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EDITORIALS
Jul 11, 2004

New pieces to a 9-year-old puzzle

Police investigations into the shooting of the nation's police chief more than nine years ago reached a major milestone last week with the arrests of four men, including a former police officer. Around 8:30 a.m. on March 30, 1995, a gunman fired several shots at Mr. Takaji Kunimatsu, then director general...
JAPAN
Jul 11, 2004

Party leaders make final campaign pitches

Leaders of the major parties made their final pitches Saturday ahead of the House of Councilors election, with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi calling on voters to support his reform efforts amid dismal forecasts for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
Japan Times
LIFE
Jul 11, 2004

Believe it ... or not

Japan's vast hoard of war booty known as Yamashita's Gold was long thought to be buried in caves in the Philippines. But in their book 'Gold Warriors,' Sterling and Peggy Seagrave sensationally claim that the treasure trove was secretly recovered -- and continues to oil the wheels of politics in Japan...
EDITORIALS
Jul 10, 2004

Assessing Mr. Koizumi's reforms

It has been three years since Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi launched a "no reform, no growth" program for economic revival. What has changed, or has not changed, under his administration? Simply put, are people better off now than they were three years ago? Voters will give their answers in Sunday's...
EDITORIALS
Jul 9, 2004

A new face in Indonesia

In a stunning performance, Mr. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, a political newcomer, is projected to come out on top in the first round of voting for the presidency of Indonesia. The former general will not cross the 50 percent threshold required to claim the office on the first round; instead, he looks set...
EDITORIALS
Jul 8, 2004

Educational reform in perspective

There is something disquieting about moves by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito to rewrite the Fundamental Law of Education. In an interim report they have just completed, the LDP emphasizes the importance of cultivating "love of country," meaning patriotism. Komeito uses a different...
JAPAN
Jul 8, 2004

Electric power body sat on data

The Federation of Electric Power Companies admitted Wednesday that it failed to disclose data it compiled in February 1996 on the cost of burying spent nuclear fuel.
JAPAN
Jul 8, 2004

Koizumi urges Murase to use private sector

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Wednesday told Kiyoshi Murase, tapped to become the new commissioner of the Social Insurance Agency, to reform the scandal-hit agency through means such as bringing in a slew of private-sector individuals.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 7, 2004

Director sends his love to Huppert

La Vie promise Rating: * * * (out of 5) Director: Olivier Dahan Running time: 93 minutes Language: French Currently showing [See Japan Times movie listings] "La Vie promise (The Promised Life)" is not really a movie, but a love letter from director Olivier Dahan to actress Isabelle Huppert...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 7, 2004

Our man on the street

Disclosure: I've been following Harvey Pekar's work for 24 years, ever since a mutual friend and former editor of the Cleveland Edition, a long-defunct alternative paper, sent me his fifth American Splendor comic to review in 1980. I compared Pekar's autobiographical stories of ordinary life in the city...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 7, 2004

A classic -- by the numbers

Tange Sazen: Hyakuman Ryo no Tsubo Rating: * * * (out of 5) Director: Toshio Tsuda Running time: 119 minutes Language: Japanese Opens July 17 [See Japan Times movie listings] Tange Sazen -- the one-eyed, one-armed ex-samurai swordsman -- is one of those literary characters with a mythic...
BUSINESS
Jul 7, 2004

Deregulatory zones inspire outpouring of ideas from cities

A fund designed to make it easier to collect money for festivals is just one of 652 proposals the government has received from municipalities for the soon-to-be-launched special deregulatory zones, Kazuyoshi Kaneko, minister in charge of revitalizing local economies, said Tuesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 7, 2004

Iranian's charge of brutality vs. word of police

Jailed for two months and charged with obstructing justice, Ghadir Esmaeili, a 34-year-old Iranian permanent resident in Japan, claims he's a victim of police brutality, although other than his damaged eye he lacks damning visual evidence like the notorious video footage of L.A. police beating Rodney...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 6, 2004

Kerry has potential to further ties, scholar says

If Democratic Sen. John Kerry is elected president of the United States in November, the first half of his administration will be extremely important for Japan-U.S. relations, a prominent U.S. scholar told a recent seminar in Tokyo.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 6, 2004

Expressway debts: New policy goes on the road to nowhere

By passing expressway legislation that omitted a key part of privatization panel's suggestions, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's political 'style' may now be under scrutiny by politicians and the general public.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 6, 2004

Expressway debts: New policy goes on the road to nowhere

By passing expressway legislation that omitted a key part of privatization panel's suggestions, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's political 'style' may now be under scrutiny by politicians and the general public.
JAPAN
Jul 5, 2004

Judges call for check of defendant's competency

The Saitama District Court has decided to examine whether a man with a history of mental deficiency and autistic disorder indicted for allegedly assaulting a young boy is capable of standing trial, informed sources said Sunday.
JAPAN
Jul 5, 2004

Links eyed in cost cuts, workplace accidents

The labor ministry plans to look into work-related accidents for possible links to cost-cutting and corporate restructuring efforts, it was learned Sunday.
JAPAN
Jul 5, 2004

Judges call for check of defendant's competency

The Saitama District Court has decided to examine whether a man with a history of mental deficiency and autistic disorder indicted for allegedly assaulting a young boy is capable of standing trial, informed sources said Sunday.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Jul 4, 2004

Utagawa Hiroshige: Around the provinces in 69 plates

HIROSHIGE'S JOURNEY in the Sixty-odd Provinces, by Marije Jansen. Amsterdam: Hotei Publishing, 2004, 160 pp., 70 full-page plates and other illustrations, $34.95 (paper). Here is a beautifully printed and edited reproduction of the complete "Famous Views of the [Sixty-odd] Provinces" (Rokujuyoshu meisho...
Features
Jul 4, 2004

Interns buck the trend

It's a sad fact that Japanese people, especially the young, are losing interest in politics.
JAPAN
Jul 3, 2004

MMC faults may get drivers in crashes off hook

Police may review criminal action taken against four drivers of Mitsubishi trucks and buses in connection with accidents that resulted in injuries, because the vehicles may have been faulty, officials said Friday.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
Jul 3, 2004

Never been there, never done that

"Twenty-five" seems a fine number for the necessary hours in a day or an easy-to-find shoe size in centimeters, yet for me that digit has now garnered a special significance. It marks the number of years I have lived in Japan, soon to inch one step forward to 26 -- more than a quarter of a century.
COMMENTARY
Jul 3, 2004

Philippine election brings anxiety, not hope

HONG KONG -- The Philippines is lurching toward a crisis in which democracy is part of the problem instead of part of the solution. While, in theory, a long, arduous presidential election should leave a nation better aware of itself and eagerly awaiting a new beginning, in the Philippines it has left...
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Jul 2, 2004

Don't expect Shaq deal to happen fast

NEW YORK -- So, Kobe Bryant finally has a start date (Aug. 27) for his Eagle scout trial. This gives him exactly two months from today to unite the community and divide community property.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 28, 2004

People of Myanmar need Asia's help

Myanmar's stubborn military regime has decided to carry on with its controversial constitutional convention even as National League of Democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her lieutenant, U Tin U, remain under house arrest. The last time a free and fair election was held -- in 1990 -- the NLD won a...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jun 27, 2004

A feast of culture on Hokkaido menu

Modernization and industrialization have ensured that the traditional lifestyle of the Ainu has been destroyed as thoroughly as the traditional customs of their Japanese neighbours.

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami