Search - 2003

 
 
JAPAN
Sep 15, 2003

One in five Japanese 65 or older

The number of Japanese aged 65 or older has reached a record 24.31 million, or roughly one out of every five people in the country.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Sep 14, 2003

Uncovering lost worlds of Japanese film

RECALLING THE TREASURES OF JAPANESE CINEMA: Japanese Film History Studies, edited by Friends of Silent Film Association, supervised by Matsuda Film Productions, preface by Tadao Sato. Tokyo: Urban Connections, 2003, 200 pp., with photos, 1,800 yen (cloth). With movies so ubiquitous it is easy to forget...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Sep 14, 2003

From West to East: Ian Buruma casts his light on the making of modern Japan

INVENTING JAPAN: 1853-1964, by Ian Buruma. New York: The Modern Library, 2003, 194 pp., $19.95, (cloth). This is a satisfying hors d'oeuvre that awakens readers' intellects while whetting their appetite for more substantial fare. It is a quirky, opinionated and selective narrative redolent of what is...
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.
BUSINESS
Sep 13, 2003

Will bid to revalue yuan result in a huge own goal?

While the U.S. and Japan are stepping up political pressure on China to float its currency, some economists are asking if that's really the right policy.
BUSINESS
Sep 13, 2003

GDP forecast could rise: Takenaka

The Cabinet Office might revise upward the government's estimate of real gross domestic product for fiscal 2003, economic and fiscal policy minister Heizo Takenaka said Friday.
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.
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...
BUSINESS
Sep 11, 2003

April-June GDP up a real 1%

The economy grew a real 1 percent in the April-June quarter, the highest level of quarterly growth since the real 1.3 percent rise in the October-December quarter of 2000, the government said Wednesday.
CULTURE / Books / THE BOOK REPORT
Sep 11, 2003

Naoki Prize winner asks Japan to put more faith in the young

For the past several years, the Japanese public has been wringing its hands over the new phenomenon of 13- and 14-year-old killers. However, an evocative portrayal of a group of ordinary, young boys, "4teen," by Ira Ishida, was selected as cowinner of this year's Naoki Prize, showering money and fame...
EDITORIALS
Sep 10, 2003

LDP race should enliven policy debate

Campaigning for the Liberal Democratic Party's Sept. 20 presidential election started on Monday with three men challenging Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. The winner will become the prime minister, since the LDP holds a majority in the Lower House. The next president, who has an extended term of three...
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 8, 2003

Too early to write off India

Earlier this year I had argued that on balance, China was outperforming India on the world stage ("China leaves India in the dust," Jan. 27). While keeping costs as low and offering the lure of a market as big as India's, I argued, China has attained levels of infrastructure closer to those of Southeast...
JAPAN
Sep 7, 2003

Japan's space station bill to top 1 trillion yen

Japan will have to shoulder more than 1 trillion yen to help build and operate the International Space Station, a figure much higher than previously cited by the government, internal documents from the science ministry obtained by Kyodo News showed Saturday.
COMMENTARY
Sep 7, 2003

Exams fail to rock the boat

LONDON -- Summer is examination season in Britain with results posted in mid-August. These are important for young people as entry to university, especially a more prestigious one, depends on the results they achieve.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Sep 7, 2003

Searching individuality

JAPANESE WRITERS AND THE WEST, by Sumie Okada. Hampshire: Palmgrave Macmillan, 2003, 216 pp., £45, (cloth). Though not nearly as inclusive as the title suggests, Professor Sumie Okada's small but earnest book does contain an amount of interpretation not elsewhere found.
JAPAN / AFTER 2 1/2 YEARS
Sep 6, 2003

Koizumi hit over wishy-washy North Korea policy

In Pyongyang to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Il on Sept. 17, 2002, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi emerged from his government jet with an air of determination.
BUSINESS
Sep 5, 2003

No more stimulus measures: Koizumi

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Thursday ruled out the possibility of compiling an extra fiscal 2003 budget aimed at buoying the economy through pump-priming measures.
JAPAN / AFTER 2 1/2 YEARS
Sep 3, 2003

Was 'reform without sanctuaries' an empty pledge?

When Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi took office in April 2001, he told the public that pain was a necessary evil in the process of rehabilitating the corporate sector and achieving financial stability.
MORE SPORTS
Sep 2, 2003

Sapp ready to take on Iron Mike

Bob Sapp says he will fight Mike Tyson anytime, anywhere. The 29-year-old former NFL lineman held a press conference Monday to let the world know he's ready to take on the 37-year-old former heavyweight boxing champion.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Aug 31, 2003

Great wave of artistic influence

HOKUSAI, by Gian Carlo Calza. London: Phaidon Press, Ltd., 2003, 336 pp., 700 illustrations, $59.95 (cloth). It was the West that first discovered the art of the Japanese woodblock print. Though popular in Japan, the prints were denied any kind of artistic standing until it became understood that abroad...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Aug 31, 2003

When your number's up ...

Emiko Kameyama has two close friends she likes to hang out with. In addition to their monthly dinners and the occasional trips they take together, two years ago the trio began a new tradition -- playing the Jumbo takarakuji (lottery).
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Aug 31, 2003

Enjoy it while you can

The Ibaraki House in Bunkyo Ward (above) is a fine -- and rare -- example of Tokyo's prewar residential architecture.
BUSINESS
Aug 30, 2003

Ogi moves to rescue ailing airlines

Transport minister Chikage Ogi on Friday unveiled a package of comprehensive measures aimed at supporting the troubled airline industry.
EDITORIALS
Aug 26, 2003

Promise seen in stock rebound

With the Nikkei stock average climbing past 10,000 points for the first time in more than a year, it seems that some of the pessimism about the Japanese economy has disappeared. The index has followed an upward trend since April when it tumbled to the 7,600 level, the lowest since the bubble burst in...
COMMENTARY
Aug 25, 2003

Japan's global security role

The most important feature of Japan's latest white paper on defense is that it gives new direction to the nation's defense policy. First, the report emphasizes that developing a missile defense system is a "matter of urgent importance for defense policy."

Longform

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