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JAPAN
Nov 1, 2003

LDP still spells state largess to rural voters

HONJO, Akita Pref. -- Gigantic pillars soar toward the sky in a mountainous area 7 km north of the city of Honjo in southern Akita Prefecture, symbolizing the power of Kanezo Muraoka.
JAPAN
Nov 1, 2003

Satellite declared lost after it fails to reply

Seven days after losing contact with the environmental research satellite Midori-2, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said Friday it will shut down the satellite's operations.
JAPAN
Oct 31, 2003

Voters put Tanaka, Kato scandals behind

As Makiko Tanaka and Koichi Kato try to stage their political comebacks, voters in their districts appear to have dismissed the money scandals that forced them out of the Diet and instead believe they can change politics for the better.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT
Oct 30, 2003

Our oceans' ecology is all at sea

For many years, I have been attempting to inform people that our life-supporting oceanic wildlife is being rapidly destroyed by human misuse and overuse.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 29, 2003

For Princess Tenko, life, truth just one big sleight of hand

Tenko Hikita, Japan's most famous magician, is a master of illusion. Or, perhaps, a masterful illusion.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 29, 2003

Companies urged to engage in good citizenship

In the wake of huge corporate scandals in Japan and the United States, companies are under pressure to be more socially responsible.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 28, 2003

Matsui's success in U.S. hits a home run for Mizuno's sales

New York Yankees slugger Hideki Matsui drew praise for helping his team clinch the American League pennant and for his contribution, albeit in vain, toward their quest for a World Series victory.
BASEBALL / MLB
Oct 27, 2003

Tigers, Hawks have beer on ice

FUKUOKA -- The Hanshin Tigers had the beer on ice in anticipation of a wild victory celebration, while the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks' "Japan Champions 2003" logo T-shirts were stacked up next to a Fukuoka Dome dumpster in case they had to be thrown away.
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
Oct 27, 2003

War perspective of poets oceans apart

NEW YORK -- A gentleman named Paul Preusser, describing himself as "a composer and fresh graduate from the New England Conservatory," has recently written to ask if I could help him with poems of Kotaro Takamura (1883-1956). He has been commissioned to compose "a song cycle using poetry which is influenced...
COMMENTARY
Oct 27, 2003

Resuscitating Japanese labor

Following a protracted economic slowdown, the labor movement in Japan is in the doldrums. The unionization rate has fallen to about 20 percent due to stepped-up corporate restructuring and widespread worker distrust of unions. The nation's top labor federation, the Japanese Trade Union Confederation,...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Oct 26, 2003

JT campaign aims to blunt war on smokers

Several weeks ago this newspaper published letters from non-Japanese readers who complained about a Japan Tobacco advertising campaign that depicts Western men and women with exaggerated noses sniffing cigarette smoke out of wine glasses. Two of the writers were angered by the image itself, saying that...
Japan Times
JAPAN / PARTY LINE
Oct 25, 2003

NCP has grand policy designs but LDP poll support falls shy

The New Conservative Party says the core policy issues in the Nov. 9 general election are boosting national security, revising the Constitution and reviving the economy, but its own tallest order will be getting its few members voted in.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Oct 25, 2003

I am Eiimi: a beautiful, excellent twig!

As promised, today I will translate names of foreigners into Japanese to reveal their true meanings. Since I did male names last time, I'll do female names this week. However, I decided to highlight famous women in order that we might find out a little more about them than we would ordinarily be allowed...
BASEBALL / MLB
Oct 24, 2003

Fans come out for 'Public Viewing'

NISHINOMIYA, Hyogo Pref. -- One of the new elements in this year's Japan Series is the "Public Viewing." While games are being played in Fukuoka Dome, fans of the Hanshin Tigers gather at Koshien Stadium, all decked out in their oendan (cheering group) garb.
Japan Times
JAPAN / PARTY LINE
Oct 23, 2003

JCP to stick with criticism of Koizumi, U.S. security ties

The Japanese Communist Party has no plans to change tack ahead of the upcoming general election, training its guns on the policies of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, whom it accuses of pandering to big business and the United States.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 22, 2003

War dead said to haunt Iwojima

IWOJIMA ISLAND -- At 2:30 a.m., Yoshikatsu Takeda was awakened by a knock on his door. He knew no one was there, but he got up and opened it anyway.
BUSINESS
Oct 22, 2003

Auto firms hope Tokyo Motor Show can kick-start demand

The 37th Tokyo Motor Show opens to the public Saturday in Makuhari, Chiba Prefecture, and the auto industry hopes the 12-day event will help stimulate the Japanese market.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Oct 22, 2003

It's a man's, man's world . . . unfortunately

Last week I looked at two plays depicting the lives of women. This week, the focus is two excellent contemporary comedy dramas about modern Japanese history -- and that means it's big-shot male politicians, bureaucrats and gangsters who hold center stage.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 22, 2003

Outside watchdog needed to monitor prisons: U.N. expert

An independent entity comprising nongovernmental organizations and experts is needed to monitor human rights conditions in prisons, according to Dr. Ole Rasmussen of the United Nations Committee Against Torture.
JAPAN
Oct 21, 2003

Lawyer slams immigration process as Muslim is deported

A Muslim woman from a West Asian country who had applied for refugee status in Japan was deported via Narita airport last week, despite the fact that preparations for legal action on her behalf were under way, it was learned Monday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / FRONT-RUNNERS
Oct 21, 2003

Toho to take domestic smash 'Bayside Shakedown 2' overseas

A Tokyo-based motion picture company is poised to take on Hollywood with a live-action cop film that was a hit in Japan this summer.
BASEBALL / MLB
Oct 20, 2003

Zuleta's bat adds volume to Fukuoka Dome noise

FUKUOKA -- Game 2 of the Japan Series at the Fukuoka Decibel Dome.
JAPAN
Oct 20, 2003

Koizumi ally says handling of Fujii heavy-handed

Liberal Democratic Party Vice President Taku Yamasaki said Sunday that the government is being heavy-handed in dealing with the dismissal of Japan Highway Public Corp. President Haruho Fujii.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Oct 19, 2003

A timeline of protest in Japanese history

Japanese labor is today characterized by "enterprise unions," company-by-company groupings that account for almost all of the country's labor organizations. Lacking the militancy of their forebears, these unions are credited by some with enabling Japan's postwar economic boom but blamed by others for...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Oct 19, 2003

Two local novelists strut their stuff

THE BANG DEVILS, by Patrick Foss. New York: HarperCollins, 2003 305 pp., $13.95 (paper). AMBASSADOR STRIKES, by Robert J. Collins. California: McKenna Publishing Group, 2003 260 pp., $19.95 (paper). With so much rich material to draw upon, the relatively small number of English novels set in the Kansai...
JAPAN
Oct 18, 2003

Mustard gas victims' redress edges nearer

Japan is in final negotiations with Beijing to pay around 300 million yen for the victims of an August poison gas leak from Japanese wartime chemical weapons left behind in China, government sources said Friday.
JAPAN
Oct 18, 2003

Cops to sniff out illegal foreigners in Tokyo

Immigration authorities, police and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government said Friday they will take joint action to halve the number of foreigners without visas in the capital within five years.
BASEBALL / MLB
Oct 17, 2003

Hawks counting on Jojima at bat, behind plate

Daiei Hawks catcher Kenji Jojima had an outstanding season at the plate but it's the defensive numbers he's most proud of.

Longform

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