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JAPAN
Mar 20, 2004

Injunction upheld against latest issue of Shukan Bunshun

The Tokyo District Court on Friday upheld a temporary injunction banning publication of the latest edition of the weekly magazine Shukan Bunshun, judging that one of its stories violates the privacy of former Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka's daughter.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 19, 2004

Tanaka's daughter seeks fines for publisher

The daughter of Diet lawmaker Makiko Tanaka has sought a court order forcing a publisher to pay fines of 30 million yen for every day that a weekly magazine featuring an article about her private life remains on store shelves, it was learned Thursday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 17, 2004

Ghosts in the machines

Japanese science-fiction animation, from Katsuhiro Otomo's seminal "Akira" (1988) on, often points toward a post-apocalyptic, post-human future. For all the blasts 'n' babes, the curvy heroines in Spandex pouring thousands of rounds into clanking foes, the essential vision is dark -- more "Blade Runner"...
Japan Times
Features
Mar 14, 2004

Key clues pointing back through time

Experts say it is possible for a Japanese person to trace his or her ancestors back about 300 years. Of course, it does require a long paper chase, but the government, which likes to keep tabs on its citizens, has done much of the work.
JAPAN
Mar 14, 2004

Buddha statue probably work of Unkei: museum

A golden Buddha statue on loan to the Tokyo National Museum is believed to be the work of Unkei, a leading sculptor of the Kamakura Period (1192-1333), museum officials said Saturday.
COMMENTARY
Mar 14, 2004

Elections are not enough for democracy

MANILA -- In most countries, elections attract enormous public attention. This is not surprising as these political exercises constitute the heart of democratic order. Translated into English, the originally Greek word "democracy" means "rule of the people."
Japan Times
Features
Mar 14, 2004

Roots

Have you ever considered making your family tree?
Features
Mar 14, 2004

Worlds of meaning in the naming game

"What's in a name?" Juliet famously asked Romeo in Shakespeare's tragedy of young love doomed because of their families' rivalry.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Mar 13, 2004

Roberto Wirth

"Italy has a lot to offer," Roberto Wirth said.
Japan Times
Events
Mar 12, 2004

Diagnosing what really ails Japan, Germany

BERLIN -- Japan and Germany, once the powerful engines of the global economy together with the United States, have had stagnant years since the 1990s.
JAPAN
Mar 11, 2004

Koizumi treat for English speakers

The Cabinet Office will start sending out an English version of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's weekly e-mail magazine, beginning March 25.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Mar 11, 2004

River shrew

* Japanese name: Nihon kawanezumi * Scientific name:Chimarrogale platycephala * Description: Shrews are small mammals and are thought to be similar to the first mammals that evolved. Fur is dark gray-brown with a white-gray underside; the hindquarters are fringed with silvery hairs. They have small...
Japan Times
Features
Mar 7, 2004

Cheers! Ganging up in pursuit of fine pints

On a Friday night in Tokyo, there's no place livelier than Shibuya. But on Friday, Feb. 20, four pubs there were far busier than usual thanks to a crowd of revelers on a pub crawl called "Beer Gang" -- the inaugural event of the Good Beer Club, a newly formed group already with more than 150 members...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / CLOSE-UP
Mar 7, 2004

Yayoi Kusama: Lost and found in art

Yayoi Kusama was just shy of 30 when she left her hometown of Matsumoto in Nagano Prefecture and headed to America to meet her hero, the painter Georgia O'Keeffe.
Japan Times
Features
Mar 7, 2004

We've seen the future of wine, and she's called Bridget Jones

Was it really only 1995 when Bridget Jones chainsmoked her way through the first of many glasses of Chardonnay?
JAPAN
Mar 6, 2004

Lower House OKs '04 budget

The House of Representatives on Friday passed Japan's 82.11 trillion yen fiscal 2004 budget, paving the way for the House of Councilors to begin deliberations.
BUSINESS
Mar 6, 2004

Proposal to revise consumer rights law approved

A task force of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Friday approved a proposed amendment to the Consumer Protection Basic Law to widen the scope of consumer rights and encourage them to be self-reliant.
JAPAN
Mar 5, 2004

'Careless' Japan Post issues disputed-isle stamp sheet

Japan Post said Thursday it "carelessly" issued customized stamp sheets featuring images of Takeshima Island, which is claimed by Japan and South Korea.
EDITORIALS
Mar 4, 2004

Mr. Kerry gets the nod

If March 2 was "Super Tuesday" in the United States, then Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry is "Superman." Mr. Kerry wrapped up the Democratic Party nomination for president Tuesday, capping a remarkable comeback and -- more remarkable still -- managed not to divide his party in the process. Mr. Kerry can...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 3, 2004

Tokyo venture plans to market humanoid robots

A venture business in Tokyo said Tuesday it will market at the end of 2004 a doll-size humanoid robot for roughly 500,000 yen as one of the first humanoid robots to be offered to general consumers.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Mar 3, 2004

Edo craftsmanship in full flower

Located in Kitanomaru Park, a famous cherry blossom viewing spot in Kudanshita, central Tokyo, is the National Museum of Modern Art's Crafts Gallery. It seems appropriate that during the flowering seasons of ume (plum) and cherry the gallery should be hosting a show titled "Flower Design." The exhibition,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Mar 3, 2004

And never the twain shall meet, on canvas

Modernism, which was born in Paris and came of age in New York after World War II, was one of Europe's most successful cultural exports of the 20th century, making it to South Africa, Vietnam, Brazil . . . and Japan.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 2, 2004

Developers hope middle-aged migration to cities continues

Real estate companies are betting that empty nesters will continue migrating to condominiums in Tokyo and other urban centers after selling suburban homes.
Japan Times
Features
Feb 29, 2004

Caring for the canines whose job is to care

On Sept. 14, 2001, veterinarian H. Marie Suthers-McCabe arrived in New York City. Disbelief, horror and shock over what had occurred only a few days before was still so profound as to be virtually palpable, with hundreds still missing from the attacks on the World Trade Center towers. Suthers-McCabe's...
Japan Times
Features
Feb 29, 2004

Creature comforts fuel business boom

The growing popularity in Japan of dogs as pets has turned its pet industry into a lucrative market in which suppliers and sellers are eagerly competing to offer products and services from the pet's cradle to its grave.
Japan Times
Features
Feb 29, 2004

Pooch paradise

A dog's life in Japan can be about as close to canine heaven on earth as it gets.
JAPAN
Feb 28, 2004

TV Asahi back on track with LDP

The Liberal Democratic Party has lifted its boycott of TV Asahi and will allow party executives to appear on the broadcaster's programs.
BUSINESS
Feb 28, 2004

Program to help regional economies

A government task force on the revitalization of regional economies adopted a program Friday that emphasizes development of human resources.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Feb 26, 2004

Pond turtle

* Japanese name: Ishigame * Scientific name:Mauremys japonica * Description:Also known as the stone turtle, the pond turtle is semiaquatic and a strong swimmer. It has a yellowish-brown carapace (shell) and an olive-brown head. Females are bigger than males, growing up to 21 cm long (carapace length),...

Longform

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.