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Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 26, 2003

Bottom line for personal seals is they're obsolete, forgeable

Hideo Matsuzaki creates names that will last a lifetime, one deft knife stroke at a time.
COMMENTARY
Jul 26, 2003

Timing on dispatch of SDF turns up Koizumi weak spot

A couple of weeks ago I wrote that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi was brimming with confidence after a bill proposing special measures to support the reconstruction of Iraq passed the House of Representatives in the National Diet. A likely political scenario for the fall -- one that anticipated a long-term...
BUSINESS
Jul 25, 2003

Cash dries up amid pension plan fears

The ratio of people who failed to pay national pension premiums hit a record-high 37.2 percent in fiscal 2002, surpassing the previous record of 29.1 percent in fiscal 2001, the Social Insurance Agency said Thursday.
EDITORIALS
Jul 25, 2003

Iraqis take control

The inauguration of an Iraqi-led government in Baghdad is the first concrete step toward creating a free and democratic Iraq. Installation of the Iraqi Governing Council by the United States is still problematic, but a successful transition from U.S. administration to a stable and functioning civil society...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 25, 2003

Rainy season pours cold water on recovery

The rain clouds hovering over most of Japan are not just drenching people -- they are also blighting the earnings outlook for corporate Japan.
BUSINESS
Jul 24, 2003

Government pension fund logs big loss

The Government Pension Investment Fund posted a record investment loss of 3.061 trillion yen in fiscal 2002, due to tumbling global stock markets and a higher yen, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry said Wednesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 23, 2003

Ex-Doi secretary says fraud common

A former policy secretary to Social Democratic Party chief Takako Doi has told investigators that diverting government salaries for lawmakers' aides was a "common practice" among Diet members, police officials said Tuesday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Jul 23, 2003

Jaco Pastorius: "Word of Mouth Revisited"

In the '70s and '80s, Jaco Pastorius revolutionized electric bass playing. The imprint of his bold sound can be heard in bass players from jazz to rock to funk. Whether in the seminal fusion group Weather Report, his own high-energy electric bands, with guitarists Pat Metheny and Mike Stern, or in the...
BUSINESS
Jul 23, 2003

263 firms to join Tokyo Motor Show

A total of 263 firms from Japan and 13 other countries will participate in the 37th Tokyo Motor Show this fall at the Nippon Convention Center, better known as Makuhari Messe, in Chiba Prefecture, organizer said Tuesday.
COMMENTARY
Jul 21, 2003

Japanese-style management deserves updated appraisal

Japanese-style management was once widely acclaimed as ideal. Since the collapse of the bubble economy, though, it has been discarded as a model for its incompatibility with reform. Now the system is being revaluated, and active debate is going on in the business community on how to adapt it to changing...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 20, 2003

Osaka braces itself for festival fallout

OSAKA -- Osaka's annual Tenjin Matsuri festival, held in late July every year, draws tens of thousands of visitors and is considered one of the country's largest and most popular summer events. But this year, city officials are worried that once the party is over, the streets will look like a rock star's...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Jul 20, 2003

Desertification, Tsurutaro Kataoka back on TV; Nogiwa and Kuroyanagi together again

Desertification is one of the major ecological catastrophes the world in facing right now. It is estimated that every year the amount of land that changes from a state that supports vegetation to desert is equal to the size of the islands of Kyushu and Shikoku combined.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Jul 19, 2003

Yuki Horibe

COCOS ISLANDS -- When Yuki Horibe was planning a university break in order to gain some overseas experience, she looked at a world map. She said: "I wanted a small, tropical island. I wanted to learn English. I wanted diving. I found Christmas Island, and thought, 'Every day is Christmas. That should...
COMMENTARY
Jul 19, 2003

Hong Kong's democratic hopes vs. authoritarian fears

HONG KONG -- July 1, 2003 -- when at least 500,000 Hong Kongers marched in nonviolent protest -- will live long in memory, provided that Hong Kong remains an oasis of freedom set in China's authoritarian sea. But it was also a day that will almost certainly be expunged from the Chinese collective memory...
BUSINESS
Jul 18, 2003

Howard nixes coddling of 'unique' Japan farms

Japan's demand for special consideration in liberalizing its farm sector was shot down Thursday by visiting Australian Prime Minister John Howard.
JAPAN
Jul 18, 2003

Younger youth detention eyed

Justice Minister Mayumi Moriyama said Thursday the ministry may revise the Reformatory Law so that children under 13 who commit crimes can be sent to juvenile reformatories.
EDITORIALS
Jul 18, 2003

Time for responsibility in Hong Kong

The sense of crisis in Hong Kong continues to mount following the resignation this week of two top government officials. The departures come on the heels of massive demonstrations against Article 23, the proposed legislation designed to protect public security but which critics claim would erode civil...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jul 18, 2003

This Ricos is posh, new -- but is it improved?

It was with considerable anticipation that we made our way to Akabanebashi last week to try the new Ricos, which opened June 10. After all, this is the latest from the people who brought us Ricos Kitchen near Yebisu Garden Place, which was one of our restaurants of the year in 1999 and remains a reliable...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Jul 17, 2003

Red fox

* Japanese name: Kitsune * Scientific name: Vulpes vulpes japonica * Description: Foxes look somewhat like dogs and belong to the same family. The fur of the red fox is orange-rust colored, apart from the throat, belly and tip of the tail, which are white. The feet and the rims of the ears are black....
JAPAN
Jul 16, 2003

SDF peacekeeping force eyed by Defense Agency

The Defense Agency is considering creating a standing unit of the Self-Defense Forces dedicated to peacekeeping, antiterrorism and other overseas operations, agency officials said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jul 16, 2003

UNSC may be brought in on North Korea

Japan, South Korea and the United States have agreed that the U.N. Security Council should adopt a statement denouncing North Korea for its suspected nuclear weapons development if it does not agree to conduct multilateral talks, a senior Foreign Ministry official said Tuesday.
EDITORIALS
Jul 16, 2003

For now, focus on legislative agenda

The political situation in Japan is heating up amid growing speculation that the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership contest in September will open the way for a general election. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who is also president of the LDP, is already openly challenging his rivals in the party,...
JAPAN
Jul 15, 2003

Daughter cashed in on governor's clout

More than 100 million yen was channeled to two firms run by the eldest daughter of Saitama Gov. Yoshihiko Tsuchiya over a five-year period starting in 1998, sources said Monday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / JAZZNICITY
Jul 13, 2003

The sum of their parts -- and more

One of the common impressions of Japanese jazz is of skilled technicians working studiously within the confines of jazz tradition to turn out polished music. Indeed, many Japanese jazz musicians fail to exploit the full potential of jazz improvisation, preferring instead to remain dedicated, humble craftsmen,...

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