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EDITORIALS
Apr 24, 2006

Death to the Doha Round?

Mr. Joshua Bolten, the new chief of staff for U.S. President George W. Bush, is cleaning house in the White House. Mr. Bolten has two objectives: to restore the luster to the Bush presidency as it enters its final two years and help Republican candidates in the 2006 midterm elections. Yet, changes in...
COMMENTARY
Apr 24, 2006

Asian leaders acting badly: the makings of nightmares

LOS ANGELES -- Paging Dr. Geopolitical Freud! It's an emergency.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Apr 23, 2006

Has pachinko got the balls to survive if casinos are legalized?

In February, the Liberal Democratic Party formed a team to study the possibility of lifting the ban on casino gambling in Japan. About half of Japan's prefectures, as well as Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara, have said they want to build casino resorts to attract foreign tourists.
JAPAN
Apr 22, 2006

Nukaga off to U.S. hoping to talk costs

Defense Agency chief Fukushiro Nukaga left for the United States on Friday in the hopes of meeting his U.S. counterpart about Japan's share of the cost to relocate 8,000 U.S. Marines to Guam from Okinawa.
JAPAN
Apr 22, 2006

96 Diet members visit Yasukuni Shrine

Ninety-six Diet members from various parties jointly paid a visit Friday to Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, where 14 Class-A war criminals are honored as well as more than 2 million Japanese war dead, as the shrine launched this year's three-day spring rites.
BUSINESS
Apr 21, 2006

Exports, imports soared in '05 but oil hit surplus

Japan's exports and imports hit the highest levels on record in fiscal 2005, but larger growth in imports spurred by surging oil prices dented the customs-cleared trade surplus for the first time in four years, the Finance Ministry said Thursday.
SOCCER / World cup
Apr 19, 2006

Dark horses tipped to go far under Hiddink

Australia vs. Japan June 12, Kaiserslautern, 10 p.m. kick off Australia vs. Brazil June 19, Munich, 1 a.m. kick off Australia vs. Croatia June 23, Stuttgart, 4 a.m. kick off (kick off Japan time)
SOCCER / World cup
Apr 19, 2006

Magic of Ronaldinho key to success for Samba Boys

Brazil vs. Croatia June 14, Berlin, 4 a.m. kick off Brazil vs. Australia June 19, Munich, 1 a.m. kick off Brazil vs. Japan June 23, Dortmund, 4 a.m. kick off (kick off Japan time)
SOCCER / World cup
Apr 19, 2006

Formidable defense may not be enough for Croats

Croatia vs. Brazil June 14, Berlin, 4 a.m. kick off Croatia vs. Japan June 18, Nuremburg, 10 p.m. kick off Croatia vs. Australia June 23, Stuttgart, 4 a.m. kick off (kick off Japan time)
JAPAN
Apr 18, 2006

China shipping ban may breach U.N. treaty: Abe

A reported Chinese ban on ship traffic around disputed gas fields in the East China Sea could violate the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe said Monday.
COMMENTARY
Apr 17, 2006

Ozawa confronts the LDP

The Democratic Party of Japan has made a fresh start under new chief Ichiro Ozawa, known for his "iron fist" leadership. His first priority is to revitalize the top opposition party, which has lost public trust following the fiasco over a fake e-mail.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Apr 16, 2006

Return of Hara, revamped roster have Giants off to fast start

The Yomiuri Giants are off to a great start in the 2006 Central League pennant race, winning 11 of their first 13 games (with one tie) and taking the early lead in the CL standings.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 16, 2006

CHIBA BY-ELECTION

Leaders of all the political parties vying for a seat in the April 23 House of Representatives by-election in the Chiba No. 7 district hit the stump Saturday.
SOCCER / World cup
Apr 15, 2006

Zico looking to coach European club after World Cup

Japan national soccer coach Zico is hoping to coach a European club after this summer's World Cup finals, Japan Football Association President Saburo Kawabuchi said Friday.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / COUNTER CULTURE
Apr 14, 2006

Knight expands fashion empire

Eccentric British fashion designer Paul Smith is currently presiding over a rollout of stores across the globe. Following on from the December 2005 opening of a bubblegum-pink store on Melrose Avenue, L.A., last week he was in Tokyo to unveil a four-story flagship in the Aoyama district. Later this year...
EDITORIALS
Apr 13, 2006

Testing Japanese democracy

Three judges at the Tokyo District Court have begun their deliberations in a group-action case brought by more than 400 public-school teachers challenging the right of the Tokyo Metropolitan Education Board to force teachers to sing the national anthem and to stand up to show respect for the flag. With...
BUSINESS
Apr 11, 2006

Inpex in on 700 billion yen Australia LNG project

Inpex Holdings Inc., Japan's largest oil developer, will produce liquefied natural gas in Australia, with overall investment in the project estimated at 550 billion yen to 700 billion yen, according to company sources.
JAPAN
Apr 9, 2006

Negotiators from six-way talks could meet this week

Chief negotiators to the six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear programs could be meeting in Tokyo early this week, with several delegates already in Japan, some of them to attend a security conference starting Sunday.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Apr 9, 2006

Pa League needs to know 'summer game' no fun in snow

A request this week to the Pacific League to please move back next season's Opening Day closer to where it belongs -- in April. I know the Pa League likes to begin play a week earlier than its Central League cousin, but is it going to start the 2007 season on March 24? This year, it began on Saturday,...
JAPAN
Apr 8, 2006

DPJ elects Ozawa as new president

The Democratic Party of Japan elected veteran lawmaker Ichiro Ozawa, 63, as its new president Friday, ending his head-to-head race with rival and two-time President Naoto Kan.
JAPAN
Apr 7, 2006

Europe's reconciliation model hard sell in land of anemic civil society

OSAKA -- The public should take a page out of the Europeans' book and do more to push political leaders to reconcile Japan's relations with East Asia over historical issues, an expert on European historical reconciliation said at a seminar here earlier this week.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / WALKING THE WARDS
Apr 7, 2006

Getting animated in Suginami

Suginami Ward may be known as a bed town, but the residents are restless. Butting up against Musashino and Mitaka cities and sharing a "west wing" location with Setagaya Ward to the south and Nerima Ward to the north, what appears to be a quiet residential area has always been a hotbed of activism.
JAPAN
Apr 6, 2006

Fingerprint bill unfair, activists say

A bill under deliberation in the Upper House to fingerprint foreigners entering Japan, which backers say is a necessary counterterrorism measure, must be defeated at all costs because it is discriminatory and vague, human rights groups said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Apr 5, 2006

Softbank to borrow 1.28 trillion yen

Softbank Corp. plans to take out 1.28 trillion yen in loans to buy British mobile phone operator Vodafone Group PLC's Japan business, company sources said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Apr 5, 2006

Postal savings, insurance caps face gradual hikes

The head of a governmental advisory panel on Japan Post is ready to recommend gradually raising the maximum deposit in postal savings in the planned privatized bank and boosting the coverage limits in the envisioned insurer.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Apr 4, 2006

Gonna make you sweat

The Japanese love bath-time, whether it be in a hot spring (onsen), a public bathhouse (sento), or a soak in the tub at home (o-furo). Bathing in Japan really is something of an art that verges on an obsession. Of course, the Japanese didn't invent it (the ancient Romans take credit for that), but they...

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Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years