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JAPAN
Nov 10, 2005

Koizumi, Roh to meet in Pusan

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and South Korean President Roh Moo Hyun will hold a meeting Nov. 18 on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum summit to be held in Pusan, South Korea, the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo and the South Korean presidential office announced Wednesday.
JAPAN / CABINET INTERVIEW
Nov 10, 2005

Abe suggests he'll still go to Yasukuni in new post

Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe, a front runner to be the next prime minister, hinted Wednesday he will keep visiting the contentious Yasukuni Shrine.
JAPAN
Nov 10, 2005

Lawmakers discuss secular war memorial

Lawmakers launched a nonpartisan group Wednesday to consider building a secular war memorial to help resolve the controversy over Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's contentious visits to Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine.
JAPAN
Nov 10, 2005

Fall falling back and spring springing forward

A study by the Meteorological Agency says fall foliage is appearing more than two weeks later than about 50 years ago and spring flowers are blooming nearly 10 days earlier due to global warming, agency officials said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Nov 10, 2005

Artists decry museum merger plan

Painter Ikuo Hirayama and other prominent figures in the Japanese art world on Wednesday protested a proposal to integrate two national museums and a research institute on cultural assets because of financial difficulties.
BUSINESS
Nov 10, 2005

Lending up three months straight

The average daily balance of bank lending expanded 0.9 percent in October from a year earlier for the third straight month, after adjustment for special factors, the Bank of Japan said Wednesday.
SOCCER / J. League
Nov 10, 2005

Relegation may disqualify Verdy

The J. League could replace Tokyo Verdy with another team in next season's Asian Champions League if Verdy is relegated to the second division this year, soccer sources said Tuesday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 10, 2005

The thing itself

In October 1968 Nobuo Sekine dug a hole in the ground, shaped the extracted dirt into a large cylinder and called the work "Phase -- Mother Earth." It was probably an experiment, influenced by discussions of the new Land Art and Minimalist works taking place in the United States.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 10, 2005

Tokion talks Tokyo

Uber-cool magazine Tokion has been investigating the cutting edge of creative subcultures for almost 10 years. Having started as a Japanese/English bilingual culture magazine in 1996, it now has separate editions in each language and a cult following on both sides of the Pacific.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / U.S. THINK TANK SYMPOSIUM
Nov 10, 2005

Japan must defuse wartime issues with neighbors

Despite post-9/11 changes in American strategic thinking, the U.S. alliance with Japan today is more important and healthier than ever, but Japan's troubled relations with its Asian neighbors can prove to be a serious problem for the alliance, said Eric Heginbotham, a political scientist with the RAND...
BUSINESS
Nov 10, 2005

NTT's sales, profits fall on stiffer competition

Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. said Wednesday its group net profit in the April-September period fell 4.0 percent from a year earlier to 330.73 billion, yen hit by the continuing slide in fixed-line voice communications.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / U.S. THINK TANK SYMPOSIUM
Nov 10, 2005

Demonizing China will accomplish nothing

Protectionist or demonizing views of China as a currency manipulator or as a security threat could endanger the national interests of the United States and Japan, two American think tank experts told a recent symposium in Tokyo.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 10, 2005

Toyota woos figure skater

Toyota Motor Corp. said Wednesday that figure skater Miki Ando will join the automaker next April after graduating from high school.
BUSINESS
Nov 10, 2005

Jonan Shinkin to end state agent contracts

Jonan Shinkin Bank has asked six government-backed financial institutions to terminate their agent contracts, bank officials said Wednesday.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 10, 2005

The reduction of impunity

Government is about making and implementing public policy choices. These are neither always easy nor always right. Governments, like individuals, do make mistakes. But in democracies, the task of making decisions on behalf of the people is delegated to elected representatives who then answer to the courts...
JAPAN
Nov 10, 2005

Court delays appeal ruling on wartime forced labor suit

The Tokyo High Court put off issuing a ruling Wednesday on a damages suit over unpaid wages filed by kin of four deceased Korean workers who were forced to work at a steel mill in Japan during the war.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 10, 2005

'68 tax treaty needs revision: Belgian leader

Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt on Wednesday proposed that Tokyo and Brussels revise their tax treaty to boost Japanese investment in Belgium.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / U.S. THINK TANK SYMPOSIUM
Nov 10, 2005

Beijing's increase in military spending has multiple targets

Rapid increases in China's defense spending alone do not indicate its future direction -- or what the nation intends to do with its new military strength, Evan Medeiros, a political scientist at the RAND Corp., told the Oct. 28 Keizai Koho Center symposium.
JAPAN
Nov 10, 2005

Teen admits in court to slaying parents, arson

A 16-year old boy pleaded guilty in court Wednesday to murdering his parents and blowing up their apartment in June with an explosive device.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 10, 2005

Cultural diversity strengthens nations

During UNESCO's recent biannual conference at its Paris headquarters, the United States remained adamant in its opposition to the conclusion of an international convention on cultural diversity. On the surface it appears that the U.S. position is mainly motivated by trade interests. The U.S. seems to...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 10, 2005

The man in the photo

"Over 4,000 pictures!" the press officer shouts with enthusiasm over the phone the day after the opening of the most comprehensive exhibition of 65-year-old Nobuyoshi Araki's photographs to date.
JAPAN
Nov 10, 2005

Insurance for antismoking pitch

The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare proposed Wednesday to cover doctors' antismoking counseling services with public health insurance schemes as part of efforts to stem the nation's ballooning medical costs, ministry officials said.
BUSINESS
Nov 10, 2005

Takeuchi exits race for OECD chief

Japan's candidate for new chief of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development withdrew her candidacy Tuesday, according to the Foreign Ministry.

Longform

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
Rethinking that second drink: Japan’s Gen Z gets ‘sober curious’