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Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / NEW ART SEEN
Dec 1, 2005

Getting a little help from friends

Federico Herrero made a splash with his wall paintings of weirdly morphed animals at the 2001 Venice Biennale and, at age 22, became the youngest-ever winner of the prestigious art fair's Golden Lion Award. In the wake of that success, the Costa Rican-born painter garnered international representation...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Dec 1, 2005

The reign of Vivienne

From being prosecuted under Britain's obscenity laws for her risque punk fashions to twirling pantyless after receiving an honor from the Queen whose image she once defaced with safety pins, Vivienne Westwood has always had a habit of causing controversy.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 1, 2005

Rakuten and TBS bury hatchet, agree to start tieup talks

After intense 11th-hour negotiations, Rakuten Inc. and Tokyo Broadcasting System Inc. agreed Wednesday to launch talks on potential business tieups after the Internet firm withdrew its proposal to merge with the private broadcaster.
BUSINESS
Dec 1, 2005

Salaried workers' pay still rising

Salaried workers' standard monthly pay averaged 254,066 yen in October, up 0.5 percent from a year earlier for the seventh straight monthly rise, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Dec 1, 2005

Seibu to shut anemic Shizuoka, Toyama outlets by end of '06

Seibu Department Stores Ltd. plans to close its outlets in the cities of Toyama and Shizuoka by the end of 2006, it was learned Wednesday.
COMMENTARY
Dec 1, 2005

Trying to stem controversy in South Korea

LOS ANGELES -- The people of South Korea have responded to the stem-cell scandal involving genius-innovator Hwang Woo Suk with admittedly excessive passion and near-unanimous conviction. Still, by rallying around their amazing Seoul National University pioneer, their support should be a comfort to risk-taking...
BUSINESS
Dec 1, 2005

Shinsei Bank doubles revenue in first half

Shinsei Bank said Wednesday its group operating revenue in the fiscal first half more than doubled from the year before to 253.61 billion yen as it consolidated the earnings results of its new consumer-loan and leasing-service units into the group results.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 1, 2005

Global robot exhibition gets under way

The 2005 International Robot Exhibition, one of the world's largest of its kind, opened Wednesday at the Tokyo International Exhibition Center, also known as Tokyo Big Sight, for a four-day run through Saturday.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 1, 2005

China juggles growth, stability

SINGAPORE -- As China's annual Central Economic Conference gets under-way in Beijing early this month, Beijing looks set to sustain the new social-economic shift that was laid out by the 5th Plenum of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CCP) in mid-October. The plenum signaled the...
BUSINESS
Dec 1, 2005

Steps finalized to pare 654 billion yen in subsidies to localities

The government and ruling parties finalized measures Wednesday that will cut 654 billion yen in subsidies to local governments and transfer 610 billion yen worth of tax authority to them in fiscal 2006.
BUSINESS
Dec 1, 2005

Seniors to pay more for medical service

The government and Liberal Democratic Party-New Komeito ruling coalition agreed Wednesday to raise medical costs for the elderly in two stages, starting in 2006.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 1, 2005

U.S. English-only laws harm immigrants

SANTA MARIA, California -- The Latino population has increased 500 percent in the past 15 years in State Rep. Courtney Combs' district, located between Cincinnati and Dayton. That has created a communication problem between residents and government officials, according to Combs, a Republican.
JAPAN
Dec 1, 2005

Shocked reactions to suspect's arrest

Japanese-Peruvians living here expressed shock and worried about their community's image after a man of Peruvian and Japanese descent was arrested Wednesday in connection with the murder of a 7-year-old girl in Hiroshima.
MORE SPORTS
Nov 30, 2005

Japan, S. Korea drawn together

Host Japan will play archrival South Korea, Poland, Kenya, Taiwan and Costa Rica in Group A in the first round of the women's tournament at next year's world volleyball championships.
BASEBALL / MLB
Nov 30, 2005

Matsui returns home after his 'disappointing' season

New York Yankees outfielder Hideki Matsui returned to Japan on Tuesday and said he feels disappointed with his performance this year despite posting career-best numbers in some key batting categories.
MORE SPORTS
Nov 30, 2005

Rally driver Shinozuka to call it quits

Veteran rally driver Kenjiro Shinozuka, the first Japanese to win the Paris-Dakar Rally in January 1997, said Tuesday he will retire after the upcoming annual off-road race beginning Dec. 31.
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Nov 30, 2005

Guts and glory the key elements to the Takahashi story

Is there anything more compelling in sports than a once great champion, who has been written off by just about everybody, recapturing their former glory in dramatic fashion?
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 30, 2005

Lawmakers check Aneha-tainted building

Lawmakers visited the building site Tuesday morning of a condominium complex that was designed using quake-resistance data fabricated by Chiba-based architect Hidetsugu Aneha as part of their investigation into the shoddy construction fraud.
JAPAN
Nov 30, 2005

Rakuten may accept TBS compromise from Mizuho

Rakuten Inc. and Tokyo Broadcasting System Inc. are on course to accept a compromise plan that would have the Internet shopping-mall operator drop its integration proposal and enter into fresh tieup talks with the broadcaster, financial sources said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Nov 30, 2005

Tainted-blood victims speak in court

Two women infected with the hepatitis C virus through tainted blood products told the Tokyo District Court on Tuesday how they suffer with the life-threatening disease.
JAPAN
Nov 30, 2005

Moviemaking sector, state seeking to foster young talent

Film production and distribution companies are reviving efforts to foster young directors and other moviemaking professionals.
JAPAN
Nov 30, 2005

Charity swim event to aid Thai tsunami orphans

Two foreign athletes who survived the South Asian tsunamis last year will hold a charity swimming event in Thailand on Dec. 24 to raise funds for Thai children who lost parents in the disaster.
EDITORIALS
Nov 30, 2005

China's environmental challenge

Achemical spill on China's Songhua River is a grim reminder of the costs attendant to China's breakneck economic development. The release of toxic chemicals underscores three sets of challenges that China faces as it modernizes: environmental practices of its businesses, government's response to the...
JAPAN
Nov 30, 2005

New envoys for East Timor, Algeria

The government on Tuesday appointed Kenji Shimizu, a consul general in Kolkata, India, as ambassador to East Timor, and Kunio Shimizu, a former ambassador to Nicaragua, as Japan's top envoy in Algeria, the Foreign Ministry said.
JAPAN
Nov 30, 2005

Aso wants Rice focused on Asia

Foreign Minister Taro Aso said Tuesday he will make a three-day trip to the United States starting Friday to talk with his U.S. counterpart, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, on security and other issues.
JAPAN
Nov 30, 2005

Asbestos-relief bill may hit 27 billion yen

The government revealed Tuesday that thousands of buildings nationwide, including public facilities, pose asbestos exposure risks while unveiling a draft bill to pay 27 billion yen in compensation to the people affected.

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