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JAPAN
Apr 20, 2003

Government to fight war-displaced

The government said Friday it will fight a compensation lawsuit filed by more than 600 war-displaced Japanese left behind in China and urged a court to reject the plaintiffs' claims.
COMMUNITY
Apr 20, 2003

Simple complexity for the men

One of the newest kids on the block in the highly competitive world of Japanese fashion is a menswear brand called Maji Maji, designed by Rynshu Hashimoto.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Apr 20, 2003

Looting the media for the best frontline news

Every Japanese TV network has female anchors, but Nippon TV seems to use more women in their news shows than any other. It was also the only commercial Japanese network to have a female "embed" reporting from Iraq. Since there weren't too many embedded women reporters in the first place, she naturally...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Apr 20, 2003

Dancing detectives

A LOYAL CHARACTER DANCER, by Qiu Xiaolong. New York, SOHO Press, 2002, 351 pp., $25 (cloth) Popular fiction can be a fairly reliable indicator of changing public sentiments. One harbinger that the Cold War was beginning to wind down was the appearance of the now-famous police procedural novel. Such novels...
BUSINESS
Apr 19, 2003

Digital broadcasting licenses issued

The government issued provisional licenses Friday to 17 television stations planning to begin terrestrial digital broadcasts in December.
MORE SPORTS
Apr 19, 2003

2006 field expanded

The 2006 men's basketball World Championships to be hosted by Japan will be held in a 24-team format instead of the standard 16, officials of the Japan Basketball Association (JABBA) said Friday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / THE SECOND ROOM
Apr 19, 2003

2003 party season gets its blessing; Credit where due in 2002

As omens go, the last two Sundays have been righteously encouraging for the Tokyo party scene.
JAPAN
Apr 19, 2003

Tougher rules on motorbike exhausts eyed

An Environment Ministry panel compiled a proposal Friday to tighten restrictions on exhaust emissions from two-wheeled motor vehicles.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 19, 2003

SARS forces rethink on disease responses

The health ministry is considering legal changes to more effectively handle outbreaks of infectious illnesses -- such as the atypical pneumonia now plaguing much of Asia -- by increasing the government's authority to act.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
Apr 19, 2003

The instant off switch -- it's all in your head

On the train, the guy to my left is telling a friend the following:
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Apr 19, 2003

Silvio Vita

Silvio Vita leads an enviable life. He says perhaps he is lucky. That may be true, but it is not the whole story. He is also hardworking, and his work has done more than luck to bring him recognition and reward. He is a Roman, born in Romulus' fabulous city, which, built over seven hills by the Tiber...
BUSINESS
Apr 18, 2003

Sky Perfect looks to wipe out losses

Sky Perfect Communications Inc. said Thursday it may eliminate all of its accumulated losses, which stand at some 120 billion yen, by the end of March 2004.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / THE WAY OF WASHOKU
Apr 18, 2003

The air is clear and the food gives cheer

Now in my early 30s, I find myself no longer able to just pick up and head off for a break. Ten years ago, my friends and I would take off anywhere, just about anytime. One of our last considerations — being in motion was the first — was what to do when we got there or what to eat when the time came....
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 18, 2003

Journalist offers renewable energy as solution to wars fought over oil

OSAKA -- Humans may someday cease to fight over oil when the sun becomes our main source of energy, according to 64-year-old German journalist Franz Alt.
EDITORIALS
Apr 17, 2003

Japan's role in rebuilding Iraq

With the collapse of the Iraqi regime of President Saddam Hussein, the focus of international attention has shifted to the issues of postwar governance and reconstruction. The question for Japan is specifically what it should and can do in the rebuilding process -- a question that depends crucially on...
JAPAN
Apr 17, 2003

Ibaraki seeks help with contaminated well

Ibaraki Gov. Masaru Hashimoto asked the national government Wednesday to help deal with a contaminated well in the town of Kamisu.
BUSINESS
Apr 17, 2003

Asia economic forum set for Tokyo

The head of the World Economic Forum said Wednesday that the organizer of the Davos Forum plans to hold East Asia's annual regional economic summit in Tokyo in 2005 or 2006, according to Japanese officials.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / ON THE BOOK TRAIL
Apr 17, 2003

"The Sands of Time," "Smile, Crocodile, Smile"

"The Sands of Time," Michael Hoeye, Penguin Putnam Books; 2002; 277 pp. Once in a rare while, there comes a book in which the characters outlive the story. It was certainly not easy to say goodbye to Hermux Tantamoq, the dignified little hero of Michael Hoeye's terrific debut novel, "Time Stops for...
COMMENTARY
Apr 17, 2003

Taiwan referendum bill may rile Beijing

HONG KONG -- The Taiwan legislature is discussing the politically charged proposal of adopting a referendum law to allow important policy issues, such as whether to build a nuclear power plant, to be decided by the island's 23 million people.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / NAME OF THE GAME
Apr 17, 2003

Pokemon still Nintendo gems

Having sold a combined 4 million copies of the games in Japanese, Nintendo has finally made English versions of "Pokemon Ruby" and "Pokemon Sapphire," the latest entries in the ongoing Pokemon craze.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 16, 2003

Into psychic free-fall

We're so used to Tokyo's cramped streets that the endless parallel perspectives offered by the spacious grid of roads in central Ginza can make the head spin. And recently, they've become more dizzying still. Hanging from every lamppost along Chuo-dori is an eye-catching image: A young woman, her scarf...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Apr 16, 2003

Hardcore Moore a tough customer on the mound and at bat

One of the goals of Hanshin Tigers left-handed pitcher Trey Moore is to keep his batting average higher than his earned run average. You have to take out the decimal points, of course, and so far, he's done a great job both on the mound and in the batter's box in getting off to a brilliant start in the...
BUSINESS
Apr 15, 2003

Corporate bankruptcies record 5.6% slide in fiscal 2002

A total of 18,928 companies went bankrupt in the 2002 business year, down 5.6 percent from a year earlier and the first decline in two years, Teikoku Databank Ltd. said Monday.
COMMUNITY
Apr 15, 2003

'Mind-blowing' art display hits Odaiba

Biannual art extravaganza Design Festa, now marking Vol. 17, is sweeping toward Tokyo Big Sight convention center, with some of the best and brightest of art and design from Japan and all over the world penciled in for an April 19-20 explosion of creativity.
BUSINESS
Apr 15, 2003

SARS outbreak, Iraq war leave airlines in tailspin

Airlines are hoping bad things don't come in threes.
BUSINESS
Apr 15, 2003

Economy remains flat amid Iraq, SARS fears

The government on Monday left unchanged its assessment of the economy for April, but it expressed caution amid concerns over the U.S.-led war in Iraq, the future of the U.S. economy and the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome across Asia.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 15, 2003

Confession-based convictions questioned

For more than a month after his arrest, Kazuo Ishikawa staunchly denied police allegations that he had raped and killed a high school girl in Sayama, Saitama Prefecture, in May 1963.
JAPAN
Apr 14, 2003

Court upholds ruling on Nanjing defamation case

The Tokyo High Court has upheld a ruling ordering the author and publisher of a book on the Nanjing Massacre in China to compensate an 84-year-old Chinese woman who said it defamed her.
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Apr 14, 2003

Take heart! Japan can beat deflation, create jobs through 2010: JBF

People are becoming increasingly wary of the condition of the Japanese economy and uncertain of its future. Some media commentators and economists speak as if the economic slump is going to continue for another decade, or even another century.

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