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CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Nov 30, 2003

A couch potato's guide from the experts' side

THE DORAMA ENCYCLOPEDIA: A Guide to Japanese TV Drama Since 1953, by Jonathan Clements and Motoko Tamamuro. Berkeley: Stone Bridge Press, 2003, 442 pp., 100+ photos and illustrations, $24.95, (paper). THE COUCH POTATO'S GUIDE TO JAPAN: Inside the World of Japanese TV, by Wilhelmina Penn. Sapporo: Forest...
JAPAN
Nov 29, 2003

Ashikaga Bank faces government bailout

Ashikaga Bank appears to be on the brink of becoming Japan's second bank this year to receive an injection of taxpayer money, sources said Friday.
MORE SPORTS
Nov 25, 2003

Gilmour wins Nippon Cup regatta

HAYAMA, Kanagawa Pref. -- Australian Peter Gilmour won the 2003 Nippon Cup yacht race Sunday, prevailing over Magnus Holmberg of Sweden.
BUSINESS
Nov 21, 2003

Isuzu improves but Nissan Diesel bleeds more red

Two truck makers saw their consolidated earnings go in opposite directions in the first half of fiscal 2003, with Isuzu Motors Ltd. returning to profitability and Nissan Diesel Motor Co. widening losses.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 21, 2003

Chen winning back respect for Taiwan's position

NEW YORK -- Chen Shui-bian, Taiwan's president, recently made a whirlwind international tour. During a three-day transit in New York three weeks ago, he received the 2003 award from the International League for Human Rights. He attended centennial independence anniversary celebrations of Panama, then...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 21, 2003

Tanigaki wants bond issues to stay below tax revenues

Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki told a meeting of business leaders Thursday he wants to keep the issuance of fresh government bonds below the amount of tax revenues in the fiscal 2004 budget, a participant said.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Nov 16, 2003

Political intrigue and mystery imagined in present and past

THE THIRD WORLD WAR: A Terrifying Novel of Global Conflict, by Humphrey Hawksley. London: Pan Books, 2003, 514 pp., £6.99 (paper). THE HELL SCREEN, by I.J. Parker. New York: St. Martin's Minotaur, 2003, 338 pp., $24.95, (cloth). Long before Dec. 7, 1941, at least three novels -- the earliest published...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
Nov 15, 2003

Did Godzilla roar? Or simply growl?

Let's see . . . our world is writhing through some of its worst turmoil ever, the Japanese economy continues to stumble about like a man on uneven stilts, crime is up, jobs are down and the ozone layer has begun to resemble Swiss cheese without the cheese.
BUSINESS
Nov 13, 2003

Eco-friendly cars to take big bite out of tax revenue

Revenue prefectures get from car taxes will plunge 18.4 billion yen next fiscal year because of a tax break for low-emission vehicles, the home affairs ministry said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Nov 12, 2003

MMC posts major losses in first half

Mitsubishi Motors Corp. on Tuesday reported hefty losses for the fiscal first half that ended Sept. 30 due to sluggish sales in North America.
EDITORIALS
Nov 11, 2003

A viable two-party system?

In Sunday's election, the voters opted for stability -- with a twist. They gave the three-party ruling coalition led by the Liberal Democratic Party a continued mandate to run the country but, at the same time, handed the LDP a slap on the wrist: the loss of a majority in the 480-seat influential Lower...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Nov 9, 2003

Down Under at its fun-filled best

Australia has never really needed any ploys to lure travelers to this vast country. The natural beauty of the rain forests in the north, deserts in the dry interior and mountains in the south, all surrounded by some of the greatest beaches in the world, are more than enough reasons to take a trip Down...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Nov 9, 2003

In with le new!

