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COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Oct 21, 2003

Internet bill nightmare, pension payouts, and singing groups

Internet connection I have a problem that concerns with my Internet Service Provider. I was billed for over 100,000 yen for Internet connection and international calls. Most of the bill came from international phone calls, which I thought were free.
JAPAN
Oct 20, 2003

Koizumi ally says handling of Fujii heavy-handed

Liberal Democratic Party Vice President Taku Yamasaki said Sunday that the government is being heavy-handed in dealing with the dismissal of Japan Highway Public Corp. President Haruho Fujii.
COMMENTARY
Oct 20, 2003

Danger welcomes Americans abroad

JAKARTA -- "It's dangerous here for Americans," said my cab driver when I visited a few weeks ago. No question. A few blocks away sat the J.W. Marriott, its facade broken and blackened from the bombing in August. Scores of windows were blown out; mutilated blinds swayed in the wind. Wrecked autos sat...
COMMENTARY
Oct 20, 2003

Pension plans on life-support

LONDON -- A flood of articles in the European media recently has warned about the growing problem of paying pensions as the populations of European countries age and birthrates decline. For Japan, this problem looks especially acute.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Oct 19, 2003

The gangsters that just keep coming back

THE YAKUZA MOVIE BOOK: A Guide to Japanese Gangster Films, by Mark Schilling. Berkeley: Stone Bridge Press, 2003, 336 pp., $19.95 (paper). When Mark Schilling was interviewing veteran filmmaker Seijun Suzuki for this book, the director suddenly asked the author: "Why are you interested in yakuza movies?"...
COMMENTARY
Oct 19, 2003

More trouble for Pakistan's democracy

ISLAMABAD -- The first anniversary this month of the restoration of Pakistan's democracy following the three years of military rule has brought little joy over the future prospects of the South Asian nuclear-armed state.
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...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 18, 2003

Fujii tells hearing he's being axed over politics

Japan Highway Public Corp. President Haruho Fujii blasted transport minister Nobuteru Ishihara in a hearing Friday for trying to sack him for what he called political motives.
JAPAN
Oct 18, 2003

Koizumi's Iraq pledge wins thanks from Bush

U.S. President George W. Bush on Friday thanked Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi for Japan's $1.5 billion pledge to help reconstruct Iraq.
JAPAN
Oct 18, 2003

Air base soundproofing fees face ax

The home affairs ministry ordered the Defense Agency on Friday to have its affiliate cut application fees levied on local residents seeking grants to soundproof their homes near military installations.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
Oct 18, 2003

The stress of getting things right

If you're like me, one thing you do not need is more stress.
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Oct 17, 2003

Yao signing with Reebok to have huge impact on market

NEW YORK -- Never has a seven-story man, elite or otherwise, created any noteworthy noise in sneaker sales, not even when Devious Darryl Dawkins tried to get rich in a hurry by advertising a different brand on each foot.
BASEBALL / MLB
Oct 17, 2003

Tigers poised to pounce

The last time the Hanshin Tigers went to the Japan Series, they had to scratch and claw their way through seven games to win their first championship.
EDITORIALS
Oct 16, 2003

New banking hope for small firms

It appears that small-business banking in Japan is about to enter a new era. In May, the Tokyo metropolitan government unveiled a plan to create a new bank to serve smaller businesses. Now, members of the Japan Junior Chamber are pushing a similar plan. In August, they applied for permission from the...
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 16, 2003

South Africa's challenge

We were in Pretoria in August. That month, a baby, its mother and grandmother were shot to death and their car stolen; a man visited his wife in the hospital only to be "carjacked" and shot dead when he came back to the car park; a woman was critically wounded when she was shot in her car as she visited...
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 13, 2003

Abe says future increase in consumption tax inevitable

Shinzo Abe, secretary general of the governing Liberal Democratic Party, indicated Sunday the government will have to raise the consumption tax in the future to finance the expected increase in social security costs.
EDITORIALS
Oct 13, 2003

To text or not to text

You knew it had to come. When it was reported last week that a British rehabilitation clinic had begun treating patients for an uncontrollable addiction to text messaging, it certainly sounded like a sign of the times. Or something. It was hard to be sure of the precise significance of the announcement...
JAPAN
Oct 12, 2003

Parties begin canvassing tours

Ruling and opposition leaders started campaigning across the country on Saturday, one day after the House of Representatives was dissolved for a Nov. 9 general election, in a race to see which of the nation's two biggest parties will take the reins of government.
JAPAN
Oct 12, 2003

Ishihara 'dodging issue' of JH's value

Transport minister Nobuteru Ishihara is avoiding the key issue of whether Japan Highway Public Corp. President Haruho Fujii really hid the negative net worth of the government-backed entity in his ongoing battle to get Fujii fired, JH and ministry officials said Saturday.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 10, 2003

Bali summit moves ASEAN toward sense of community

SINGAPORE -- At the Ninth ASEAN Summit in Bali, Indonesia, this week, the 10 leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations signed the Bali Concord II, an action plan aimed at realizing a more integrated ASEAN in terms of economy, culture and security.
COMMENTARY / WASHINGTON UPDATE
Oct 9, 2003

Primaries and polls

WASHINGTON -- Here we are less than four months away from the actual start of the 2004 presidential race. Delegates will begin to be selected in late January. The preliminary season is in its final stage. The third quarter of 2003 proved to be reasonably decisive for the Democrats.

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