search

 
 
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Mar 19, 2006

LaRocca provides even more punch to lineup of Swallows

The Hanshin Tigers have their "JFK" pitching relay, but now the Tokyo Yakult Swallows can counter with their "LIRR" quartet of sluggers. No, it's not the Long Island Railroad, but second baseman Greg LaRocca, third sacker Akinori Iwamura, left fielder Alex Ramirez and first baseman Adam Riggs.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Mar 19, 2006

Japan players primed for semi with S. Korea

SAN DIEGO -- Team Japan's got the big smile down. All it needs now is the big win.
EDITORIALS
Mar 19, 2006

Speaking clearly in the Diet

So, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has gone out on a limb and suggested that Japanese lawmakers engaging in debate in the Diet should speak in Japanese. Last week he reportedly chided an opposition member for asking a question sprinkled with English-language terms. On the one hand, that seems reasonable....
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 19, 2006

Chicken farm operator held over obstruction

MITO, Ibaraki Pref. (Kyodo) Police said Saturday they arrested the former owner of a chicken farm operation in Ibaraki Prefecture on suspicion he colluded with other veterinarians at the company to obstruct inspections for avian flu.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 19, 2006

Africa's clock ticking on bird flu virus

NEW YORK -- The spread of avian flu to Africa and Europe, although expected, is unwelcome news. In the last few weeks the disease has reached several states in northern Nigeria and Niger. Together with other countries in West Africa, they are on the bird migratory route from Central Asia and the Middle...
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Mar 19, 2006

WBC experience has Tamura thinking big

SAN DIEGO -- Hitoshi Tamura is not only a growing slugger in Japan, but he's also drawing attention on the World (Baseball Classic) stage.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Mar 19, 2006

Wrapping paper that influenced l'art japonais of Paris

HOTEI ENCYCLOPEDIA OF JAPANESE WOODBLOCK PRINTS; edited by Amy Reigle Newland; specialist advisers: Julie Nelson Davis, Oikawa Shigeru, Ellis Tinios, Chris Uhlenbeck; foreword by Suzuki Juzo. Amsterdam: Hotei Publishing, 2005, two volumes in slipcase, 528 pp., 140 color and 140 b/w illustrations, $249...
JAPAN
Mar 19, 2006

Benefits for war-displaced Japanese eyed

A team from the coalition government is studying a plan to offer old-age pension benefits to war-displaced Japanese who have come from China to Japan for resettlement, according to coalition sources.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Mar 19, 2006

Popular TV hosts weep in TBS's "Tokumitsu & Azumi's Moving Reunions" and more

Some TV presenters are famous for their voices, others for their piquant opinions or sense of humor. Veteran Kazuo Tokumitsu and relative newcomer Shinichiro Azumi are vastly different in terms of vocal timbre and personality, but they share one unusual trait: they can weep at the drop of a hat.
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 19, 2006

Magrao's goals help Marinos stay perfect

YOKOHAMA -- Yokohama F. Marinos maintained their 100 percent start to the season with a 3-1 win over Cerezo Osaka at Nissan Stadium on Saturday.
Japan Times
LIFE / WEEK 3
Mar 19, 2006

Is this really just good fun?

You couldn't miss him if you tried: The guy in the skintight black vest and hotpants is popping up wherever you look in Japan these days, thrusting his pelvis on television, striking his signature "Y" pose on magazine covers and boasting about his beefy workouts in subway ads.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Mar 19, 2006

Prefecture opts for foster-care plan to combat declining birthrate

A recent Associated Press poll found that Americans' views about abortion aren't very clear-cut. Only a small percentage of the respondents were in favor of either legalizing abortion completely or banning it outright. About 60 percent were somewhere in the middle. The AP took these results to mean that...
JAPAN
Mar 19, 2006

Prosecutors set to charge Livedoor's accountants

Prosecutors are getting ready to file criminal charges against accountants who did work for Livedoor Co. as part of their investigation into the Internet and financial services firm's alleged accounting fraud in 2004, prosecution sources said.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Mar 19, 2006

Stirring time spent among rebellious free spirits

I have just returned from a remarkable trip to Dresden, Berlin, Warsaw and Krakow, a trip made all the more remarkable for three commemorative events that took place in Poland while I was there.
Japan Times
Features / WEEK 3
Mar 19, 2006

Creative expression is the need of their souls

Reciting in a rap rhythm, a young man read his poem in a low, strong voice as 10 others around him listened intently.
JAPAN
Mar 19, 2006

Protesters mark Iraq war anniversary

About 2,000 people rallied Saturday in a downtown Tokyo park to mark the third anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and demand that Japanese and other coalition troops pull out, a protest organizer said.

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