Search - about-us

 
 
EDITORIALS
Feb 6, 2003

Diet debates remain superficial

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's economic policy is coming under increasing criticism from the opposition parties. They have mainly condemned him for failing to produce either reform or growth, and have pointed out that his battle against deflation is reaching deadlock. That criticism -- which is not...
BUSINESS
Feb 6, 2003

Assessment of business conditions downgraded

The government on Wednesday downgraded its assessment of business conditions with the release of a key economic indicator that was below the boom-or-bust line for the second consecutive month in December, thanks to weak production and consumption indicators.
BUSINESS
Feb 6, 2003

Seiko to end set annual wage hikes

Electronics maker Seiko Epson Corp. will stop giving set annual wage increases based on age to all union members in April, company officials said Wednesday. The move is aimed at enhancing the company's international competitiveness by promoting merit-based raises and reducing overall labor costs.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 6, 2003

North Korea escapees form help group

A group of escapees from North Korea announced Wednesday they have formed an association to help support them in Japan.
BUSINESS
Feb 6, 2003

Toyota sees 93.9% net profit growth

Toyota Motor Corp. on Wednesday reported a group net profit of 216.1 billion yen for the October-December quarter, up 93.9 percent from the same period a year earlier on brisk sales at home and abroad.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Feb 6, 2003

Delving deeper into the snows

At the end of my column last week, there I was on the Antarctic Peninsula pondering the pink hue of "watermelon snow" and wondering where had I heard about colored snow before.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK
Feb 6, 2003

To feed or not to feed?

I was just 8 years old, going to get the milk from the front porch. I happened to look out of the window and saw something that excited me, so I called my mother, pointed -- and yelled: "Look, Mum! Tits!"
BUSINESS
Feb 6, 2003

Matsushita missed boat on camera phones: exec

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. missed its goal of capturing 25 percent of Japan's cellular phone market because of its late introduction of camera phones, the head of the company's mobile communications unit said. Panasonic brand cell phones finished 2002 with less than 20 percent of the domestic...
JAPAN
Feb 6, 2003

Victims of '68 poisoning case report disorders

Half the women who responded to a survey of victims of dioxin-contaminated cooking oil in 1968 say they have since suffered disorders in their reproductive organs, a victims' support group said Wednesday.
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Feb 6, 2003

Trade talk heating up as Feb. 20 deadline looms

NEW YORK -- Scott Layden, say sources, is telling club executives throughout the NBA the Knicks absolutely intend to make a major trade before the Feb. 20 deadline. We know we have to do something, so make us your best offer.
COMMENTARY
Feb 5, 2003

New life for de Gaulle's old dream

PARIS -- France and Germany have solemnly celebrated the 40th anniversary of the so-called Elysee Treaty, signed by French President Charles de Gaulle and German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer on Jan. 22, 1963. Last month governments and parliaments in both Paris and Berlin held joint meetings, as French...
JAPAN
Feb 5, 2003

White paper highlights concern over slipping academic record

A considerable number of children do not understand their lessons, many have weak study habits and their attitude toward learning is not necessarily based on a desire for knowledge, according to an education ministry white paper submitted to the Cabinet on Tuesday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Feb 5, 2003

Roy Gaines: "Roy Gaines In the House"

Far from the smoky city clubs where electric blues grew up, some of the best blues is now heard at outdoor summer festivals. The Lucerne Blues Festival in Switzerland is one of the best, and German label CrossCut Records captured many intense sets of lesser-known but serious blues bands in the summer...
JAPAN
Feb 5, 2003

No welcome mat for North Korea escapees

On a rainy night in fall 1996, a Japan-born tractor driver in North Korea dived into the fast and muddy current of the Yalu River on the border with China in a last-ditch attempt to escape the hunger and poverty that had plagued his family for decades.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Feb 5, 2003

Artists in search of absolute painting

"We call together all young people and -- as young people who bear the future -- we want to acquire freedom for our hands and lives, against the well-established older forces. Everyone belongs to us who renders in an unfalsified way everything that compels him to be creative."
JAPAN
Feb 5, 2003

Japan seeks international talks on management of KEDO

Japan wants international talks on an energy project for North Korea because the U.S. has set no money aside for it for fiscal 2004 due to the nuclear standoff with Pyongyang, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Tuesday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Feb 5, 2003

Slip into Wonderland in a museum of marvels

The Koishikawa Annex of Tokyo University Museum is currently hosting an eye-catching exhibition, "Microcosmographia: Mark Dion's Chamber of Curiosities." The brainchild of New York-based contemporary artist Mark Dion, the show runs until March 2.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Feb 5, 2003

From a guy to the King

Just what is the essence of Elvis Presley? The sideburns? That sneer? Those pelvic thrusts?
BUSINESS
Feb 5, 2003

Monetary base up 13.4% to 95.367 trillion yen

Japan's monetary base in January rose 13.4 percent from a year earlier to 95.367 trillion yen, up for the 24th straight month, the Bank of Japan said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Feb 5, 2003

'Human shields' eye prewar Iraq trip

A citizens' group in Japan is planning a second visit to Iraq later this month in hope of blocking a threatened U.S.-led attack on the country by acting as "human shields," the group said, and some members may try to stay there until fighting erupts.
JAPAN
Feb 5, 2003

Entity to give gambling winning spin

OSAKA -- The nation's first academic association specializing in the economic effects of gambling, including horse racing and pachinko, has been established in Osaka Prefecture.

Longform

An illustration features the Japanese signs for "ganbare" (good luck) and the Deaflympics, which will be held between Nov. 15 and 26.
A century of Deaf sport finds its moment in Tokyo