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JAPAN
Jan 14, 2004

DPJ set to submit own proposals on Constitution

The Democratic Party of Japan said Tuesday it will issue constitutional amendment proposals by 2006.
COMMENTARY
Jan 12, 2004

Koizumi flaunts propensity to curtail 'drastic' reforms

Japan is at a historic turning point, both domestically and internationally. Symbolic of this are pension reform, highway system privatization and the troop dispatch to Iraq. But Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's "structural reform" initiative appears to have lost momentum since he took office in April...
JAPAN
Jan 1, 2004

Decision to dispatch SDF troops to Iraq a watershed for defense, security policy

Japan's decision to send Self-Defense Forces troops to Iraq, coupled with the decision to introduce a missile defense system, marks a major turning point for the nation's defense and security policy. Never in its 50-year history has the SDF been mobilized for noncombat duties in a foreign country in...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 31, 2003

Visaless foreigners easy scapegoats

One night in December, Justice Minister Daizo Nozawa and Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara got together to "inspect" the Kabukicho entertainment district in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo, as dozens of government officials, reporters and spectators dogged their steps.
JAPAN
Dec 29, 2003

Baker arrives to ask for Iraq debt relief

James Baker, U.S. President George W. Bush's special envoy, arrived Sunday in Tokyo to ask for Japan's cooperation in reducing Iraq's foreign debt.
BUSINESS
Dec 27, 2003

Too soon to say who will foot Yamaichi bill

Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki said Friday that the outstanding balance of emergency loans by the Bank of Japan to Yamaichi Securities Co., which collapsed in 1997, must first be determined before discussing who will foot the final bill.
CULTURE / Music
Dec 17, 2003

Sound tidings we bring

The gift of music never fails and you can fill plenty of stockings with these re-releases, compilations and holiday music, handpicked by the JT music elves Tom Bojko, Philip Brasor, Jeff Hammond, Jason Jenkins, Michael Pronko and Suzannah Tartan
JAPAN
Dec 8, 2003

'Basic plan' for Iraq dispatch to omit specifics

The basic plan for sending Japanese ground troops to Iraq for reconstruction assistance, which the Cabinet is expected to approve Tuesday, will omit specifics such as a time frame for the dispatch, Defense Agency chief Shigeru Ishiba said Sunday.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Dec 2, 2003

Green cards, tenant rights and sewing

Immigration worry Dear Lifelines; My wife and I are returning in January from the U.S.; I am a U.S. citizen and she is Japanese. We had lived in Japan together for 7 years prior to my 2 year U.S. assignment. (I am a regular employee of the Japan branch office.)
JAPAN
Nov 14, 2003

State flip-flops yet again on SDF dispatch

The escalating violence in Iraq has forced the government to once again step back from its on-again, off-again schedule for an SDF mission to the country.
COMMENTARY
Sep 14, 2003

Shy man performs historic balancing act

HONG KONG -- Because Hong Kong's leader tends to view the news media (local or otherwise) with the enthusiasm of a swimmer greeting a school of sharks, Tung Chee-hwa has scant hope of receiving his due as the historically pivotal man he is. His public image is generally terrible, and he is often portrayed...
EDITORIALS
Jul 28, 2003

Doubts linger as Iraq bill passes

The controversial bill to send Japanese troops to Iraq for humanitarian and security assistance passed the Upper House early Saturday morning despite a last-ditch attempt by the opposition parties to block the procedure. Final approval of the ad hoc measure followed a special committee vote Friday evening....
EDITORIALS
Jun 8, 2003

The case of the indignant diva

One of the odder human traits is our apparently inborn ambivalence toward celebrities. There would be no such thing as a celebrity if the rest of us did not, in some sense, celebrate certain people -- for their artistic gifts, their looks, their wealth, their charm, their brains or whatever else it is...
COMMENTARY
May 26, 2003

High cost of the farm lobby

The outlook for the World Trade Organization's new round of trade negotiations is uncertain after member nations failed to agree on farm-trade "modality" before the March 31 deadline. The U.S.-European split over the Iraq war has slowed the momentum for talks. The initial goal of reaching a comprehensive...
JAPAN
Apr 24, 2003

332 municipalities inappropriately gave SDF data on youths

More than 300 municipalities across the country have provided the Defense Agency with personal data on teenage residents that should not have been shared, Defense Agency chief Shigeru Ishiba said Wednesday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Apr 23, 2003

Looking history straight in the face

"I want to live, I do not want to perish gracefully in battle," declares Yamato (Tatsuya Fujiwara), the young hero of Hideki Noda's "Oil."
JAPAN
Mar 18, 2003

Delegates press severity of African water situation

Participants at a special session of the ongoing World Water Forum voiced satisfaction Monday that Africa's water crisis is firmly on the agenda of the Group of Eight industrial nations.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 7, 2003

Five prefectures call for end to casino ban

Tokyo and four prefectural governments delivered a petition to the national government Thursday calling for a ban on casinos to be lifted, saying it would generate income and create jobs amid the nationwide economic slump.
COMMUNITY
Jan 26, 2003

Whether crisis or not, sumo's show must go on

Of all the crises that the institution of sumo is said to be confronting -- and there are many -- yokozuna (grand champion) Takanohana's announcement last Monday of his retirement is being regarded by some as particularly ominous.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Jan 12, 2003

Living on the edge and acting the part

There's an article in the current issue of Shukan Bunshun lambasting the "foolishness of no-talent celebrities" on all those overblown New Year's TV specials. But what's more annoying than the specials themselves is that they pre-empted the few shows that were worth watching, like "The Tetsuwan Dash!"...
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE EXTRA
Jun 27, 2002

Observations from the other side

It's almost over now, and I have to admit it's been a lot less painful than anticipated.
JAPAN
Jun 21, 2002

Cost of salvage may hit 5.9 billion yen

It may cost 5.9 billion yen to salvage the suspected North Korean spy ship that sank in the East China Sea in December, sources in the Japan Coast Guard said Thursday.
JAPAN
Jun 18, 2002

Tax relief, deregulation featured in new package

The government and the three ruling parties compiled an additional package of antideflation measures Monday that includes tax cuts in fiscal 2002 and the creation of special deregulation zones to promote private-sector activities.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jun 5, 2002

. . . but soccer hosts are a dream team on stage

As in soccer, so on stage. Japan-Korea collaboration (or is it Korea-Japan collaboration?) is happening all over.

Longform

After pandemic-era border regulations eased, Indian migrants began returning to Japan. Their population now stands at more than 50,000 across the country.
How remote work is rewriting the migrant experience in Japan