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Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 3, 2004

Ishihara tries to counter city's birthrate-unfriendly nature

Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara would probably be happy to learn that when Mayumi Ozaki's 2-year-old daughter caught a cold, her minder went to the girl's home and looked after her for two days.
JAPAN
Nov 2, 2004

2.3 trillion yen in high-tech bills enter nationwide circulation

Newly designed bank notes went into circulation Monday for the first time in 20 years, featuring cutting-edge technology aimed at combating a rising tide of counterfeits.
COMMENTARY
Oct 31, 2004

In defense of a liberal agenda

MANILA -- Today, hardly another political term is as misapprehended and misrepresented as is "liberal." A case in point is the United States in the runup to the presidential elections. For partisan reasons, the Republicans and the so-called neoconservatives have gone on a rampage to discredit liberalism....
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Oct 30, 2004

Michael Holmes

It's a long way from being a cub reporter on a local newspaper to becoming anchorman for CNN International, but it didn't take Michael Holmes long to cover the distance. Being good at his work was essential for his progress. Undoubtedly his cheerfulness and buoyancy helped him to forge ahead, along with...
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Oct 28, 2004

For Japanese, family names are the worst growing pains

Japanese family relationships have never been simple.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Oct 26, 2004

Dodgy landlords and police

Dodgy landlord I was two weeks late with my rent and the landlord locked me out of my apartment. Is there anything I can do?
BUSINESS
Oct 25, 2004

New bank notes could draw underground cash into the light

When the Bank of Japan puts new bank notes into circulation next month, it could draw out cash hoarded away in the country's underground economy and into investments like gold and real estate.
EDITORIALS
Oct 24, 2004

Tallying national happiness

I n most countries, progress is measured in terms of GNP or GDP -- gross national or domestic product. But one small country has adopted a startlingly different yardstick. In 1972, the king of Bhutan declared that progress in the landlocked Himalayan mini-kingdom would henceforward be gauged in terms...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Oct 22, 2004

Following the way of the samurai in Akita's Kakunodate

For the Hollywood view of what life was like for the old warriors of Japan, go down to the video shop and take out "The Last Samurai." But for a more accurate glimpse of how the samurai lived and the kind of world they inhabited, take a trip to Kakunodate.
JAPAN
Oct 21, 2004

Empress seeks help for Princess

Empress Michiko marked her 70th birthday Wednesday by urging palace officials to help her troubled daughter-in-law to recover from a stress-related illness.
COMMENTARY
Oct 20, 2004

Help wanted for promoting democrac

MANILA -- A myriad of organizations from North America and Europe operate in various parts of the world with the objective of advancing democratic governance. While their strategies may differ, these "democracy-assistance foundations" hold the common belief that promoting democracy essentially promotes...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Oct 20, 2004

Koshiro IX does this family's tradition proud

The Kabukiza is currently presenting two plays from its October program as tsuizen (memorial) performances for Matsumoto Koshiro VIII, who died in 1982. Koshiro VIII, also known by the stage name of Matsumoto Hakuo, considered these plays very important to the repertoire he performed, so it is significant...
EDITORIALS
Oct 19, 2004

Prioritizing aid for Iraq

Last week's Iraqi donor conference in Tokyo provided an "opportunity to reaffirm solidarity between the international community and the Iraqi people," as the chairman declared in his concluding statement. In practical terms, however, the meeting produced few results. With violence still prevalent in...
EDITORIALS
Oct 16, 2004

Battle for fair competition

Yamato Transport Co., Japan's leading parcel-delivery service, and Japan Post, the provider of "Yu-pack" service, are locked in a legal battle. Yamato claims that JP is setting prices at an unfairly low level while enjoying tax-exempt status and other privileges. It is ironic that some of the basic problems,...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Oct 16, 2004

Karen Sieg

"What I find most impressive about Tokyo International Players is that the organization has been active for 108 years, and is run completely by volunteers," said Karen Sieg. "When the international community is so transient, it is amazing to me that a small group of people with love of theater has continually...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 10, 2004

