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JAPAN
Jan 5, 2006

Ishihara's Hinomaru order called legit

Prosecutors will not indict Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara and two others for ordering Tokyo public school teachers to stand before the Hinomaru flag and sing the national anthem at school ceremonies, sources said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jan 5, 2006

December coldest to date

Last month was the coldest December on record in most parts of Japan as a series of powerful cold air masses moved over the country, according to a Meteorological Agency survey released Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jan 5, 2006

Koizumi kicks off new year defiant toward Beijing, Seoul

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi criticized China and South Korea during his New Year's news conference Wednesday, claiming it is Beijing and Seoul, not Tokyo, that should work to resolve their long-standing gripes over his repeated visits to Yasukuni Shrine.
BUSINESS
Jan 5, 2006

Ito-Yokado to keep more stores open

Supermarket chain Ito-Yokado Co. is scaling back its plans to close over 30 stores by February 2009, an official with parent firm Seven & I Holdings Co. said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Jan 5, 2006

DoCoMo in talks for 5% stake in Philippine telecom firm

NTT DoCoMo Inc. is negotiating to buy into Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co., the largest telecommunications firm in the Philippines, company officials said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Jan 5, 2006

Antimonopoly revision takes hold

A revised antimonopoly law featuring lenient punishment for those who come clean about their illegal business activities, including collusive bidding and cartels, took effect Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Jan 5, 2006

Department store sales start strong

Department stores enjoyed brisk sales in the new year as customers rushed to buy "fukubukuro," or lucky bags, filled with a mixture of sale items and luxury goods, retailers said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Jan 5, 2006

TSE vows to fix systems as stocks resume climb

Tokyo stocks opened 2006 on a festive note Wednesday, the year's first day of trading, as Tokyo Stock Exchange officials vowed to restore public confidence in the world's second-largest bourse, which was shaken by computer problems last year.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 5, 2006

U.S.-China ideological rivalry heats up

WASHINGTON -- Two recent events in Asia have again directly underscored the "ideological" tussle between Washington and Beijing, which is increasingly seen as a benevolent power and even as offering a model for socioeconomic development. As Asian leaders gathered last month in Kuala Lumpur for the East...
COMMENTARY
Jan 5, 2006

Deal harms Indian interests

NEW DELHI -- A real problem of an ever-shifting goal post has cast a cloud over America's current negotiations with India to implement a much-heralded nuclear deal that is supposed to showcase the emerging global partnership between the world's most powerful and most populous democracies. Seeking to...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jan 5, 2006

Meissen porcelain: Europa's bulls in the China shop

Fragility can sometimes add to beauty -- one of the reasons for the affection for the short-lived cherry blossom. The more fleeting, unstable, or breakable something is, the less likely its beauty will be taken for granted.
MORE SPORTS
Jan 4, 2006

Obic Seagulls rumble by Hosei

The X League champion Obic Seagulls scored four touchdowns in the first half en route to a 47-17 romp over Hosei University to win their first Rice Bowl in seven years on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jan 4, 2006

Income disparities rising in Japan

During the period of high postwar economic growth, most people in Japan came to consider themselves part of a middle class.
JAPAN
Jan 4, 2006

New Year's travelers begin return to Tokyo

The annual New Year's return to the capital peaked Tuesday as travelers laden with luggage and gifts from their hometowns and other destinations packed trains, airports and expressways into the night.
JAPAN
Jan 4, 2006

Pet businesses going to the dogs -- to their owners' delight

Two-year-old Melon slept on a small bed at one of the many beauty salons in Tokyo's Daikanyama shopping district, under a mist of negatively charged ions that reputedly reduces stress.
JAPAN
Jan 4, 2006

Big firms predict uptrend to set record

More than 80 major domestic firms out of 100 expect economic expansion to continue at least until the second half of 2006, according to a Kyodo News survey released Tuesday.
EDITORIALS
Jan 4, 2006

Fading image of safety

Japan was once thought to be one of the safest countries to live in by residents as well as visitors. But a series of incidents the past year suggest that this is no longer the case. Crimes and accidents have cost people their lives, while the shirking of responsibility and business ethics on the part...

Longform

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
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