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Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
Mar 28, 2009

Japan aims for another victory against Bahrain

SAITAMA — National team manager Takeshi Okada is determined to settle his side's rivalry with Bahrain once and for all in Saturday's World Cup qualifier at Saitama Stadium.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Mar 28, 2009

Gerrard hoping to show club form for England

LONDON — One of the best moves England manager and master tactician Fabio Capello could make before England plays Slovakia on Saturday is to hand the No. 8 jersey to Steven Gerrard.
JAPAN
Mar 28, 2009

Comic's marathon attack a flag for obese runners

As a veteran of two complete marathons in Australia, comedian Kunihiro Matsumura must have thought he would have no problem running the Tokyo Marathon on Sunday.
JAPAN
Mar 28, 2009

Aside from U.N., Japan has few options against launch

Second of two parts
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Mar 28, 2009

Practicing for the Olympics

My grandmother used to reminisce about spending the first five minutes of Spanish class practicing rolling her r's. My grandmother would be proud — the ESL classroom doesn't just spend five minutes on English pronunciation, we spend an entire class on it.
JAPAN
Mar 28, 2009

Ruling bloc rams '09 budget through Diet

The ruling bloc enacted the ¥88 trillion fiscal 2009 budget, the biggest ever, and related bills by using its huge majority to ram them through the more powerful Lower House Friday, after they had been earlier rejected by the opposition-controlled Upper House.
JAPAN
Mar 28, 2009

Hokuriku Electric to restart reactor

Hokuriku Electric Power Co. got government approval Friday to restart a nuclear reactor in Ishikawa Prefecture two years after it was ordered to shut the unit for covering up safety breaches.
EDITORIALS
Mar 28, 2009

Worrisome state of agriculture

Agriculture in Japan is experiencing difficult times. The nation's calorie-based food self-sufficiency rate is the lowest among developed countries. There are fewer farmers and those remaining are rapidly graying. The number of abandoned agricultural fields is rising.
JAPAN
Mar 28, 2009

SDF gets intercept order

Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada ordered the Self-Defense Forces on Friday to shoot down any part of a North Korean rocket that might fall toward Japanese territory.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Mar 28, 2009

From a shady past to helping others

Kabukicho is Tokyo's infamous entertainment district and suburb of sleaze. A heavily populated square of sleepless activity northeast of Shinjuku Station, it is home to a haphazard mix of movie theaters, hostess bars, strip clubs, and seedy nightclubs. An illicit atmosphere permeates the air.
EDITORIALS
Mar 28, 2009

Overhaul archaic election law

Even if Prime Minister Taro Aso decides not to dissolve the chamber for a snap election, the current term of Lower House members ends in September. So, an election will be held this year. With the Japanese economy in crisis and the nation facing political stagnation, the upcoming election will be very...
JAPAN
Mar 28, 2009

DPJ ire over Ozawa slowly ebbs

Discontent toward Democratic Party of Japan President Ichiro Ozawa eased a bit in his own party Friday, although some openly questioned whether he should stay on amid the scandal embroiling his top aide over illicit funds from a contractor.
JAPAN
Mar 28, 2009

With one budget OK'd and Aso planning another, when can poll be held?

With the fiscal 2009 budget and related bills safely passed, all eyes in Nagata-cho are trained on Prime Minister Taro Aso to see when he will dissolve the Lower House and call an election. But he is already pursuing an extra budget.
BUSINESS
Mar 28, 2009

Retail sales fall 5.8%; biggest dive since '02

Retail sales retreated by the biggest margin in seven years in February, the government said Friday, as growing concerns about jobs and wages deepened the country's shopping slump.
BUSINESS
Mar 28, 2009

Aluminum products to plunge in '09

Shipments of aluminum rolled products are forecast to decrease 11 percent next fiscal year to the lowest in 23 years on a slump in demand from carmakers and machinery producers, an industry group said Friday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 28, 2009

Utada cracks top 20 list on iTunes

After a humiliating setback in the United States, a Japanese diva has staged a comeback.

Longform

An illustration features the Japanese signs for "ganbare" (good luck) and the Deaflympics, which will be held between Nov. 15 and 26.
A century of Deaf sport finds its moment in Tokyo