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EDITORIALS
Nov 4, 2006

Renewal of a commitment

On Oct. 27 the Diet approved extending for another year -- from Nov. 1 -- the special antiterrorism law that, among other things, allows Maritime Self-Defense Force ships to refuel navy ships of the United States and other nations in the Indian Ocean in support of the security campaign in Afghanistan....
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Nov 4, 2006

Charmers of the Inland Sea

My landlord drives a ferry. Having grown up on an island in the Inland Sea, it was only natural for him to take up a job on a boat. Many islanders become captains of ferries, cargo ships, and tug boats. Ship captains in Japan can retire at age 55 and get a very nice pension. The problem is, it's hard...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Nov 4, 2006

Hooked on the concept of sustainable fishing

Tokyo's Tsukiji fish market -- the largest in the world -- is oddly quiet early afternoon. Yet climb a steep flight of steps above a small warehouse and the pace is frenetic.
JAPAN
Nov 3, 2006

Talk of going nuclear irks opposition

Four opposition parties leveled a joint protest Thursday at key Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers who have repeatedly argued that Japan needs debate whether to develop nuclear arms in response to North Korea's atomic test.
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Nov 2, 2006

WBC, Nichibei on collision course?

Cannibalism, baby. It's all the rage in baseball this year.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 1, 2006

Temples grope for gimmicks to stay relevant, flush

The Kamiyacho Open Terrace cafe in central Tokyo has all the trappings of a trendy establishment -- good coffee, homemade desserts, an airy terrace.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 1, 2006

Dolphin kill dogged by mercury, activists

Nearly every day since the first week in September, fishermen have been driving pods of dolphins into quiet coves near the village of Taiji, Wakayama Prefecture, to kill them for their meat, whatever the mercury content, or sell them to marine parks.
BUSINESS
Oct 31, 2006

MMC stems red ink in first half on cost cuts

Mitsubishi Motors Corp. announced Monday it has cut its losses for the first fiscal half to Sept. 30 compared with the previous year, thanks mainly to a weaker yen and cost-cutting efforts.
EDITORIALS
Oct 30, 2006

New flexibility of cell phones

The much-awaited portable-number service for cell phones has started in Japan, enabling users to change carriers without having to change phone numbers. This is a new convenience for customers, but for the cell-phone carriers -- NTT DoCoMo Inc., KDDI Corp. and Softbank Mobile Corp. -- it heralds the...
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 27, 2006

GM Takada bag of nerves before game

SAPPORO -- Fighters general manager Shigeru Takada was wandering around the dugout and backstage and could hardly contain his jitters before the game.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Oct 27, 2006

Asian prodigies perform under Luisi's baton

The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra will be in Japan from Oct. 31 to Nov. 13, collaborating with record-breaking young Asian pianists under the baton of Fabio Luisi. They will also tour the country with conductor Nikolaus Harnoncourt, as part of Vienna Philharmonic Week in Japan.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 26, 2006

Hammies 1 win away

SAPPORO -- The Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters are a game away from Japan Series glory.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 26, 2006

Fan support key to Fighters' success during 2006 season

SAPPORO -- If they didn't appreciate their fans' unbridled support, the Chunichi Dragons might not have realized how much they can give their team a boost forward -- before Tuesday's game, that is.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 26, 2006

Lower corporate taxes can fuel recovery

BANGKOK -- It is a hopeful sign that professor Masaaki Honma of Osaka University has been set to be appointed chairman of the tax panel that briefs the prime minister. This would be a happy departure from the position of the current chairman of the tax panel, Hiromitsu Ishi, who consistently advocated...
EDITORIALS
Oct 25, 2006

Tying up two loose ends

The Liberal Democratic Party's victories in two Lower House by-elections Sunday -- one in the Kanagawa Prefecture No. 16 district and the other in the Osaka Prefecture No. 9 district -- will boost Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's position in the ruling camp. The electoral victories will give him confidence...
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 25, 2006

Morimoto's double mobbed at airport

SAPPORO -- Hichori Morimoto is always quick with a punchline, but the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters left fielder's latest joke was unscripted and accidental.
EDITORIALS
Oct 25, 2006

50 years shy of a deal

Oct. 19 marked the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Japan-Soviet Joint Declaration, which restored diplomatic ties between Japan and the then Soviet Union (now Russia). Yet the prospect for solving the Northern Territories issue has not improved.
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Oct 25, 2006

Where's the will to break energy status quo?

Berating the Kyoto Protocol for failing to cut greenhouse-gas emissions is a bit like kicking the dog at a party when someone passes wind. Sure, it's nice to skirt the blame, but don't fault the Kyoto accord for society's flatulence.
MORE SPORTS
Oct 23, 2006

Meisho Samson fails to capture Triple Crown

KYOTO -- Meisho Samson's bid for the Triple Crown was stopped at two Sunday as darkhorse Song of Wind stormed down the stretch to clinch the final leg Kikkasho in record time. Winning time was 3 minutes, 2.7 seconds over 3,000 meters of fast turf. Second choice Dream Passport followed Song of Wind over...
COMMENTARY
Oct 23, 2006

Waves build against carrier

The mayor of the city of Yokosuka and the governor of Kanagawa Prefecture have expressed willingness to accept the deployment of a U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier at U.S. Yokosuka Naval Base, stirring optimism among central government officials that a controversial issue is about to be solved....

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past