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JAPAN
Feb 14, 2007

Tokyo positive but still cautious about new six-party deal

Senior government officials on Tuesday praised the landmark agreement reached in the six-party talks on the denuclearization of North Korea but were also cautious, saying Japan still has a long and difficult road ahead to keep the nation secure and resolve the abduction issue.
Reader Mail
Feb 14, 2007

Quenching the thirst for energy

The main hurdle in the development of our world is the lack of affordable and environment-friendly energy sources. If billionaires and millionaires don't come forward now to share their dreams about the universal development of mankind, there will be no chance of human civilization going forward. If...
Reader Mail
Feb 14, 2007

An institutionalized hazing system

Public high schools in Iwate Prefecture have an institutionalized hazing system associated with ouenka renshuu ("cheerleading practice") in which "cheerleaders" use yelling, threats, humiliation and physical violence to terrify first-year students into absolute obedience and force them to sing a large...
BUSINESS
Feb 14, 2007

Nikko vows better internal controls

Scandal-tainted Nikko Cordial Corp. announced on Tuesday measures to boost the group's internal controls to prevent accounting irregularities, including creation of a new section to prevent fraudulent deals involving affiliated companies.
Reader Mail
Feb 14, 2007

English can be just as vague

Roger Pulvers' Jan. 30 article, "Euphemisms may mask ruder instincts -- or not," was as interesting as his articles usually are. However, I feel that two aspects could have been emphasized a little stronger to bring more balance to the piece:
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Feb 14, 2007

From rackets to real estate, yakuza multifaceted

The yakuza have long played a powerful, if often unseen, role in society. Romanticized in literature and film as noble outcasts replete with punch-perms, extensive tattoos and severed pinkies, the underworld is one of archaic language and secretive rituals and customs as well as extreme violence and...
EDITORIALS
Feb 14, 2007

Dignity for disabled people

The United Nations General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities on Dec. 13. The convention, which covers rights to education, health, work, cultural activities, etc., is the first human-rights treaty of the 21st century....
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Feb 14, 2007

Indian blue peafowl

* Japanese name: Kujaku * Scientific name: Pavo cristatus * Description: Large birds far more often seen on the ground than in the air, peafowl are unmistakable. The male -- the peacock -- has a vibrant royal-blue neck and breast, a white "face" and a gigantic ornamental tail that may be dragged along...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT
Feb 14, 2007

Eyewitness to slaughter in Taiji's killing coves

Almost every day, pods of dolphins ply their way across Hatagiri Bay near the whaling town of Taiji in Wakayama Prefecture, central Japan. It's a scenic, serene area on the beautiful Kii Peninsula. But death haunts two pristine coves adjacent to Taiji's whale museum.
JAPAN
Feb 14, 2007

Aussie book on Crown Princess draws official wrath

The Foreign Ministry came to the defense of the Imperial family on Tuesday, saying it had lodged formal protests with the author and publisher of a new book about Crown Princess Masako that it called "contemptuous" and "insulting."
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Feb 14, 2007

Brain-scanning gets closer to reading minds

Is the world inherently good or bad? You might believe that people are essentially good. Then again, you might believe that most people just pretend to be good -- and some don't even bother to conceal that they're not. You might complain that it's a stupid question in the first place.

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