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JAPAN
Aug 1, 2007

Resolution irks right wing but won't harm relations

OSAKA — The passage by the U.S. House of Representatives of a nonbinding resolution calling on Japan to apologize for forcing thousands of young women into sexual slavery during the war will further inflame Japan's rightwing politicians and media, according to experts on Japan's relations with the...
BUSINESS
Aug 1, 2007

Mazda sees profit fall 62% but predicts record year

Mazda reported a 62 percent drop in April-June profit on Tuesday, but Japan's No. 4 automaker stuck with its forecast of record profit for the full year on growing global sales.
BUSINESS
Aug 1, 2007

HMV sells Japanese store chain

HMV Group PLC, Britain's largest music retailer, said Tuesday it agreed to sell its Japanese store chain to Daiwa Securities Group Inc. and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. for ¥17 billion in cash.
Reader Mail
Aug 1, 2007

Child's identity can't be forced

I read Debito Arudou's July 17 Zeit Gist article, "Schools single out foreign roots," with compassion for the teen daughter of immigrants who suffers from the inanities of what appears to be a narrow-minded bullying high school teacher in Shizuoka. There was no mention, though, of her parents' actions...
EDITORIALS
Aug 1, 2007

Revise the personal information law

The Personal Information Protection Law, which went into effect in April 2005, in principle bars organizations that possess or handle personal information from providing it to third parties without the consent of the people concerned. Good intentions are behind the law.
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
Aug 1, 2007

Yamanote Line clocks — perfect for torturing Tokyo commuters

C locks make marvelous torture de vices. For sheer infliction of pain it's hard to top a creation that's dedicated to wrenching you out of your hard-won sleep. Throw in the fact that they insist on rousing you in time to cram yourself into a sardine can on wheels known as a train and you are adding pain...
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Aug 1, 2007

E-cash silencing the jingle of change

Since major electronic money services emerged in 2001, it has become common in Tokyo for people to go through ticket gates by just touching a smart card to electronic readers at train stations and to make small purchases without pulling out their wallets at convenience stores. Japan's cash-based tradition...
Reader Mail
Aug 1, 2007

NHK may have fallen into a trap

Regarding the July 19 article "NHK to be first here with programs on Net": NHK appears to have fallen into the same trap that the BBC has. It has swallowed the DRM (digital rights management) "snake oil."
BUSINESS
Aug 1, 2007

Sharp plans ¥380 billion LCD plant

Sharp Corp., Japan's largest maker of liquid-crystal displays, said Tuesday it will invest ¥380 billion on the industry's most advanced manufacturing factory to catch up to Samsung Electronics Co.
BUSINESS
Aug 1, 2007

ANA profit surges on sale of hotels

All Nippon Airways Co. said Tuesday its first-quarter profit rose 11-fold as it sold a group of hotels, masking a drop in operating profit.
JAPAN
Aug 1, 2007

Fault near nuke plant seen causing March quake

A recent seabed study has confirmed that an active seismic fault more than 18 km long and running near a nuclear power plant was the cause of the magnitude-6.9 earthquake that jolted the Noto Peninsula and its vicinity in March, according to the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology....
JAPAN
Jul 31, 2007

DPJ opposed to extending SDF refuel operations

The Democratic Party of Japan said Monday it is against extending the Self-Defense Forces mission in support of NATO forces in Afghanistan, a day after it won a stunning election victory over Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling coalition.
EDITORIALS
Jul 31, 2007

A devastating defeat for Mr. Abe

In Sunday's Upper House election, Japanese voters expressed their dissatisfaction with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his Liberal Democratic Party, which has been embroiled in a pension-records fiasco, political-funds scandals and gaffes by Cabinet ministers. The votes have made the opposition Democratic...
COMMENTARY
Jul 31, 2007

Asians a boon to American prosperity

LOS ANGELES — For once, let's look at the other side of the coin regarding the constant drumbeat that Asia is causing American workers to lose jobs.
COMMENTARY
Jul 31, 2007

'Sugar daddy' relationships and HIV

NEW YORK — Dr. Anthony Fauci, one of the world's leading AIDS scientists, warned at an international conference on AIDS in Sydney, Australia, that the world is losing the battle against the virus. He indicated that increased emphasis should be placed on prevention efforts, particularly with regard...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 31, 2007

Abe looks to shake up Cabinet

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Monday he will change his Cabinet lineup sometime after an extraordinary Diet session next week, as the ruling bloc licked its wounds from its drubbing in the House of Councilors election.

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