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COMMENTARY / World
Apr 25, 2006

The oil party is finally over

LONDON -- Welcome to the world of $70-per-barrel oil. That's if there is no crisis in the Persian Gulf over Iran's nuclear ambitions. If there is, then get ready for $140 a barrel. Oil briefly breached the $70 barrier eight months ago, but this time it is going up for good.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Apr 25, 2006

Aso family's 'slave' link under scrutiny

While Taro Aso's public statements as foreign minister have done little to help ease tensions between Tokyo and the rest of Asia, a family connection to wartime forced labor has raised further questions over his ability to oversee good relations with Japan's neighbors.
JAPAN
Apr 25, 2006

Survey near disputed isles tied to moves by S. Korea

Japan may conduct a maritime survey near the disputed islets in the Sea of Japan if South Korea proposes naming seafloor topography near the area in the future, Vice Foreign Minister Shotaro Yachi said Monday.
BUSINESS
Apr 25, 2006

TSE resumes normal trading hours

The Tokyo Stock Exchange returned to normal operating hours Monday, with the afternoon session starting at 12:30 p.m., ending three months of shortened hours to prevent the exchange's computers from crashing.
BUSINESS
Apr 25, 2006

Dollar, TSE fall draw Abe remarks

Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe said Monday that financial markets should "reflect Japanese economic fundamentals," in response to the yen's surge against the dollar and declines by Tokyo stocks in the morning.
MORE SPORTS
Apr 24, 2006

Kitajima saves face in 100m

Double Olympic breaststroke champion Kosuke Kitajima salvaged his pride on the final day of the national swimming championships Sunday, rebounding from a pair of losses to stretch his winning streak in the 100 meters.
Rugby
Apr 24, 2006

Japan stays unbeaten in qualifiers

Japan maintained its spotless record with a 50-14 victory over South Korea on Sunday to advance to the final qualifying round for the 2007 rugby World Cup.
MORE SPORTS
Apr 24, 2006

Tsukada notches fifth straight title

Olympic gold medalist Maki Tsukada won her fifth consecutive title with an ippon victory over Mai Tateyama at the women's national judo championship on Sunday.
EDITORIALS
Apr 24, 2006

Death to the Doha Round?

Mr. Joshua Bolten, the new chief of staff for U.S. President George W. Bush, is cleaning house in the White House. Mr. Bolten has two objectives: to restore the luster to the Bush presidency as it enters its final two years and help Republican candidates in the 2006 midterm elections. Yet, changes in...
MORE SPORTS
Apr 24, 2006

Japan advances in Fed Cup

Aiko Nakamura won her singles match against Nicole Riner of Switzerland on Sunday to give Japan an insurmountable lead in their Fed Cup World Group 2 matchup and a place in a playoff in July.
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
Apr 24, 2006

An unnaturally smooth naturalization?

NEW YORK -- I became an American citizen on March 31. The steps for citizenship were simple and easy, and the process took an unexpectedly short time. I experienced neither "the law's delay" nor "the insolence of office."
COMMENTARY
Apr 24, 2006

Asian leaders acting badly: the makings of nightmares

LOS ANGELES -- Paging Dr. Geopolitical Freud! It's an emergency.
COMMENTARY
Apr 24, 2006

A textbook contradiction

Japanese school-textbook publishers are puzzled over contradictory moves recently made by separate administrative authorities. The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology imposed government views on the publishers when it announced the results of screening of textbooks for high...
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Apr 24, 2006

Fiscal policymakers seek Japan's true potential

An intense debate is raging among three of the nation's top fiscal panels on how to reform state revenues and expenditures in an integrated manner. The bodies are the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy, the Liberal Democratic Party's fiscal reform panel, and the fiscal system council of the Finance...
JAPAN
Apr 24, 2006

For female 'otaku,' a coffee house all their own

Opening the thick wooden door to the Swallowtail coffee house in Tokyo, a man in a black tailcoat greets female customers: "Welcome home, Madam."
MORE SPORTS
Apr 23, 2006

Olympic champs Kitajima, Shibata beaten again

Olympic gold medalists Kosuke Kitajima and Ai Shibata both lost for the second time in three days while Tomomi Morita set a Japanese record for the second straight day at the national swimming championships Saturday.

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