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SUMO
Oct 14, 2006

Haircuts, sumo stars and amateurs in Osaka

Autumn is a time of change for the Japanese. Summer clothes are put away and sightings of thicker, woollier garments become increasingly common. The mercury encounters a daily struggle to stay first above 20 degrees then above 10, and the country collectively takes its foot off the pedal.
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Oct 14, 2006

Baseball scribe breaks down exciting Pa League second stage

SAPPORO -- Here is a look back at the second-stage Pacific League playoffs, in which the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters swept the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks in two games, winning the series 3-0 under the PL postseason's new format, which gives the No. 1 seed a one-game advantage before the series begins.
COMMENTARY
Oct 14, 2006

Get tough with Pyongyang

HONOLULU -- Virtually every statement issued in response to North Korea's apparent first-ever nuclear-weapons test has included an admonition (or plea) for Pyongyang to return to the moribund six-party talks. But, are all parties prepared to take "yes" for an answer?
BUSINESS
Oct 14, 2006

Retailer Aeon gets Daiei rehab mandate

Daiei Inc. and its biggest shareholder, Marubeni Corp., said Friday they have picked Aeon Co., the nation's largest supermarket chain, to gather capital and organize business alliances to rehabilitate the struggling supermarket operator.
BUSINESS
Oct 14, 2006

JAL takes on communication woes in struggle to win back customers

How does a company recover from a sullied reputation?
BUSINESS
Oct 14, 2006

Nuke test casts cloud over markets: Fukui

The nuclear test North Korea claimed it conducted Monday will negatively effect Japan's economy, Bank of Japan Gov. Toshihiko Fukui said Friday.
EDITORIALS
Oct 14, 2006

The darkness in Russia

Three recent killings in Russia raise troubling questions about the rule of law in that country. The three incidents are not linked but that is not to say they are random killings: Investigations of the murders will probe the same murky corners where political and economic influence intersect. The realization...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Oct 14, 2006

Tetsuya Noda

The College Women's Association of Japan is holding its 51st Annual Print Show Oct. 20 to 22 at the Tokyo American Club. As well as exhibiting 211 new prints, the show features demonstrations, activities and lectures, and an associate show focusing on two young prize-winning women.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Oct 14, 2006

English language disaster in the making

"Hello!" said a smiling boy next to me on the train. "Well, hello," I said, startled that anyone should actually use this phrase unaccompanied by at least a giggle and at most rolling on the floor laughing.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Oct 14, 2006

Taking the real estate industry to new levels

No need to feel sorry for E. Takashi Norris, working all alone at his desk in Azabudai. Because it's good news -- including having a very nice office all to himself. "All my staff are out on business," he explains. "Even the young woman I took on initially as my assistant is now operating her own right,...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
Oct 14, 2006

Exorcising the untrained brain

Once at a Japanese hospital -- after first camping in the outer waiting room for an eternity and then sitting in the inner waiting room for half an eternity more -- I heard the nurse hold the following conversation with the doctor, whose desk was parked around the corner, just beyond my sight.
SOCCER
Oct 13, 2006

Draw made for World Club Cup

Barcelona will play Central American champions Club America of Mexico or the eventual winners of the Asian Champions League in the semifinals of this year's FIFA World Club Cup following Thursday's draw in Tokyo.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 13, 2006

Young Nippon Ham hurler Darvish tipped to be top for a long time

SAPPORO -- Yu Darvish showed he was ready for the big show Wednesday night, and at his age, he is going to be around for plenty more.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 13, 2006

Fighters win Pacific League

SAPPORO -- The Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters needed only one chance to win their first Pacific League championship since 1981.
BUSINESS
Oct 13, 2006

Uniqlo operator expands with brisk sales, profits

Fast Retailing Co. saw sales and profits surge for the business year that ended in August thanks to brisk sales buoyed by the opening of new Uniqlo outlets in Japan and the acquisition of domestic and foreign retail brands.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / VINELAND
Oct 13, 2006

Fall in for some wine adventures

A s a welcome series of typhoons scrubs away the last of the summer heat, we find ourselves at long last putting away the beer-bottle openers and breaking out the corkscrews. Fortunately for wine lovers, this fall offers no shortage of temptations.
EDITORIALS
Oct 13, 2006

Mr. Hu is in charge

The Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) held its annual plenum this week. The four-day gathering of top party officials was part pep rally and part policy incubator: It laid the groundwork for next year's Party Congress, which is held every five years. This week's meeting served another...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / THE SECOND ROOM
Oct 13, 2006

Psychedelic radar 10.13

Raja Ram's Stash Bag Tour 2006
BUSINESS
Oct 13, 2006

Honda looks to CR-V to rev up sales

Honda Motor Co. unveiled its restyled CR-V sport utility vehicle Thursday, betting its third version of the model will help it grab a bigger slice of the domestic SUV market.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 13, 2006

Exports drive account surplus 22.2% higher

The current account surplus in August expanded 22.2 percent from the previous year to 1.48 trillion yen, rising for the second consecutive month, as companies exported more and had higher returns on overseas investments, the Finance Ministry said Thursday.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Oct 13, 2006

Kita-Kyushu fest takes pop approach

Running over the course of the next three weekends until Nov. 17, the 2006 Kita-Kyushu International Music Festival, inaugurated in 1988 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Kita-Kyushu City, showcases world-class concerts by artists from Japan and abroad.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 13, 2006

G. Love and Special Sauce

Comprising guitarist Garret Dutton (Mr. G. Love himself), upright bassist Jimmie Prescott (Jimi Jazz) and drummer Jeffrey Clemens (Houseman), Philadelphia's G. Love & Special Sauce first began turning heads with the release of their nearly gold-certified, 1994 self-titled debut. Incorporating a mish-mash...
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / COUNTER CULTURE
Oct 13, 2006

Bringing it all back home

Meguro-dori, the street that runs west from Meguro Station, was once home to numerous imported-car showrooms, and not much else. Over the past few years though, it has gained fame as Tokyo's No. 1 interior shopping drag, lined with around 50 stores selling new and used furniture and assorted home wares...

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