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Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Feb 7, 2006

Twisted legal logic deals rights blow to foreigners

Steve McGowan, an African-American resident of Kyoto, sued an eyeglass shop in Daito City, Osaka Prefecture, for refusing him entry in 2004 on the basis of the color of his skin.
BUSINESS
Feb 7, 2006

Bioplastic to boost NTT cell phones' 'green' credentials

NEC Corp. and Unitika Ltd. said Monday an environmentally friendly bioplastic they have jointly developed will be used in NTT DoCoMo Inc. cell phones.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Feb 7, 2006

Was casting Chinese actresses in "Memoirs of a Geisha (Sayuri)" a blunder?

Josh Chua Student, 20 In Hollywood, it's common for an actor of a certain ethnicity to play a character of another ethnicity. I don't think Scots were in uproar over Mel Gibson in "Braveheart." If anything, it says more about a lack of Japanese actors.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Feb 7, 2006

How Japan became No. 1

Who has the global bragging rights to slimness? First there was Mireille Guiliano's book, "French Women Don't Get Fat: The Secret of Eating for Pleasure," published in 2004. Hot on the heels of this best-seller, Naomi Moriyama threw down the gauntlet less than a year later with "Japanese Women Don't...
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / ON THE BOOK TRAIL
Feb 7, 2006

"Firebird," "Thor's Wedding Day"

"Firebird," Susan Gates, Puffin; 2005; 212pp.
LIFE / Language
Feb 7, 2006

Practical reasons for praising entrance exams

On Saturday, Jan. 21, history was made. And I was a part of it by simply taking a 30-minute listening test. It was the first time that the unified university entrance exams, prepared by MEXT's National Center for University Entrance Examinations, had included listening comprehension. This may very well...
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Feb 7, 2006

Guarantors and leaving the country

Guarantor Is there an organization in Japan that serves as a guarantor for foreigners in Japan who want to rent apartments?
Rugby
Feb 6, 2006

Toshiba Fuchu wins 2nd straight Microsoft Cup

Toshiba Fuchu scored four tries in the first half and went on to beat Suntory 33-18 in the Microsoft Cup final on Sunday, completing a league and cup double for the second straight year.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Feb 6, 2006

Source: Saito to sign with Dodgers

Japanese right-handed pitcher Takashi Saito is likely to sign a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers shortly, baseball sources said Sunday.
JAPAN
Feb 6, 2006

Police agency seeking to outlaw powerful air guns

The National Police Agency will ask lawmakers to ban air guns that have been retooled to give them killing power, NPA officials said Sunday.
JAPAN
Feb 6, 2006

Health ministry to set specific nonsmoking goal

The health ministry has decided to set a numerical target to lower the ratio of smokers as part of a national health campaign, officials said Sunday.
MORE SPORTS
Feb 6, 2006

Dementieva batters Hingis at Pan Pacific

Russia's Elena Dementieva ended Martina Hingis' bid for a first singles title in her comeback with a crushing 6-2, 6-0 win in the Pan Pacific Open on Sunday.
JAPAN
Feb 6, 2006

Feeling faint, Empress cancels trip

Empress Michiko has canceled a visit to an Imperial villa in Hayama, Kanagawa Prefecture, after feeling faint, the Imperial Household Agency said Sunday.
JAPAN
Feb 6, 2006

Record snowfall in Niigata town

The amount of snow in Tsunan, Niigata Prefecture, surpassed 4 meters on Sunday for the first time since the Meteorological Agency started observations in the city in 1989, officials said.
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...
SUMO
Feb 6, 2006

Asashoryu wins one-day tournament

Yokozuna Asashoryu, whose record streak of winning seven Grand Sumo Tournaments snapped last month, beat foreign rivals in succession to win a mini one-day tourney on Sunday.
EDITORIALS
Feb 6, 2006

Pinch of censorship vs. pile of trouble

There's a good reason why censorship sparks so many squabbles, as developments in both China and the Muslim world this past week have reminded us. It's a slippery concept. We who favor openness and transparency think we know exactly where we stand on censorship: We think it's bad. Right? Freedom of speech...
COMMENTARY
Feb 6, 2006

Containing a growing divide

The growing economic gap in Japanese society under Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's reform policy is emerging as a major national political issue. Critics in the opposition camp as well as the ruling coalition charge that deregulation and intensified competition have divided society into winners and...
MORE SPORTS
Feb 5, 2006

Hingis surprises Sharapova in semis

Wild card Martina Hingis crushed top seed Maria Sharapova 6-3, 6-1 Saturday to advance to the final of the Pan Pacific Open, where she will face Russia's Elena Dementieva.

Longform

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What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji