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CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Apr 18, 2004

Beijing Ripper goes chop-chop; New York whodunit has a rap

CHINESE WHISPERS, by Peter May. London: Coronet Books, 2004, 402 pp., £6.99 (paper). MURDER IN CHINA RED, by Dean Barrett. New York: Village East Books, 2003, 260 pp., $11.95 (paper). Honolulu Detective Charlie Chan made his literary debut in Earl Derr Biggers' 1925 novel "The House Without a Key."...
JAPAN
Apr 17, 2004

Journalists mull Asia integration outside the EU box

FUKUOKA -- It was Mahatma Gandhi who said friendship that insists upon agreement on all matters is not worth the name.
EDITORIALS
Apr 16, 2004

Cyprus at a crossroads

If a U.N. reunification plan is accepted by both Greek and Turkish residents in referendums later this month, the island will be reunited, ending four decades of ethnic conflict. If it is rejected, the people of Cyprus will have missed a historic opportunity for both peaceful reconciliation and to join...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 15, 2004

Tsutsumi quits Seibu helm over payoffs

Seibu Railway Co. Chairman Yoshiaki Tsutsumi said Wednesday he will resign over a racketeer payoff scandal involving three company executives.
JAPAN
Apr 15, 2004

Koizumi swipe at 'terrorists' downplayed

Government officials tried to play down allegations Wednesday that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has prolonged the crisis over three Japanese being held hostage in Iraq by calling their captors "terrorists."
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Apr 13, 2004

Divorce and insurance policies

Divorce I was married for two years to a Japanese woman (no children). We separated almost one year ago. I recently asked my wife for a divorce, but she wants financial compensation before she will agree.
JAPAN
Apr 13, 2004

Osaka to keep funding pro-Pyongyang schools

OSAKA -- Osaka municipal officials said Monday that the city will continue to provide financial support for schools affiliated with the pro-Pyongyang General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryun), despite calls for the policy to be reconsidered.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Apr 13, 2004

No room for 'outsiders'

In "The Japanese," Japanologist and former U.S. ambassador to Japan Edwin O. Reischauer wrote that "no people have committed themselves more enthusiastically to internationalism than the Japanese or have so specifically repudiated nationalism."
EDITORIALS
Apr 11, 2004

Turn off the television

Of all the modern technological conveniences, the one that gets the worst press -- worse even than the cell phone -- is the television. The ubiquitous box has been accused of destroying traditional cultures, contributing to the breakdown of community, fragmenting family life and promoting obesity and...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Apr 9, 2004

International Street Performers Festival: Hit the streets and party!

The International Street Performers Festival was hatched in Papa John. In 1984, Ikuo Mitsuhashi -- a mime artist just back in Yokohama from a decade-long French sojourn -- dropped by the venerable jazz shot bar and listened to the proprietor describe the Association for Fostering Noge Culture. He was...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Apr 9, 2004

Savor a city's soul

A rusted observation platform on the eastern edge of Nogeyama Hill commands views across central Yokohama -- from the Western houses on the Bluff to the Landmark Tower in the Minato Mirai district. At the hill's foot, behind the up-slope march of buildings, lies Noge, its inconspicuousness emblematic....
EDITORIALS
Apr 8, 2004

Breaking the ice with China

Political relations between Japan and China, in striking contrast to growing economic ties, continue to stagnate. During the two-day visit to Beijing by Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi, the two sides remained wide apart on two thorny issues: visits to Yasukuni Shrine by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi...
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Apr 8, 2004

Report condemns Bush's corruption of science

Kurt Gottfried, professor emeritus of physics at Cornell University and Chairman of the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), is very concerned about the Bush administration.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 7, 2004

Takadanobaba cashes in on Astro Boy

The Takadanobaba district of Tokyo will introduce Astro Boy currency Wednesday as part of local revitalization efforts.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 7, 2004

'One China' principle is all but dead

HONOLULU -- No matter how the dispute over Taiwan's presidential election is resolved, it has become ever more clear that the "One China" principle is unraveling.
JAPAN
Apr 6, 2004

Confab delegates seek peace in Balkans

Five western Balkan countries, Japan, the European Union and other parties reaffirmed Monday their commitment to consolidating peace and stability in the western Balkans as they wrapped up a one-day ministerial conference in Tokyo.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Apr 6, 2004

Otaku proud of it

I wouldn't be offended if someone called me an otaku," says Koichi Nakayasu, ". . . because I am."
EDITORIALS
Apr 3, 2004

Nurturing the sprouts of recovery

Japan's economic recovery, supported chiefly by large, export-oriented manufacturers, is spreading to other sectors, according to the Bank of Japan's quarterly survey on business sentiment. However, it is premature to conclude that the economy is headed for a self-sustaining recovery led by domestic...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Apr 3, 2004

John Berg

This month a respected and well-loved Englishman leaves Japan. Known for his humor, humanity and quick wit, the Rev. John Berg is retiring from Yokohama Christ Church, where he has been rector since 1968. Three years ago, he retired from Yokohama's Mission to Seamen, where he was concurrently chaplain....
EDITORIALS
Apr 1, 2004

Don't forget Afghanistan

Three years after the fall of the Taliban, Afghanistan is once again tottering on the brink of chaos. The facts will be in plain view in Berlin at a two-day conference from Wednesday, when 54 nations assess the problems and progress since the U.S-led invasion of Afghanistan. Progress has been remarkable,...
Japan Times
JAPAN / SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT
Mar 31, 2004

Colleges hope new law schools will boost student numbers

With the nation's birthrate falling and the number of high school graduates in steady decline, institutions of higher learning have been scrambling to maintain student levels.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Mar 31, 2004

Diamondbacks Day still a feature at Tokyo Dome

The Pacific League Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters will hold their third annual Arizona Diamondbacks Day promotion on Sunday, April 18, at the Tokyo Dome. Diamondbacks Day is held so the Nippon Ham team can honor the National League club (its working partner), and the Fighters ball club is inviting 3,000...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / NEW ART SEEN
Mar 31, 2004

Ishiwata's hands make 'Lightworks' at Uplink

In the event that you find yourself up in Edogawabashi, be aware that the northern Shinjuku neighborhood is not completely off the map, art-wise. Two very pleasant spaces occupy a building just a few minutes walk from its eponymous station -- the Uplink Gallery and La Galerie des Nakamura.
Japan Times
JAPAN / SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT
Mar 30, 2004

Universities face brave new world of autonomy, competition

The academic year that begins Thursday will mark a new era for national universities, which will be cut loose from the fetters of the education ministry and gain independent administrative institution status.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Mar 30, 2004

Downloadable discrimination

There has been a lot of press recently not just on foreign crime (again), but on unethical methods of collecting data on foreigners.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / A GAIJIN'S TALE
Mar 30, 2004

ATM anxiety

As a Chinese-American, I'm like a foreigner incognito in Japan. This time 'round, however, it was pretty hard to disguise my identity as a foreigner.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Mar 30, 2004

Pensions and claiming back farewell cash

JET pensions I am working as a prefectural employee and am married to a Japanese national. I am aiming to amass the minimum 22 years of pension contributions necessary to draw a pension in Japan.

Longform

Dangami House is a 180-year-old former samurai residence of the Kato clan, who ruled over Ozu, Ehime Prefecture, until the Meiji Restoration.
A house, a legacy and the quiet work of restoration in rural Japan