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COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Dec 25, 2005

Merry Christmas -- whether rendered as a fact or not

Today being Christmas Day, I think we should all come clean and dedicate ourselves to truth. When all is said and done (and pretty soon it may be), there is probably no person in the world as tortured over the truth these days as U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.
EDITORIALS
Dec 25, 2005

Ground floor of a scandal

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department and the Chiba and Kanagawa prefectural police launched a joint investigation Dec. 20 into Japan's building-design scandal, raiding more than 100 locations in Tokyo and five prefectures -- Chiba, Saitama, Fukuoka, Kumamoto and Miyazaki.
COMMENTARY / WASHINGTON UPDATE
Dec 25, 2005

Political 'capital' like dust in the wind

WASHINGTON -- What a year! When 2005 began, there was so much hope and optimism in Washington, even among us Democrats.
Features
Dec 25, 2005

Haruki Kadokawa: Spirits of the Yamato

Haruki Kadokawa is the closest Japanese equivalent to fabled Hollywood moguls like Sam Goldwyn or Howard Hughes in their glory days as master promoters and unrepentant egotists.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Dec 25, 2005

Cultural depths of celluloid

READING A JAPANESE FILM: Cinema in Context, by Keiko I. McDonald. Honolulu: Hawai'i University Press, 2005, 294 pp., photo illustrations. $20.00 (paper). Films are not only to be passively watched, they are also to be actively "read." The viewer deciphers not just the story but all the other indications...
JAPAN
Dec 25, 2005

Government streamlining bill planned

The Cabinet decided Saturday to submit a bill next year to demonstrate its resolve to maintain Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's initiative to streamline government agencies.
Features
Dec 25, 2005

The stuff of legend

She was named after the capital of Japan's first court. She was said by her crew to be more beautiful than a woman. She was the largest battleship in the world. She was the Yamato.
JAPAN
Dec 25, 2005

Four people die as snow continues to fall on Sea of Japan coast

Heavy snow fell Saturday in areas already blanketed by record amounts of snow for December, particularly along the Sea of Japan coast, causing avalanches and snarling transportation.
JAPAN
Dec 25, 2005

Cabinet approves austere 2006 budget worth 79.7 trillion yen

The Cabinet formally approved on Saturday a 79.686 trillion yen general account budget for fiscal 2006 that would help slow down growth of the nation's debt.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 25, 2005

Golden beaches bid ill will

SYDNEY -- Goodbye to the traditional Australian summer, surfing Pacific waves or lazing on golden beaches. Meet this summer's new beach sport, dodging gangs of racists trying to kill one another.
MORE SPORTS
Dec 24, 2005

Miyazato scaling back

Ai Miyazato wants to limit her appearances in Japan next season and said Friday she does not intend to play on the Japan LPGA tour until after the majors wrap up at the Women's British Open in August.
MORE SPORTS
Dec 24, 2005

Oda takes lead after short program at nationals

Nobunari Oda got off to a strong start in his quest for an Olympic berth when he took the lead over rival Daisuke Takahashi after the men's short program at the national championships Friday.
MORE SPORTS
Dec 24, 2005

Pan Pacific has loaded lineup

Defending champion Maria Sharapova will feature in a strong field of players at the 2006 Toray Pan Pacific Open, which also includes former world No. 1 Martina Hingis, organizers said Friday.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Dec 24, 2005

Mourinho alienating everyone but his players, Chelsea fans

LONDON -- Jose Mourinho seems to have found the 30-hour day.
MORE SPORTS
Dec 24, 2005

Asada, Valentine win FSAJ Awards

Figure skater Mao Asada, the Grand Prix Final and world junior champion this year, and Chiba Lotte Marines manager Bobby Valentine have been selected as the top Japanese and foreign sports figures for 2005 in voting by the Foreign Sportswriters Association of Japan.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Dec 24, 2005

Lotte raises Watanabe's salary

Lotte Marines submarine right-hander Shunsuke Watanabe re-signed Friday with the Japan Series champions for an estimated 140 million yen plus performance-based incentives of up to 10 million yen.
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Dec 24, 2005

Pacers determined to get rid of Artest

NEW YORK -- Just so there's no misunderstanding, Ron Artest's apology to one and all in Pacer Place has been for naught; Donnie Walsh and Larry Bird are committed to trading him as quickly as possible, which isn't helping them in their pursuit of Al Harrington in a three-way deal.
MORE SPORTS
Dec 24, 2005

Yoshida wins fourth straight title

Reigning Olympic and world champion Saori Yoshida won her fourth consecutive title while Kyoko Hamaguchi stretched her title streak to 10 at the national wrestling championships Friday.
JAPAN
Dec 24, 2005

Recorded crimes off 11% for year: NPA

The number of crimes recorded by police nationwide came to 2,103,648 in the 11 months to November, down 11 percent, or about 260,000, from the previous year, according to a survey released by the National Police Agency.
JAPAN
Dec 24, 2005

Prosecutors get papers on defense bid-rigging

The Defense Facilities Administration Agency has submitted documents tied to bid-rigging allegations over installation of electrical equipment, in response to a request from the Tokyo District Public Prosecutor's Office.
JAPAN
Dec 24, 2005

Pyongyang may resolve abduction question: report

North Korea may offer a solution to the current standoff with Tokyo over Pyongyang's abductions of Japanese citizens before Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi leaves office next September, in an effort to help normalize bilateral relations, according to a report released Friday by the Public Security Intelligence...
JAPAN
Dec 24, 2005

Japan-South Korea history panel may meet in January

The government is considering convening a second meeting of a joint Japanese-South Korean history study group in January, government sources said Friday.
JAPAN
Dec 24, 2005

Foreign worker ranks grow, diversify

A record high 198,380 foreigners were working in Japan as of June 1, up 10.2 percent from a year earlier, according to a recent survey by the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry.
JAPAN
Dec 24, 2005

Scandal-hit LDP vet Ito fudged on donations

Veteran politician Kosuke Ito failed to declare 59.64 million yen in political donations that he received from a Tokyo-based political organization between 1990 and 2002, according to sources.
JAPAN
Dec 24, 2005

Saitama boar rampage hurts trio

A large wild boar attacked two women and a man Friday outside an old people's home near Tokyo and was still on the loose, police said.

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