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COMMENTARY
Apr 28, 2006

Oasis of stability in Britain

LONDON -- The British are currently in one of those moods of self-congratulation and self-esteem that seizes them from time to time.
BUSINESS
Apr 28, 2006

MMC operating profit may signal end to dark days

Mitsubishi Motors Corp. reported Thursday it had an operating profit of 6.8 billion yen in fiscal 2005, its first profit in three years and a sign the firm may finally be coming out from under the weight of its defect coverup debacle.
BUSINESS
Apr 28, 2006

SMBC to be suspended from derivatives selling

Financial regulators said Thursday they will slap Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. with a six-month ban from May 15 on selling financial derivatives.
JAPAN
Apr 28, 2006

1.13 billion yen to crime victims in '05

The government paid about 1.13 billion yen in benefits to 394 crime victims and their relatives during fiscal 2005, down 114 million yen and 54 people from the previous year, the National Police Agency said in a report released Thursday.
BUSINESS
Apr 28, 2006

Earnings solid at JFE, Kobe Steel

Major steelmakers JFE Holdings Co. and Kobe Steel Ltd. both reported strong earnings Thursday for fiscal 2005 to March 31, thanks to robust domestic and overseas demand.
BUSINESS
Apr 28, 2006

Kinki Osaka chief to helm Resona

Resona Holdings Inc. will appoint Hiroyuki Mizuta, president of its affiliate, Kinki Osaka Bank, as the holding company's new president, sources close to the group said Thursday.
EDITORIALS
Apr 28, 2006

An unprecedented payment

Japan and the United States have reached an agreement on how they will share the cost of relocating 8,000 U.S. Marines plus some 9,000 dependents from Okinawa to Guam. Japan will shoulder 59 percent or $6.09 billion (710 billion yen) of the total $10.27 billion (1.2 trillion yen) cost.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Apr 28, 2006

Here be the land of the gods

You get them in research institutes, tucked away in small caves, perched atop spanking-new urban developments. Clamber up Mount Fuji and one is waiting there at the summit. Aside from desperately keen Shintoi aficionados, few people would complain that Japan suffers any dearth of shrines. While Shinto...
BUSINESS
Apr 28, 2006

TVs twist electronics earnings

Sales of flat-screen TVs proved pivotal to the fortunes of major consumer electronics makers Sony Corp., Hitachi Ltd. and Mitsubishi Electric Corp. in 2005, according to their annual reports released Thursday.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / BEST BAR NONE
Apr 28, 2006

A rockin' party out of bounds

Jiyugaoka is still one of the preferred residential and shopping areas for the well-heeled spawn of Tokyo's old-school money. By day, fancy patisseries with French names and sleek fashion boutiques cater to young ladies from well-to-do families out browsing for tea and cakes or designer clothes. By night,...
CULTURE / Music
Apr 28, 2006

Music Day Japan 2006

The concept of Music Day Japan was borrowed from Fe^te de la Musique, a vast free music festival held in France on the summer solstice. Founding the festival in 1982, the French cultural ministry has made sure that the wide range of music on offer consistently crosses generational boundaries.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Apr 28, 2006

Crafts collective opens up studio

The artisans of the Akeppiroge crafts collective will open up their homes and studios for the only time this year to visitors for an exhibition event to be held May 12-14 in Takashima, Shiga Prefecture -- a small scenic city on the western shore of Lake Biwa. Visitors are welcome from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m....
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Apr 28, 2006

Artist's mini worlds of clay

The online biography of clay artist Rinshiro Fujiki, born in Asahikawa City in Hokkaido in 1984, claims that at kindergarten he was "imprisoned" and forced to watch the TV series "Thunderbirds." The precocious Fujiki, who struggled at sports, then experienced what it was like to be the most popular boy...
BUSINESS
Apr 28, 2006

JR trio saw record sales, pretax profits in '05, despite crashes

Three major Japan Railway carriers Thursday reported record consolidated sales and pretax profits for fiscal 2005, led by strong demand for bullet train and conventional rail line travel, despite fatal train accidents involving two of them.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Apr 28, 2006

John Digweed still Kool

Ko Kimura's Kool party celebrates its 10th birthday at Club Yellow on April 28 with special guest DJ John Digweed. Kimura has been spinning house for over 20 years. The Kool parties, which regularly attract crowds of over 1,000, were started by Kimura and VJ E-male with the aim of providing a night of...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / THE SECOND ROOM
Apr 28, 2006

Psychedelic radar 04.28

Saturday, April 29
CULTURE / Music
Apr 28, 2006

Daisuke Kashiwa "April.#02"

Originally a member of postrock act Yodaka, Hiroshima's Daisuke Kashiwa decided in 2004 to set out on a solo career. After putting out a few limited issue CD-Rs, the 28-year-old musician has now released his first official album, "April.#02."
BUSINESS
Apr 28, 2006

JAXA, Asics plan ISS footwear line

Japan's space agency and Asics Corp. will jointly produce shoes to help prevent the loss of muscle strength in astronauts living in the weightlessness of space.
EDITORIALS
Apr 27, 2006

Defusing the islet issue

Last-minute diplomatic negotiations have defused a high-seas showdown between Japan and South Korea over Japan's plan to survey the ocean bed in the Sea of Japan near disputed islets known as Takeshima in Japan and Dokdo in South Korea.
EDITORIALS
Apr 27, 2006

Elections bode poorly for LDP

The results of three elections earlier this week could be a bad omen for Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and his Liberal Democratic Party. Ms. Kazumi Ota of the opposition Democratic Party of Japan defeated a candidate fielded by the LDP and supported by its coalition partner Komeito in a Lower House...

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