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JAPAN
Oct 21, 2005

James Bond goes Japanese? Tokyo eyes MI6-style spy agency

The idea of a Japanese James Bond may sound hilarious, but serious discussions are under way in Japan on whether to create a secret intelligence service along the lines of Britain's MI6 to conduct overseas espionage.
JAPAN
Oct 20, 2005

Visiting Yasukuni is constitutional right: Koizumi

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Wednesday rebuffed criticism of his recent Yasukuni Shrine trip, saying visiting the shrine is a right guaranteed by the Constitution.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 20, 2005

PIFF: Asia's magnet for movies

The Pusan International Film Festival, which took place Oct. 6-14, marked its 10th year with its biggest program ever -- 307 films from 73 countries. These numbers alone make PIFF the largest annual film-related event in Asia, and with the Pusan Promotion Plan (PPP) taking place in the Korean port city...
BUSINESS
Oct 19, 2005

Automakers pin hopes on motor show

The 39th Tokyo Motor Show opens Saturday, and industry officials are hoping the 16-day extravaganza inspires drivers to loosen their purse strings and buy a new vehicle.
JAPAN
Oct 18, 2005

Maehara backs changing war-renouncing Article 9

Democratic Party of Japan President Seiji Maehara said Monday that the war-renouncing Article 9 of the Constitution should be revised in a way that allows Japan to exercise its right to both self-defense and collective defense.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Oct 18, 2005

Funding, adoption and cigars

There was no column last week due to the monthly press holiday falling on a Monday.
BUSINESS
Oct 18, 2005

Fukui, Greenspan discuss macroeconomic conditions

Bank of Japan Gov. Toshihiko Fukui held talks Monday with visiting U.S. Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan, discussing a range of issues related to macroeconomic and monetary conditions, including those of Japan and the U.S., BOJ officials said.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Oct 18, 2005

Ministry missive wrecks reception

Between Oct. 7-11, the Japan Association for Language Teaching (JALT), Japan's largest convocation of language educators, held its annual meeting in Shizuoka, a pleasant city between Tokyo and Osaka.
COMMENTARY
Oct 17, 2005

Toward a new Constitution

The special constitution research committee of the Lower House has started debate on establishing legislation to make it possible for Japan to hold a national referendum on revising the Constitution.
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Oct 17, 2005

Murakami, baseball and the pitfalls of Japanese managers

Financier Yoshiaki Murakami's bid to influence the Hanshin Tigers after recently becoming their parent firm's top shareholder has drawn public attention not only to his acquisitions, but also to the way that Japan's professional baseball teams are being run.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Oct 16, 2005

Revitalized Chiba Lotte franchise alive and well in Makuhari

Most Japanese fans of Major League Baseball are pulling for a Chicago-St. Louis World Series, hoping to see a match-up of the "Guchi Brothers," former Japan Pacific League rivals Tadahito Iguchi of the White Sox and So Taguchi of the Cardinals.
JAPAN
Oct 16, 2005

Compromise on Futenma impasse could be near

Japan and the United States have entered a final stage of negotiations over the stalled plan to relocate Futenma Air Station in Okinawa Prefecture, as Tokyo has come up with an alternative plan, U.S. and Japanese sources said Saturday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Oct 15, 2005

Man Zhuang

This year Man Zhuang is exhibiting for a second time in the print show sponsored by the College Women's Association of Japan. This young woman is Chinese, an art student from Shanghai. She is also a dentist.
BUSINESS
Oct 15, 2005

Toyota, GM at center of global auto shift

The ongoing realignment of the global auto industry may accelerate, with General Motors Corp. and Toyota Motor Corp. set to play pivotal roles in this seismic shift.
JAPAN
Oct 15, 2005

U.S. realignment talks set for Oct. 29

Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura told Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Friday that Japan and the United States have begun arrangements for a top-level security meeting on Oct. 29 in Washington.
BUSINESS
Oct 14, 2005

Current account surplus off 15.6%

Japan's current account surplus shrank 15.6 percent in August from a year earlier to 1.216 trillion, yen the first decline in two months, as high oil prices inflated the value of imports, the Finance Ministry said Thursday.
Japan Times
Features
Oct 9, 2005

Building a bridge to forgiveness

Takashi Nagase still breaks down when he remembers the young British man he helped torture. "I couldn't bear his pain," he says, choking back tears. "He was crying 'Mother! Mother!' And I thought: What would she feel if she could see her son like this? I still dream about it."
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK
Oct 5, 2005

Sad drumbeats in the wilderness

I made several visits to the Aichi Expo this year and met a lot of interesting people. But one person above all left an indelible impression. Soft-spoken, modest, and wearing traditional northern buckskin, his name was Michael Cazon -- a Dene drummer, teacher and healer from Fort Simpson in the Northwest...
COMMENTARY
Oct 4, 2005

DPJ out to change its ways

The rout of the Democratic Party of Japan in the Sept. 11 Lower House election raises the question: Will it be able to recoup its losses and make itself strong enough to snatch power from the Liberal Democratic Party?
BUSINESS
Oct 4, 2005

That new car smell -- a standard, harmful feature

Anyone who's pulled away from the dealer's lot in a shiny, new sedan knows the seductive scent of fresh plastic, paint and upholstery that evokes a rush of pride and consumer satisfaction.
JAPAN
Oct 3, 2005

As society grows more aloof, census takers suffer

Hiroshi Tamura is keenly aware of the great changes that have taken place in his neighborhood in Sumida Ward, Tokyo, where he has lived for more than half a century.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Oct 2, 2005

Sheets a key player for Tigers in pennant-winning season

Congratulations to the Hanshin Tigers on winning their second Central League pennant in three years. The victory was a true team effort highlighted by a potent offensive attack, a balanced pitching staff and clever use of an adequate pool of talent by manager Akinobu Okada.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / CLOSE-UP
Oct 2, 2005

Harumi Kurihara: Homing in on success

As a cook and lifestyle guru, Harumi Kurihara has often been dubbed Japan's answer to America's Martha Stewart or Britain's Delia Smith. But in February this year, she scaled new heights when the English-language edition of her book "Harumi no Japanese Cooking" -- titled "Harumi's Japanese Cooking" --...

Longform

After the asset-price bubble crash of the early 1990s, employment at a Japanese company was no longer necessarily for life. As a result, a new generation is less willing to endure a toxic work culture —life’s too short, after all.
How Japan's youth are slowly changing the country's work ethic