Search - 2002

 
 
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 17, 2003

Soga talks of family she left behind

MANO, Niigata Pref. -- Hitomi Soga, who returned to Japan last year for the first time since being abducted to North Korea in 1978, said Tuesday she is filled with the pain of being separated from her husband and children.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 17, 2003

Koizumi hints at October election

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi suggested Tuesday he may dissolve the House of Representatives next month because holding simultaneous Lower and Upper House elections in summer "is not a good idea."
EDITORIALS
Sep 15, 2003

Looming specter of tax hikes

The government's budget deficit continues to swell at an ominous pace. According to an estimate by the Finance Ministry, the total amount of bond issues in fiscal 2004 may exceed 41 trillion yen -- a sum roughly half the size of the budget. The figure could be revised downward, possibly to less than...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 14, 2003

Counting down to victory, Hanshin fans warned Dotombori River is full of toxic sludge

As ardent Hanshin fans count down to the roaring Tigers' much-awaited baseball title, environmentalists wary of the revelers' ultimate expression of rapture -- a dive into Osaka's Dotombori River -- warn that the waterway is full of toxic sludge.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Sep 14, 2003

Poetry: a language without borders

KIYOKO'S SKY: The Haiku of Kiyoko Tokutomi, translations by Patricia J. Machmiller & Fay Aoyagi. Illinois: Brookes Books, Decatur, 2002, 128 pp., $16 (paper). SELECTED HAIKU, by Takaha Shugyo, translations by Hoshino Tsunehiko & Adrian Pinnington. Tokyo: Furansudo, 2003, 108 pp., $16 (paper). These two...
JAPAN
Sep 13, 2003

598 Japanese abandoned in China after war to sue government this month

Another 598 Japanese who were abandoned in China at the end of World War II will sue the government later this month, bringing the total number of plaintiffs seeking compensation to more than 1,200 -- about half of the roughly 2,400 war-displaced orphans who have returned.
JAPAN
Sep 13, 2003

Justice Ministry reports first death row hanging of 2003

The Justice Ministry on Friday reported the execution of a death-row inmate, a scenario that may provoke criticism both domestically and abroad.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 13, 2003

Online group united by anger

In an age of increasing disenchantment with political parties, both among voters and electoral candidates, there is one group whose level of support is still growing.
COMMUNITY
Sep 13, 2003

Blue-eyed singer brings heart of Japan to world

Greg Irwin looks back to the year 2000 and can hardly believe how his life has turned around. "I was ready to quit singing doyo. I was not happy in my personal life. I was questioning living in Japan and my career seemed to have hit the glass ceiling."
BUSINESS
Sep 13, 2003

Hino, Isuzu to delay merger of bus units

Hino Motors Ltd. and Isuzu Motors Ltd. said Friday they will delay the full merger of their bus-manufacturing operations until October 2004.
MORE SPORTS
Sep 13, 2003

Shop until you drop: Eriksson may be next on Chelsea's list

LONDON -- Sven-Goran Eriksson quits his job as head coach of England to become manager of Chelsea where he takes over from Claudio Ranieri.
BUSINESS
Sep 13, 2003

Saks Fifth Avenue to open in Japan

The Japan unit of upscale U.S. department store Saks Fifth Avenue said Friday it will open its first Japanese outlet in Tokyo in the fall of 2005.
JAPAN
Sep 12, 2003

LDP's Yamasaki appeals libel ruling

Taku Yamasaki, secretary general of the Liberal Democratic Party, on Thursday appealed a lower court decision rejecting his defamation suit against a magazine.
JAPAN
Sep 12, 2003

Political donations sink to record low

Political donations plunged to a record-low 24.3 billion yen in 2002, down 24 percent from the previous year in a reflection of the ongoing economic slump, according to a government report released Thursday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 12, 2003

It's time for Japan to stake wind power claim: advocate

A favorable wind is blowing for renewable energy these days amid mounting environmental concerns and fears of over-reliance on exhaustible fuels.
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Sep 11, 2003

'War on Terror' veils assaults on the environment

Alread two years have passed since terrorist attacks in New York and Washington shook America and shocked the world. Today, the repercussions of those tragedies continue to impact American lives in ways never imagined. For environmentalists, one of the most disturbing consequences has been the Bush administration's...
JAPAN
Sep 10, 2003

Detention of acquitted prompts legal cross fire

The Tokyo High Court has recently ordered the detention of a 23-year-old Chilean man acquitted of robbing a jewelry shop and stealing a car.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 10, 2003

Music of the spheres

Acid Mothers Temple and the Melting Paraiso U.F.O. is arguably one of the most influential Japanese bands in the world at this moment.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Sep 10, 2003

Cursive

In the summer of 2002, Eastern Youth, the most conscientious punk band in Japan, released "Eight Teeth to Eat You," a split CD with the Omaha emo-core band Cursive. Then they announced they would bring the group to Japan for a short joint tour. Unfortunately, Cursive frontman Tim Kasher suffered a collapsed...
BUSINESS
Sep 10, 2003

Banks and FSA draw closer on loan estimates

The gap between major banks and the Financial Services Agency in their estimates of the banks' risky and bad loans has narrowed, FSA data showed Tuesday.
JAPAN
Sep 9, 2003

Koizumi unlikely to repeat landslide win

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's chances of being re-elected in the Sept. 20 Liberal Democratic Party's presidential election are high, but he is unlikely to win a landslide victory as he did in the last election due to the new voting system the party has adopted.
BASEBALL / MLB
Sep 9, 2003

Swallows' Hodges to fly the coop

Yakult Swallows right-hander Kevin Hodges will not re-sign with the Central League team for next season, club officials said Monday.
JAPAN
Sep 9, 2003

LDP's No. 2 man loses defamation suit

Taku Yamasaki, the Liberal Democratic Party's No. 2 man, lost a defamation suit Monday when the Tokyo District Court rejected his demands that a magazine pay him damages for writing a report about his alleged mistress.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / INTERNATIONAL RATIONALE
Sep 9, 2003

Hello Kitty, Pokemon, Doraemon battle for global supremacy

A number of U.S. celebrities have been spotted toting Hello Kitty paraphernalia in the past year or so, leaving officials of Sanrio Co., the maker of the long-selling character, scratching their heads.
EDITORIALS
Sep 8, 2003

Moving too fast on missile defense

The Defense Agency's plan to build a missile-defense system is causing much controversy here. The basic question is whether such a system is urgently needed and whether it is suitable for ensuring the peace and security of Japan. The question should be addressed very carefully from various angles. The...
JAPAN
Sep 8, 2003

Koizumi to pledge 2% nominal growth

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will promise to secure nominal economic growth of at least 2 percent by fiscal 2006 in his policy package for the upcoming Liberal Democratic Party presidential election, a key aide said Sunday.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Sep 7, 2003

For Barry Eisler, when it rains, it pours

In Tokyo this month to promote his latest work and research story ideas, Barry Eisler shares his thoughts on the art of fiction -- and martial arts.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 6, 2003

Kin of Ikeda stabbing victims step ahead

OSAKA -- Following the massacre of eight children in June 2001 at Ikeda Elementary School in Osaka Prefecture, the victims' parents found empathy and understanding from across the Pacific.

Longform

Rock group The Yellow Monkey played K-Arena Yokohama in June as part of a nationwide tour. Concerts are increasingly popular in the age of social media as users value in-person experiences.
Inside Japan’s arena boom: Sports, sound and city-building