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BUSINESS
Feb 3, 2005

Monetary base up 3.9% in January

Japan's monetary base grew 3.9 percent in January from a year earlier for the 48th consecutive monthly increase, the Bank of Japan said Wednesday.
LIFE / Lifestyle / ON THE BOOK TRAIL
Feb 3, 2005

"Pirates!" "Mammalabilia"

"Pirates!" Celia Rees, Bloomsbury; 2004; 296 pp. Celia Rees's "Pirates!" is a gripping read from page one: It gains on you like Blackbeard's fearsome pirate ships, takes you hostage, and holds you without mercy till the last page. Her story of two young women taking to a life at sea as pirates is so...
BUSINESS
Feb 3, 2005

FSA mulling life insurance deregulation

The Financial Services Agency might partially deregulate the life insurance sector in fiscal 2005, including expanding the range of insurance products with discounted premiums, according to agency sources.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK
Feb 3, 2005

No ends in sight to quell Matsuki's rage

Mr. Matsuki, our forester here at the Afan Woodland Trust in Kurohime, Nagano Prefecture, came to me just before Christmas in a very bad mood. He does get grumpy sometimes (he's quite famous for it), but this time he was very, very cross. He stormed into my house, not even bothering to say hello, came...
COMMUNITY
Feb 3, 2005

A common thyroid disease that's easily overlooked

Of late, do you find yourself becoming very tired or sleepy without any particular reason? Do you feel that you cannot concentrate on your studies or work as well as before? If so, you should have your levels of thyroid hormone checked.
MORE SPORTS
Feb 2, 2005

Sugiyama crashes out in first round of Toray Pan Pacific Open

Ai Sugiyama's miserable start to 2005 continued as Japan's top player was dumped out of the Toray Pan Pacific Open in the first round by Italy's Roberta Vinci on Tuesday.
SOCCER / World cup
Feb 2, 2005

Nakata snubbed for World Cup qualifier?

Italian-based midfielder Hidetoshi Nakata is unlikely to be called up for Japan's upcoming World Cup qualifier against North Korea, Japan Football Association president Saburo Kawabuchi said Monday.
MORE SPORTS
Feb 2, 2005

Japan team named for Dynasty Cup

U.S.-based Shigeki Maruyama and JGTO money title holder Shingo Katayama will head the Japanese team taking on the Rest of Asia side at the Dynasty Cup in April, the Japan Golf Tour Organization said Monday.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Feb 2, 2005

1995: A tumultuous year for Japan, a great one for baseball

Ten years have passed since one of the most unforgettable times in Japan's history.
BUSINESS
Feb 2, 2005

Justsystem ordered to halt Ichitaro sales due to patent

The Tokyo District Court on Tuesday ordered Justsystem Corp. to discontinue producing and selling its Ichitaro word-processing and Hanako graphics software because they have a function that infringes on a Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. patent.
BUSINESS
Feb 2, 2005

Sharp logs strong quarter on LCDs

Sharp Corp. on Tuesday reported an 18 percent gain in profit for the third fiscal quarter on healthy demand for liquid crystal display television sets and mobile phones with digital cameras.
BUSINESS
Feb 2, 2005

Yoshinoya plans 'gyudon' sales for one day only

Yoshinoya D&C Co. said Tuesday it will serve "gyudon" bowls of beef-on-rice for one day only on Feb. 11 to mark the first anniversary since the popular dish disappeared from the chain.
EDITORIALS
Feb 2, 2005

Winning the world's confidence

International talks on how to reform the United Nations are entering crucial stages as nations stake out their positions. Last month, the nations involved, including Japan, attended a special session to discuss a report published in December by a high-level advisory body to U.N. Secretary General Kofi...
BUSINESS
Feb 2, 2005

Workforce grows 0.4%; monthly wages fall 0.7%

The number of workers on regular payrolls remained virtually unchanged in 2004, edging up just 0.4 percent from the previous year to 42.83 million.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Feb 2, 2005

Miracles of the moment in Saburo Teshigawara's dance

Dancer, choreographer and artist Saburo Teshigawara works in a time zone of his own. In the 24 years since he came on the dance scene, Teshigawara has transformed the definition of movement. His work with his group Karas and major international companies, including the Frankfurt Ballet and the Opera...
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 2, 2005

Putin raises stakes in Asia

LONDON -- In October, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Hu Jintao stood together in the State Guest House in Beijing while their respective foreign secretaries signed an historic agreement defining the two countries' common 4,374-km border for the first time. The border was an issue...
BUSINESS
Feb 2, 2005

Seibu Railway investors sue for 350 million yen

A total of 211 individuals and two companies holding shares in Seibu Railway Co. jointly sought about 350 million yen in damages in a class-action suit filed Tuesday against the scandal-tainted railway, its parent Kokudo Corp. and former top executives, including ex-Seibu Railway and Kokudo boss Yoshiaki...
BUSINESS
Feb 2, 2005

Asahi to launch near-beer in April

Asahi Breweries Ltd. said Tuesday that it will launch a beerlike alcoholic beverage that is subject to lower liquor taxes on April 20.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Feb 2, 2005

All the glory that was Florence

Before the 15th century in Florence, the guilds had their own highly developed hierarchy with artisans fairly near the top. Visual artists were higher-grade craftsmen, and their work was considered a kind of manual labor. As religious and secular demand for art increased, and conscious reflection on...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 2, 2005

Toyota unveils remodeled Vitz compact

Toyota Motor Corp. on Tuesday unveiled its fully remodeled Vitz compact.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Feb 2, 2005

Seduction twice over by Cooper

How lucky we are in Tokyo, to be graced with the world premiere of "Les Liaisons Dangereuses" by one of the leading dancers of our time, the former Royal Ballet principal, Adam Cooper.
MORE SPORTS
Feb 1, 2005

Japan hockey coach has team focused firmly on Olympic berth

NAGANO -- Despite a stellar performance by his team at last weekend's Nagano Cup tournament, Japan coach Mark Mahon knows it will take a strong team effort for his squad to qualify for the ice hockey tournament at the 2006 Winter Olympics.
MORE SPORTS
Feb 1, 2005

Weary Davenport ready to do her thing

Coming off a tough loss to Serena Williams in the Australian Open final on the weekend, Lindsay Davenport faces a tough task applying her weary body to this week's Pan Pacific Open tennis tournament in Tokyo.
BUSINESS
Feb 1, 2005

Hokkaido gets new commuter airline

New airline Air Transse Co. said Monday it will begin flight operations on March 13, starting with round-trip service between Hakodate airport and Tokachi Obihiro airport in Hokkaido.
BUSINESS
Feb 1, 2005

ANA net profit falls 25% on Haneda terminal move

All Nippon Airways Co. said Monday its net profit in the October-December quarter fell 25 percent from a year earlier to 5.1 billion yen, due to extraordinary costs of 6.1 billion yen, which included the move to a new terminal in Tokyo's Haneda airport.
BUSINESS
Feb 1, 2005

Toshiba outlook cut as chips plunge

Toshiba Corp. said Monday it has slashed its projected operating profit for the full year to March by 30 billion yen to 160 billion yen, joining a growing list of technology firms that are revising their outlooks due to a slowdown in the sector.

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