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BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Apr 17, 2006

'CPE' by stealth: the state of youth jobs in Japan

French students are victorious. They have managed to push the infamous "first-time employment contract" ("contrat premiere embauche") out of the window.
JAPAN
Apr 17, 2006

Japan, China to seek more time to handle leftover arms

Japan and China will request next week that a U.N. organization give them five more years to complete a Japan-led project to collect and dispose of abandoned wartime chemical weapons in China, Japanese government sources said Sunday.
SOCCER / J. League
Apr 16, 2006

Gamba pulls one out

YOKOHAMA -- Super sub Masafumi Maeda punished a shocking defensive mix-up to fire in the winner as Gamba Osaka edged Yokohama F. Marinos in a seven-goal thriller on Saturday night.
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Apr 16, 2006

Pacers' Carlisle reverting to old habits

NEW YORK -- Considering the pervasive Pacers conflict (players vs. coaches, players vs. players and assistant vs. assistant) that has been going on since early last season, it's bewildering Indiana's president of basketball operations, Larry Bird, didn't declare coach Rick Carlisle safe for next season...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Apr 16, 2006

Return of Hara, revamped roster have Giants off to fast start

The Yomiuri Giants are off to a great start in the 2006 Central League pennant race, winning 11 of their first 13 games (with one tie) and taking the early lead in the CL standings.
EDITORIALS
Apr 16, 2006

Burden-sharing must be fair

Japan and the United States have been holding negotiations over sharing of the cost to relocate U.S. Marines from Okinawa to Guam. In the negotiations held in Washington earlier this month, the two parties could not overcome their differences. A followup round of negotiations held in Tokyo last week...
JAPAN
Apr 16, 2006

Koizumi waxes poetic under cherry blossoms

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi promised Saturday to serve out his term with dedication as he hosted a garden party to view cherry blossoms in a Tokyo park.
JAPAN
Apr 16, 2006

Murakami Fund ups stake in Matsuzakaya to 7.52%

The Murakami Fund has increased its stake in Matsuzakaya Co. to 7.52 percent and remains the largest shareholder in the department store operator, according to a report the investment fund submitted to the Finance Ministry.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 16, 2006

Myths and misconceptions on Chernobyl

LONDON -- The 20th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear accident of April 26, 1986, is prompting a new wave of alarmist claims about its impact on human health and the environment. As has become a ritual on such commemorative occasions, the death toll is tallied in the hundreds of thousands, and fresh...
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Apr 16, 2006

Ozeki joins Yomiuri after passing tryout

The Yomiuri Giants said Saturday they will acquire the services of former Seibu Lions outfielder Tatsuya Ozeki after he passed a tryout with the Central League club.
JAPAN
Apr 16, 2006

Unmanned Tokyo transit line remains shut down

The automated Yurikamome Line connecting waterfront areas along Tokyo Bay remained suspended Saturday after the system was shut down the day before when a train lost a wheel, the operator of the train line said.
JAPAN
Apr 16, 2006

Dumped medical products to draw study

The Environment Ministry plans to launch a survey this year on the dumping of medical substances by hospitals, ministry officials said Saturday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 16, 2006

CHIBA BY-ELECTION

Leaders of all the political parties vying for a seat in the April 23 House of Representatives by-election in the Chiba No. 7 district hit the stump Saturday.
JAPAN
Apr 16, 2006

Enhanced H5N1 response planned

The health ministry has decided to designate the deadly H5N1 strain of avian influenza as an infectious disease, officials said.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Apr 16, 2006

'Conspiracies of silence' feign sympathies largely unfelt

Japanese people are known for their sense of propriety and decorum. Reserve and self-restraint are fine Japanese virtues, and they have afforded the society an enviable harmony and level of personal safety unparalleled in the developed world. Putting a damper on people's self-assertive instincts, and...
JAPAN
Apr 16, 2006

Aso says aid to China to focus on environment

Foreign Minister Taro Aso said Saturday that Japan will focus on conservation projects in extending aid to China, saying pollution is becoming a serious problem there.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Apr 16, 2006

Y. Takahashi put on disabled list

Yomiuri Giants outfielder Yoshinobu Takahashi was removed from the active roster Saturday after bruising his left side in a game against the Hiroshima Carp earlier this week.
Japan Times
LIFE / WEEK 3
Apr 16, 2006

What's really 'Chinese' about fortune cookies?

Try this for fun next time you're in New York City: Walk into any sushi bar, eat your fill and then ask for a fortune cookie.
Japan Times
LIFE / WEEK 3
Apr 16, 2006

Editor on a mission for consumers

Some people sarcastically refer to journalists in Japan as "sarariman reporters." That's because even though the Fourth Estate potentially has enormous power and influence, its members are often timid, risk-averse and happy to cozy up with the politicians, government agencies and corporations they cover....
COMMENTARY
Apr 16, 2006

Democracy? Good leaders matter more

SINGAPORE -- The notion of multiparty democracy as an ideal one-size-fits-all form of government is, I am sorry to have to report, not exactly bowling people over these days. Take a look at Thailand and the Philippines, which Washington has often enshrined on its ideological placards as a pair of shining...
JAPAN
Apr 16, 2006

Role for family urged in deciding euthanasia

A group promoting the right of terminally ill patients to a "dignified death" is seeking legislation that would allow relatives to choose euthanasia if the patient's will is not clear, group members said Saturday.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Apr 16, 2006

Critical concerns about cinema

ASIAN CINEMAS: A READER & GUIDE, edited by Dimitris Eleftheriotis and Gary Needham. Edinburgh University Press, 2006, 474 pp., £19.99 (paper). CONTEMPORARY ASIAN CINEMA: Popular Culture in a Global Frame, edited by Anne Tereska Ciecko. Oxford: Berg Publishers, 2006, 250 pp., £16.99 (paper). Critical...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Apr 16, 2006

Ring trilogy spirals past science fiction

RING, SPIRAL, LOOP, by Koji Suzuki. Vertical Publishing, 2003-2005, each $24.95 (cloth). One cinematic treat that 1998 turned out was "Ringu," which was the rarity of a well-worked, intelligent horror flick that won broad appeal among movie fans who ordinarily look askance at efforts in the horror genre....
Japan Times
LIFE / WEEK 3
Apr 16, 2006

Ugly and macho or ultimate supercool on wheels?

The streets of central Tokyo are thronged with countless high-end automobiles, but one model above all others stands out from the crowd. Two meters high and 2.1 meters wide, with a mean, military-style mien, the Hummer H2 is hard to miss among the massed ranks of Toyotas, Nissans, Beemers and Mercs....
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Apr 16, 2006

Unlike with the French, a lack of fight spells future gloom for Japan's workers

While traveling through Europe recently I tried to get a handle on the controversy surrounding France's now abandoned First Job Contract (CPE) law, which was meant to make it easier for companies to hire young people. However, those same young people thought the law would make it easier for companies...

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