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EDITORIALS
May 25, 2006

A love that can't be legislated

The Diet has started discussions on a government bill to revise the Fundamental Law of Education. First and foremost, the bill represents an attempt to lay down a legal basis for using education as a means of instilling "love of nation" in students. While love of nation is something that should grow...
JAPAN
May 25, 2006

Frozen fraudulent deposits worth 3.5 billion yen, FSA says

Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Mizuho Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. and Resona Bank froze a combined total of about 3.5 billion yen in deposits as of the end of March on suspicion the accounts were being used for fraudulent purposes, officials at the Financial Services Agency said Wednesday.
JAPAN
May 25, 2006

Abe looks to enter LDP race after G8

Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe hinted Wednesday he will officially announce his candidacy to succeed Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi as president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party after the mid-July summit of the Group of Eight industrialized nations in St. Petersburg, Russia.
JAPAN
May 25, 2006

Consulting firm chief quizzed in quake scandal

Police questioned the head of a Tokyo-based consulting company on a voluntary basis Wednesday over a fraud case involving a hotel in Nara Prefecture built with fake earthquake-safety data, investigation sources said.
COMMENTARY / World
May 25, 2006

Evidence portrays Russia as failed state

LONDON -- Have you read Russian President Vladimir Putin's 2006 State of the Nation message yet? The one he gave last week? You should.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / NEW ART SEEN
May 25, 2006

Incidentally Capturing the city

Berlin is not beautiful like Paris, rich like London, or charming like Amsterdam. Prewar buildings in the German capital are pockmarked by bullet holes, while postwar architecture testifies to the city's division due to the Cold War -- American, British and French sectors were restored or rebuilt, the...
JAPAN
May 25, 2006

New law bans big complexes in suburbs

The House of Councilors approved a bill Wednesday to revise the City Planning Law so that construction of shopping malls and amusement facilities with more than 10,000 sq. meters of floor space will effectively be banned in suburbs.
BUSINESS
May 25, 2006

Japan Post net profit at 1.9 trillion yen, up 56%

Japan Post announced Wednesday it brought in a whopping net profit of 1.93 trillion yen in the fiscal year that ended March 31, up 56 percent from the year before, thanks to the robust performance of its postal savings business.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
May 25, 2006

Playing for his master

"I entered the world of bunraku by accident, without knowing anything about it," says shamisen player Tsuruzawa Enjiro, who has just received the prestigious stage name Tsuruzawa Enza (VI) previously held by his master.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
May 25, 2006

Art of Africa

Everyone has an idea about "Africa." Pestilence, famine and genocide top many people's lists. Others think of boundless natural wonder and sprawling metropolises bursting with life. But the truth of it is, there is no one "Africa." There are only Africans, and they defy generalization.
BUSINESS
May 25, 2006

ANA to resume Narita-O'Hare service in the fall

All Nippon Airways Co. said Wednesday that it will resume flights between Tokyo and Chicago's O'Hare airport in October as part of its overseas expansion plan in the coming years.
BUSINESS
May 25, 2006

Honda unveils thought-guided robot

Honda Motor Co. has developed technology that uses brain signals to control a robot's moves, hoping to someday link a person's thoughts with machines in daily life.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
May 25, 2006

Writing a challenge in clay for his proteges

When asked "What kind of ware do you make?," ceramic artist Kimpei Nakamura's tongue-in-cheek response is "Tokyo yaki (Tokyo Ware)." It's a label of his own invention that pokes fun at the traditional system of classifying ceramics by their ties to ancient kiln sites that existed long before the city...
BUSINESS
May 25, 2006

New Keidanren chief urges Asia diplomatic thaw

The new chairman of the Japan Business Federation (Nippon Keidanren) has urged the government to swiftly resolve the nation's conflict with its Asian neighbors over Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's repeated visits to Yasukuni Shrine.
BUSINESS
May 25, 2006

Sompo Japan president to resign amid scandals

Sompo Japan Insurance Inc. President Hiroshi Hirano announced Wednesday that he will become chairman in late June after being replaced by Managing Director Masatoshi Sato as the company deals with scandals that have drawn sanctions from the government.
BUSINESS
May 25, 2006

Crecia to increase wholesale prices

Crecia Corp. said Wednesday it will raise wholesale prices for its facial tissue and other household paper products by around 25 percent on July 18 due to surging crude oil prices.
JAPAN
May 25, 2006

Education bill won't promote militarism: Koizumi

heavy importance on an education suitable to a new era and is aimed at nurturing admirable manpower for the benefit of Japan," he told a special parliamentary committee. The bill -- drafted by the ruling coalition and approved by the Cabinet on April 28 -- is a longtime goal of the conservatives, who...
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
May 25, 2006

Determined Giants knock down Fighters

There was no way the Yomiuri Giants were going to fall out of first place Wednesday night.
BUSINESS
May 25, 2006

ChuoAoyama faces uncertain future as clients defect to rivals

More and more clients of major auditing firm ChuoAoyama PricewaterhouseCoopers are switching to rival outfits after the Financial Services Agency ordered ChuoAoyama to suspend its business for two months starting in July.
SOCCER / J. League
May 24, 2006

J. League promotes Onitake to chairman

The J. League decided Tuesday to appoint vice chairman Kenji Onitake to the post of chairman, taking over from Masaru Suzuki, who is stepping down from the helm of the Japanese professional soccer league at the expiration of his current tenure.

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