Search - special

 
 
JAPAN / History
Nov 8, 2004

U.S. mulled using emperor in wartime propaganda

U.S. psychological warfare experts intended to use the emperor as a "symbol of peace" in propaganda warfare in June 1942 -- six months after Japan bombed Hawaii and triggered the war with the United States -- to baffle Japan's military authorities, according to declassified documents obtained by Kyodo...
JAPAN
Nov 7, 2004

Japan still trying for China summit

Taku Yamasaki, special adviser to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, will visit China in mid-November to help bring about a meeting between Koizumi and Chinese President Hu Jintao later in the month, according to political sources.
JAPAN
Nov 5, 2004

Troops ready for deployment; Iraq mission may be extended

The Defense Agency on Thursday ordered the Northeastern Army of the Ground Self-Defense Force to prepare to head to southern Iraq to take over Japan's humanitarian aid mission there -- an indication the government is prepared to extend troop deployment beyond its one-year mission.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Nov 5, 2004

Nezu Club: Closer to real soul of Tokyo

Just like stepping back in time. The soul of traditional Tokyo. Ancient Edo preserved in amber.
JAPAN
Nov 4, 2004

Japan urged to put human rights on agenda for talks with North Korea

A visiting American human rights specialist has urged Japan to put North Korea's human rights record on its agenda for the upcoming normalization talks scheduled with the reclusive state.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 3, 2004

Automakers focus on disabled drivers at 38th motor show

MAKUHARI, Chiba Pref. -- Automakers over the last decade have expanded their lineup of vehicles catering to the needs of disabled people and the elderly.
BUSINESS
Nov 3, 2004

Africa urged to follow Asia in promoting development

Government officials and private-sector specialists from Asia, Africa and Europe agreed with representatives of international organizations Tuesday that African nations should follow the course taken by Asia in promoting economic development.
JAPAN
Nov 3, 2004

Sporadic rocket attacks on SDF camp don't constitute combat, officials say

While a rocket attack that damaged a storage container at the Ground Self-Defense Force camp in Samawah, southern Iraq, on Monday rattled the government, Japan remained adamant that the area is still a noncombat zone and that the troops can stay.
JAPAN
Nov 2, 2004

Private rocketeers start small, think big

When Harunori Nagata launched a 1.6-meter rocket for the third time in March, it was still an experiment.
JAPAN
Nov 1, 2004

Opposition demands SDF pullout from Iraq

Opposition parties demanded Sunday that the government withdraw the Self-Defense Forces from Iraq after a 24-year-old Japanese traveler who had been abducted by militants was found beheaded.
COMMENTARY
Nov 1, 2004

Universities lack will to reform

Half a year has passed since Japan's national universities gained corporate status. The aim of the incorporation, initially at least, was to make university management efficient. What has changed, or has not changed, in substance? How much progress toward efficiency has been made, or is likely to be...
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 1, 2004

Linking Islam to terror spawns hatred

MADRAS, India -- Sadly, since Sept. 11, 2001, much of the world, in particular the United States, has equated Islam with violence and death.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Oct 31, 2004

At-home dads

Kazuyuki Yamamura is a tall, good-looking man in his 30s, who was also good at his job. In fact, not so long ago he bought a house for himself, his wife and their kindergarten-age daughter in a leafy suburb of Tokyo. Then, unexpectedly, his company found itself in choppy financial waters -- and he was...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 31, 2004

M. Ward finds his voice

Almost every pop musician starts out trying to sound like somebody else, and if he's lucky he ends up sounding like nobody but himself. This truism becomes less tenable with the passage of time and the gradual exhaustion of new musical ideas. Even a field as huge as "American folk-rock" is reducible...
JAPAN
Oct 31, 2004

U.S. troops here turning out in droves to vote

From the flight deck of the USS Kitty Hawk to the barracks of Camp Zama, this week's U.S. presidential election has a special resonance for America's troops abroad.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 30, 2004

Princeton chief praises Japan's scientists

The president of Princeton University has praised Japan for its contributions to the sciences and expressed hope that U.S. antiterrorism measures leave room for talented scholars from abroad to visit the United States.
BASEBALL / MLB
Oct 30, 2004

Plans announced for new league

Pro baseball commentator Takenori Emoto revealed Friday a plan to establish an independent league in Japan from 2006.
EDITORIALS
Oct 28, 2004

Dealing with a murderous past

The 1970s in Cambodia is described as one of the darkest periods in modern history. That was when the Communist Pol Pot regime, or the Khmer Rouge, exterminated nearly 2 million people during its rule from 1975 to 1979. Now, a quarter of a century since the regime collapsed, some of its former leaders...
BUSINESS
Oct 28, 2004

Sharp net profit soars 41% on LCD TV, phone sales

Sharp Corp. said Wednesday its first-half net profit soared 41 percent to a record 39.32 billion yen, powered by strong sales of liquid crystal display TVs and cell-phone handsets.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 27, 2004

Seibu, Sogo stores mark Lions' win with sales

Seibu Department Stores Ltd. and Sogo Co. on Tuesday began a three-day sale at their outlets to celebrate the Seibu Lions' victory in the Japan Series.
EDITORIALS
Oct 26, 2004

Troubling signs in Myanmar

A shakeup in Yangon has refocused international attention on the reclusive regime in Myanmar. The ousting of Prime Minister Khin Nyunt bodes ill for hopes of democratic reform in the country and will increase tension between Myanmar and ASEAN, and between ASEAN and the West. Concerned governments need...
JAPAN
Oct 23, 2004

Democrats, Republicans vie for Japan votes

OSAKA -- With less than two weeks to go until U.S. voters go to the polls to choose between incumbent President George W. Bush and Sen. John Kerry, representatives of the Republican and Democratic parties in Japan are doing their best to round up very vote.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 23, 2004

First step to a national security strategy

WASHINGTON -- Last week in Tokyo, Japan's Council on Security and Defense Capabilities (better known in the United States as the Araki Commission) issued its final report on the future direction of Japanese national-security policy. The report demands special attention, as it will provide the basis on...
JAPAN
Oct 22, 2004

Households could be hit with 5,000 yen green tax

Households might have to pay an average 4,950 yen per year if a planned environment tax is introduced in fiscal 2005, according to a government draft released Thursday.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / BEST BAR NONE
Oct 22, 2004

Born to be wild . . . in moderation

I know what bikers look for in a bar. Though I've never been a rider myself, I did spend 10 years tooling around Tokyo on the back of my Japanese boyfriend's 1977-78 FLH custom shovelhead Harley-Davidson. In fact, we met in Bar Aoyama, which he and one of his Harley-riding buddies used to frequent because...
CULTURE / Books / THE BOOK REPORT
Oct 21, 2004

New life patterns for a new age

The end of the high-growth period and of the go-go bubble years has brought both new opportunities and great uncertainty as the old social system based on lifetime employment crumbles and even the outlines of its successor system remain hazy. Such uncertainty no doubt played a role in propelling novelist...
JAPAN
Oct 21, 2004

Post office worker accused of starving daughter to death

The 47-year-old mother of a 16-year-old girl who died of extreme weakness in 1999 has been arrested on suspicion of starving her to death, according to local police.

Longform

Dangami House is a 180-year-old former samurai residence of the Kato clan, who ruled over Ozu, Ehime Prefecture, until the Meiji Restoration.
A house, a legacy and the quiet work of restoration in rural Japan