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SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Jan 23, 2004

Saha saga just goes to show what a funny old game soccer is

LONDON -- "Read my lips -- Louis Saha is not for sale" -- Fulham owner and chairman Mohamed Fayed.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 23, 2004

Reliving the romance of nation-building

SYDNEY -- So you think your one-hour-plus commute into Tokyo each morning is agony! Pity passengers on Australia's newest train trip -- two days and two nights. And paying $12,000 for the privilege.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Jan 22, 2004

Hybrid monkey

* Japanese name: Nihon zaru * Scientific name: Macaca fuscata/cyclopis * Description: Macaques have thick fur everywhere apart from their characteristic bare red face. The Japanese macaque, Macaca fuscata, is the only native species of (nonhuman) primate in Japan. There is another primate species living...
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jan 22, 2004

The 'shitagidorobo': from criminal to fashion critic

It's not something that's widely advertised, but Japan is home to a massive shitagi-bunka (underwear culture). The most demure and modest of women will often be the owners of a collection that would put Frederick's of Hollywood to abject shame. And it's no secret that lan-pabu ("lingerie pubs," in which...
JAPAN
Jan 21, 2004

Ministry unveils outlines of highway reform bills

The land ministry on Tuesday unveiled the outlines of four bills tied to the privatization of four semigovernmental expressway corporations.
EDITORIALS
Jan 21, 2004

Reform key to Mr. Koizumi's future

In his policy speech to the Diet on Monday, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi spent a considerable amount of time trying to convince a public that is skeptical about sending Self-Defense Force troops to Iraq to provide humanitarian aid and assist with reconstruction. It is not clear whether he succeeded...
JAPAN
Jan 21, 2004

Aegis-equipped warship set for Arabian Sea

The Aegis-equipped destroyer Myoukou will depart Friday from the Maizuru base in Kyoto Prefecture to replace the destroyer Hiei in the Arabian Sea, the Defense Agency Maritime Staff Office said Tuesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 21, 2004

Officials lobby LDP rebels over SDF dispatch

A day after Japan's first ground troops set foot on Iraqi soil, top government officials found themselves urging members of the Liberal Democratic Party to unite and collectively support the dispatch.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 21, 2004

Where the rock girls are . . . By SIMON BARTZ

In "Kill Bill," Japanese garage-rockers The 5.6.7.8's dripped cool as the blood splashed. But that was just a scratch on the surface of a thriving girl-band scene. Here we dig deeper to give you the chick picks of 2004.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jan 21, 2004

Seeing double at kabuki new year shows

Kabuki has made an auspicious start to the Year of the Monkey, with performances at no less than three venues in Tokyo: the Kokaido (Public Hall) in Asakusa, the Kabukiza in Ginza and the National Theater in Hanzomon. Of these, the first two venues offer the special excitement of watching up-and-coming...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 21, 2004

GSDF team to build ties with Iraqis

SAMAWAH, Iraq -- An advance Ground Self-Defense Force team vowed to cement ties with the Iraqi people after arriving at a Dutch base near here Monday evening.
BUSINESS
Jan 20, 2004

Number of failed firms falls for first time in four years

The number of corporate bankruptcies fell by 14.6 percent in 2003 from the previous year to 16,624, down for the first time in four years, Teikoku Databank Ltd. said Monday.
COMMENTARY
Jan 19, 2004

Okinawans await assurance of lighter military presence

HONOLULU -- During a visit to Okinawa, which has long borne a disproportionate share of the U.S. military presence in Japan, I was peppered with questions about the impact of planned redeployments. Okinawans have high hopes that the moves will lighten their burden. I could not reassure them.
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Jan 18, 2004

Kanto freezes Waseda for title

What a difference a year makes.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Jan 18, 2004

NHK's variety show, "Top Runner On Campus" and more

Comedian Takeshi Fujii is best known as the effeminate, fake-blonde TV host Matthew Minami on the popular late-night variety show "Matthew's Best Hit TV," which is featured in Sophia Coppola's movie "Lost in Translation." Fujii is doing his first serious leading dramatic role in the new series "Rampo...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jan 18, 2004

Wacky potions can be crocks of gold

The doorbell rang. It was my neighbor, Mrs. S., asking if the lady of the house (a Taiwanese) could help her by translating the Chinese-language instructions for a "miracle" baldness remedy that someone had brought back from China and presented to her husband.
JAPAN
Jan 17, 2004

GSDF advance team departs for Iraq

A 30-member Ground Self-Defense Force advance team left Friday from Narita airport bound for Iraq, marking the first time Japan has sent troops to a nation experiencing conflict since World War II.
MORE SPORTS
Jan 17, 2004

Masuoka's hopes fade in Dakar Rally

Hiroshi Masuoka's hopes of winning the Dakar Rally for the third year in succession faded after the Japanese Mitsubishi driver finished fifth in the 14th stage on Thursday.
JAPAN
Jan 16, 2004

Some illegals can join national health insurance: top court

The Supreme Court ruled Thursday it is illegal for authorities to bar all foreigners without valid residency status from the national health insurance program.
BUSINESS
Jan 16, 2004

Cow zygotes from BSE-hit nations get import nod

Japan plans to lift an import ban on cow zygotes from nations hit by mad cow disease following a recommendation by a government food safety panel.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jan 16, 2004

Layer up against the cold with chanko nabe

With winter in control and showing little sign of abating, it's time to search out warmth and sustenance of the kind that only nabemono can provide. And no heartier form of the genre exists than chanko, the hotpot that has nourished generations of sumo wrestlers.
EDITORIALS
Jan 15, 2004

DPJ needs a clearer identity

The Democratic Party of Japan's latest annual convention, which ended Tuesday, was an occasion to renew its quest for power. That was only to be expected, given that the largest opposition party, emboldened by its dramatic gains in last November's general election, is determined to take over from the...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Jan 15, 2004

Jelly blob

* Japanese name: Oomari-kokemush * Scientific name:Pectinatella magnifica * Description:The common name says it all. This organism looks like nothing so much as a quivering lump of jelly. It is often mistaken for the egg mass of some animal, but in fact the blob is itself a colony of tiny animals....
BUSINESS
Jan 15, 2004

To access your cash, get your palm read

Regional lender Suruga Bank will in June become the first Japanese bank to introduce a biometrics-based savings account.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 14, 2004

Security concerns jeopardize future of age-old tradition of 'hanko' seals

Masao Sekine, a 77-year-old doctor in Fukushima Prefecture, keeps his personal seals locked up in a safe-deposit box at the bank.
BUSINESS
Jan 14, 2004

Reserve funds tapped for Iraq role

The government said Tuesday it will use 891.94 million yen from its reserve funds for fiscal 2003 to finance Self-Defense Forces activities in Iraq.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / CERAMIC SCENE
Jan 14, 2004

New year musing of a 'pottery poet'

As this is the first Ceramic Scene of 2004, I'd like to wish all readers a Happy and Healthy New Year!
JAPAN
Jan 13, 2004

GSDF convoy to pass through Kuwait City

The 30-member advance Ground Self-Defense Force team to be deployed to Iraq later this month will probably first travel through Kuwait City in a convoy of armored vehicles en route to U.S. Camp Virginia in the Kuwaiti desert, according to government sources.

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