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BUSINESS
Dec 29, 2004

Tokyo consumer prices fall for sixth consecutive year

The key gauge of consumer prices in Tokyo dropped 0.2 percent in 2004 from the previous year for the sixth straight year of decline, due mainly to falls in prices of personal computers and durable home appliances, the government said Tuesday.
CULTURE / Art / NEW ART SEEN
Dec 29, 2004

Cheers to contemporary art

The years are passing too quickly for this no-longer-young critic. Lest you think me embittered, let me start this year in review on a high note by trumpeting the star of 2004, a grand old dame who looks as bright and new as the day she was born -- the Hara Museum of Contemporary Art. Built in the Bauhaus...
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Dec 26, 2004

Great goalkeeper not a necessity for a championship club

LONDON -- There is a growing suspicion that apart from having the best team in the Premiership, Chelsea also has the two best goalkeepers in England's top league.
MORE SPORTS
Dec 22, 2004

Kitajima, Asashoryu win inaugural FSAJ Sportsman of the Year honors

Kosuke Kitajima won two gold medals at the Athens Games this summer.
JAPAN
Dec 21, 2004

Finance Ministry requests 3.8% cut in foreign aid

Amid the nation's continued tight finances, the Finance Ministry proposed Monday a 3.8 percent cut in foreign aid in fiscal 2005 for the sixth straight year of decrease in the initial budget.
Dec 21, 2004

Finance Ministry requests 3.8% cut in foreign aid

Amid the nation's continued tight finances, the Finance Ministry proposed Monday a 3.8 percent cut in foreign aid in fiscal 2005 for the sixth straight year of decrease in the initial budget.
BUSINESS
Dec 21, 2004

Government targets 1.6% growth in '05

The economy is projected to grow 1.6 percent in real terms in fiscal 2005 on the back of steady personal spending and growth in overseas economies, the government said Monday.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Dec 19, 2004

Stamp of identity for artist of a troubled double heritage

THE LIFE OF ISAMU NOGUCHI: Journey Without Borders, by Masayo Duus, translated by Peter Duus. Princeton University Press, 2004, 340 pp., 36 half-tone photos, $29.95 (cloth). ISAMU NOGUCHI: Master Sculptor, by Valerie J. Fletcher, with contributions by Dana Miller and Bonnie Rychlak. London: Scala Publishers,...
JAPAN
Dec 19, 2004

Local tax grants escape financial ax

Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki and Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Taro Aso agreed Saturday to earmark 16.9 trillion yen in tax grants for local governments next fiscal year, unchanged from this year, according to Finance Ministry officials.
BUSINESS
Dec 18, 2004

Fiscal 2005 budget to see slight rise to 82.2 trillion yen

The government plans to increase the state budget in fiscal 2005 to 82.2 trillion yen, up slightly from the initial budget of 82.1 trillion yen requested for fiscal 2004, due partly to a rise in debt-servicing costs, Finance Ministry officials said Friday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Dec 17, 2004

Giants give Nishi deadline to re-sign

The Yomiuri Giants demanded Wednesday that free-agent infielder Toshihisa Nishi decide by Monday whether to re-sign with the Central League team or pursue a career in the major leagues, club representative Hidetoshi Kiyotake said.
JAPAN
Dec 16, 2004

'Tankan' sees first slide in 21 months; recovery past peak

Business confidence at Japan's large manufacturers in the October-December quarter worsened for the first time in 21 months, and the outlook for next quarter is even dimmer, according to the Bank of Japan's closely watched "tankan" survey released Wednesday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / THE SECOND ROOM
Dec 15, 2004

We mix you a Merry Christmas; stocking stuffers & party plans

"Drape the Messe in day-glo deco,
BUSINESS
Dec 10, 2004

Think tanks see big profit for large companies in '04

Japan's large corporations are expected to post double-digit profit growth for fiscal 2004, according to updated forecasts issued Thursday by two private research institutes.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / ON THE BOOK TRAIL
Dec 9, 2004

"Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell," "ABC T-Rex"

"Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell," Susanna Clarke, Bloomsbury; 2004; 782 pp.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Dec 8, 2004

