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BUSINESS
Mar 11, 2006

Aeon seeks to add banking operations to supermarkets by '07

Major supermarket chain Aeon Co. said Friday it will enter the banking business as early as spring 2007, building on its 1,500 stores and 13.7 million Aeon credit card holders in Japan.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Mar 11, 2006

No more nude surfing in Bali

A few weeks ago, while surfing on the Bukit, Bali's southernmost peninsula, where the population is small and the waves big, I paddled my board out among a group of three young Japanese surfers who were obviously on vacation. They chatted among themselves, not really giving me much notice, when suddenly...
JAPAN
Mar 11, 2006

Koizumi's crowning bill gets government OK

The government approved a bill Friday that gives the timeline for administrative reforms planned for the next several years, positioned as the capstone to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's reform agenda.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Mar 11, 2006

Good Day to hear all about Ranald MacDonald

Never heard the name Ranald MacDonald? (Not easily forgotten, for sure.) This is about to change, thanks to the book "Native American in the Land of the Shogun: Ranald MacDonald and the Opening of Japan" by American author Frederik Schodt.
JAPAN
Mar 11, 2006

Japanese universities need foreign students: U.K. scholar

Recruiting foreign students will be key if Japanese universities are to survive the competition expected as the population shrinks, according to British scholar Peter Mathias.
MORE SPORTS
Mar 10, 2006

Olympic champ Arakawa pulls out of world c'ships

Olympic figure skating champion Shizuka Arakawa has opted to sit out the upcoming world championships, the Japan Skating Federation said Thursday.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Mar 10, 2006

English fans shed no tears over Chelsea's ouster by Barca

LONDON -- Rarely if ever have English football fans cheered a victory by a foreign side over one of their own as Barcelona's Champions League knockout of Chelsea was greeted on Tuesday night.
EDITORIALS
Mar 10, 2006

Nuclear principle vs. pragmatism

Last summer the United States and India agreed to an historic deal, one that was designed to transform their relationship. The core of the agreement was a reassessment of India's nuclear program. The U.S. sought to end India's pariah status and to normalize Delhi's relations with the global proliferation...
JAPAN
Mar 10, 2006

Domestic violence reports ballooned to record in 2005

A record 16,888 cases of domestic violence were reported to police across Japan last year, up 17.2 percent from 2004, the National Police Agency said Thursday.
JAPAN
Mar 10, 2006

Employees dislike new pay system

Fujitsu Ltd.'s company Web site is being flooded with angry e-mails from unhappy workers, especially young people.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 10, 2006

Osaka seeks to stub out pesky public smoking

OSAKA -- For reasons of health and public relations, the Osaka Municipal Government is moving forward with plans to adopt an ordinance that would outlaw smoking on its most crowded streets.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 10, 2006

Japan's offshore firms unprepared for health crises

Despite a possible outbreak of a new strain of influenza that may kill more people than SARS did in 2002, only a few Japanese firms operating overseas have drawn up plans to deal with an epidemic.
JAPAN
Mar 10, 2006

Top diplomat to visit U.S. for talks

Vice Foreign Minister Shotaro Yachi will pay a five-day trip to the United States from Tuesday to hold talks with top officials there, the Foreign Ministry said Thursday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 10, 2006

Wanted: Pilot to pull DPJ out of dive

The decade-old Democratic Party of Japan is facing what members describe as its biggest crises ever.
BUSINESS
Mar 10, 2006

Exhaust pipe faults spur Isuzu recall

Isuzu Motors Ltd. told the transport ministry Thursday it will recall a total of 2,716 trucks it had manufactured under three models due to possibly defective exhaust pipes.
BUSINESS
Mar 10, 2006

FSA punishes J.P. Morgan unit

The Financial Services Agency on Thursday ordered J.P. Morgan Securities Asia Pte. to suspend part of its Tokyo operations for about two weeks for violating the Securities and Exchange Law, agency officials said.
JAPAN
Mar 10, 2006

Top broadcasters seek to go online

Five Tokyo-based television broadcasters and four advertisement agencies are planning to launch a new company in April to show TV programs online, industry sources said Thursday.
JAPAN
Mar 10, 2006

Asahara psychiatric test faulty: experts

The counsel for Aum Shinrikyo founder Shoko Asahara filed a statement Thursday from four experts challenging the credibility of an evaluation from a court-appointed psychiatrist that says the guru is mentally fit to stand trial in his appeal.
CULTURE / Music
Mar 10, 2006

Coldcut "Sound Mirrors"

Coldcut have such an illustrious history of pushing music forward -- as a pioneering influence bringing acid house into the mainstream and through their work on the Ninja Tune label -- that any new release comes with great expectations. The fact that "Sound Mirrors" comes so close to realizing them is...
CULTURE / Music
Mar 10, 2006

Kings of Convenience

In 2001, when Kings of Convenience's first album was released (the near-perfect "Quiet is the New Loud"), it was almost an antidote to the humorless introspection of their contemporaries: the teen angst of Dashboard Confessional, the poetic depression of Elliot Smith, and politely existential Britpop...

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