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BUSINESS
Sep 16, 2006

Government says deflation still not beaten

The government on Friday stopped short of declaring the death of deflation in its September economic report, but dropped the dreaded word for the first time since April 2001.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Sep 16, 2006

Commode confession of Sound Princess

All the talk of royalty these days has got me to thinking -- has anyone else ever wondered why so many royal words are associated with toilets? Think about it. You sit on the throne. If you're a woman in a public bathroom in Japan, you probably use the Oto Hime (Sound Princess) to cover up the sounds...
JAPAN
Sep 16, 2006

Decision on further North Korea sanctions may come Tuesday

Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe suggested Friday the Cabinet may decide to impose financial sanctions against North Korea next Tuesday under a U.N. Security Council resolution condemning Pyongyang's July missile launches.
MORE SPORTS
Sep 16, 2006

Kyowa, Hasegawa fights set

WBC champions Hozumi Hasegawa and Eagle Kyowa will face Mexican challengers in a title doubleheader at Nippon Budokan in Tokyo on Nov. 13, boxing officials said Friday.
SOCCER
Sep 15, 2006

Hirayama gets transfer nod

Striker Sota Hirayama has been given the all-clear for his move to J. League first-division club FC Tokyo from Dutch side SC Heracles Almelo, the Japan Football Association said Thursday.
SUMO
Sep 15, 2006

Asashoryu retains share of lead with 5-0 mark at Autumn basho

Grand champion Asashoryu of Mongolia remained tied for the lead at the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament on Thursday while compatriot Hakuho stayed one win off the pace.
JAPAN
Sep 15, 2006

Japan mulls dispatch of GSDF to Lebanon

The government is thinking of dispatching Ground Self-Defense Force troops to Lebanon to offer logistics support to the U.N. Interim Force there monitoring a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah militants, government sources have said.
JAPAN
Sep 15, 2006

Afghan man is refugee: high court

The Tokyo High Court has upheld a lower court ruling repealing the government's rejection of an Afghan man's refugee status and its decision to deport him.
JAPAN
Sep 15, 2006

Abe, LDP sued over history text approval

A group of people Thursday filed a lawsuit against Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe and the Liberal Democratic Party with the Tokyo District Court, claiming they broke the law by intervening in the approval process for a revisionist history text.
EDITORIALS
Sep 15, 2006

Mr. Ozawa on the offensive

Just as the Liberal Democratic Party presidential election campaign is making headlines, Mr. Ichiro Ozawa, president of the Democratic Party of Japan, formally announces his candidacy in the No. 1 opposition party's leadership race and discloses his platform. By emphasizing the need to rectify what some...
JAPAN
Sep 15, 2006

Koizumi vague on retirement, but pundits see LDP calling on him again

As the term of Junichiro Koizumi, the nation's third-longest-serving postwar prime minister, comes to a close, political pundits are speculating on his future.
JAPAN
Sep 15, 2006

Japan, China plan talks on summit

Japan and China are making final arrangements for holding bilateral vice foreign ministerial talks for two days from Sept. 22 to discuss issues such as resuming summit talks, government sources have said.
JAPAN
Sep 15, 2006

Aso, Nakagawa eyed for No. 2 LDP post

Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe is considering Foreign Minister Taro Aso and senior party colleague Hidenao Nakagawa as candidates for secretary general of the Liberal Democratic Party if he becomes its next president, LDP sources have said.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 15, 2006

Japan loath to discuss incestuous abuse

Although incestuous abuse of a female child by her own father takes place frequently in Japan, the Japanese media refuse to critically discuss it, regarding it mostly as a plain taboo. Meanwhile, the Japanese legislature and the judiciary collusively dismiss this crime against humanity, thereby encouraging...
JAPAN
Sep 15, 2006

Peeping economist nabbed in groping

Economist Kazuhide Uekusa, who was once a regular guest on TV programs but was convicted for trying to look up a girl's skirt in 2004, has been arrested on suspicion of groping a 17-year-old female high school student on a train in Tokyo, police said Thursday.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Sep 15, 2006

Fishing around for a piece of history

"Enjoy it while you can," says Professor Theodore Bestor of Harvard University. He's referring partly to Tsukiji's famous fish market and partly to sushi and to the fact that "some species are at risk of becoming commercially extinct."
CULTURE / Music
Sep 15, 2006

Debashish Battacharya "Calcutta Slide Guitar"

One of the world's most amazing guitarists, Debashish Battacharya plays Indian raga on his trinity of self-constructed Chaturangui slide guitar, 14-string Gandharvi and tiny ukulelelike Anandi. He has built 19 others, but his third release in a trilogy of recordings is a dazzling set of ragas all played...
BUSINESS
Sep 15, 2006

Daiei to cut debts through selloff of properties, stocks

Struggling giant retailer Daiei Inc. will cut its interest-bearing liabilities by 200 billion yen from 350 billion yen on an unconsolidated basis by selling real estate and stock holdings, sources said Thursday.
CULTURE / Music
Sep 15, 2006

Yuki "Wave"

With her Minnie-Mouse-on-helium voice and overt Bjorkisms, there's no denying that Yuki is one of J-pop's most colorful stars. But after her success fronting Judy And Mary, Yuki's solo sound was far from consistent until, after two dodgy albums, she hit her stride with 2005's "Joy," an out-and-out pop...
BUSINESS
Sep 15, 2006

Poor would lose more in tax hike: economist

Although the government has little choice but to raise the consumption tax to reduce Japan's mountain of debt, any increase is likely to hit the poor the hardest, an economist at a major think tank warned Thursday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 15, 2006

No Use For A Name

Formed in California by guitarist Tony Sly and drummer Rory Koff, No Use For A Name have been entertaining punks old and new with their infectious, fast-paced anthems since 1987. After releasing two albums on New Red Archives, the band inked a deal with punk heavyweight Fat Wreck Chords in 1993. Owned...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 15, 2006

Bossa nova forever young

The music may be ageless, but bossa nova's founding generation are aging. Forthcoming tours to Japan this month and next by Joao Gilberto, who, along with Antonio Carlos Jobim, was credited with creating bossa nova in the late 1950s, and Sergio Mendes, bossa nova's great popularizer, may well be their...

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