South African culture reclaimed in 'Umoja'

Born as a black person under apartheid, growing up in an extremely poor family with eight siblings, having a baby out of wedlock at age 16 -- this is surely a hard life to lead. But South African dancer and choreographer Todd Twala has lived it, and has proved that one can rise above hardship. The musical,...
COMMENTARY
Oct 6, 2004

International hubris may throttle Labour

LONDON -- There has been more money at the Labour Party conference the past few years than the delegates' parents might ever have dreamed of, let alone the impoverished founders of the workers' party. There has been, and is, more money because the power is with the parliamentary leaders of this party....
COMMENTARY
Oct 2, 2004

Muddled American dreams

LONDON -- There is a long tradition of learned American commentators interpreting Europe seriously -- and sometimes comically -- wrong.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Oct 1, 2004

Rooney's debut helps Manchester fans overlook his roots

LONDON -- Mancunians, generally speaking, do not like Liverpudlians and that is putting it mildly. The feeling is also mutual and just about the only thing the folk from the two cities have in common is their opinion of each other.
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Sep 23, 2004

Good stuff, people and advice on how to tailor your consumption

It's back-to-school time again, and whether you are going back, sending your child off, or just getting swept up in the streams of backpack-wielding kids, change is in the air. Time for new books, new people and new gossip, and time to clear the desk even if only for a place to rest your head.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 22, 2004

It's a thin line between love and hate

Monster Rating: * * * * (out of 5) Director: Patty Jenkins Running time: 109 minutes Language: English Opens Sept. 25 [See Japan Times movie listings] Aileen Wuornos is often tagged the first female serial killer and the first U.S. woman to receive the death penalty neither is true,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 22, 2004

Getting under the skin of a serial killer

After "Hannibal" et al., seeing another serial killer flick was about as pleasant a prospect as being buried alive. It was a nice surprise, then, to find that director Patty Jenkins had made an intelligent, genre-defying film grounded in reality. Jenkins, who also wrote the screenplay, has been riding...
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Sep 21, 2004

When it happens, it happens

A whirlwind romance Shortly before I was to return to Australia, I went to a Christmas party in the small town where I was studying Japanese.
Rugby
Sep 17, 2004

JRFU'S new ruling puts players' lives at risk

At the press conference to launch the start of the second year of the Top League, which kicks-off this weekend, Japan Rugby Football Union Chairman Tetsuo Machii admitted that the game's image had suffered in recent years.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Sep 12, 2004

Exploring a cautionary tale

MINAMATA DISEASE, by Masazumi Harada (1971), translated by Sachie Tsushima and Timothy S. George, edited by Timothy S. George. Kumamoto Nichinichi Shinbun Culture & Information Center, 2004, 215 pp., 2,500 yen (cloth). Across Japan and throughout much of the world, the name Minamata is synonymous with...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Sep 11, 2004

Want to be royalty? Try a home stay

When it comes to hospitality, the Japanese are champions. In Japan, hospitality is like an Olympic sport and requires rigorous cross training in fields such as politeness, modesty, unconditional giving and overall self-sacrifice. There is no better display of this hospitality than in the Japanese home...
BUSINESS / Q&A
Sep 9, 2004

Why is Japan Post going to be privatized?

After months of government debate, the Cabinet on Friday will formally approve a plan to privatize the government-run Japan Post.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 8, 2004

What are you trying to do? Scare us?

The Village Rating: * * (out of 5) Director: M. Night Shyamalan Running time: 108 minutes Language: English Opens Sept. 11 [See Japan Times movie listings] Van Helsing Rating: * * (out of 5) Director: Stephen Sommers Running time: 133 minutes Language: English Currently showing [See...
COMMUNITY
Sep 4, 2004

Unhappy? Confused? Traumatized? Try IMHPJ

As the only native German-speaking accredited clinical psychologist in all Japan, Uta Sonnenberg-Watanabe is in transition.

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