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JAPAN
Dec 23, 2005

Pyongyang talks to push three topics

Tokyo will try to get Pyongyang to commit to "three-track talks" on the abductions, security and settlement of Japan's past harsh rule during their weekend bilateral meeting, Foreign Minister Taro Aso said Thursday.
JAPAN
Dec 23, 2005

Political parties' fundraising under 300 billion yen, off 10%

Political parties and affiliated organizations collected a combined 290.8 billion yen in political funds in 2004, a 9.8 percent decline from the previous year and below the 300 billion yen mark for the second time since the early 1990s, a Kyodo News survey revealed Thursday.
JAPAN
Dec 23, 2005

New after-school care program eyed

In light of recent crimes and accidents involving children after school, the government is considering a pilot program for people who stay at home to provide after-school care for kids whose parents work, officials announced Wednesday.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / BEST BAR NONE
Dec 23, 2005

Plenty of ways to howl in the new year

Once again, it is time to make that all-important decision about where to spend the magic midnight moment when the calendar starts anew. According to the Chinese zodiac, the cock will pass his hat on to the dog. And, as usual, there are several options for parties where, this year, you can let out a...
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Dec 23, 2005

Toast New Yearat the movies

Anyone preferring a more sedate New Year's Eve instead of a night on the town need look no further than Countdown Movie Festival 2006 at Shinjuku's Milano-za theater, Dec. 31. Not only are revelers guaranteed a seat, but they can also catch three films that have yet to be released in Japan. The films,...
BUSINESS
Dec 23, 2005

Nojima to acquire Tower's Wave

Nojima Corp. said Thursday it will acquire a 100 percent stake in music store chain Wave Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of Tower Records Japan Inc., as early as January.
CULTURE / Music
Dec 23, 2005

Medeski Martin & Wood

Medeski Martin & Wood was one of the first pure jazz groups who crossed over big time with the nascent jam band crowd in the mid-1990s. All three members -- keyboardist John Medeski, drummer Billy Martin and bassist Chris Wood -- were fixtures on the avant-garde downtown music scene in New York in the...
JAPAN
Dec 23, 2005

Cram schools are urged to bolster security steps

The government will urge cram schools to strengthen their existing guidelines to ensure student safety, following the fatal stabbing of a 12-year-old girl by a part-time teacher in Kyoto Prefecture earlier this month, a government official said Thursday.
CULTURE / Music
Dec 23, 2005

Yebisu 06 New Year's Party

For those of you looking to usher in the new year to a homegrown sound, Yebisu 06 New Year's Party at Ebisu Garden Hall might be your thing. Playing live will be Pe'z, who may or may not explain where their superfluous apostrophe comes from, but who will certainly be rocking some pop-jazz chic embellished...
COMMENTARY
Dec 23, 2005

Britain's new political setup

LONDON -- Just as commentators have been writing about a fundamentally new political "setup" in Japan, following Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's overwhelming election victory, so also the same language is being used about British politics.
BUSINESS
Dec 23, 2005

KDDI to tie up with Qualcomm

KDDI Corp. will tie up with Qualcomm Inc., a U.S. wireless communication technology company, to start a broadcasting business for cell phones, sources said Thursday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / THE SECOND ROOM
Dec 23, 2005

All I want for Christmas

Dear Santa, I hope this letter doesn't freak you out. I realize that it's been three decades since I last wrote to you, but I have been keeping your spirit alive all this time, albeit mostly as a child-management tool. I swear, this will be my last request of you.
BUSINESS
Dec 23, 2005

S&P set to rate BTM-UFJ highly

Standard & Poor's Ratings Service said Thursday it expects to assign on Jan. 3 a long-term counterparty credit rating of A to Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, a new bank that will form Jan. 1 through the merger of BTM and UFJ Bank.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 23, 2005

Agency expects coldest winter since '85

The Meteorological Agency revised its prediction Thursday and said this winter would be the coldest one seen in the past two decades.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Dec 23, 2005

A slow dive into Ishigakijima

You quit the airport and drive along roads flanked with palm trees, past fields of tall sugar cane and stone-walled gardens bristling with red hibiscus flowers, and it's clear that you've arrived in a very different part of Japan.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 23, 2005

East Timorese still searching for justice

EAST TIMOR -- East Timor's 800,000 citizens are finding that the truth does not set them free and that justice and reconciliation is elusive. A recent report published by East Timor's Commission of Reception, Truth and Reconciliation (CAVR) estimates that there were a minimum of 102,800 conflict-related...
BUSINESS
Dec 23, 2005

Five major automakers increase overseas output

Japan's five major automakers increased overseas production in November after four of them saw falls in domestic sales, according to figures released Thursday by the five.
JAPAN
Dec 23, 2005

Population already contracting

Japan's population has started shrinking for the first time this year, health ministry data showed Thursday, presenting the government with pressing challenges on the social and economic front, including ensuring provision of social security services and securing the labor force.
BUSINESS
Dec 23, 2005

Japan to speed up patent exams

Japan will speed up patent examinations by increasing the number of examiners, promoting outsourcing and urging industries to be more selective in filing application cases, the Japan Patent Office said Thursday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 23, 2005

Echoes of Egoyan's mind

With "Where the Truth Lies," his 10th film, Canada's leading art-house director Atom Egoyan had reason to believe this would be his crossover hit. With Hollywood stars in his cast and a script based on a gleefully seedy novel by Rupert Holmes (once a singer who scored big with "The Pina Colada Song"),...
BUSINESS
Dec 23, 2005

Banks allowed to sell more insurance products

Banks will be allowed to sell more insurance products over the counter, the government announced Thursday.
BUSINESS
Dec 23, 2005

State allocates 50 billion yen in 2006 budget

The government announced Thursday how to spend an as-yet-unallocated 50 billion yen in the 79.69 trillion yen fiscal 2006 budget.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 23, 2005

Cold weather fuels even higher kerosene prices

An increased demand for kerosene due to recent unusually cold weather has pushed retail prices of the heating oil to record highs.
CULTURE / Music
Dec 23, 2005

New Year's Eve Jazz

On New Year's Eve, Tokyo's jazz shrines -- the many clubs, small and large, that cover the city -- offer great stops for a musical pilgrimage. Starting around 7 p.m. and ending at dawn, jazz musicians and fans pack in to play and hear their last -- and first -- notes of the year. "Auld Lang Syne" never...
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Dec 23, 2005

Marunouchi illuminations

The 7th annual Tokyo Millenario will be held Dec. 24-Jan. 1. The Millenario Christmas Lights Show will light up Naka-dori, the main street in Marunouchi. The Marunouchi Exit of JR Tokyo Station and the area around Tokyo International Forum in Yurakucho will also be illuminated.
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Dec 23, 2005

Kafka on the . . . wall

Scottish artist Jack McLean's exhibition of drawings "Kafka on the...," which runs through Dec. 31 at Artist Residency Tokyo (A.R.T.) Gallery in Tokyo, focuses on two Johnnie Walkers.

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