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BUSINESS
Dec 1, 2005

Seibu to shut anemic Shizuoka, Toyama outlets by end of '06

Seibu Department Stores Ltd. plans to close its outlets in the cities of Toyama and Shizuoka by the end of 2006, it was learned Wednesday.
COMMENTARY
Dec 1, 2005

Trying to stem controversy in South Korea

LOS ANGELES -- The people of South Korea have responded to the stem-cell scandal involving genius-innovator Hwang Woo Suk with admittedly excessive passion and near-unanimous conviction. Still, by rallying around their amazing Seoul National University pioneer, their support should be a comfort to risk-taking...
BASEBALL / MLB
Nov 30, 2005

Matsui returns home after his 'disappointing' season

New York Yankees outfielder Hideki Matsui returned to Japan on Tuesday and said he feels disappointed with his performance this year despite posting career-best numbers in some key batting categories.
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Nov 30, 2005

Guts and glory the key elements to the Takahashi story

Is there anything more compelling in sports than a once great champion, who has been written off by just about everybody, recapturing their former glory in dramatic fashion?
JAPAN
Nov 29, 2005

Lawmaker often dogged by controversy

Hawkish Lower House member Shingo Nishimura, who was arrested Monday for violating the Attorneys Law, is no stranger to controversy, having drawn flak as a Defense Agency vice minister when he called for Japan to develop nuclear weapons and for remarking that punishment is the only reason why people...
JAPAN
Nov 29, 2005

Internet, animation grad schools get a thumbs down

An education ministry panel came out Monday against the establishment of two graduate schools, one aiming to provide courses over the Internet and the other for training animation experts.
EDITORIALS
Nov 29, 2005

Grand coalition with hazy prospects

A grand coalition headed by Ms. Angela Merkel, the leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), has taken over the reins of government in Germany from the seven-year-long administration of Mr. Gerhard Schroeder of the Social Democratic Party (SPD). In the general election held in September, the center-right...
COMMENTARY
Nov 29, 2005

The pebble in Russia's shoe

At their meeting in Tokyo on Nov. 21, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Russian President Vladimir Putin failed to produce a joint statement on stalled peace treaty talks. The reason, of course, is that the two nations remain at odds over possession of the Northern Territories. It is unusual that...
JAPAN
Nov 29, 2005

Ex-programmer arrested for faking news story, Yahoo site

into a squad car Monday morning immediately after he was placed under arrest
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Nov 29, 2005

Bird flu, same-sex, posting

Bird flu With all the panic flying around on the subject of bird flu, several readers have asked where to get down to-earth information and advice. Sascha Hewitt's online store and resource center Natural Healing Center has a well-grounded article with a link to its home page on the subject: naturalhealingcenter.com/...
BUSINESS
Nov 29, 2005

Rising demand lifts life insurers

The rising demand for medical and annuity insurance by the rapidly graying population boosted revenues at many of the nation's six largest life insurers in the first half of fiscal 2005, according to earnings reports released Monday.
JAPAN
Nov 28, 2005

Seki returns as mayor of Osaka

OSAKA -- Junichi Seki was returned to office in Sunday's Osaka mayoral election after he resigned amid clashes with the city assembly and bureaucrats over reform.
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
Nov 28, 2005

Ishihara fails to measure up to his image

NEW YORK -- Earlier this month Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara gave a speech in New York City, and I went to hear him. That's one thing you do in this city: go hear or see some of the more famous visitors from your home country.
COMMENTARY
Nov 28, 2005

Yasukuni impasse cracking

Since Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi took office in 2001, Japan has faced diplomatic spats with China and South Korea over his visits to Yasukuni Shrine. On Oct. 17, Koizumi made his fifth Yasukuni visit as prime minister, as Japan's relations with the two neighbors soured.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Nov 27, 2005

Sikorski's release, expansion and playoff ideas fill mailbag

Thanks to all readers of the "Baseball Bullet-In" for your e-mails and interest in Japanese baseball.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Nov 27, 2005

Democracy's foes are both within and without

When I was traveling around the Soviet Union way back in the summer of 1964, people were talking about a mummy that had been found in a cave in Dagestan, in the northeast of the Caucasus. It wasn't long before scholars were debating how old it was, with two opinions coming to the fore: either it was...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Nov 27, 2005

Animals proved superheroes in TV Tokyo's "Sekai Bikkuri Daihakken" and more

Animals are cute and all, but on TV Tokyo's special documentary program, "Sekai Bikkuri Daihakken: Dobutsutachi no Kiseki no Power (World Surprising Discoveries: The Miracle Power of Animals)" (Monday, 8 p.m.), animals prove they are also superheroes.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Nov 26, 2005

Keane's baggage may scupper his dream move to Celtic

LONDON -- In August, you would probably have been able to name your own odds against both Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson and captain Roy Keane seeking new employment midseason. One half of any such bet has already come up trumps, and unless United beat Benfica in Lisbon on Wednesday week,...
EDITORIALS
Nov 26, 2005

Health ministry's number-juggling act

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's initiative to give local governments more fiscal autonomy -- part of his structural reform agenda -- is meeting stiff resistance from the central bureaucracy. The plan calls for seven ministries to cut a total of 630 billion yen in subsidies provided by the state. The...
JAPAN
Nov 25, 2005

Zebari urges extension of GSDF deployment

Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari on Thursday urged his Japanese counterpart, Taro Aso, to keep the Self-Defense Forces troops deployed to Samawah, a Foreign Ministry official said.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / BEST BAR NONE
Nov 25, 2005

Put on your party hats

Welcome to CoZmo, a cafe and bar on the edge of Shibuya where it abuts Aoyama. And meet Ronna Wagenheim, its creator, proprietor, head chef and host. With the assistance of only one hand on deck, the charming Junella Hidaka, Ronna opens her hip retreat every night to escapees from the madness down the...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Nov 25, 2005

Izu's Shimoda basks calmly in past glories

Jutting south from Mount Fuji into the Pacific, the Izu Peninsula has something of a holiday air about it. The warm Kuroshio current flowing northward lends the peninsula a mild climate, and its position close to the suture lines of shifting tectonic plates means that rugged Izu has no lack of geothermal...

Longform

Once smoky, male-dominated spaces, today's net cafes, like Kaikatsu Club, are working to make their operations more attractive to women customers.
The second life of Japan's net cafes