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JAPAN
Jan 14, 2005

NHK censored TV show due to 'political pressure'

President Katsuji Ebisawa was aware of everything." On Jan. 29, 2001 -- the day before the program was to be aired -- senior NHK officials met with Shinzo Abe, who was then deputy chief Cabinet secretary, and LDP lawmaker Shoichi Nakagawa, Nagai said, quoting his superiors.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / VINELAND
Jan 14, 2005

Siphoning the cant out of decanting

Guidebooks recommend it. Nose-in-the-air sommeliers love it. Friends swear by it. But does decanting a wine really do anything to improve its taste?
JAPAN
Jan 12, 2005

Flier poster indicted for trespassing

Prosecutors indicted a 57-year-old Buddhist monk on Tuesday for trespassing while posting fliers at a housing complex in Katsushika Ward, Tokyo, last month.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Jan 11, 2005

Habitat destruction, work gear and photos

A distressing end to 2004 . . . off to a resilient and positive start in 2005.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 10, 2005

Why does CCP still fret over the news?

LONDON -- A short while ago, when I was in Beijing, I wanted to keep up with some political development in Hong Kong. I turned on my computer and went to the Asia-Pacific page of the BBC's Web site. Or at least I tried to; I had forgotten that the BBC site is blocked in China.
SUMO
Jan 9, 2005

Kaio still has shot at promotion

Will ozeki Kaio finally claim the yokozuna prize that has slipped through his fingers more times than he cares to remember?
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / CLOSE-UP
Jan 9, 2005

Keiko Sakai: Conundrum Iraq

One year ago this month, an advance team from Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF) arrived in Iraq on a mission -- so the Japanese public was told -- to help rebuild the wartorn country. The rest of the main contingent of 600 troops soon followed.
JAPAN
Jan 8, 2005

New warrants out in NHK scandal

Police served a fresh warrant Friday on a 48-year-old former employee of NHK for allegedly defrauding the public broadcaster of roughly 7.4 million yen between November 2000 and March 2001.
JAPAN
Jan 7, 2005

Underground economy expected to boom

"No money and you're dead" is essentially what yakuza characters in novels and comic books say, and they mean that literally.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Jan 4, 2005

Aged care, drivers' license woes and an alert

'Kaigo hoken' I have been in Japan many years but have never applied for permanent residence. I had personal insurance under Pacific Star until last year. Their present carrier will not insure past renewal at age 64. I do not know how much longer I will be in Japan but I am positive that at the time...
COMMENTARY
Jan 3, 2005

Modern England leaves Granny behind

LONDON -- "What are we coming to" cried one of the grannies at my Christmas dinner, meaning we, the English. Her small anguish was prompted by the thought of the bank holidays and festive refusal of work that wraps everyone in a haze of food and alcohol, gifts and family, and lets the outer world fend...
EDITORIALS
Jan 1, 2005

Royal bridge to the people

The new year has been ushered in by the auspicious news of a long-awaited announcement: Princess Nori, the only daughter of the Emperor, is engaged to Mr. Yoshiki Kuroda, a Tokyo Metropolitan Government employee. We congratulate them heartily and hope that they will serve as a bridge between the Imperial...
JAPAN
Dec 31, 2004

Zoos grope to captivate visitors

Gone are the days when a new panda or elephant guaranteed a boost in zoo visitors.
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Dec 30, 2004

Rockets' trade of journeyman Jackson is hard to figure

NEW YORK -- Jimmy Jackson got the call yesterday he didn't want to hear, and had no idea was coming.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Dec 29, 2004

Eagles hope to soar in first year with acquisition of Iwakuma

Here is my final column of 2004, the most tumultuous year in the history of Japanese pro baseball.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 29, 2004

Come back for more

Upon seeing this list the editor of this page expressed "dismay" that it hadn't included movies that I had raved about, and that instead I included those with a less-than four-star rating. Call me contradictory, if you like. The fact is the obvious choices were so praised and dissected and analyzed to...
JAPAN
Dec 29, 2004

Civilian controls over military matters seen in the balance

As Japan prepares to redefine the Self-Defense Forces as a bona fide military, the government will have to address the sensitive question of how much say SDF officers should have in national security.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Dec 28, 2004

Legal bank robbery

Mention residents tax to any foreigner living in Japan and chances are, you aren't likely to win any favorable responses. Otherwise known as city tax, ward tax or inhabitants tax to name just a few aliases, this is probably one of the most dreaded and least understood of all the taxes in Japan. It is...
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 27, 2004

Chile: Twilight hour stalks an ex-tyrant

NEW YORK -- The decision by Chilean Judge Juan Guzman Tapia on Dec. 13 to indict former dictator Gen. Augusto Pinochet on charges of kidnapping nine political dissidents and killing one of them during his 17-year military regime is a significant one for Chile. Guzman ruled that Pinochet, 89, is mentally...
COMMENTARY
Dec 27, 2004

Democracy by cookie cutter

LONDON -- U.S. President George W. Bush claims his policy is to promote democracy because democratic countries do not wage aggressive wars.
Japan Times
Features
Dec 26, 2004

Men or monkeys in 2004?

A year is a novel that writes itself. The plot may be incoherent and the main characters disappointing, but the overall effect never fails to be riveting.
COMMENTARY
Dec 25, 2004

Waiting for Japan to change -- or can it?

LOS ANGELES -- For as long as I write this column on Asia, which enters into its 10th year next month, I doubt I'll ever witness anything as amusing or telling as the flareup that took place at the close of the University of Southern California's Asia Conference last month.
EDITORIALS
Dec 24, 2004

Gear shift on constitutional change

The Liberal Democratic Party recently came under public criticism for "going to extremes" in its bid to update the Constitution, Japan's first democratic charter that took effect in 1947. The criticism has prompted the party to alter its plans for constitutional reform. The party appears to have recognized...
JAPAN
Dec 24, 2004

Public wants sanctions -- but at what price?

A large section of the public responded with predictable fury to recent revelations that a set of remains handed by North Korea to Japanese officials were not, as Pyongyang had claimed, those of abductee Megumi Yokota.

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