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BUSINESS
Mar 10, 2004

'Gyudon' back on Matsuya's menu

Matsuya Foods Co. said Tuesday it will reintroduce "gyudon" beef-on-rice dishes at its restaurants Wednesday as part of a campaign that will run until the end of March.
BUSINESS
Mar 9, 2004

TSE lauded for bypassing bureaucrats

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Monday praised a planned move by Tokyo Stock Exchange Inc. to appoint people from the private sector -- and not former bureaucrats -- to top management, saying they are more likely to "energize" Japan's largest bourse.
EDITORIALS
Mar 9, 2004

Diet's plate remains full

Diet deliberations have been proceeding fairly smoothly since the 150-day regular session opened on Jan. 19. This augurs well for Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who wants to avoid a legislative gridlock before July's Upper House election. He cleared a major hurdle last month when the Diet approved...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 9, 2004

Taiwanese stretch envelope before polls

SINGAPORE -- In the runup to Taiwan's presidential election on March 20, political sparks are flying not only in Taiwan but also in China and the United States. Moreover, the commemoration in Taiwan of the Feb. 28, 1947, killing of some 10,000 Taiwanese by Kuomintang (KMT) troops -- otherwise known as...
EDITORIALS
Mar 8, 2004

No end to political scandals?

Once again, a lawmaker has had to resign from the Diet after admitting to having borrowed somebody's name to misappropriate the state-paid salary of a bogus secretary. This time, the scandal involves Mr. Kanju Sato of the Democratic Party of Japan, a former minister of home affairs and chairman of the...
COMMENTARY
Mar 7, 2004

EU's false trilateral dreams

LONDON -- The idea that the European Union should be run and managed by a hard core of countries, meaning France, Germany and -- if it can be coaxed along as well -- Britain, is once again doing the rounds.
COMMENTARY
Mar 7, 2004

Capturing bin Laden won't repair rift

ISLAMABAD -- The elimination of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden -- by either killing or capturing him -- would indeed boost the morale of U.S. President George W. Bush as he prepares for the presidential election in November.
JAPAN
Mar 6, 2004

Police search Sato's Diet office

Investigators searched the Diet office of Kanju Sato on Friday for evidence over allegations that he misappropriated a secretary's state-paid salary.
JAPAN
Mar 6, 2004

Group cranks up rhetoric over isles

A group of former and current Diet members demanded Friday that Japan Post issue stamp sheets featuring images of three sets of islands embroiled in territorial disputes.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Mar 6, 2004

Despite track record, scrutiny of Ferguson remains relentless

LONDON -- Perhaps the real truth as opposed to what we have been told will never be known.
JAPAN
Mar 5, 2004

DPJ's Sato tenders resignation from Diet

House of Representatives lawmaker Kanju Sato tendered his resignation from the Diet on Thursday amid allegations that he pocketed the state-paid salary of a woman falsely registered as his secretary.
JAPAN
Mar 5, 2004

'Careless' Japan Post issues disputed-isle stamp sheet

Japan Post said Thursday it "carelessly" issued customized stamp sheets featuring images of Takeshima Island, which is claimed by Japan and South Korea.
EDITORIALS
Mar 5, 2004

Opportunity for mutual prosperity

In the not so distant future, China probably will eclipse the United States as Japan's largest trading partner. That could happen before 2008 when Beijing hosts the Summer Olympics. Setting the pace of China's economic growth is investment in infrastructure, whose momentum is expected to increase in...
CULTURE / Film
Mar 3, 2004

Weir's far from all at sea

Russell Crowe never made it to the press conference for "Master and Commander," apparently due to an injury suffered on the set of his current film. On the plus side, the usual slack-jawed celeb-oglers were nowhere to be found and a number of interesting questions were put to director Peter Weir, himself...
JAPAN
Mar 3, 2004

22% say foreigners' rights secondary to locals'

Foreigners in Japan should not expect to have the same human rights protections here as Japanese, 21.8 percent of respondents in a fiscal 2002 survey said.
JAPAN
Feb 28, 2004

Breakdown of district court ruling on Aum guru Asahara

Tokyo subway gas attack
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 28, 2004

Rivalry threatens Sri Lankan ceasefire

COLOMBO -- There are growing fears that the recent political turmoil in Sri Lanka will seriously hamper the internationally supported effort to end the two decades of ethnic strife between the majority Buddhist Sinhalese and the minority Hindu Tamils.
COMMENTARY
Feb 27, 2004

Rightwing's political football

Don't underestimate the depth of genuine public anger in Japan over the abduction issue with North Korea. At the same time don't underestimate the degree to which Japan's powerful rightwing is exploiting the issue to shift Japan even further to hardline foreign policies, a shift typified by the extraordinary...
COMMENTARY
Feb 27, 2004

Watershed for Hong Kong-Beijing ties

HONG KONG -- The relationship between Hong Kong and Beijing is at a critical point, with the central government having cautioned the special administrative region not to rush headlong into democracy while local people fear that their democratic aspirations may be frustrated.
EDITORIALS
Feb 26, 2004

An endorsement from Mr. Annan

With Japan taking an important part in the reconstruction of Iraq, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan's five-day visit here, starting last Saturday, could not have come at a better time. His trip has given Japanese government leaders -- including not only Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Foreign Minister...
EDITORIALS
Feb 25, 2004

Empty democracy in Iran

To no one's surprise, conservatives claimed an overwhelming victory in parliamentary elections held in Iran last week. The results were predictable since many of the country's reform-oriented candidates were not allowed to run. The low turnout is proof that the outcome does not reflect the will of the...
EDITORIALS
Feb 24, 2004

Malaysia's new look

Malaysia's new prime minister, Mr. Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, is wasting no time distinguishing himself in office. Typically, however, he is doing it quietly. Without a lot of fanfare, Mr. Badawi has launched a campaign to root out corruption. In foreign policy, he is smoothing over the rough relationships...
JAPAN
Feb 24, 2004

Japan's Iraq role wins praise of Annan

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Monday won a desperately needed endorsement from U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan for Japan's engagement in postwar aid missions in Iraq.
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
Feb 23, 2004

Critical war questions beg for an answer

NEW YORK -- First, my historian friend George Akita sent me a clipping of former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara's article that appeared in The Honolulu Advertiser (Aug. 7, 2003). Titled "We need rules for waging war," the piece begins with McNamara remembering the night of March 9, 1945, when...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Feb 22, 2004

Legends keep it visceral and current

Colin Newman of the English punk band Wire uses the words "interesting" and "energy" a lot when he talks about music. "Interesting" can often be a backhanded compliment, but Newman uses it literally because he tends to approach pop as an intellectual endeavor.

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