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JAPAN
Aug 24, 2006

Shredder safety probed after mishaps

The government urged paper shredder manufacturers Wednesday to work out measures to prevent accidents following two cases earlier this year in which two 2-year-old children lost fingers in the machines.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 24, 2006

Political internships gaining a foothold

They may not all be dreaming about making the big time as a politician, but an increasing number of students are working as interns for elected officials.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / NEW ART SEEN
Aug 24, 2006

Contemporary Japanese edition prints

Many local goodies appeal to the expat population of Japan -- kimono, sake and next-generation electronic goods to name a few. The area of fine arts, however, can be daunting, with most paintings and even photographs by established contemporary artists priced from the millions to the many millions of...
BUSINESS
Aug 24, 2006

High oil prices dent July trade surplus

Japan's trade surplus shrank 0.2 percent in July from a year earlier to 860 billion yen for the second straight month of contraction as surging oil prices inflated the value of imports, the Finance Ministry said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Aug 23, 2006

Seiyu cuts first-half loss to 1.36 billion yen

Seiyu Ltd. said Tuesday its first-half group operating loss narrowed to 1.36 billion yen from 2.48 billion yen for the same period last year, thanks to higher sales of household goods.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Aug 23, 2006

Forest green tree frog

* Japanese name: Moriao-gaeru * Scientific name: Rhacophorus arboreus * Description: A cute little, beautiful green frog; males are 4-6 cm long, females are 6-8 cm long. The backs can be mottled with brown speckles, and the number of these speckles varies according to where in the country they live....
JAPAN
Aug 22, 2006

Aso declares candidacy for LDP race

Foreign Minister Taro Aso officially declared his candidacy Monday for the Liberal Democratic Party's presidential election, throwing his hat into a ring where Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe is already expected to win by a landslide.
BUSINESS
Aug 22, 2006

Regional logistics project kicks off

Japan launched a project Monday to create an efficient logistics network in Asia centered on the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, aiming to halve distribution costs and the lead time for cross-border shipments in the region over five to 10 years.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Aug 22, 2006

Should Japanese leaders give Yasukuni Shrine a wide berth?

Shounago Tadamasa School manager, 31 Koizumi and the new prime minister both shouldn't visit Yasukuni shrine. The prime minister has to think about relations with China and Korea. Visiting the shrine is harmful for the economy, for trade and for politics.
JAPAN
Aug 21, 2006

Time to discuss shrine's fate: LDP's Katayama

The nation needs to get serious about discussing the future of Yasukuni Shrine, with every option on the table including the removal of Class-A war criminals, a senior Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker said Sunday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 21, 2006

U.S. veteran turns up old Okinawa photographs

Sixty-one years ago, Cosmo Vitale walked over the mountains dividing an island near Okinawa and ran into Japanese prisoners of war on the other side.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Aug 20, 2006

Posting, free agents and the always-busy rumor mill

Japan's sports papers are saying the ownership of the Tokyo Yakult Swallows is indicating the team is leaning toward posting two star players for major league availability following the 2006 season. Third baseman Akinori Iwamura and lefty reliever Hirotoshi Ishii are the guys who may be put up for auction...
EDITORIALS
Aug 20, 2006

Homegrown political terror

On Aug. 15, the 61st anniversary of the end of World War II -- the day when Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi paid homage to the war dead at Yasukuni Shrine -- the house of the mother of former Liberal Democratic Party Secretary General Koichi Kato burned down. The veteran politician is a known critic...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Aug 20, 2006

NHK's "Beatles Rainichi 103 Jikan," Nihon TV's "24 Hour TV" and more

Japan is still celebrating the 40th anniversary of The Beatles' only visit, and on Monday at 10 p.m., NHK-G will present "Beatles Rainichi 103 Jikan (The Beatles Come to Japan for 103 Hours)." The documentary will relive the Fab Four's arrival at Haneda Airport, which experienced a security crunch like...
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Aug 20, 2006

A nation of animal lovers -- as pets or when they're on a plate

The Japanese consider themselves a compassionate people when it comes to an animal's fate. Memorial stones have been erected in whaling villages since the early Edo Period (1603-1867), as they are today at slaughterhouses. Buddhist priests are hired to read the sutras before altars set with incense and...
Japan Times
LIFE / WEEK 3
Aug 20, 2006

There's gold being panned in them thar hills

There may be many perfectly good reasons to spend a weekend sloshing around in water panning for gold. Trying to get rich isn't one of them.
JAPAN
Aug 19, 2006

Japanese turns Malawi pop star with AIDS song

A young Japanese man's song about AIDS education has become a big hit in Malawi.
BASKETBALL
Aug 18, 2006

Key facts about the Japanese men's basketball team

Here's a look at some key facts, figures and random insight about the 2006 Japan National Team. It plays Saturday against Germany in Hiroshima in the teams' Group B opener at the FIBA World Championship:
BASKETBALL
Aug 18, 2006

Final look at FIBA groups

Here's a closer look at each of the four groups in the FIBA World Championship, which gets under way Saturday in four Japanese cities:
EDITORIALS
Aug 18, 2006

Threat to confidentiality

As part of international efforts to stop money laundering by criminal organizations and money transfers by terrorist groups, the government is preparing a new bill that it hopes to submit to a regular Diet session next year.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 18, 2006

Metamorphose 2006

When & where: Metamorphose 2006 will be held Aug. 26-27 at the Japan Cycle Sports Center in Shizuoka Prefecture. Doors open at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, music begins at 6 p.m. and goes on until 9 a.m. Sunday.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Aug 18, 2006

Navigating through a lost world

As the single flashing beam of the lighthouse struggled to make itself seen in the misty half-light, the Toppy 2 high-speed ferry bumped its way across the waves on the east side of the island of Yakushima, southeast of Kyushu.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 18, 2006

'Life insurance ladies' thrown in limbo

In Japan's still male-dominated business world, there is at least one industry in which women have long made their mark: life insurance.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 17, 2006

Daughters also unable to reach Asahara

When she was finally allowed to visit her father, she found him in a wheelchair, wearing a diaper. A prison guard took notes throughout the 30-minute encounter, which took place in a small, barren room, through a plate of thick, transparent plastic. It was, for her, a dream come true, but yet a nightmare....

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