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CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Mar 19, 2006

Popular TV hosts weep in TBS's "Tokumitsu & Azumi's Moving Reunions" and more

Some TV presenters are famous for their voices, others for their piquant opinions or sense of humor. Veteran Kazuo Tokumitsu and relative newcomer Shinichiro Azumi are vastly different in terms of vocal timbre and personality, but they share one unusual trait: they can weep at the drop of a hat.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Feb 11, 2006

Mourinho's constant moaning comes at a cost for Chelsea

LONDON -- Dear Jose (if I can call you that as opposed to Senior Mourinho),
EDITORIALS
Feb 11, 2006

A pension for their thoughts

The Diet last week passed a bill, effective in April, to abolish the controversial pension system for members of the national legislature. Proposed by the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito, it is a halfhearted measure because it preserves, although in a reduced form, special...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Dec 18, 2005

TBS's quiz show "Sekai Baribari Value" looks at being rich and female and more

Many of the topical words that dominated the media this year described certain kinds of women, like makeinu ("loser dogs" -- a term for unmarried women past 30 -- and cerebu, women who, for some reason or another, are loaded. TBS's guess-the-price quiz show "Sekai Baribari Value (World's Exciting Values)"...
COMMENTARY
Nov 14, 2005

Enhanced order of security

Japan and the United States on Oct. 29 issued an interim report agreeing to expand military cooperation in connection with the realignment of U.S. forces in Japan. The agreement is intended to adapt the bilateral alliance to better deal with changes in the security environment in the Asia-Pacific region....
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Nov 13, 2005

Olympic medalist walks through Shikoku in NHK's "Kaido Tekuteku Tabi" and more

Japan is enjoying a "walking boom," with something like 28 million people taking up the habit as a recreational activity. The main idea is exercise, but there is also a cultural component. Walkers are seeking out scenic routes that have historical significance, thanks mainly to renewed interest in the...
BUSINESS
Nov 10, 2005

Lending up three months straight

The average daily balance of bank lending expanded 0.9 percent in October from a year earlier for the third straight month, after adjustment for special factors, the Bank of Japan said Wednesday.
COMMENTARY
Nov 1, 2005

Reform march must go on

The Diet on Oct. 14 enacted the postal-privatization bills that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi called the "centerpiece" of his reform agenda. It was a dream come true for Koizumi, after the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner New Komeito won two-thirds of the Lower House seats...
EDITORIALS
Sep 30, 2005

Extending the SDF missions

The government has opted to extend by one year the Maritime Self-Defense Force mission to supply fuel in the Indian Ocean to ships of the U.S. Navy and allied nations engaged in antiterrorist activities related to security in Afghanistan. A law specifying a duration of two years -- enacted after the...
BUSINESS
Sep 16, 2005

An overview of latest insurance sector scandal

Earlier this month, several Japanese nonlife insurance companies owned up to a raft of payment failures relating to automobile and fire insurance claims.
EDITORIALS
Sep 3, 2005

Class size that works

A committee of experts assisting the Education Ministry recently submitted an interim report on a subject that very much interests parents: the size of school classes. But the report's conclusion has apparently disappointed many parents, as it supports the current ministry guideline that sets the upper...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Dec 25, 2004

Last-minute gifts for discerning foreigners

Merry Christmas! If you are one of those people who waits till the last nano-second to do your Christmas shopping, don't worry. You've still got till midnight tonight to get a Christmas present for that special gaijin you forgot about.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / BEST BAR NONE
Dec 24, 2004

The rundown of the big countdowns

Another year has whizzed on by and the silly season is upon us again. Those of you who haven't yet had enough of overeating and overdrinking might find some of the Christmas dinner options of interest. Otherwise, hold off on the food, tighten that belt and get ready to dance in the New Year.
Dec 14, 2004

Terrorist tracking center planned

The Justice Ministry will set up an intelligence center to track the movements of suspected terrorists and identify weaknesses in immigration controls at airports, according to ministry sources.
BUSINESS
Oct 20, 2004

Minister unveils ideas to boost local economies

Reinforcing Japanese-language education as well as teaching Chinese and Korean are just two of 140 ideas the central government has received from regional governments as part of a project to further deregulation and boost local economies.
Japan Times
Features
Oct 3, 2004

Teddy bares all

Long before baseball's Ichiro Suzuki or soccer's Hidetoshi Nakata became stars overseas, in 1987 a 15-year-old boy from Asahikawa in Hokkaido flew to London on his way to taking the ballet world by storm just a few years later.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Sep 19, 2004

TV Tokyo's "Umi o Koeta Kazoku Ai #5" and more

On Monday at 8 p.m., TV Tokyo presents a special program that ranks "The 10 Best Villages in Japan Where You Can Live Comfortably on 100,000 yen a Month."
JAPAN
Aug 12, 2004

Private-run prison gets go-ahead

The government said Wednesday that a plan for a new privately run prison in Mine, Yamaguchi Prefecture, will be authorized as part of a program to create special deregulation zones.
JAPAN
Aug 12, 2004

Private-run prison gets go-ahead

The government said Wednesday that a plan for a new privately run prison in Mine, Yamaguchi Prefecture, will be authorized as part of a program to create special deregulation zones.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 8, 2004

Power of LDP support groups waning

About 5,000 people gathered in Sapporo on May 23 to attend a convention of the national association of special post office chiefs, a longtime supporter of and the biggest vote-gathering machine for the Liberal Democratic Party.
COMMENTARY
May 3, 2004

Koizumi's open-ended legac

On April 26 the administration of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi entered its fourth year in power. Following his three-year rule under the slogan "No growth without reform," the Japanese economy is finally on a recovery track.
JAPAN
Mar 23, 2004

Troops in Iraq set to get down to business

The Ground Self-Defense Force troops deployed to the city of Samawah in southern Iraq will commence their humanitarian aid mission later this month.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Mar 14, 2004

NHK airs series of national-pension system programs and more

Japanese and non-Japanese train buffs believe that the most pleasurable rail experience in Japan is the Tsubame Super Express, which runs from Hakata Station to Nishi Kagoshima Station along the coast of Kyushu. On March 13, the new Tsubame Shinkansen opened, which runs between Kagoshima Chuo Station...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Mar 7, 2004

Being thrifty on TV Tokyo's "Sunday Big Variety" and more

On March 3, the 83-year-old actress Mitsuko Mori played the part of the Showa Era writer Fumiko Hayashi for the 1,700th time at the Chunichi Gekijo in Nagoya. Mori has been playing the part in the play "Horoki" for 43 years all over Japan.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Feb 15, 2004

"Nandemo Kanteidan" on TV Tokyo and more

One of the most popular shows on television is the antique appraisal show "Nandemo Kanteidan," where people have items they own appraised by experts. On Monday, Feb. 16, TV Tokyo will broadcast a special two-hour edition of "Kanteidan" at 9 p.m.
JAPAN
Jan 22, 2004

Kan tells Koizumi to resign over Iraq

Democratic Party of Japan leader Naoto Kan urged Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Wednesday to step down, claiming he has violated the Constitution by dispatching the Self-Defense Forces to Iraq.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / BEST BAR NONE
Dec 26, 2003

Round 'bout midnight

It's that time of the year again, when everybody is steadily moving into party mode as the big countdown approaches. Some punters will simply be dancing in the streets to celebrate. Others will take to the expressways: Reportedly over 6,000 bosozoku (hot-rodders and hot-doggers on motorcycles) choked...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 28, 2003

Top court dismisses landowners' appeal

The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed an appeal by eight Okinawa Prefecture landowners seeking damages for the forced leasing of their land to the U.S. military.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji