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EDITORIALS
Feb 12, 2006

The case for a baby princess

No wonder the Crown Princess gets depressed. The spectacle of the chasm between the Imperial family and the 21st century has long been enough to depress anyone. But then, just when the princess must have thought the gap might be closing a bit, given the prime minister's efforts to win the right of succession...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Feb 12, 2006

Quiz show 'Nep-League' on Fuji TV, Jo Odagiri in TV Asahi's 'Jiko Keisatsu' and more

One of the most popular new game shows is "Nep-League" (Fuji, Monday, 7 p.m.), starring the comedy trio Neptunes. The quizzes are based on word games that test knowledge of Chinese characters and arcane vocabulary. The show is also famous for its game-arcade atmosphere. The tests are time-intensive and...
JAPAN
Feb 11, 2006

English abusers finally get their day in the sun

"Please be careful to forget valuables" has received the Sign Language Award at the Amazing English Hunt 2005 awards, the English-Speaking Union of Japan, a nonprofit organization to promote international exchanges through English, and eigoTwown.com, which runs a Web site offering English education information,...
BUSINESS
Feb 11, 2006

Monday charges loom for Livedoor

The Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission, after a three-year probe, asked prosecutors Friday to indict Livedoor Co., former President Takafumi Horie, three other executives, and advertising subsidiary Livedoor Marketing Co. for lying to investors in order to inflate the stock price of the...
JAPAN
Feb 11, 2006

Myanmar woman, stateless daughter, 11, get year here

Immigration authorities Friday granted a woman from Myanmar and her Japanese-fathered daughter, who is stateless, special one-year permits to stay in the country, their supporters said.
EDITORIALS
Feb 10, 2006

The world according to the Pentagon

The U.S. Department of Defense has released its vision of the world, the Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR). The four-year review of U.S. military strategy provides the Pentagon's assessment of global trends and its responses to them. The QDR receives a lot of attention, but it is important to remember...
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Feb 10, 2006

18,000 years in the making

Having been the centerpiece attraction at last year's Aichi Expo, the Yukagir Mammoth head is now on display in Tokyo, part of the "Yukagir Mammoth Museum" being held at the Fuji Television building. The remains of the woolly mammoth were discovered in 2002 in permafrost near Yukagir village, located...
BUSINESS
Feb 8, 2006

Forex reserves soar to record $851.7 billion

Japan's foreign-exchange reserves rose $4.80 billion in January to a record high $851.67 billion, helped in large part by a stronger euro, the Finance Ministry said Tuesday.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Feb 8, 2006

Mud shrimp

* Japanese name: Ana-jako * Scientific name: Upogebia major * Description: Mud shrimps are 10-cm-long decapod crustaceans, which means they have 10 legs and a hard outer shell. They also have two pairs of antennae, of which one pair is very long. The animal is whitish in color, with large dark-brown...
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Feb 6, 2006

To improve Japan's finances, reform drive must stay alive

In fiscal 2006, the government will issue under 30 trillion yen in bonds for the first time in eight years, leaving the nation 11.2 trillion yen short of achieving a primary balance -- the condition where expenditures, excluding interest payments and debt redemptions, are covered by revenues excluding...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Feb 5, 2006

Solve your neighborhood problem with NHK's "Nanmon Kaiketsu" and more

As everyone knows, Japan is no longer a haven of safety. No statistic supports this sad development better than the fact that more than 440,000 bicycles are stolen every year, so don't get angry when a policeman stops you on the street to check your registration. He's only doing his job.
JAPAN
Feb 4, 2006

Livedoor four face new charge

Prosecutors appear ready to serve fresh arrest warrants in mid-February on four now-former Livedoor Co. executives, including ex-President Takafumi Horie and former Chief Financial Officer Ryoji Miyauchi, on suspicion of falsifying the company's 2004 financial statements, investigative sources said Friday....
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Feb 3, 2006

Kuro-hitsuji: Ghengis Khan gets hip

Until recently, the distinctive style of cooking mutton known as jingisukan -- the Japanese transliteration of the name of a well known Mongolian butcher -- was thought far too uncouth to be considered seriously. So how did this coarse, blue-collar dish, so long a staple of smoky grills in the godless...
JAPAN
Feb 2, 2006

Murderess ex-con, 78, loses Supreme Court retrial bid

The Supreme Court has rejected a special appeal for a retrial for a 78-year-old woman who was convicted and served time for murdering her brother-in-law in 1979, her lawyers said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Feb 2, 2006

Tax revenues up 24% in December

National tax revenues increased 23.8 percent in December from a year earlier to 2.939 trillion yen due to growth in stock dividend-related income tax, the Finance Ministry said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jan 31, 2006

Family delighted film on abductee wins prize

The relatives of victims of North Korea's abductions expressed their joy Monday after a U.S. film on Megumi Yokota has won the best documentary award at the U.S. Slamdance Film Festival in Utah.
JAPAN
Jan 31, 2006

Defense bid-rigging nets arrests

Prosecutors on Monday arrested Takayoshi Kawano, 57, a top official at the Defense Facilities Administration Agency, and two others on suspicion of leading bid rigging for projects ordered by the agency.
JAPAN
Jan 30, 2006

U.S. backtracking on new home for aerial tankers

The U.S. wants to move its fleet of KC-130 aerial refueling tankers based in Okinawa Prefecture to the Marine Corps' base in Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture, instead of the Maritime Self-Defense Force base in Kanoya, Kagoshima Prefecture, as currently planned, it was learned Sunday.
JAPAN
Jan 29, 2006

More hotel violations revealed

The Yokohama Municipal Government on Saturday inspected two hotels operated by Toyoko Inn Co. and found that a total of 31 rooms had been added illegally, city officials said.
JAPAN
Jan 28, 2006

Hotelier beats checks, drops disabled access

Toyoko Inn Co. admitted Friday that some of its business hotels in Yokohama and other areas removed mandatory parking facilities for the disabled after authorities certified them as barrier-free.
EDITORIALS
Jan 27, 2006

False start on beef imports

Less than six weeks after lifting a two-year ban on U.S. beef imports, the Japanese government was forced to impose it again last week. The action followed the discovery of prohibited material in a shipment from a New York meatpacker in violation of safety rules aimed at preventing the spread of bovine...
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Jan 25, 2006

Father says focus key to Kobe's ability to endure, achieve

Fathers are known to be tough on their sons -- especially those who try to follow in their footsteps.
JAPAN
Jan 25, 2006

U.N. asks for plane to aid transport in Iraq

The United Nations has asked Japan for a small aircraft to be at its disposal for transport assistance in Iraq, the U.N. deputy special representative for Iraq has said.

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years