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JAPAN
Dec 29, 2004

Civilian controls over military matters seen in the balance

As Japan prepares to redefine the Self-Defense Forces as a bona fide military, the government will have to address the sensitive question of how much say SDF officers should have in national security.
JAPAN
Dec 28, 2004

Japan as seen through Hollywood's eyes

OSAKA -- Over the past year or so, Japan has figured in several popular Hollywood films.
JAPAN
Dec 28, 2004

Koreans lose suit for wages of laborers killed by Allies

Relatives of Koreans who died in Japan in the closing days of World War II after being brought here as forced laborers lost a suit Monday in which they were seeking damages over unpaid wages.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 28, 2004

Returning tourists recount tidal terror

Japanese tourists arriving home from Thailand described the terror they experienced on beaches and hotels on the resort island of Phuket, which was struck Sunday by tsunamis triggered by the world's strongest earthquake in 40 years.
Dec 28, 2004

Japan as seen through Hollywood's eyes

OSAKA -- Over the past year or so, Japan has figured in several popular Hollywood films.
EDITORIALS
Dec 27, 2004

Lessons from a year of disasters

Preparers of government white papers usually try hard not to offend anyone by giving only the average scores for survey results and, in the case of prefectural statistics, summing them up in flat tables. The 2004 white paper on fire and disaster management, however, carries a bar graph so that readers...
JAPAN
Dec 27, 2004

Study finds digital divide between urban, rural areas

High-speed Internet services are not available to residents in 11.5 percent of 3,123 municipalities across Japan, mostly on remote islands and mountainous areas, according to the government.
EDITORIALS
Dec 26, 2004

A summer date with Harry Potter

To the delight of her young readers, her publishers and booksellers everywhere, British author J.K. Rowling last week announced that she had delivered to the printers the manuscript of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," Book 6 in her phenomenally popular fantasy series. It should have come as...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / FUZZY LOGIC
Dec 26, 2004

Rip, burn, play: crucial tunes in 2004

Here is the definitive list -- albeit a bit fuzzy (it's been a tough few weeks of pre-Christmas partying) -- of the best albums of 2004. I wish there were more Japanese bands here, but in 2004 most of my favorite bands -- The Gimmies, The Saturns, Melt-Banana, Thee '50s High Teens, Watusi Zombie, etc....
JAPAN
Dec 26, 2004

Fukuoka by-election seen as test for party leaders Koizumi, Okada

A House of Representatives by-election this April in the Fukuoka No. 2 district will be a bellwether, not only for the future of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's government but also the Democratic Party of Japan, the biggest opposition force.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 26, 2004

New Year's Eve

While 3 million people stream through Meiji Jingu Shrine Dec. 31, a smaller number of devotees will be worshipping in their own musical way at Tokyo's jazz meccas. In an event that's become something of a tradition now, New Year's Eve means all night jams in Tokyo's many jazz clubs. Starting around 7...
JAPAN
Dec 25, 2004

Cancer victims' kin demand ban on sales of Iressa

Families of patients who died after experiencing side effects from the lung cancer drug Iressa urged the government Friday to order British pharmaceutical maker AstraZeneca PLC to stop selling it because tests have shown it ineffective at prolonging life.
JAPAN
Dec 25, 2004

JR Tokai OKs scooter-wheelchairs

Central Japan Railway Co. (JR Tokai) said Friday that it will conditionally allow handicapped people to use scooter-type electric wheelchairs at its train stations.
BASEBALL / MLB
Dec 25, 2004

Fukuoka Softbank Hawks get green light

Softbank Corp. officially became a baseball club owner Friday when the Internet service provider obtained approval for its purchase of the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks from debt-ridden retail giant Daiei Inc.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Dec 25, 2004

Last-minute gifts for discerning foreigners

Merry Christmas! If you are one of those people who waits till the last nano-second to do your Christmas shopping, don't worry. You've still got till midnight tonight to get a Christmas present for that special gaijin you forgot about.
Dec 25, 2004

Cancer victims' kin demand ban on sales of Iressa

Families of patients who died after experiencing side effects from the lung cancer drug Iressa urged the government Friday to order British pharmaceutical maker AstraZeneca PLC to stop selling it because tests have shown it ineffective at prolonging life.
JAPAN
Dec 24, 2004

Government eyes medical teams for disaster victims

The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry will form about 200 medical teams and assign them to hospitals nationwide to bolster earthquake- and other disaster-response measures, ministry officials said Thursday.
EDITORIALS
Dec 24, 2004

Gear shift on constitutional change

The Liberal Democratic Party recently came under public criticism for "going to extremes" in its bid to update the Constitution, Japan's first democratic charter that took effect in 1947. The criticism has prompted the party to alter its plans for constitutional reform. The party appears to have recognized...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Dec 24, 2004

Minato Mirai: Loading bay to pleasure haven

Originally home to a huge shipbuilding dock, Yokohama's Minato Mirai 21 area is today a great attraction for day and nighttime visitors alike. The "21" of Minato Mirai's name stands for the 21st century, but plans to redevelop the coastal area were underway by 1965, just as Japan's economy started soaring...
Dec 24, 2004

Government eyes medical teams for disaster victims

The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry will form about 200 medical teams and assign them to hospitals nationwide to bolster earthquake- and other disaster-response measures, ministry officials said Thursday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 24, 2004

Tale of Yokota's abduction by North now recounted in comic-book form

Megumi Yokota's status as an abduction victim means that her photos have been staple fare for Japanese newspapers, magazines and television stations for some time.
BUSINESS
Dec 23, 2004

Japan Airlines to buy 30 Boeing Dreamliners

Japan Airlines said Wednesday it has selected Boeing Co.'s new 7E7 passenger jet to replace a fleet of older aircraft -- the latest development in the rivalry between the U.S. aircraft maker and Europe's Airbus to woo Asian carriers.

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