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JAPAN
Nov 7, 2007

Ozawa to stay on as DPJ president

quit easily," said Kazuhiro Harada, a DPJ Lower House lawmaker. "I promised the public that we would make (Ozawa) prime minister." One DPJ Lower House lawmaker who asked to remain anonymous, however, expressed dissatisfaction.
COMMENTARY
Nov 7, 2007

Time for Musharraf to go

Waterloo, ONTARIO — For outsiders as for Pakistanis, the choice is between worse and worst: a militantly Islamic, 160 million strong, nuclear-armed failed state at the strategic crossroads of South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. Pakistan's fate has rested historically on the three A's: Allah,...
JAPAN
Nov 7, 2007

Recidivism rate reached an all-time high in 2006

Despite an overall decline in reported crimes nationwide, those committed by repeat offenders reached a record high in 2006, according to a Justice Ministry white paper released Tuesday.
COMMENTARY
Nov 7, 2007

Three relationships the U.S. must tend to

LOS ANGELES — Three of the largest pieces in the sprawling jigsaw puzzle known as Asia are, of course, China, India and Japan. The first is the most populous country on Earth, the second is the most populous democracy and the third is the world's second-biggest economy — and (theoretically) chief...
JAPAN
Nov 7, 2007

Nova union seeks way to hold classes

A union for Nova Corp. employees is calling on students and teachers to meet outside their old schools Saturday so they can find a way to continue classes independently of the failed foreign-language school chain.
BUSINESS
Nov 7, 2007

Softbank profits triple as mobile users mount

Softbank Corp. said Tuesday its net profit more than tripled to ¥46.46 billion in the six months that ended Sept. 30 from ¥14.4 billion a year earlier after winning more mobile phone subscribers than bigger rivals NTT DoCoMo Inc. and KDDI Corp.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK
Nov 7, 2007

Pride towers amid ongoing woes

In 1669, the Ainu leader Shakushain, who rose up and united the Ainu in rebellion against Japanese invaders, was called on to observe a truce, and invited to a banquet in his honor. The Matsumae clan, who had established a foothold on the island then called Ezo, now Hokkaido, by building a castle in...
EDITORIALS
Nov 7, 2007

Bizarre offer to quit

Mr. Ichiro Ozawa's announcement of his offer to resign as head of the Democratic Party of Japan, which controls the Upper House together with other opposition forces, was too abrupt and bizarre. His behavior was irresponsible, especially in light of his party's strength in the Upper House. He had the...
BUSINESS
Nov 7, 2007

Budget boosted for wheat, barley as market prices soar

The government boosted its import budget for wheat and barley after record grain prices exhausted this year's allocation, causing the first funding shortfall for the purchases in almost three decades, the Finance Ministry said Tuesday.
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Nov 7, 2007

Time for Frank to stop playing favorites

NEW YORK — In New Jersey's 37-point cliffhanging loss to the Raptors, Jason Kidd and Vince Carter combined for their first career triple single — nine points, eight rebounds and nine assists.
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
Nov 7, 2007

Nintendo lets you touch that dial

Tuning in: Nintendo's DS hand-held games console will get a 1SEG TV tuner as an accessory from Nov. 20 (although you can order it from Nov. 8). DS Terebi will allow you to watch digital TV almost anywhere in Japan on the upper screen of your DS, with the console's touch-screen doing duty as the television...
BUSINESS
Nov 7, 2007

Toyota powers on in battery race

Global automakers are racing to develop the next generation of energy-saving lithium-ion batteries, but Toyota has already been quietly using the technology in one of its cars in Japan — although in small numbers.
JAPAN
Nov 7, 2007

No fuel went to Iraq war, Defense says

The Defense Ministry released a report Tuesday saying fuel provided by Maritime Self-Defense Force vessels in the Indian Ocean was not used for the Iraq war and thus did not violate the special antiterrorism law.
SUMO / SUMO SCRIBBLINGS
Nov 6, 2007

Game over for Kaio and Chiyotaikai?

As the Kyushu Basho, running Nov. 11-25, rumbles around once again, so does the regular talk of ozeki retirement.
JAPAN
Nov 6, 2007

Nova fall just simple math: it bled red

A 330-sq.-meter office with a double bed, sauna and tea room was where Nozomu Sahashi, ousted president of Nova Corp., worked as the language school chain steadily teetered near bankruptcy over the past few years.
JAPAN
Nov 6, 2007

DPJ gropes to keep Ozawa at party helm

Democratic Party of Japan executives in a hastily arranged huddle Monday tried to persuade Ichiro Ozawa to remain DPJ president despite the widespread assumption that he will not reverse his intention to step down.
JAPAN
Nov 6, 2007

DPJ misses chance to come to the fore

Last Friday when Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda and Ichiro Ozawa, leader of the Democratic Party of Japan, entertained a possible grand coalition, this sent shock waves through the political world only to be superseded by the chaos in the wake of Ozawa's abrupt offer Sunday to quit his party's helm.

Longform

Once smoky, male-dominated spaces, today's net cafes, like Kaikatsu Club, are working to make their operations more attractive to women customers.
The second life of Japan's net cafes