search

 
 
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Jan 9, 2005

NTV's "87 percent — My Five-Year Chance of Survival" and more

A new year means a whole new set of drama series, though the themes remain the same. Fans of terminal illness stories will find a lot to cry over in "87 percent -- My Five-Year Chance of Survival," which premieres Wednesday on Nihon TV at 10 p.m. Yui Natsukawa plays Akiko, a 35-year-old insurance saleslady...
CULTURE / Books
Jan 9, 2005

Life in the land where boredom is not an option

Writer, commentator and film specialist Donald Richie has had a good year, on that saw, among other things, the publication of "The Japan Journals" and his receipt of the Rising Sun With Gold Rays, a prestigious award honoring a lifetime of achievement in the arts. Here he shares his thoughts.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / CLOSE-UP
Jan 9, 2005

Keiko Sakai: Conundrum Iraq

One year ago this month, an advance team from Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF) arrived in Iraq on a mission -- so the Japanese public was told -- to help rebuild the wartorn country. The rest of the main contingent of 600 troops soon followed.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 9, 2005

The Faint

Todd Baechle needs help. Ever since his band, The Faint, ditched lo-fi guitars for synths and strobes, his lyrics have spiraled into misanthropic tales of paranoia and sexual frustration.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jan 9, 2005

Highlights and lowlights of a year in the media

Media Person of the Year: Bae Yong Joon
JAPAN
Jan 9, 2005

Japan gives, receives bone marrow

Japan has donated 125 bone marrow samples to 11 countries, including South Korea and the United States, for transplants during the past 11 years while receiving 129 from other nations in line with an international system for donating bone marrow, the Japan Marrow Donor Program said Saturday.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 9, 2005

Betrayal of Dr. Schweitzer's message

LAMBARENE, Gabon -- I first learned of Dr. Albert Schweitzer's work when I was a medical student in the 1960s. During those years, the story of Schweitzer's efforts to improve the health of Africans in his hospital in Lambarene ignited my colleagues' and my imaginations. It was thus with a sense of privilege...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Jan 9, 2005

The occupied days of the ultimate observer

THE JAPAN JOURNALS: 1947-2004, by Donald Richie. Stone Bridge Press, 2004, 494 pp., $29.95 (cloth). In "The Japan Journals," American writer Donald Richie has acted to the letter on Rimbaud's conviction that the first study for the man who wants to be a poet "is to know himself, completely. He must search...
EDITORIALS
Jan 8, 2005

Mideast peace staked on Sunday's poll

On Sunday, Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip will go to the polls to choose the successor to the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, who died in a Paris hospital in November. With the Middle East locked in a vicious cycle of hatred and bloodshed, it is hoped that the election is completed...
JAPAN
Jan 8, 2005

Asahara's appeal-filing delay OK'd

The Tokyo High Court told Aum Shinrikyo founder Shoko Asahara's counsel Friday that it will extend the deadline for submission of documents needed to begin the guru's appeal trial, the lawyers said.
JAPAN
Jan 8, 2005

Snitches not so keen to share their names

Almost all of the people who have accessed a Justice Ministry Web site where they can report "suspicious" foreigners have done so anonymously, Amnesty International Japan said Friday.
JAPAN
Jan 8, 2005

China's Yasukuni ire 'puzzles' Japanese

For Tokyo native Mie Kondo, 31, Yasukuni Shrine is no more than a scenic area she used to visit with her family and a sightseeing spot to which she still likes taking visitors.
JAPAN
Jan 8, 2005

Official to talk police ties in China

Japan's top public safety official will visit China for four days starting Monday to promote cooperation between the two countries' law enforcement authorities, the National Police Agency said Friday.
JAPAN
Jan 8, 2005

Sex-offender tracking plan blasted

The city of Nara said Friday it will introduce by the end of March a system to alert parents via e-mail following incidents in which children are approached by suspicious people. The move comes after the abduction and murder of a 7-year-old Nara schoolgirl in November.
JAPAN
Jan 8, 2005

Defense Agency bolsters tsunami-relief task force

Japan on Friday offered Indonesia assistance for long-term reconstruction from the earthquake and tsunami disaster, in addition to other aid it has already pledged for emergency relief, a Japanese official said. In a meeting held in Jakarta, Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura and Indonesian Foreign...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Jan 8, 2005

Lyn Hazzard

Women of Yokohama recognize good, reliable newcomers to their community when they see them. They invite their allegiance to the Yokohama International Women's Club.
JAPAN
Jan 8, 2005

Bogus 10,000 yen bills made by many groups, police say

The National Police Agency said Friday that it suspects several groups were involved in printing the counterfeit 10,000 yen bills discovered in several prefectures during the New Year's period.
CULTURE / Stage
Jan 8, 2005

Kabuki for just a song

The International Theatre Institute is offering half-price tickets to foreigners living in Japan for a Kabuki Night in mid-February in Tokyo. This is the first time half-price tickets have been offered to foreign residents for a night of kabuki.
JAPAN
Jan 8, 2005

New warrants out in NHK scandal

Police served a fresh warrant Friday on a 48-year-old former employee of NHK for allegedly defrauding the public broadcaster of roughly 7.4 million yen between November 2000 and March 2001.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jan 8, 2005

Pathway to joy offers sips of water, vision of light

Pauline Tsukamoto has been on two psychological paths in her life: trying to make peace with Japan, and trying to make peace with herself. Her body is on yet another journey, one that involves accepting the gift of life itself.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jan 8, 2005

Fine-feathered flock of phrases flavors Year of the Chicken

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? This year, the chicken came first since 2005 is the year of the chicken, not the year of the egg. After the disastrous year of the monkey, I think we're all hoping for a few golden eggs this year. So, out with the monkey bananas and in with the chicken feed....
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 8, 2005

'Stingy' barbs don't stand up to scrutiny

HONOLULU -- After the tsunami ravaged the shores of a dozen nations bordering the Indian Ocean, Americans were accused of being "stingy" in their response -- an allegation that does not stand up in the glare of hard fact.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Jan 7, 2005

Batista set for Hawks

The Fukuoka Softbank Hawks have reached an agreement to sign veteran slugger Tony Batista, baseball sources said on Thursday.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Jan 7, 2005

Hysterical reaction to 'Worst Decision Of All Time'

LONDON -- The reaction was as predictable as it was hysterical and misplaced.
JAPAN
Jan 7, 2005

Gubernatorial election campaigning under way

Campaigning began Thursday for the Yamagata and Gifu gubernatorial elections, with three independent candidates, including Yamagata incumbent Kazuo Takahashi, registering for each race.
JAPAN
Jan 7, 2005

LDP will push Yasukuni visits, patriotism in '05

The Liberal Democratic Party's policy goals for 2005 are to revise the Fundamental Law of Education and urge lawmakers to continue visiting Yasukuni Shrine, party sources said Thursday.

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