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JAPAN
Mar 5, 2004

Boards of education face overhaul

Education minister Takeo Kawamura asked the Central Education Council on Thursday to overhaul the 55-year-old board of education system.
JAPAN
Mar 5, 2004

Mentally ill criminals to get rehab boost

People who commit serious crimes who are sent to mental health care facilities should receive treatment that aims to rehabilitate them to the point that they can be discharged within 18 months, according to a guideline draft released by the health ministry Thursday.
JAPAN
Mar 5, 2004

Illegal access of computers last year hit record level

Police in 2003 investigated a record 145 suspected violations of a law banning illegal access to computer networks, the National Police Agency said Thursday.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Mar 5, 2004

Shinpachi: A 'low town' izakaya with high standards

Of all the long-established nightlife neighborhoods in downtown Tokyo, Kanda is the one that has done the best job of retaining its no-nonsense shitamachi credentials. Of course a certain gentrification is inevitable -- indeed, the station could almost be called salubrious these days -- but wander into...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 4, 2004

Base foes dismayed by Kadena's likely longevity

Last of three parts
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 3, 2004

Once upon a time he made a good film

Once upon a time in Mexico Rating: * * (out of 5) Director: Robert Rodriguez Running time: 101 minutes Language: English Opens March 6 [See Japan Times movie listings] Robert Rodriguez is one of those directors who shot to fame in the early '90s, a fabled time when the words "independent...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 3, 2004

Tokyo venture plans to market humanoid robots

A venture business in Tokyo said Tuesday it will market at the end of 2004 a doll-size humanoid robot for roughly 500,000 yen as one of the first humanoid robots to be offered to general consumers.
BUSINESS
Mar 3, 2004

Koizumi eyes postal reform chief

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Tuesday he will appoint a special minister this summer to oversee privatization of the postal services, hoping the appointment will help complete the reform by 2007.
JAPAN
Mar 2, 2004

Bird flu drives chicken from Kansai menus

OSAKA -- Chicken was off the menu in many parts of the Kansai region Monday following reports that meat from chickens infected with the bird flu virus had been sold in the area's restaurants and supermarkets.
COMMENTARY
Mar 2, 2004

Stomach to cut government

LONDON -- A British government review, to be published shortly, has apparently suggested that some 80,000 civil service jobs could be cut and up to £14.5 billion ($28 billion) could be saved by 2007 if recommendations such as "streamlining" back-office functions and raising productivity in education,...
EDITORIALS
Mar 1, 2004

China draws the line in Hong Kong

When Hong Kong reverted to China, Beijing pledged that there would be "one country, two systems." The capitalist redoubt would be part of "one China," but it would also keep its separate political and administrative order to maintain both stability and the vitality that transformed the city into a regional...
Events
Feb 29, 2004

KANSAI: Who & What

Kobe fair to showcase foreign groups' activities: Kobe International Fair 2004 will take place today at Duo Dome and Space Theater in the city's Chuo Ward.
Japan Times
Features
Feb 29, 2004

Caring for the canines whose job is to care

On Sept. 14, 2001, veterinarian H. Marie Suthers-McCabe arrived in New York City. Disbelief, horror and shock over what had occurred only a few days before was still so profound as to be virtually palpable, with hundreds still missing from the attacks on the World Trade Center towers. Suthers-McCabe's...
Japan Times
Features
Feb 29, 2004

Creature comforts fuel business boom

The growing popularity in Japan of dogs as pets has turned its pet industry into a lucrative market in which suppliers and sellers are eagerly competing to offer products and services from the pet's cradle to its grave.
Japan Times
Features
Feb 29, 2004

Pooch paradise

A dog's life in Japan can be about as close to canine heaven on earth as it gets.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 29, 2004

Romania takes high road in AIDS fight

NEW YORK -- The Romanian government's serious commitment to improve access to treatment, increase outreach activities, build an effective partnership with the private sector and improve health infrastructure has led to dramatic progress in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
JAPAN
Feb 28, 2004

Penalty is what those victimized by Aum's crimes wanted

People victimized by Aum Shinrikyo's crimes voiced relief Friday that cult founder Shoko Asahara would pay for the deaths of 27 people with his own life.
JAPAN
Feb 28, 2004

Just 10 won asylum bids last year

The government granted refugee status to 10 asylum-seekers last year, the lowest number in the past six years, while rejecting the applications of 298 foreigners, the Justice Ministry's Immigration Bureau announced Friday.
JAPAN
Feb 28, 2004

Eight prefectures now have antiterror units

Almost a decade after Aum Shinrikyo members released sarin on Tokyo subway trains, police in eight prefectures now have dedicated antiterrorism units to respond to nuclear, biological and chemical attacks.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Feb 28, 2004

David Neale

"I love doing many different things. That is a theme that dominates my life," David Neale said.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 26, 2004

Korean Hansen's patients seek redress

A group of 85 former Hansen's disease patients in South Korea filed a request with the Japanese government Wednesday for compensation for being forced into sanitariums when the peninsula was under Japanese colonial rule.
JAPAN
Feb 26, 2004

U.N. envoy says free elections in Iraq 'difficult'

Visiting U.N. special envoy Lakhdar Brahimi said Wednesday that holding completely free elections in Iraq would be a "daunting exercise."
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Feb 26, 2004

Pond turtle

* Japanese name: Ishigame * Scientific name:Mauremys japonica * Description:Also known as the stone turtle, the pond turtle is semiaquatic and a strong swimmer. It has a yellowish-brown carapace (shell) and an olive-brown head. Females are bigger than males, growing up to 21 cm long (carapace length),...
JAPAN
Feb 25, 2004

Asahara a social fiend or doting guru?

Over the course of Aum Shinrikyo founder Shoko Asahara's eight-year criminal trial, Tokyo prosecutors have portrayed him as a religious charlatan who used his teachings only to feed his lust for power and fame.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 25, 2004

U.N. forces may go to Iraq after power transfer: Annan

The United Nations Security Council may send multinational forces to Iraq to help stabilize the security situation after sovereignty is transferred to a provisional government at the end of June, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan said Tuesday in Tokyo.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / NEW ART SEEN
Feb 25, 2004

Discovering the bright side of the 'dark continent'

When I was young, Africa and its people were represented to me through two distinct sets of images. The first, delivered by National Geographic and other anthropological sources, were the cliched photographs of tribesmen gripping spears in their hands and bare-breasted woman balancing baskets on their...

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