Skipper Deeble proud of his Aussies in Athens

One of the big baseball stories of 2004 was the winning of the silver medal in the Athens Olympics by Australia, which upset a highly rated Japanese team twice during the Summer Games. The 1-0 and 9-4 victories by the Aussies stunned Japan, which had to settle for bronze, and it also raised the excitement...
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
Nov 29, 2004

Remains of the Occupation mentality

NEW YORK -- Sometimes a perception formed during an era, however unthinking, never seems to leave you. When I read, in a detailed chronology of Yukio Mishima (1925-70), that Meredith Weatherby visited Mishima at a New York hotel for an all-day discussion about his translation of Mishima's "Confessions...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Nov 14, 2004

Two Zen portals: different yet the same

ZEN INKLINGS, by Donald Richie. IBC Publishing, 132 pp., 2004 (new edition), 1,400 yen (paper). THE NEW ZEN GARDEN, by Joseph Cali, photos by Satoshi Asakawa. Kodansha International, 87 pp., 2004, 3,500 yen (cloth). One opens a book by Donald Richie with certain expectations -- namely, that it will be...
JAPAN
Nov 6, 2004

Japan's prisons bursting at the seams

The nation saw 61,534 people incarcerated as of the end of 2003, topping the 60,000 mark for the first time since 1960.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / ON THE BOOK TRAIL
Nov 4, 2004

"How I Live Now," "News photo"

"How I Live Now," Meg Rosoff, Puffin Books; 2004; 186 pp. When a good writer writes, even if it is their first book, you can "hear" their voice.
EDITORIALS
Nov 3, 2004

Time to review Iraq policy

The Japanese hostage crisis in Iraq has ended in the death of Mr. Shosei Koda, a 24-year-old traveler, whose decapitated body was found in central Baghdad on Sunday. He had been detained by Islamic militants demanding that Japan withdraw its troops from the country. The government, having failed in its...
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 28, 2004

Bush foes keep fingers crossed

CAMBRIDGE, England -- While the world looks on, tens of millions Americans will go to the polls next Tuesday, along with millions of American expatriates, for what is being billed as the election of the century, or at least the most important election in our lifetime. And while non-Americans cannot directly...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Oct 27, 2004

Classic tale gets a fitting finale

What makes for a good play?
COMMENTARY
Oct 25, 2004

ODA looks wasted on China

This year Japan marks the 50th anniversary of the official development assistance program it launched after getting out of the postwar economic chaos. The Foreign Ministry's 2004 white paper on ODA boasts that Japan, now one of the world's largest ODA providers, has made major contributions to the economic...
JAPAN
Oct 22, 2004

State might dip into reserve funds to repair typhoon damage

The chief Cabinet secretary said Thursday that the government might use reserve funds in the general-account budget for fiscal 2004, rather than creating a supplementary budget, to deal with the serious damage brought by Typhoon Tokage.
COMMENTARY / WASHINGTON UPDATE
Oct 21, 2004

Candidates focus on battleground states

WASHINGTON -- Regardless of what you thought of the idea before the debates came off, chances are you will have to admit that the 2004 U.S. presidential debates provided a rare and welcome opportunity to get a better understanding of the two candidates, U.S. President George W. Bush and Massachusetts...
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 20, 2004

Friction on Asia's flywheel

MANILA -- The economies of developing Asia are expected to grow 7 percent this year, equaling their performance of 2000, which saw the fastest growth since the Asian financial crisis (1997-98). Growth has been strong in all regions, particularly in East and Southeast Asia. Is this pace sustainable?
Events
Oct 17, 2004

Autumn sage festival in Kobe's herb park

Nunobiki Herb Park in Chuo Ward, Kobe, is holding an autumn sage festival through Nov. 21.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Oct 16, 2004

Seibu Lions look to have slight edge in Japan Series

The 2004 Japan Series begins Saturday with the Central League champion Chunichi Dragons of Nagoya facing the Pacific League, playoff-winning Seibu Lions, based in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, in the best-of-seven showdown to decide the No. 1 pro baseball team in this country.

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