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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.
COMMENTARY
Oct 6, 2003

Japan's priority: offsetting pull toward jobless recovery

U.S. President George W. Bush's military unilateralism has destabilized the world order to such an extent that, facing a dearth of low-risk, high-return investments, Western investors have descended on the Japanese stock market.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Oct 5, 2003

Reviewing reviews of Richie

JAPANESE LITERATURE REVIEWED, by Donald Richie. ICG Muse Inc, 2003, 490 pp., 2,800 yen (cloth). Like photographers, writers who stick at their trade long enough may find themselves in possession, without having realized it, of a substantial body of work, one that has accumulated silently like a snowdrift....
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 4, 2003

Court rules Tokyo must stop expropriating highway land

The Tokyo District Court on Friday ordered the Tokyo Metropolitan Government to suspend its forcible expropriation of land in the western Tokyo city of Akiruno for the construction of a new expressway.
BUSINESS
Oct 3, 2003

NTT DoCoMo files suit over heavy tax burden

NTT DoCoMo Inc. has filed a lawsuit against tax authorities, claiming it was inappropriately taxed on roughly 30 billion yen it paid for acquiring the lines for its personal handy-phone system, a company official said Thursday.
BUSINESS
Oct 2, 2003

Vehicle sales up 4.2% in September

Domestic sales of new cars, trucks and buses rose 4.2 percent in September from a year earlier to 404,506 units, marking the first increase in two months, the Japan Automobile Dealers Association said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Sep 30, 2003

Court finds Japan responsible for abandoned arms

In an unprecedented ruling, the Tokyo District Court on Monday ordered the state to pay a total of 190 million yen to 13 Chinese who lost relatives or suffered health problems due to weapons abandoned by the Imperial Japanese Army at the end of World War II.
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
Sep 29, 2003

Debate on Emperor's role in war lives on

NEW YORK -- Will the nearly 60-year-old debate on the Showa Emperor's role in World War II ever end?
EDITORIALS
Sep 27, 2003

DPJ's uphill road to power

The birth of the new Democratic Party of Japan -- the largest opposition party to debut since 1994 -- promises to create more constructive tension in Japanese politics. The DPJ, which has absorbed the smaller Liberal Party, is looking to the coming general election as an opportunity to snatch power from...
JAPAN
Sep 27, 2003

Peruvians divided over Fujimori

OSAKA -- With Japan facing mounting international pressure to extradite disgraced former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori, the nation's Peruvian community is divided on the matter.
EDITORIALS
Sep 26, 2003

Problems with Mr. Grasso's pay

In business, as in politics, there is a simple rule for evaluating decisions: How will it look when it is in the headlines? By that standard, the uproar surrounding revelations that Mr. Richard Grasso, the former chairman of the New York Stock Exchange, was awarded compensation of $139.5 million tells...
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 26, 2003

Lee's intensity hardly dulled by age

HONG KONG -- A rare and remarkable Asian leader passed a milestone on Sept. 16. Former Singapore Prime Minister, now Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew celebrated his 80th birthday. He has been running Singapore, in substance if not in title, since his People's Action Party swept the polls in 1959.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / CABINET INTERVIEW
Sep 25, 2003

Aso questions Koizumi's timetable to privatize postal services entity

New home affairs minister Taro Aso expressed skepticism Wednesday over the timetable put forward by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to privatize the postal services entity.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 25, 2003

So little done with so many

GENEVA — The outcome of the World Trade Organization ministerial midterm review in Cancun, Mexico (Sept. 12-14), was an unmitigated disaster. The United States, European Union and Japan share equal responsibility for failing to stand by the commitments they had made in the Doha Declaration of November...
EDITORIALS
Sep 25, 2003

A veiled but strong G7 message

China maintains a de facto fixed exchange rate for the yuan. Japan has continued to intervene aggressively to prevent a sharp rise in the yen. In a veiled criticism of both countries' currency policies, a communique issued last weekend by Group of Seven finance ministers and central bankers called for...
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...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 23, 2003

Key ministers keep jobs as Koizumi plays it safe

Having surprised everyone by naming young Shinzo Abe as the new secretary general of the LDP on Sunday, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi opted for a more staid formula in announcing his new Cabinet on Monday.
JAPAN
Sep 23, 2003

Ishihara wants truth on Japan Highway's health

Newly appointed transport minister Nobuteru Ishihara indicated Monday he might sack Japan Highway Public Corp. President Haruho Fujii over the troubled entity's controversial balance sheet.
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Sep 22, 2003

Dwindling benefits cast doubt on rigid pension and deposit schemes

An insurance policy is an agreement whereby the payment of premiums and the receipt of benefits are inseparable. However, this fundamental principle is now being challenged by the nation's public insurance systems, which are creating anxiety and discontent by gradually denying policyholders freedom of...
EDITORIALS
Sep 21, 2003

Sweden sends a message to Europe

Sweden has voted to reject the euro. European governments may be inclined to see the results as an expression of Swedish exceptionalism. That would be a mistake. Despite an emotionally charged campaign, the outcome reflects a careful consideration of the country's national interests. European leaders...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Sep 21, 2003

An endless supply of meat for loan sharks

Half the job of solving social problems is getting the word out. This is especially true when it comes to criminal activities like fraud. Victims of fraud are by definition people who don't know enough about fraud to realize when they're being ripped off.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 21, 2003

Koizumi wins new mandate to lead LDP

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi was re-elected head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Saturday, a sweeping victory in a vote by LDP politicians and the party's local chapters over his three challengers.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 21, 2003

Trade-environment debate deserves a judicial solution

The Cancun World Trade Organization Ministerial meeting concluded last weekend with little progress on a swath of issues it must try and complete by Jan. 1, 2005. Agriculture subsidies were the main stumbling block, but the talks really failed on a number of other fronts including trade and environment....
BUSINESS
Sep 20, 2003

Job woes to be tackled via letter

The Cabinet Office and three ministries said Friday they will jointly send a letter to 384 business organizations asking them to work harder to create jobs for young people.
BUSINESS
Sep 20, 2003

Nomura Research sees growth spurt in East Asia

Nomura Research Institute Ltd. said Friday it has revised upward its 2003 economic growth forecast for nine East Asian economies, excluding Japan, to 5.2 percent in real terms.
JAPAN
Sep 19, 2003

Crime panel advocates giving police more power to probe youngsters

A government panel on juvenile delinquency on Thursday submitted a report to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi proposing that police be given more power to investigate crimes committed by children under 14.

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