Search - 2004

 
 
MORE SPORTS
Feb 2, 2005

Japan team named for Dynasty Cup

U.S.-based Shigeki Maruyama and JGTO money title holder Shingo Katayama will head the Japanese team taking on the Rest of Asia side at the Dynasty Cup in April, the Japan Golf Tour Organization said Monday.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Feb 2, 2005

1995: A tumultuous year for Japan, a great one for baseball

Ten years have passed since one of the most unforgettable times in Japan's history.
BUSINESS
Feb 1, 2005

ANA net profit falls 25% on Haneda terminal move

All Nippon Airways Co. said Monday its net profit in the October-December quarter fell 25 percent from a year earlier to 5.1 billion yen, due to extraordinary costs of 6.1 billion yen, which included the move to a new terminal in Tokyo's Haneda airport.
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
Jan 31, 2005

Far-fetched redesigns between the lines

NEW YORK -- "Contrapuntal reading," as Edward Said called it, is the ability to read between the lines. The reader must be able to have what is referred to, but not described, play off the main descriptive concern. This ability is particularly important with novels written while empire-building was in...
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 31, 2005

Fires of hope for the leprosy-afflicted

There is a disease that is completely curable. It is phenomenally hard to contract. If caught early, it has little to no effect on those who have been touched by it. Yet, mention of this disease fills people with more dread, with more gut-level loathing, than any other. The disease is leprosy. It is...
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Jan 30, 2005

Bellamy, Diouf, Savage put stain on game with actions

LONDON -- In the coming weeks members of the Football Writers' Association will start to give serious consideration to their choice for Footballer of the Year.
JAPAN
Jan 30, 2005

Woman gives birth with partial womb

A woman whose womb was partially preserved during an operation to treat advanced-stage cervical cancer gave birth last fall, the first such case in Japan, hospital officials said Saturday.
JAPAN
Jan 30, 2005

Telephone scams net 28.4 billion yen in last 12 months

Phone fraud cases, including scams in which callers solicit money from people by impersonating a relative, netted some 28.4 billion yen last year, according to the National Police Agency.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Jan 30, 2005

Kabuki illustrated with the vibrancy of sheer enthusiasm

HEROES OF THE KABUKI STAGE, by Arendie & Henk Herwig. Amsterdam: KIT Publishers/Hotei Publishing, 2004, 360 pp., 280 full-color illustrations, $125 (cloth). This large (245 x 297 mm), beautifully produced book calls itself "an introduction to the world of kabuki with retellings of famous plays, illustrated...
JAPAN
Jan 29, 2005

MMC execs resign as automaker gets 540 billion yen bailout

Ltd. MMC's latest plan includes no specific steps for increasing profits, he said. But MMC chief financial officer Hiizu Ichikawa said that external consultants have reviewed the plan and claimed he was confident it would work.
JAPAN
Jan 29, 2005

Lower House OKs extra budget

The House of Representatives on Friday approved the government's supplementary budget bills for fiscal 2004, worth about 4.77 trillion yen, including 1.36 trillion yen allocated toward disaster relief.
JAPAN
Jan 28, 2005

Police misbehavior up in '04; 488 given punishments

2004 saw 488 police officers and police employees disciplined for misbehavior, up 13 percent from the previous year.
JAPAN
Jan 28, 2005

Japanese with AIDS at record high

A record number of Japanese contracted HIV and developed AIDS last year, a government panel said as it urged citizens to take greater precautions to avoid infection.
BUSINESS
Jan 28, 2005

Combined sales of retailers, wholesalers expands for first time in 13 years

The government said Thursday that the combined sales of Japan's wholesalers and retailers in 2004 rose 2.2 percent from a year ago to 539.70 trillion yen for the first improvement in 13 years, but noted that retail sales are now flat.
JAPAN
Jan 27, 2005

China now Japan's top trade partner

trade," said Yukari Sato, chief economist at Credit Suisse First Boston Securities (Japan) Ltd. Economists and government officials predict that Japan's trade with China will grow further, given lower tariffs and an improving investment climate spurred by China's entry into the World Trade Organization...
BUSINESS
Jan 27, 2005

MMC's loss nearly doubles forecast, tops 400 billion yen

Mitsubishi Motors Corp. is expected to mark a record consolidated net loss of more than 400 billion yen for fiscal 2004, which ends in March, after being battered by sluggish sales in North America, according to sources.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 27, 2005

Foggy North Korean shuffle

BRUSSELS -- Recent events in North Korea have been interpreted in various ways and, generally, the wish has been father to the thought. The truth is difficult to discern, but indications are that North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has placed himself firmly behind a reform program that may finally bring...
MORE SPORTS
Jan 26, 2005

Miyazato invited to year's first major

Japan's Ai Miyazato has been invited to compete in the Kraft Nabisco Championship, the first major tournament of the year on the U.S. LPGA tour, the Ladies Professional Golfers' Association of Japan said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Jan 26, 2005

Muto says it may take longer than expected to beat deflation

Deputy Bank of Japan Gov. Toshiro Muto has indicated the economy might move out of deflation later than the central bank has forecast.
BUSINESS
Jan 26, 2005

Electrical appliance sales fall 1.87%

Sales of household electrical appliances at major retailers slipped 1.87 percent in 2004 from the previous year to 1.98 trillion yen, according to preliminary data released Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jan 26, 2005

Get ready, hay fever sufferers

Cedar pollen, a major cause of hay fever, may be prevalent in Japan until mid-May, about a month longer than average, according to weather information provider Weathernews Inc.
JAPAN
Jan 25, 2005

Japan mulled buying cruise missiles for pre-emptive self-defense: Ishiba

The government considered arming itself with Tomahawk cruise missiles to pre-empt ballistic missile attacks but gave up because it would contradict the postwar policy of not maintaining an offensive capability, former Defense Agency chief Shigeru Ishiba said Monday.
BUSINESS
Jan 25, 2005

Elpida cuts profit forecast due to weakening digital market

Elpida Memory Inc., a major maker of computer memory chips, said Monday it has nearly halved its net profit forecast for the year through March, blaming weak digital camera and DVD recorder sales.
BUSINESS
Jan 25, 2005

BOJ policymakers discussed easing quantitative policy target

Members of the Bank of Japan Policy Board suggested last month that the central bank consider lowering the target for the outstanding balance of current account deposits held by private financial institutions.
JAPAN
Jan 24, 2005

55% want SDF out of Iraq by March 15: poll

About 55 percent of respondents in a Kyodo News poll conducted Saturday and Sunday said the Self-Defense Forces should withdraw from Iraq by March, when Dutch troops engaged in security operations are scheduled to leave the country.
JAPAN
Jan 23, 2005

Lowered standards eyed for foreign-language tour guides

The Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry plans to review the highly competitive certification exams for professional foreign-language guides in a bid to boost the number of certified guides available to tourists, officials said Saturday.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji