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BUSINESS
May 9, 2006

Isetan group net profit leaps 48.3%

Department store chain Isetan Co. said Monday its group net profit in fiscal 2005 jumped 48.3 percent from the previous year to 18.71 billion yen due to good sales at the parent company's stores and its overseas arms, as well as the consolidation of Kyushu-based Iwataya Department Co. into its results....
BUSINESS
May 9, 2006

Hanshin board fight seen heating up

The tug of war between Hanshin Electric Railway Co. and its largest shareholder, the Murakami fund, is expected to heat up this week over the selection of Hanshin board members, with a Murakami candidate for the board demanding an explanation from Hanshin for its objection to his candidacy.
JAPAN
May 9, 2006

Estranged boyfriend, 27, admits killing Kobe girl, 16

A 27-year-old man was arrested Monday in connection with the stabbing death of a 16-year-old girl in the parking lot of a convenience store in Nishi Ward, Kobe, earlier in the day.
BUSINESS
May 9, 2006

EU to enforce chemical safety rules next spring

In a move expected to hit Japan's exporters in the pocketbook, the European Union is likely to begin enforcing a new environmental directive next spring that requires manufacturers and importers to ensure the safety of the chemicals they use and to assess their environmental effects, an EU official said...
COMMENTARY / World
May 9, 2006

Iran playing a good game

KUALA LUMPUR -- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice couldn't possibly have been more accurate when she accused Iran of "playing games" with the international community.
BUSINESS
May 9, 2006

Aiful halts lending as FSA punishment

Consumer lender Aiful Corp. suspended some operations at all of its nearly 1,900 outlets nationwide Monday in line with punishment meted out by the Financial Services Agency for illegal loan-collection tactics.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
May 9, 2006

Local fury at Hardy perennial

Last month, as they have every year for decades, a small crowd of people gathered under fat cherry blossoms in Tokyo's Aoyama Park, carrying red lanterns, placards and peace symbols.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WORDS TO LIVE BY
May 9, 2006

Kae Wakita

Kae Wakita, 35, is a dermatologist and owner of Skin Solution Clinic in Shintomicho, not far from Tokyo's Ginza area. A confessed workaholic, she is perfectly happy with her life but not with the state of the Japanese medical system. She does, however, have a few good ideas about how to treat this ailing...
MORE SPORTS
May 8, 2006

Oyama strong at Salonpas, sails to top of moneyleaders

Shiho Oyama maintained her comfortable lead with a final-round 70 to win the Salonpas World Ladies by six shots Sunday, claiming her fifth career victory on the Japan LPGA tour and second of the year.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
May 8, 2006

Marines add RHP Miller

The Chiba Lotte Marines said Sunday they have acquired the services of 28-year-old right-hander Justin Miller.
MORE SPORTS
May 8, 2006

Logic a winner in NHK Mile Cup

Though one would be a fool to think logic played any role in horse racing, it did prove a winner Sunday at Tokyo Racecourse, at least for a colt by that name and those who put their money behind him.
EDITORIALS
May 8, 2006

Bracing for a new level of oil prices

Oil prices hovering at a historically high level are threatening to destabilize the world economy. Domestically they could exert a cooling effect on the economy just as it appears to be emerging from a long period of deflation, thus undermining the foundation for economic recovery. The public is now...
MORE SPORTS
May 8, 2006

Lin fends off Gade in final

World No. 1 Lin Dan staved off a spirited challenge from Peter Gade as China walloped Denmark 3-0 to win its second consecutive Thomas Cup men's world team badminton title and sixth overall on Sunday.
COMMENTARY / World
May 8, 2006

Philippine terror havens threaten region

CANBERRA -- The presence of insurgent or terrorist sanctuaries in nonbelligerent countries is one of the most intractable, explosive issues in international relations. It was a central fact of the Vietnam War, brought about the destruction of Lebanon, and continues to plague the coalition in Iraq. It...
JAPAN
May 8, 2006

11 postal rebels to campaign for LDP

Eleven out of 26 postal rebels, who were kicked out of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party for refusing to vote for Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's postal privatization bills, are ready to support LDP candidates in the House of Councilors election next summer.
JAPAN
May 8, 2006

Sony turns a tumultuous 60 years old

Sony Corp. marked the 60th anniversary of its founding Sunday at a time when the company is struggling to regain its glory with a full recovery in its core electronics business.
SOCCER / J. League
May 8, 2006

Reds outclass Kashima in J. League showdown

SAITAMA -- Shinji Ono and Washington scored two goals apiece as Urawa Reds got their title challenge back on track with a 4-0 thrashing of Kashima Antlers on Sunday.
COMMENTARY
May 8, 2006

Never give an inch to China

Tokyo's propensity for getting into territorial and maritime boundary disputes with its neighbors seems large. And if the disputes with China escalate any further, they could make the recent confrontation with South Korea over the Takeshima islets (Dokdo in Korean) look tame.
COMMENTARY / World
May 8, 2006

Japan's 'strategy' criticized

Most of the Southeast Asian intellectuals and lawmakers I met with recently while visiting the region made remarks critical of Japan's regional strategies. Some said Japan was unenthusiastic about negotiations on economic cooperation with Southeast Asian countries and instead was giving priority to solving...
COMMENTARY
May 8, 2006

China unlikely to double-deal over Korea

LOS ANGELES -- China is acting in bad faith on the Korean nuclear issue. That's the provocative suggestion now coming from some Western intelligence circles. It's a scary, foul and ultimately upsetting thought. It may also be wrong.
JAPAN
May 8, 2006

Mahjong banking on an infusion of new blood

shows banker Liam Hearns which tile to discard during a mahjong lesson in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo.

Longform

Once smoky, male-dominated spaces, today's net cafes, like Kaikatsu Club, are working to make their operations more attractive to women customers.
The second life of Japan's net cafes