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BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Feb 20, 2006

Japan's falling savings rate reflects a global competition for funds

The national savings rate dropped to as low as 2.8 percent in 2004, according to a report released by the Cabinet Office last month. This is incredibly low, given the figure had been above 10 percent until as recently as 1999.
JAPAN
Feb 19, 2006

In vitro eggs to draw more screening

The executive board of the Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology agreed Saturday to introduce a policy to identify in vitro fertilized eggs that will not result in successful pregnancy for certain habitual miscarriage patients.
EDITORIALS
Feb 19, 2006

Thank you, Jeeves, that will be all

I cons come, and icons go. And in today's sped-up, high-tech world, some come and go pretty fast. Last month we were told that Sony plans to euthanize its groundbreaking robotic dog Aibo, who at not quite 7 years old is still a pup in shelf-life terms.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Feb 19, 2006

Careful planning helps to preserve male-succession mind-set

The morning after it broke, news that Princess Kiko is expecting a baby in September was greeted with predictably meaningless blather on the TV wide shows. Commentators made a connection between the pregnancy and that ceremony the princess and her husband, Prince Akishino, attended in September of last...
Japan Times
Features
Feb 19, 2006

One man's drive to clean up the Earth

Every foreigner in Japan learns one thing pretty quickly: This being the land of harmony, courtesy trumps candor. Hanging back works best, everywhere and every time.
EDITORIALS
Feb 18, 2006

What right to torment?

Muslim furor in the Middle East and other parts of the world touched off by the appearance of cartoon depictions of the prophet Muhammad has led to diplomatic rows, embassy burnings and violent protests. It now begs serious thought about how the media should exercise the rights to freedom of the press...
JAPAN
Feb 18, 2006

Takebe denies DPJ Horie fund allegations

The war of words continued Friday at the Diet as Liberal Democratic Party Secretary General Tsutomu Takebe fended off opposition claims of shady financial ties between his son and jailed Livedoor founder Takafumi Horie.
JAPAN
Feb 17, 2006

Horie bought Takebe poll backing: DPJ

Opposition lawmaker Hisayasu Nagata dropped a political bombshell Thursday in the Diet, claiming Livedoor Co. founder Takafumi Horie sent an internal e-mail before the Sept. 11 election directing his staff to pay 30 million yen to the son of Liberal Democratic Party Secretary General Tsutomu Takebe....
JAPAN
Feb 17, 2006

Spike in postal remittances to North Korea scrutinized

Japan has seen a sharp increase in the number of postal remittances to North Korea in recent years, an opposition lawmaker said Thursday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Feb 16, 2006

Teppei Ujiyama: Ad hoc accumulations create musical universes

While the exuberance of youth has played its part in countless artistic breakthroughs, the power of the midlife crisis should not be underestimated either, especially in a society where the wisdom or follies of age are afforded much more respect (or tolerance, as the case may be) than those of youth....
EDITORIALS
Feb 15, 2006

Skirting justice in Yokohama

The Yokohama District Court last week made a disappointing ruling in a case stemming from the state's wartime suppression of freedom of speech. The court could have shed light on the dark side of modern Japanese history by delving into a variety of related issues, including the questionable conduct of...
EDITORIALS
Feb 14, 2006

Ottawa's distance from Washington

A new administration led by Prime Minister Stephen Harper of the Conservative Party, which won the general election Jan. 23, has been inaugurated in Canada. The Conservatives have not held the reins of government since November 1993.
BUSINESS
Feb 14, 2006

Livedoor chief says firm could be sold

Backpedaling from his previous position, Livedoor Co. President Kozo Hiramatsu said Monday the firm is preparing for any eventuality, including possibly selling itself to a willing buyer.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Feb 14, 2006

Meditation, donor cards, transplants

Zen meditation Paul read that it is possible to practice Zen meditation at Enkakuji Temple in Kita-Kamakura. "I live in Yokohama, so not so far away. How would I go about this. My Japanese is poor. But then the artist I read about, Hans Bauer (interviewed on the People page; Feb. 4) was German and only...
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),
JAPAN
Feb 9, 2006

Koizumi wary of foreign solution to labor shortage

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi voiced reluctance Wednesday about increasing the number of foreign workers in Japan, citing concerns it would cause more social conflicts and crime.
COMMENTARY
Feb 9, 2006

'British' identity in the EU

LONDON -- British Chancellor of the Exchequer (Finance Minister) Gordon Brown has been calling for a national debate on the subject of British identity and what he terms "Britishness."
JAPAN
Feb 9, 2006

Fukuoka design firm also faked structural data

Faked earthquake-resistance data were used to construct at least three condominium complexes in Fukuoka Prefecture built by Kimura Construction Co. but not designed by disgraced architect Hidetsugu Aneha, the land ministry and the Fukuoka Municipal Government said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Feb 9, 2006

Koizumi puts bill for female succession on back burner

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe backed off Wednesday from their earlier pledge to quickly get a bill passed that would allow a female on the Chrysanthemum Throne.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Feb 9, 2006

Berlin/Tokyo : Invitation to a car wreck

See related story: Berlin/Tokyo : Your pick of the isms
EDITORIALS
Feb 7, 2006

Enough of make-believe bidding

The arrests last week of senior officials of the Defense Facilities Administration Agency (DFAA) confirmed that bid-rigging on public-works projects remains an entrenched practice in Japan. What happens, basically, is that a contract is awarded at a price higher than if it were put out to bid through...
LIFE / Language
Feb 7, 2006

Practical reasons for praising entrance exams

On Saturday, Jan. 21, history was made. And I was a part of it by simply taking a 30-minute listening test. It was the first time that the unified university entrance exams, prepared by MEXT's National Center for University Entrance Examinations, had included listening comprehension. This may very well...
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Feb 7, 2006

Guarantors and leaving the country

Guarantor Is there an organization in Japan that serves as a guarantor for foreigners in Japan who want to rent apartments?
JAPAN
Feb 5, 2006

Japan, South Korea agree to double size of bilateral currency swap deal

Japan and South Korea agreed Saturday in Tokyo to increase the size of a bilateral currency swap agreement to $15 billion from $7 billion to help address potential financial crises in Asia.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / CLOSE-UP
Feb 5, 2006

Fashionista with attitude

Raised on the mean streets of Brooklyn's Brownsville district, Gene Krell is a self-proclaimed tough guy who cites as one of his heroes a little-known but highly colorful "Dadaist professional boxer" called Arthur Cravan.

Longform

Figure skater Akiko Suzuki was once told her ideal weight should be 47 kilograms, a number she now admits she “naively believed.” This led to her have a relationship with food that resulted in her suffering from anorexia.
The silent battle Japanese athletes fight with weight