search

 
 
JAPAN
Dec 9, 2004

Tokyo lodges complaint over China ship in EEZ

Tokyo has lodged a protest with Beijing against unannounced research activities being carried out by a Chinese ship in Japan's exclusive economic zone around Okinotorishima Island, the nation's southernmost territory, officials in Tokyo said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Dec 9, 2004

Bank lending falls for 83rd month

The average daily balance of money lent by banks fell 3.3 percent in November from a year earlier, extending the downtrend to 83 months in a row, the Bank of Japan said Wednesday.
COMMENTARY
Dec 9, 2004

U.N. will reform or slide into oblivion

LOS ANGELES -- If the United Nations were somehow to disappear from the face of the Earth, would people care -- or even notice?
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Dec 9, 2004

Deception detectors set to rival Wonder Woman's rope

Women are nicer than men. I'm sure most people will agree. Of course there are the nasty, heartless, scheming ones -- but there are plenty of men who fit that description. On average, though, women are better at empathizing with others, and better at picking up on others' moods and caring about how they...
BUSINESS
Dec 9, 2004

Banks' new service ploy a flop: Matsui

The latest strategy of banks to raise revenues via one-stop, across-the-board financial service shops is doomed to fail, the chief of online securities firm Matsui Securities Co. said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Dec 9, 2004

Rehab upheld for girl who tried to kill

The Tokyo High Court has upheld a decision to institutionalize a 13-year-old girl for pushing a 5-year-old boy from an apartment building in Tokyo in June, sources said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Dec 9, 2004

Safety line on Samawah repeated

The secretaries general of the Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner, New Komeito, said Wednesday that the security situation in Samawah, southern Iraq, is safe enough for Japanese troops there to stay beyond Tuesday's deadline.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Dec 9, 2004

Confessions of a biker girl -- those were the days!

Despite my current overworked, wage-slave status, I still remember when I was able to wield some power.
BUSINESS
Dec 9, 2004

Economy watchers' index declines again

Business confidence of workers with jobs sensitive to economic trends worsened for the fourth consecutive month in November, the government said Wednesday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 8, 2004

Dark clouds over Japan

Lady Joker Rating: * * * 1/2 (out of 5) Director: Hideyuki Hirayama Running time: 121 minutes Language: Japanese Currently showing [See Japan Times movie listings] Why do films about salarymen tend to be either heavy-footed, with the principals rarely cracking a smile or otherwise dispelling...
EDITORIALS
Dec 8, 2004

To keep the SDF in Iraq or not

The government is set to extend Japan's troop deployment in Iraq beyond Dec. 14 for another year, although Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has not adequately explained why an extension is necessary. Nor has the Diet debated the question in detail. A joint opposition bill aimed at ending the dispatch...
JAPAN
Dec 8, 2004

Should English be compulsory in elementary schools?

After visiting an English class at an elementary school in Arakawa Ward, Tokyo, early this year, then education minister Takeo Kawamura told the principal, "In the near future, I think there should be English classes in all of Japan's elementary schools."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 8, 2004

Captain goes down with the ship

Sky Captain and the World of Tommorrow Rating: * * (out of 5) Director: Kerry Conran Running time: 107 minutes Language: English Currently showing [See Japan Times movie listings] "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow" is yet another of those gazillion-dollar event flicks that's 90...
JAPAN
Dec 8, 2004

Japan to lift arms-export ban for U.S. missile shield project

The government's new basic defense policy will limit arms exports to missile defense-related products developed with the United States, and America would be the only recipient, politicians and government officials involved in this issue said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Dec 8, 2004

Five students collared in Chuo Line groping sting

Five university students were arrested Tuesday on suspicion of attempting to grope a woman on a commuter train in western Tokyo, police said.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 8, 2004

Cheer and moaning in L.A.

How to Kill Your Neighbor's Dog Rating: * * * (out of 5) Japanese title: Butai Yori, Sutekina Seikatsu Director: Michael Kalesniko Running time: 98 minutes Language: English Opens Dec. 11 [See Japan Times movie listings] Kenneth Branagh once said in a movie many years back: "There is...
JAPAN
Dec 8, 2004

'Sesame Street' making waves -- in Japanese

Rena Mizushiro sits in a cramped position with other puppeteers as she works her character, Teena, to sing in a scene about Elmo's birthday in "Sesame Street."
JAPAN
Dec 8, 2004

Panel to discuss 'cultural diplomacy'

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi launched a private advisory panel of experts Tuesday to discuss "cultural diplomacy," asking it to explore ways to help nurture Japanese cultural influence overseas and thereby aid government diplomacy.
JAPAN
Dec 8, 2004

Limited-term foreign professors seen cornering workload but not benefits

OSAKA -- A nationwide survey of foreign professors in Japan reveals that those who do the most work are younger, less experienced teachers either on limited term or part-time contracts, rather than tenured professors.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Dec 8, 2004

Trading in a master for an agent

When Yasuo Kitai first attempted to introduce Japanese calligraphy into Western art markets, he discovered he was up against thousands of years of tradition.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 8, 2004

Film it and they will come

When in Rome, visitors might not necessarily do as the locals do, but many certainly follow the example of Audrey Hepburn's character in "Roman Holiday" by sticking their hands in the "Mouth of Truth" near the church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, or buying a gelato on the steps of Piazza di Spagna.
JAPAN
Dec 8, 2004

Obituary: Daphne Shaw Stegmaier

Daphne Shaw Stegmaier, widow of U.S. diplomat John Lloyd Stegmaier and translator of Kageo Muraoka and Kichiemon Okamura's "Folk Arts and Crafts of Japan," died at her Maryland home Nov. 21, her family said. She was 81.
CULTURE / Film
Dec 8, 2004

Working on a tough shoot

Whether it's a movie, a TV show, a commercial or even a music video, a key decision is choosing where the cameras will roll. To that end, members of film crews are often dedicated to hunting down locations that will satisfy both the directors and producers, and this is where film commissions can play...
JAPAN
Dec 8, 2004

Internal flak keeps LDP's Constitution revisions on ice

The Liberal Democratic Party abandoned plans Tuesday to outline its proposals for constitutional revisions in January after a draft of the outline drew fierce criticism from its own members.
BUSINESS
Dec 8, 2004

FSA eyes penalties for data leaks

The Financial Services Agency is taking a hard look at legal changes that would allow it to order financial institutions to suspend operations if they are found to have used customer information for nonbusiness purposes or fail to take proper steps to prevent such leakage, sources familiar with the matter...
BUSINESS
Dec 8, 2004

Police push IC cards to halt forgery

The National Police Agency has asked the Japanese Bankers Association and 12 other financial bodies to promote the use of cash and credit cards with integrated circuit chips to stem growing forgery, a Cabinet minister said Tuesday.

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