It's Beaujolais Nouveau time again, and Japan -- despite its piffling per capita consumption of just three bottles of wine a year -- will suddenly become a nation of tipplers and quaffers (if not connoisseurs) of this fresh-from-the-vine red wine from France.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 7, 2003

Cutting costs helps Mazda double profit

Mazda Motor Corp. said Thursday its consolidated net profit in the first half of fiscal 2003 doubled from a year earlier to 11.15 billion yen.
BUSINESS
Oct 30, 2003

Widespread risk-hedging seen limiting short-term menace of rising yen

A strong yen is not good news for Japanese export-driven companies. But the impact of the yen's recent surge against the dollar to three-year highs is expected to be limited for now since firms have hedged the currency risk, economists and major manufacturers said.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Oct 29, 2003

Japan Series: Should have known better with those Tigers fans

I should have known better than to predict the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks would win the 2003 Japan Series in five games over the Hanshin Tigers.
BUSINESS
Oct 28, 2003

Daihatsu first-half net profit almost triples to 3.8 billion yen

Daihatsu Motor Co. said Monday its consolidated net profit nearly tripled to 3.78 billion yen in the first half of fiscal 2003 from the previous year.
COMMUNITY
Oct 26, 2003

IT star shines over 'Silicon Valley'

BANGALORE -- Weatherwise, Bangalore tends to be cooler than most cities in India, but businesswise it's the hottest destination.
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...
BASEBALL / MLB
Oct 18, 2003

Hoshino to bow out after Japan Series

Hanshin Tigers manager Senichi Hoshino has revealed his intention to step down after the Japan Series, citing ill health.
BUSINESS
Oct 17, 2003

Nissan poised to report record operating profit

Nissan Motor Co. said Thursday it expects to report a record consolidated operating profit of 401.1 billion yen for the first half of fiscal 2003, up 15.2 percent from the same period last year.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Oct 16, 2003

Jojima best choice for PL MVP

In my Sept. 17 column, I asked the question: Who will be the Hanshin Tigers (and Central League) MVP for 2003?
JAPAN
Oct 15, 2003

Japan prepares to give Iraq $1.5 billion in grants in 2004

Japan is making final preparations to provide Iraq with grants worth $1.5 billion in 2004, the first in a series of handouts that could total $5 billion over a four-year period, government sources said Tuesday.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Oct 7, 2003

Time to come clean on foreign crime wave

For those who read and watch the Japanese press, these are scary times. Foreign crime is allegedly on the rise, members of the new Koizumi Cabinet are making clear policy statements against it, and the National Police Agency is ready for a new push.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 5, 2003

Fertility experts urge health insurance help

In response to the increasingly serious problem of Japan's falling birthrate, patients and medical professionals involved in fertility treatment are calling for the cost of treatment to be covered by national health insurance.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / THE SECOND ROOM
Oct 4, 2003

Dad(o) hands down a family tradition

Frederic Holyszewski (aka Dado, Deedrah) was raised in the countryside of Fontainebleau, south of Paris. His parents handed down strong family traditions that grew out of a humble background. It was a charmed setting in which to grow up -- Fontainebleau even has a castle. And music was a pillar of his...
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / ON THE BOOK TRAIL
Oct 2, 2003

"The House of Windjammer," "Boolar's Big Day Out"

"The House of Windjammer," V.A. Richardson, Bloomsbury; 2003; 349 pp. No matter where you grow up, whether it's in 21st-century Japan or in 17th-century Europe, some things never change. People everywhere, at every time, are at the mercy of larger forces -- political upheavals, market fluctuations,...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 1, 2003

Exhaust curbs to sting truck operators

Hideaki Tsuchiya's small trucking firm in Tokyo's Meguro Ward faced a major headache earlier this year: Five of his 20 trucks did not meet new exhaust regulations that take effect in the metropolis Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Sep 27, 2003

Growth forecast revised up to 2.1%

The Cabinet Office said Friday it has revised its economic growth projection for fiscal 2003 upward to 0.1 percent in nominal terms and 2.1 percent in real terms.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 24, 2003

Sounds Numero Ono

You could call Seigen Ono a connoisseur of sound. He chooses only the finest sonic ingredients and knows exactly how to obtain them. As an avant-garde jazz composer and guitarist, he might not be a household name, but check out the credits on some of the best records of the last two decades and there's...

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