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JAPAN
Jul 25, 2006

Five North Koreans barred from Japan

Japan has rejected requests for entry by five North Koreans due to tightened immigration regulations imposed after Pyongyang's missile tests on July 5, the Justice Ministry said.
JAPAN
Jul 25, 2006

Oji Paper's bid for Hokuetsu rejected for Mitsubishi tieup

Hokuetsu Paper Mills Ltd., Japan's sixth-largest paper firm, rejected a takeover bid Monday by Oji Paper Co., the country's No. 1 paper producer, sticking to its planned capital and business tieup with trading house Mitsubishi Corp.
JAPAN
Jul 25, 2006

Nissan recalls 135,402 Largo cars

Nissan Motor Co. notified the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry on Monday that it is recalling 135,402 units of its Largo passenger car because their sunroofs might come off, the ministry said.
JAPAN
Jul 25, 2006

Abe plays down big lead in LDP presidential race

discussions that the country has to have a higher consumption tax except for food and medicine," Abe told the audience. The comments followed Koizumi's remarks that if the consumption tax is raised to as high as 20 percent like in Europe, people may start to call for lower taxes on daily goods.
JAPAN
Jul 25, 2006

Japan, Indonesia hold disaster talks

Indonesia and Japan on Monday held their second meeting of a joint committee on improving Indonesia's disaster management and establishing a tsunami early warning system.
JAPAN
Jul 25, 2006

Gold-selling binge defies oil, Middle East uncertainties

possessions," said Hidekazu Yamada, a gold adviser at the firm's head office in Tokyo's Ginza. An official in charge of precious metal sales at Mitsubishi Materials Corp. said sales have been increasing conspicuously since October.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Jul 25, 2006

Renting and dual nationality

In Japan, "truth" is often a very nebulous concept. A "situational ethics" approach to life here directly affects law and gives birth to the "don't ask, don't tell" attitude, which is pervasive in Japan.
COMMENTARY
Jul 25, 2006

Fitting memorial for war dead

With the governing Liberal Democratic Party set to elect its new leader in September -- when Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi step downs as LDP president (and hence as prime minister) some LDP lawmakers are proposing ways to solve the ongoing row over Koizumi's repeated visits to Yasukuni Shrine. Visits...
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Jul 25, 2006

Mobile Mouse, National lawn mower, Tsubomi's space packaging system, SUTTO Stool

With the weather about to get the better of us as we move into the hottest month of the year, why not try to find some solace in a few items to help us make the most of the great outdoors. For those on the go or hanging out in their backyard (that is, those of us lucky enough to actually have one) this...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Jul 25, 2006

Would you like to have children?

Satoko Woolala Graphic designer, 39 Even if I were heterosexual, I wouldn't want to have children. Japanese law only takes care of heterosexual families. Same-sex partners can make private contracts, but don't both have legal rights to their children.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jul 25, 2006

Soaking in the urban onsen scene

Taking a nice, long, hot bath has for eras been an ideal way to unwind, whether it is a soak crammed in the tub at home after a hard day's work, a trip to the local sento (public bath) for a leisurely scrub-down or a weekend getaway to the countryside in pursuit of hot springs and the healing powers...
LIFE / Language
Jul 25, 2006

When muzukashii means more than 'difficult'

I wish I had a share of Google stock for every time I have heard a Japanese person tell me that their language is "aimai na gengo (an ambiguous language)." How did this bizarre notion originate, and why do many Japanese entertain it? And what's more, can a language itself be ambiguous, apart from the...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Jul 25, 2006

Lesbian mothers' twin tasks

Motherhood can be daunting under even the best of circumstances, but, as a lesbian, considering starting a family brings with it a whole new set of difficulties.
JAPAN
Jul 25, 2006

JCP paper marks 20,000th issue since '28

The Japanese Communist Party's newspaper reached its 20,000th issue Sunday since its launch in February 1928, despite many obstacles over the past 78 years.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WORDS TO LIVE BY
Jul 25, 2006

Mariko Sakaida

Mariko Sakaida, 33, is a supermarket cashier in Tokyo and the 2003 Best Checker Concours champion, a title she competed for with about 2,000 of the Kanto region's other checkout aces. She won hands-down with polished greetings, flawless scanning, speedy and accurate cashing, and artful packing. She also...
JAPAN
Jul 25, 2006

Hospitals took in over 100 kids for neglect; figure on low side

More than 100 children were hospitalized because of neglect by parents and legal guardians in 2005, but that is likely just the tip of the iceberg, according to a Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry study released Monday.
JAPAN
Jul 25, 2006

Human rights bill may get another try

Justice Minister Seiken Sugiura said Monday that a controversial provision on regulating media coverage in a human rights protection bill may be revised or deleted before submitting the once-killed bill to the Diet next year.
EDITORIALS
Jul 25, 2006

Safe storage for nuclear waste

Nuclear energy is making a comeback. In Northeast Asia, nuclear power has long been a staple of national energy policy. But the rest of the world has suffered from a nuclear allergy mostly as the result of the fear of environmental disasters, such as the 1986 Chernobyl accident. Today, the twin specters...
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Jul 24, 2006

Fujimoto leads CL to sweep

MIYAZAKI -- There's power in the bottom of the lineup, especially in an All-Star game.
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Jul 24, 2006

Kyushu showers let up long enough for All-Stars to play ball

MIYAZAKI -- Kyushu, what a boulevard of broken sweat.

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