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JAPAN / ALSO OUT THERE
Mar 8, 2008

Will 'good guy-bad guy' faceoff revive sumo?

The sacred sport of sumo boasts a history of 1,300 years, but recent scandals and undignified exploits of some of its champions are threatening to reduce its status to heresy.
Japan Times
JAPAN / MIXED MATCHES
Mar 8, 2008

Pair practice art of collaboration in life, work

Designers Yoshiko Tajima and Ansgar Vollmer met and fell in love while students at Koeln International School of Design in Cologne, Germany.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Mar 8, 2008

English powerhouses prove mettle in Champions League

LONDON — The rest of Europe may not find it particularly exciting but the prospect of four Premier League teams in the quarterfinals of the Champions League underlines where the European football power base lies.
JAPAN
Mar 8, 2008

Overseas citizens' groups prepare G8 strategy

As the Group of Eight summit approaches in July, leaders of overseas citizens' groups got together Friday in Tokyo to prepare countermeasures for the upcoming annual meeting of the major developed countries near Lake Toya, Hokkaido.
BUSINESS
Mar 8, 2008

Jury still out on Fukui's legacy

What thoughts were going through Bank of Japan Gov. Toshihiko Fukui's mind on the last day of the BOJ Policy Board meeting Friday — the final one before his term ends March 19 — is anyone's guess.
BUSINESS
Mar 8, 2008

Forex reserves pass $1 trillion milestone

Japan's foreign-exchange reserves rose to a record high $1.01 trillion at the end of February, reaching 13 figures for the first time, the Finance Ministry said Friday.
EDITORIALS
Mar 8, 2008

Wanted: more volunteer firefighters

Community-based fire brigades called "shobodan," composed of ordinary citizens, play an important role in firefighting and fire prevention. But the number of shobodan members has been declining. The Fire and Disaster Management Agency in January started a three-month campaign to encourage citizens to...
BUSINESS
Mar 8, 2008

Muto nominated as BOJ chief; DPJ unsure

With Bank of Japan Gov. Toshihiko Fukui's term expiring in 11 days, the government and ruling bloc on Friday finally nominated one of his deputies, Toshiro Muto, to replace him at the central bank.
EDITORIALS
Mar 8, 2008

Making FTC policy more transparent

Under current Fair Trade Commission rules, companies that have grievances over FTC decisions must go before the FTC for redress. This system is likely to be abolished in the near future because of strong voices within business circles and the Liberal Democratic Party that are calling for abolition of...
BUSINESS
Mar 8, 2008

Analysts see bid for balance in choice of BOJ nominees

The government's nomination Friday of Masaaki Shirakawa, a former Bank of Japan executive, and Takatoshi Ito, a member of the government's Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy, as new BOJ deputy governors prompted analysts to wonder whether one of them may become the central bank's chief five years...
BUSINESS
Mar 8, 2008

Pioneer to log ¥15 billion loss on plasma display exit

Pioneer Corp. said Friday it expects to suffer a ¥15 billion group net loss in the business year to the end of this month due to its decision to terminate its plasma display panel production.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Mar 8, 2008

'Midori by Moonlight' sure to raise smile

Wendy Tokunaga is a role model for writers struggling to get into print. Her debut novel, "Midori by Moonlight," is the fifth she has written, having survived "hundreds and hundreds" of rejections from agents over a 12-year period.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Mar 8, 2008

Devolution: hangin' around

Even after 15 years in Japan, I cannot avoid looking like the struggling, bumbling "gaijin." You know what I mean: the gaijin who has just gotten off the plane in Japan and is struggling with several huge bags of luggage, all of it too big, none with wheels, making you look like a small elephant in a...
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Mar 7, 2008

Diouf gives Broncos hope

Mamadou "Madou" Diouf is strong, swift and agile on the basketball court.

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years