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COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Nov 6, 2005

Say 'cheese' and snap out of such fanciful thinking

Foreign-ministers-in-waiting don't drop clangers for nothing. When the then Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Taro Aso spoke last month at the newly-opened Kyushu National Museum in Dazaifu, Fukuoka Prefecture, he fully expected his clanger to resound and reverberate when it hit the ground....
Japan Times
Features
Nov 6, 2005

Surveying a state of change

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi led his Liberal Democratic Party to a landslide victory in the Sept. 11 general election he called as a de facto referendum on his drive to privatize postal services.
JAPAN
Nov 6, 2005

Komeito chief urges ministers to avoid shrine

." Visits by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and other leading politicians to Yasukuni, which enshrines 14 convicted World War II Class-A criminals along with Japan's war dead, have repeatedly sparked strong protests from China, South Korea and other Asian countries that see the shrine as a symbol...
JAPAN
Nov 6, 2005

1905 treaty paving way to annexing Korea illegal: scholars

OSAKA -- While much of the world has been thinking of 2005 as the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II, this year for Japan's Korean community has more relevance as the 100th anniversary of a treaty that made Korea a protectorate of Japan and paved the way for eventual annexation and colonization....
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Nov 6, 2005

The dangerous liaisons of ambassadors to China

AMBASSADORS FROM THE ISLANDS OF IMMORTALS: China-Japan Relations in the Han-Tang Period, by Wang Zhenping. Honolulu: Association for Asian Studies/University of Hawai'i Press, 2005, 388 pp., with illustrations, $53.00 (cloth). Relations between Japan and China may be troubled right now, but then they...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Nov 6, 2005

The media is insuring itself, but is failing to assure the people

Japan has a reputation for being a shoppers paradise, but while Japanese consumers are considered savvy and discriminating, they aren't necessarily safe from those who would want to take advantage of them.
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Nov 5, 2005

Never too early to push panic button

NEW YORK -- Each season around this time extremist fans and militant members of the media corroborate it's never too early to overreact.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Nov 5, 2005

Troubles continue to grow for struggling Manchester United

LONDON -- In the ideal world most neutrals would like both Manchester United and Chelsea to lose when the clubs meet at Old Trafford on Sunday.
SOCCER / J. League
Nov 5, 2005

Abe, Sato want Cup

JEF United Chiba midfielders Yuki Abe and Yuto Sato are determined to reward manager Ivica Osim with a title they feel he richly deserves when they take on J. League leader Gamba Osaka in the Nabisco Cup final.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Nov 5, 2005

Kanemoto, Sugiuchi garner top honors in Central, Pacific

Hanshin Tigers outfielder Tomoaki Kanemoto and Softbank Hawks lefty Toshiya Sugiuchi were named the Most Valuable Players in their respective leagues for the 2005 season on Friday.
JAPAN
Nov 5, 2005

Tsushima named to head former Hashimoto faction

The Liberal Democratic Party faction once led by former Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto chose ex-health minister Yuji Tsushima on Friday as its new chief, ending a leadership vacuum that existed since July 2004 in the wake of a political donation scandal.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 5, 2005

Unseen Mishima works set for release

A large amount of previously unreleased material written by the late Yukio Mishima will be published in December as part of a 42-volume set of complete works, sources said Friday.
EDITORIALS
Nov 5, 2005

A rough week for Mr. Bush

Last week was rough for U.S. President George W. Bush. A top official in the White House was indicted, his Supreme Court nominee withdrew her name from consideration, the U.S. military sustained its 2,000th death in Iraq, and opinion polls show a majority of Americans unhappy with their president. While...
JAPAN
Nov 5, 2005

Heads roll at Meiji Yasuda as severity of scandal sinks in

Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co. said Friday that 11 executives, including President Ryotaro Kaneko, will step down Nov. 30 to take responsibility for the company's repeated failure to pay legitimate insurance claims.
EDITORIALS
Nov 5, 2005

Unacceptable rhetoric from Iran

The statement by Iran's president, Mr. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, that Israel should be "wiped off the map" is unacceptable. Apart from purely moral objections, there are legal issues too: As a member of the United Nations, Iran has agreed never to use force or threaten the use of force against other countries....
JAPAN
Nov 5, 2005

Nukaga to talk base plans in Okinawa

The U.S. Marine Corps began a live-fire exercise Friday morning at the Self-Defense Forces training ground in Yamanashi Prefecture, the Yokohama Defense Facilities Administration Bureau said. According to the bureau, about 180 marines from artillery units stationed in Okinawa Prefecture are participating...
JAPAN
Nov 5, 2005

High cost, lack of awareness hurt flu shot efforts

More people are receiving flu and pneumonia vaccines, particularly among older people, but the rate of inoculation is still relatively low despite the approach of flu season.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / CABINET INTERVIEW
Nov 5, 2005

Japan Post's private units will need business leaders

When the gigantic Japan Post takes its first steps toward privatization in October 2007, the reins should be held by people who have had experience heading private businesses, Heizo Takenaka, who doubles as minister in charge of postal privatization and minister of internal affairs and communications,...
BUSINESS
Nov 5, 2005

Japan invited to attend trade liberalization talks

Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Shoichi Nakagawa said Friday he will participate in ministerial talks on global trade liberalization in London.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Nov 5, 2005

Beverly Nakamura

"Although Japan gives the impression of being a rich country, there is still need out there. Everything cannot be covered. The International Ladies Benevolent Society tries to fill the cracks that get overlooked. ILBS still means a great deal to a lot of people and institutions. I am proud to be part...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / CABINET INTERVIEW
Nov 5, 2005

Nakagawa hints at WTO compromise

Newly appointed farm minister Shoichi Nakagawa says Japan needs to make compromises where it can to contribute to progress in market-opening talks under the World Trade Organization.
BUSINESS
Nov 5, 2005

Final TBS answer to come this month

Senior officials of Tokyo Broadcasting System Inc. told Rakuten Inc. on Friday they will present the TV broadcaster's final answer to the online shopping mall operator's merger proposal by the end of the month.

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