Search - world

 
 
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 9, 2004

Japanese trio held hostage in Iraq

Three Japanese civilians have been taken hostage in Iraq by a terrorist-related group that has threatened to kill them if Japan does not withdraw its troops from the country in three days.
EDITORIALS
Apr 8, 2004

Breaking the ice with China

Political relations between Japan and China, in striking contrast to growing economic ties, continue to stagnate. During the two-day visit to Beijing by Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi, the two sides remained wide apart on two thorny issues: visits to Yasukuni Shrine by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi...
BUSINESS
Apr 8, 2004

Fujitsu files suit against Samsung

Fujitsu Ltd. said Wednesday it has sued subsidiaries of Samsung Electronics Co. of South Korea in Japanese and U.S. courts for infringing on its patents for plasma display panels.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 7, 2004

Guests of a grand hotel

The Hotel Venus Rating: * * * 1/2 (out of 5) Director: Hirota Takahasi Running time: 125 minutes Language: Korean Currently showing [See Japan Times movie listings] Kyo no Dekigoto Rating: * * (out of 5) Director: isao Yukisada Running time: 110 minutes Language: Japanese Currently...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 7, 2004

Life lessons in cross-cultural chaos

L'Auberge Espagnole Rating: * * * 1/2 (out of 5) Director: Cedric Klapisch Running time: 122 minutes Language: English with some French, Spanish, etc.; subtitles in Japanese and English Currently showing [See Japan Times movie listings] After two years at a rural New England college...
BUSINESS
Apr 7, 2004

U.S. insurers prod Koizumi on 'kampo'

WASHINGTON (Kyodo) A U.S. life insurance industry group has sent a letter to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi urging him to reform the "kampo" postal life insurance services.
JAPAN
Apr 6, 2004

Ishiba says sorry over Iraq visit deception

The Ground Self-Defense Force should not have led reporters to believe its top commander was in Japan when he was, in fact, traveling to Iraq, Defense Agency chief Shigeru Ishiba said Monday.
BUSINESS
Apr 6, 2004

Kobe Steel supplying Rolls-Royce

Kobe Steel Ltd. said Monday it has begun supplying titanium to Rolls-Royce PLC of Britain for use in the engine of the Airbus A380 -- the world's biggest passenger plane, which is due to enter commercial service in 2006.
BUSINESS
Apr 6, 2004

Japan may air chip gripes at WTO if it is barred from U.S.-China talks

Japan may file a complaint with the World Trade Organization if China refuses to allow it to join China-U.S. talks on a trade dispute over semiconductor products, a senior trade ministry official said Monday.
EDITORIALS
Apr 6, 2004

NATO expands, Russia worries

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization took another step forward in its post-Cold War evolution last week when it officially inducted seven new members. While there were celebrations in NATO capitals, political leaders in Moscow voiced concern about a move that brings the organization to Russia's borders....
COMMENTARY
Apr 5, 2004

Angry French voters hit back

PARIS -- An old French proverb says "only the stupid never change their mind." In that case, the French certainly aren't dumb. In the first round of last April's presidential election, Socialist Prime Minister Lionel Jospin got only 16 percent of the vote. Extreme rightist Jean-Marie Le Pen won more...
JAPAN
Apr 5, 2004

Kanzaki favors defining SDF in the Constitution

New Komeito leader Takenori Kanzaki suggested Sunday he would support a constitutional amendment that would define the Self-Defense Forces.
EDITORIALS
Apr 4, 2004

Pipe dreams of warp speed

When an experimental NASA aircraft streaked across the sky last weekend at Mach 7 -- seven times the speed of sound -- those of us watching it on television worldwide probably all had the same response: We did some quick math.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Apr 4, 2004

Oppressive flag of Pan Asian liberation

TENSIONS OF EMPIRE: Japan and Southeast Asia in the Colonial & Post-Colonial World, by Ken'ichi Goto. Ohio University Press, 2003, 349 pp., $24.95 (paper). The media has devoted considerable coverage to the Dr. Feelgoods of Japanese history who have vainly struggled to assert a vindicating and exonerating...
BASEBALL / MLB
Apr 4, 2004

Valentine's Marines take over lead in PL

Former New York Mets players Benny Agbayani and Matt Franco combined for all five runs Saturday as the Chiba Lotte Marines downed the defending Japan Series champion Daiei Hawks 5-2 at Chiba Marine Stadium.
BUSINESS
Apr 2, 2004

Almost 1 million graduates start work

Around 948,000 new graduates from colleges and other schools entered Japan's workforce Thursday, with companies and government agencies nationwide holding initiation ceremonies.
BUSINESS
Apr 2, 2004

Japan Post fetes first anniversary

Japan Post marked its first anniversary with an air of satisfaction Thursday because its biggest management target over the past year -- eliminating a deficit in mail delivery operations -- has probably been met.
JAPAN
Apr 2, 2004

Mori to fight monster in screen debut, but will he get lines?

Gaffe-prone former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori, who was forced in April 2001 to bow out as his star fell among the public, hopes it rises as he takes to the silver screen to take on a monster.
BUSINESS
Apr 2, 2004

Japan to join China-U.S. chip talks

Japan has informed the United States, China and the World Trade Organization of its intention to sit in on China-U.S. talks on a trade dispute over semiconductor products, government officials said Thursday.
COMMENTARY
Apr 2, 2004

Musharraf gambles in war on terrorists

ISLAMABAD -- Pakistan's decision to send thousands of troops to the remote northern tribal regions marks a fundamental shift in government policy. For decades, the regions have been closed to the outside world, ruled by local leaders who have defied the efforts of the central government to expand its...
COMMENTARY
Apr 2, 2004

Bush bears burden of proof

WASHINGTON -- The ever nastier Washington fight between former counterterrorism chief Richard Clarke and manifold Bush officials has taken on a "he said/she said" quality. It's hard to know who to believe. But having routinely undercut his credibility elsewhere, President George W. Bush should bear the...

Longform

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
Rethinking that second drink: Japan’s Gen Z gets ‘sober curious’