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COMMENTARY / World / GUEST FORUM
Mar 22, 2004

Madrid terror has lessons for Koizumi

WASHINGTON -- Three days after the terrorist bombings in Madrid, the March 14 election in Spain ended in an unexpected victory for the Socialist Party.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 22, 2004

Actor Chosuke Ikariya of Drifters is dead at 72

Chosuke Ikariya, an actor and leader of the Drifters, one of Japan's best-known slapstick comedy groups, died Saturday at a Tokyo hospital after battling lymph node cancer for nearly a year. He was 72.
EDITORIALS
Mar 21, 2004

Farewell to 'Sesame Street'

There are some American icons we would not miss too much if they were to disappear tomorrow. Starbucks, McDonald's, Britney Spears: Despite their popularity here, they all have perfectly adequate local equivalents. Japanese would still be able to drink coffee, eat hamburgers and listen to annoying pop...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Mar 21, 2004

The claustrophobia of a criminal mind

NO REASON FOR MURDER, by Ayako Sono. ICG Muse Inc, 2003, 422 pp., 3,000 yen (cloth). Reading crime stories can be a claustrophobic experience. Entering the criminal mind is not unlike squeezing into the airless tunnels of a rodent.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Mar 21, 2004

TV Asahi presents "Kinkyu Kensho Special" and more

One of the biggest news stories of 1987 was the bombing of a Korean Airlines flight over the Indian Ocean. Two North Korean agents posing as Japanese citizens were believed to be responsible for the bombing. One committed suicide before he could be arrested in Bahrain. The other, a young woman named...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Mar 21, 2004

Paradise to asylum, the city for storytellers

SHANGHAI STATION, by Bartle Bull. New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers, 2004, 340 pp., $26 (cloth). A full listing of novels and short stories set in the International Settlement of Shanghai between the first and second world wars, and then again up to China's 1949 revolution, would fill a book in itself....
JAPAN
Mar 21, 2004

Peace movement revives for protests on Iraq war

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets around Japan on Saturday, the first anniversary of the start of the U.S.-led war on Iraq, to call for the end of the occupation and the withdrawal of Self-Defense Forces troops.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Mar 20, 2004

Landmark hosts second intensive ballet seminar

From March 30 to April 1, Landmark Hall in Yokohama's Landmark Tower will echo to the sound of classical ballet instruction in English to a Japanese piano accompaniment. Since lots of nice things were said about the first Yokohama Ballet Intensive in 2003, YBI Director Helen Price is confident this year's...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 20, 2004

Fukui said to be 'doing his best' under strict policy

Sakuya Fujiwara, former deputy governor of the Bank of Japan, says BOJ Gov. Toshihiko Fukui is constantly under public pressure over the central bank's monetary measures.
BUSINESS
Mar 19, 2004

BOJ's JGB balance exceeds 100 trillion yen

The balance of Japanese government bonds held by the Bank of Japan has topped 100 trillion yen for the first time, BOJ officials said Thursday.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 19, 2004

Roh's fate hangs on political pulse

SEOUL -- The always contentious South Korean political scene was shattered last week with the impeachment of the sitting president, Roh Moo Hyun, with both Korea watchers and Koreans themselves who take their young democracy very seriously caught off guard.
EDITORIALS
Mar 19, 2004

A victory for terrorists in Spain

Terrorists won an important victory last week in Spain. A series of bombs exploded in trains and rail stations in Madrid, killing some 200 people and injuring nearly 1,500 others. Al-Qaeda has taken credit for the savage attacks, saying Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar's support for the war against terror...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 18, 2004

Blood centers get creative to lure donors

Mitsuko Kobayashi often gave blood at local Red Cross centers as a young girl, because her mother said she should try to help people. But after giving birth two years ago, she found such trips difficult with a child in tow.
BUSINESS
Mar 18, 2004

DoCoMo to set lowest flat rate for 3G cell phone data service

NTT DoCoMo Inc. plans to set a monthly flat rate of about 3,900 yen for unlimited third-generation cell phone data transmissions, NTT DoCoMo sources said Wednesday.
COMMENTARY
Mar 18, 2004

China adds protections to Constitution

HONG KONG -- The 2004 session of China's National People's Congress closed Sunday with the passage of several constitutional amendments. Attention focused on those relating to human rights and the protection of private property.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 17, 2004

Welcome to the phonyverse

When interviewing the codirectors of "Party Monster" -- Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato, along with James St. James, author of the book on which the movie's based -- the hardest thing was to get them to hype their own film. After fielding questions on kosu-purei ("costume play") and bars in Shinjuku's...
JAPAN
Mar 17, 2004

Japan to provide Haiti with food aid

The government, responding to an appeal by the U.N., said Tuesday it will provide emergency food aid worth 300 million yen to Haiti via the World Food Program, Foreign Ministry officials said.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Mar 17, 2004

Fans should decide if Japan pro ball has interleague play

A couple of interesting articles appeared in The Japan Times during the first week of this month, both mentioning interleague play, and it would appear Japanese baseball may finally be moving toward the scheduling of regular-season games between Central and Pacific League teams.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 17, 2004

He's gone and forgot it all again

Paycheck Rating: * * * (out of 5) Director: John Woo Running time: 118 minutes Language: English Currently showing [See Japan Times movie listings] In the world of sci-fi literary giant Philip K. Dick, memory is a commodity and a liability. Memory is what his characters try to protect...
COMMENTARY
Mar 17, 2004

A wise China would offer an olive branch

KYOTO -- The outcome of the March 20 presidential election in Taiwan will have a profound impact on cross-strait relations. Much will depend, of course, on who wins. But equally important will be how Beijing responds. Will Beijing let the next Taiwan leader -- be it incumbent President Chen Shui-bian...
JAPAN
Mar 16, 2004

Japan welcomes Putin's re-election

Japan on Monday welcomed the re-election of Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying his consolidated power base will help bilateral efforts to conclude a peace treaty by resolving the long-standing territorial dispute.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 16, 2004

Baucus, ministers agree beef ban should be short

Visiting U.S. Senator Max Baucus and high-ranking Japanese officials agreed Monday that the ban on beef imports from the United States should not be in place for a long period, government officials said.

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