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Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 21, 2003

Imports, weakening demand dampen fireworks industry

For much of Japan, the end of the rainy season signifies that summer has shifted into high gear. And the sweltering months are never quite complete without the bursts of color and sonic booms of fireworks festivals.
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Jul 21, 2003

Will tax reform succeed at ensuring our social security?

The government has tackled tax reform as a means of beefing up Japan's economic vigor, cutting corporate tax rates and introducing cuts specifically aimed at promoting research and development projects.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 21, 2003

Triple alliance stands behind Washington

HONOLULU -- Two journeys to Tokyo this past week have underscored the forging of a new, albeit informal, triple alliance comprising Japan, Australia and Britain that stands alongside the United States in the war on terror.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 20, 2003

Mutated beats for postmod grooving

Scott Herren is many things to many people. To some, he is Delarosa & Asora, the purveyor of jagged, techno dissonance. To others, he is Savath & Savalas, a mutating musical project that navigates electronica, postrock and Spanish folk with equal ease. At the moment, however, Herren's hip-hop outlet,...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Jul 20, 2003

Summer suspense and nuclear intrigue

PROJECT KAISEI, by Michiro Naito. Indiana: 1stBooks Library, 2003, 321 pp., $19.95 (paper). THE INUGAMI CLAN, by Seishi Yokomizo, translated by Yumiko Yamazaki. Tuttle Shokai Inc., 2003, 300 pp., $14.95 (paper). Unless the dire warnings of electric power shortages that were raised earlier this summer...
COMMUNITY
Jul 20, 2003

Being nasally challenged is nothing to be sniffed at

To be honest, I never gave much thought to noses, ne'er even my own, until my sense of smell departed.
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
Jul 20, 2003

Yokoyama's ship finally comes in

Ken Yokoyama is crazy.
EDITORIALS
Jul 19, 2003

'Kenpo' deficit widens

Japan's health insurance system for private-sector employees (Kenpo) is sinking deeper into deficit. It is estimated that eight of 10 health insurance associations booked losses in fiscal 2002. At this rate, an increase in insurance premiums seems inevitable.
JAPAN
Jul 19, 2003

12 cultural envoys to pitch Japan abroad

The Cultural Affairs Agency has recently appointed 12 people as cultural ambassadors who will live abroad to help spread Japanese culture and art, including films and "rakugo" comic storytelling, agency officials said.
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Jul 18, 2003

Matsui at midseason: Top scout likes what he sees

With the second half of the major league season set to get underway on Friday, I thought now would be a good time to get an expert's opinion on the progress of the New York Yankees rookie outfielder Hideki Matsui.
JAPAN
Jul 18, 2003

Younger youth detention eyed

Justice Minister Mayumi Moriyama said Thursday the ministry may revise the Reformatory Law so that children under 13 who commit crimes can be sent to juvenile reformatories.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 18, 2003

Kanda's used-book trade touts new survival ploys

Amid concerns that younger Japanese are not avid readers, like their older counterparts, Tokyo's Kanda-Jimbocho district, famed for its stores selling used books, is boasting innovative ideas to attract more customers.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jul 18, 2003

This Ricos is posh, new -- but is it improved?

It was with considerable anticipation that we made our way to Akabanebashi last week to try the new Ricos, which opened June 10. After all, this is the latest from the people who brought us Ricos Kitchen near Yebisu Garden Place, which was one of our restaurants of the year in 1999 and remains a reliable...
JAPAN
Jul 17, 2003

Foreign drugs urged for Alzheimer's

A health ministry research group has come out with the nation's first medical guidelines on Alzheimer's disease, recommending the government allow pharmaceutical firms to introduce two foreign-made drugs in Japan as soon as possible, researchers said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jul 17, 2003

Play on Constitution's birth now timely

Since its birth in 1947, the Constitution has always been a target for revision, primarily because it was drafted by Americans rather than Japanese.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 17, 2003

Tsujimoto to face fraud charges

Tokyo police will establish a criminal case against former Social Democratic Party lawmaker Kiyomi Tsujimoto on suspicion of fraud by skimming government salaries for her policy secretaries, according to investigative sources.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 16, 2003

'Manifesto' replaces slogans in election wordplay

Now that there is a fall election in the air, once again politicians are couching their platforms with the buzzword "manifesto."
COMMENTARY
Jul 16, 2003

Parties gear up for elections

The political situation in Japan is already heating up in anticipation of a period of turbulence in the fall. The current ordinary session of the Diet has been extended until July 26, and it seems certain that the bill concerning Japan's support for the reconstruction of Iraq, the focal point of the...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jul 16, 2003

Ennosuke soars with two-in-one tale

For his 33rd annual summer season at the Kabukiza Theater in Ginza, Ichikawa Ennosuke is this month presenting not one but two kabuki classics: "Yotsuya Kaidan (The Ghost Story at Yotsuya)" and "Chushingura (The 47 Loyal Retainers)." There's a catch, though -- he's fashioned them into a single, three-act...
JAPAN
Jul 15, 2003

Security cameras aid in crime fight, but at a cost

The key clue that led to the apprehension of a 12-year-old Nagasaki junior high school student for the July 1 murder of a 4-year-old boy was the image captured by a shopping arcade security camera of the youth walking with the victim near the scene of the slaying.
COMMUNITY
Jul 15, 2003

Test your criminal smarts

How clued-in are you when it comes to protecting your home and valuables against intruders? The following is a translation excerpted from an online check produced by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. Correct answers to the questions are given at the bottom.
BUSINESS
Jul 15, 2003

Longer home-loan tax breaks sought

The land ministry plans to seek an extension of tax breaks for housing loans in light of weak economic activity, a senior ministry official said.

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