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JAPAN
Dec 16, 2004

DNA test on remains failed due to Japan conspiracy: North

Pyongyang has slammed Tokyo for declaring that the remains the North handed over last month are not those of Japanese abductee Megumi Yokota, the Korean Central News Agency said.
LIFE / Lifestyle / MATTER OF COURSE
Dec 16, 2004

Reflections on rich learnings we all shared

When I began writing this column, I thought it would be a one-year gig. My editors thought so too. But things went well, and for nearly four years now I've reported in this space about my children's experiences in Japanese school.
Dec 16, 2004

State petitioned to ID bones linked to Unit 731

Scholars and residents of Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo, submitted a petition Wednesday to the central government to have a superimposing method used to confirm whether human bones dug up there belong to six wartime prisoners who may have been subject to atrocities committed by the Imperial Japanese Army's infamous...
BUSINESS
Dec 16, 2004

Kokudo to void Seibu stock transactions

Kokudo Corp. is willing to void stock transaction deals worth 62 billion yen with about 70 firms that bought Seibu Railway Co. shares without knowing that Seibu had underreported shareholder ratio figures, company sources said Wednesday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 16, 2004

ASIMO one step closer to acquiring human touch

The latest version of ASIMO, the humanoid robot developed by Honda Motor Co., has taken a step closer to humanity.
BUSINESS
Dec 16, 2004

Ruling bloc agrees on tax hikes

The two ruling parties formally agreed Wednesday on fiscal 2005 tax changes that will raise income and residential taxes for the first time in six years.
COMMENTARY
Dec 16, 2004

Cause for Arab optimism

DUBAI -- The Arab world might be expected to be feeling cheerful given current high prices for oil. But, instead, a cloud of unease hangs over Arabia today. There are fears of slow economic development, fears of weakening oil prices as oil production expands elsewhere -- or as the world learns to conserve...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 16, 2004

Egypt backs Japan's UNSC quest, troop dispatch to Iraq: ambassador

Cairo supports Japan's bid to be a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and its deployment of Ground Self-Defense Force troops to southern Iraq, Egyptian Ambassador to Japan Hisham Badr said.
JAPAN
Dec 16, 2004

Prosecutors seek seven-year term, fine, forfeiture for 'loan-shark king'

Prosecutors Wednesday demanded a seven-year prison term, a 30 million yen fine and 5.1 billion yen in forfeiture for a gangster known as the "loan-shark king."
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 16, 2004

High court convenes, snubs sex slave appeal, calls it a day

A cry of outrage tore through the public gallery as the Tokyo High Court dismissed an appeal by four Chinese women who were forced to serve as sex slaves for Japanese soldiers during the war.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 15, 2004

Godzilla is dead, long live Godzilla

What do most non-Japanese, Western or otherwise, know about Japanese films? About Japanese pop culture, period? More than they did a decade ago certainly, but let's get real: Go to a typical family gathering in America — blue state or red, it doesn't much matter — and ask those assembled for the...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 15, 2004

Dumb and dumber: revenge of the idiots

Jackass -- The Moive Rating: * * * (out of 5) Director: Jack Tremaine Running time: 88 minutes Language: English Currently showing [See Japan Times movie listings] Bad Santa Rating: * * (out of 5) Director: Terry Zwigoff Running time: 91 minutes Language: English Opens...
MORE SPORTS
Dec 15, 2004

Ten pass tryout with NFL Europe

Ten Japanese players have passed the first round of tryouts to play next season in NFL Europe, NFL Japan said Tuesday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 15, 2004

It's a mad, mad, triple-mad world

Les Triplettes de Belleville Rating: * * * * (out of 5) Japanese title: Belleville Rendex-vous Director: Sylvain Chomet Running time: 80 minutes Language: French Opens Dec. 18 [See Japan Times movie listings] It's in sepia and scarred with soft, silvery needles, like interference on...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 15, 2004

Muraoka denies role in donation coverup

Former Chief Cabinet Secretary Kanezo Muraoka on Tuesday denied helping to cover up a 100 million yen donation made to the Liberal Democratic Party's largest faction by the Japan Dental Association in 2001.
EDITORIALS
Dec 15, 2004

More gridlock in the Taiwan Strait

Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian had a disappointing weekend. His Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was unable to win a majority in parliamentary elections held Saturday. The result is likely to be continuing gridlock in Taiwanese politics, as different parties control the presidency and the legislature....
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 15, 2004

Don Quijote president to quit over fatal fire

Don Quijote Co. President Takao Yasuda said Tuesday he intends to step down to take responsibility for the three employees who died earlier in the day in one of two suspicious fires that struck its outlets in Saitama Prefecture.
CULTURE / Film
Dec 15, 2004

Getting to know 'Gojira'

* The biggest series hit was the 1962 "King Kong vs. Godzilla," which recorded more than 12 million admissions. Second was the original film, with 9.6 million.
JAPAN
Dec 15, 2004

Iraqi boy successfully undergoes second eye operation

A 10-year-old Iraqi boy whose left eye was badly injured during a military clash successfully underwent a second eye operation Tuesday at a hospital in suburban Tokyo, according to his doctors.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Dec 15, 2004

Director falters and then triumphs

Few names resonate more powerfully in the world of theater than that of Hamlet, Shakespeare's youthful Prince of Denmark. In whatever language, somewhere in the world right now, an actor is likely embarking on that famously challenging soliloquy beginning "To be or not to be . . ."
JAPAN
Dec 15, 2004

Tokyo, Washington sign missile-tech exchange agreement

Japan and the United States signed a pact Tuesday allowing "comprehensive cooperation" on transfers of technologies related to missile-defense systems.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Dec 15, 2004

Zico calls up Nagata

Japan coach Zico has called up Kashiwa Reysol defender Mitsuru Nagata for Thursday's home friendly with Germany to fill the gap in his backline, the Japan Football Association said Tuesday.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Dec 15, 2004

2005 schedule reflects big changes in Japanese baseball

The 2005 Japan pro baseball schedule was released last week, and one look at the table gives you an idea there will be a whole new ball game next season. Three separate slates were unveiled, one for each of the Central and Pacific Leagues as usual, with Japan's first-ever interleague calendar tacked...

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