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Apr 24, 2004

Matsuda, Yamamoto set for Athens

Takeshi Matsuda and Takashi Yamamoto both qualified for this summer's Athens Olympics by finishing first and second, respectively, in the men's 200-meter butterfly final at the swimming national championships on Friday. Matsuda came from behind to outpace national record holder Yamamoto in the final...
BUSINESS
Apr 24, 2004

Tertiary industry activity index falls

Japan's tertiary industry activity index plunged in February from January, marking the largest margin of decline in seven years, the government said Friday.
JAPAN
Apr 23, 2004

Beltway ruling backs residents

The Tokyo District Court on Thursday backed claims by residents in western Tokyo that the expropriation of their land for the construction of a new expressway was illegal, ruling that the project will not generate the public benefits touted by the government.
JAPAN
Apr 22, 2004

Akayev lauds Japan's Afghan aid

Kyrgyzstan President Askar Akayev voiced appreciation Wednesday for Japan's support on the reconstruction of Afghanistan, stating that stability in the country is key to peace in Central Asia, a Japanese official said.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 22, 2004

English classes all the rage at elementary schools

Teacher Hideo Iida holds up cards featuring simple images for his 17 second-graders to identify, getting them to name the animals, fruit and other items pictured.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 22, 2004

Ex-hostage stands by decision to visit Iraq

A freelance journalist recently freed after being held hostage in Iraq said that while he regrets not properly realizing the dangers of traveling near a war zone, he stands by his decision to go and report on the situation there.
BUSINESS
Apr 22, 2004

Australia works to keep MMC unit open

SYDNEY (Kyodo) Prime Minister John Howard and Industry Minister Ian MacFarlane are in talks with Mitsubishi Motors Corp. to save its South Australian manufacturing plant from closure, a spokeswoman for MacFarlane said Wednesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 20, 2004

Tama-chan battles flab, sassy new rival

A year has passed since the bearded seal nicknamed Tama-chan moved to the Ara River in Saitama Prefecture from Tama River in Yokohama.
JAPAN
Apr 20, 2004

Average value of assets held by Lower House members falls

The average value of assets held by 478 House of Representatives lawmakers elected last November stands at 51.6 million yen, excluding stocks, according to a Kyodo News survey released Monday.
JAPAN
Apr 20, 2004

Industry wants reactor-check intervals extended

The power utility industry will urge the government to extend the interval between regular checkups of nuclear reactors by up to five months to raise their operation rates and competitiveness against low-cost new suppliers, industry sources said Monday.
JAPAN
Apr 20, 2004

Top court to nix state appeal of lung disease ruling

A court ruling ordering the government to compensate former coal miners for pneumoconiosis is expected to be upheld April 27 because the Supreme Court decided Monday to hand down its ruling then without holding any hearings.
OLYMPICS
Apr 19, 2004

Murata secures Olympic berth

Yukari Murata secured a berth at this summer's Athens Olympics after dominating in all four disciplines and placing first in the all-around standings in an Olympic qualifying event for rhythmic gymnastics Sunday.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Apr 18, 2004

Surviving uncharted waters, unknown lands and shogun's scrutiny

SAMURAI WILLIAM: The Englishman Who Opened Japan, by Giles Milton. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2002, 337 pp., $14 (paper). Samurai William is, of course the English navigator, William Adams, whose story was so effectively fictionalized by James Clavell in the novel "Shogun." Giles Milton has...
JAPAN
Apr 17, 2004

Bribes get Suzuki aide suspended term

A former aide to former lawmaker Muneo Suzuki received a suspended two-year prison term Friday for conspiring to accept 1.1 million yen in bribes and concealing 100 million yen in income from Liberal Democratic Party-related ticket sales and donations in 1997 and 1998.
JAPAN
Apr 17, 2004

Pension scheme 8.13 trillion yen in arrears

National pension premiums were in arrears to the tune of a total 8.13 trillion yen for fiscal 1986 through fiscal 2002, the government said during a Cabinet meeting Friday.
BUSINESS
Apr 17, 2004

Mitsubishi Fuso chief steps down in disgrace

Takashi Usami, chairman of Mitsubishi Fuso Truck & Bus Corp., resigned Friday to take the blame for wheel hub problems that caused numerous accidents, including one fatality, and led to a mass vehicle recall.
JAPAN
Apr 16, 2004

Dental lobby chief, six others held over bribery allegation

Prosecutors have arrested Sadao Usuda, chairman of the Japan Dental Association, and Takeshi Shimomura, a member of a government advisory body, in connection with bribes the former allegedly paid to the latter for lobbying efforts aimed at boosting dental-service fees.
SOCCER / J. League
Apr 15, 2004

Jubilo stays perfect by defeating Reysol

Leader Jubilo Iwata brushed aside 10-man Kashiwa Reysol 3-1 in Kashiwa on Wednesday to make it five wins out of five and maintain pole position in the standings in the J. League first division.
LIFE / Lifestyle / MATTER OF COURSE
Apr 15, 2004

When foreign children run afoul of the law

My kids generally don't mind it when I write about them in this column, although on occasion my older son has accused me of exploiting him for professional gain. It happened again when he heard the topic for today's column. "You're writing about foreign kids who get in trouble with the police?" He rolled...
CULTURE / Film
Apr 14, 2004

Drawn to the future

Born in 1964, Fumihiko Sori joined Tokyo Broadcasting System, one of Japan's Big Four TV networks, in 1988. In 1996 he entered the film department of the University of Southern California and later assisted James Cameron with the VFX work for "Titanic." After returning to Japan he worked as a VFX supervisor...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 14, 2004

Sowing the seeds of a new genre

Appleseed Rating: * * * 1/2 (out of 5) Director: Shinji Aramaki Running time: 103 minutes Language: Japanese Opens April 17 [See Japan Times movie listings] Japanese animation is edging into the mainstream internationally, while insinuating itself into everything from "Kill Bill Vol....

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami