slush funds with public money while others have falsified internal reports to improve their performance records.

Longform

Figure skater Akiko Suzuki was once told her ideal weight should be 47 kilograms, a number she now admits she “naively believed.” This led to her have a relationship with food that resulted in her suffering from anorexia.
The silent battle Japanese athletes fight with weight