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JAPAN
Jan 4, 2006

New Year's travelers begin return to Tokyo

The annual New Year's return to the capital peaked Tuesday as travelers laden with luggage and gifts from their hometowns and other destinations packed trains, airports and expressways into the night.
JAPAN
Jan 4, 2006

Pet businesses going to the dogs -- to their owners' delight

Two-year-old Melon slept on a small bed at one of the many beauty salons in Tokyo's Daikanyama shopping district, under a mist of negatively charged ions that reputedly reduces stress.
JAPAN
Jan 4, 2006

Big firms predict uptrend to set record

More than 80 major domestic firms out of 100 expect economic expansion to continue at least until the second half of 2006, according to a Kyodo News survey released Tuesday.
EDITORIALS
Jan 4, 2006

Fading image of safety

Japan was once thought to be one of the safest countries to live in by residents as well as visitors. But a series of incidents the past year suggest that this is no longer the case. Crimes and accidents have cost people their lives, while the shirking of responsibility and business ethics on the part...
JAPAN / FRAMING THE FUTURE
Jan 4, 2006

Crime fight goes high-tech to protect kids, assets

Not long ago most people in Japan felt this was one of the most crime-free nations in the world, but recent high-profile, violent crimes have shattered that sense of security.
JAPAN
Jan 4, 2006

National cancer database in works

The health ministry is preparing a national database of registered cancer patients that will include their treatments and posttreatment condition in a bid to fight cancer, the No. 1 killer in Japan, according to ministry sources.
JAPAN
Jan 4, 2006

Female succession bill set for March

The government will present a bill amending the Imperial House Law to the Diet in early March that would authorize females and their descendants to ascend the throne, according to sources.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK
Jan 4, 2006

Letting laughter flow in our woods

Two years ago, we started running programs specially designed for visually challenged children in our forest near Kurohime among the Nagano Prefecture hills. Before getting started, our Afan Woodland Trust sent out a questionnaire asking the children what they would most like to do in the woods. The...
SOCCER / J. League
Jan 3, 2006

Ogasawara to train with Hammers

Japan and Kashima Antlers midfielder Mitsuo Ogasawara, who is seeking a transfer to a European club, will take part in training sessions at English Premier League side West Ham United this month, sources close to him said Sunday.
SOCCER / J. League
Jan 3, 2006

Reds end 25-year wait with final victory

Urawa Reds beat Shimizu S-Pulse 2-1 at Tokyo's National Stadium on Sunday to win their first Emperor's Cup in 25 years.
MORE SPORTS
Jan 3, 2006

Japanese skaters set for Olympic venue test

Japanese figure skaters Fumie Suguri, Miki Ando and Daisuke Takahashi left Japan for Turin on Sunday to test the ice at the venue for their competition in the upcoming Turin Winter Olympics.
EDITORIALS
Jan 3, 2006

Asian democratic tide ebbs

Personal and political freedom is expanding around the globe. Freedom House, a U.S.-based nongovernmental organization that tracks these developments, reports that more people enjoy civil liberties than ever before. As is to be expected, the gains are uneven. Sadly, some of the worst abuses of freedom...
JAPAN
Jan 3, 2006

Tokyo slams China's denials in diplomat's suicide

A diplomatic spat between Japan and China over the suicide of a Japanese Consulate General official in Shanghai rippled further Sunday as Tokyo issued a statement calling Beijing's claims made a day earlier untrue and also noting there were "regrettable actions" taken by the Chinese side.
JAPAN
Jan 3, 2006

Program aims to reform domestic abusers

For years, Masaru Suzuki used threats and physical violence to control his wife. Whenever he did not get his way, he lashed out at her verbally or with hands that were all too ready to strike.
JAPAN / FRAMING THE FUTURE
Jan 3, 2006

Japan's quake-preparedness quest never-ending

Amid the scores of shoddily built high-rises connected to disgraced architect Hidetsugu Aneha, the fraud scandal may have had one positive outcome -- reawakening society's sense of urgency to prepare for a major earthquake.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Jan 3, 2006

Ex-Dragons boss Kondo dies at 80

Sadao Kondo, a Hall of Famer who was known for helping establish the division of labor for pitchers and who skippered the Chunichi Dragons and two other teams, died at a Tokyo hospital on Monday.
JAPAN
Jan 3, 2006

Ratings bring good news to NHK

The audience ratings for NHK's annual New Year's Eve music show, "Kohaku Utagassen" ("Red vs. White Song Contest"), improved last year, Video Research Ltd. said Monday, giving some encouragement to the scandal-hit public broadcaster.
JAPAN
Jan 3, 2006

Kawasaki foreign residents' panel has significant impact on city policy

In the nearly 10 years since its establishment, the Kawasaki City Representatives Assembly for Foreign Residents, an advisory body to the mayor made up of non-Japanese residents, has been largely successful.
MORE SPORTS
Jan 3, 2006

Fearless Japan ready for date with destiny

Japan coach Zico and his charges are under no illusions as to the scale of the task that awaits them at this year's World Cup finals.
JAPAN
Jan 3, 2006

Small manufacturers seek niche in space

For years, small manufacturers in the greater Tokyo area have been trying to market their technologies for space-related projects, hoping that work by their master craftspeople will find its way into rockets and satellites.
JAPAN
Jan 3, 2006

Road deaths drop to 49-year low

The death toll from traffic accidents dropped to 6,871 last year, down by 487 from the previous year and less than 7,000 for the first time since 1956, the National Police Agency said Monday.

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