search

 
 
JAPAN
Jul 17, 2004

Term upheld for gangster busted under bugging law

The Tokyo High Court on Friday upheld a ruling that found a former gangster guilty of selling illegal drugs based on evidence obtained under the first application of a controversial law authorizing wiretapping.
JAPAN
Jul 17, 2004

Writer Mobu wins Akutagawa Prize for 'Kaigo Nyumon'

Norio Mobu has won the 131st Akutagawa Prize, a prestigious literary award given to promising new writers, according to organizers.
EDITORIALS
Jul 17, 2004

Look who's turned 64

Ringo Starr, the oldest and quaintest Beatle, turned 64 earlier this month. For baby boomers everywhere, his July 7 birthday was as sobering in its way as New Year's Day 1984, when reality finally overtook George Orwell's grim fable about a dystopian future. The British novelist finished writing "Nineteen...
JAPAN
Jul 17, 2004

Transsexuals file requests to change registered sex

At least six transsexuals nationwide filed requests with family courts to legally change their registered sex Friday, the same day legislation allowing them to do so took effect.
JAPAN
Jul 17, 2004

Sumitomo Trust tries to block tieup

Sumitomo Trust & Banking Corp. on Friday filed an application with the Tokyo District Court to seek an injunction to halt merger talks between UFJ Holdings Inc. and Mitsubishi Tokyo Financial Group Inc., saying the UFJ group's decision to cancel its plan to sell UFJ Trust Bank to Sumitomo is a breach...
JAPAN
Jul 17, 2004

Miyake returnees to go at own risk

Miyake islanders should be responsible for their own safety if they decide to return to their island, whose volcano remains active, Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara said Friday.
BUSINESS
Jul 17, 2004

Ministry to grant MMC 550 million yen tax break

The industry ministry said Friday it will help turn around struggling Mitsubishi Motors Corp. by granting it some 550 million yen in tax breaks.
BUSINESS
Jul 17, 2004

Health chief cool to ending blanket BSE tests of beef

Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Chikara Sakaguchi voiced caution Friday about a possible end to blanket tests for mad cow disease in Japan, saying a policy change of this kind needs to be based on scientific grounds.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jul 17, 2004

Sea Day -- For good or bad, a holiday

Happy Sea Day! Monday, July 19, is Sea Day, a national holiday when we are supposed to go out and enjoy the sea. But for me, this has not been a good year with the sea. First, on a yachting trip from Japan to Guam, the boat turned over in the Pacific Ocean and we had to be rescued. More recently, I sprained...
JAPAN
Jul 17, 2004

Pension bills littered with errors

The government acknowledged Friday that pension reform legislation enacted by the Diet last month contained as many as 40 technical flaws, and reprimanded bureaucrats in connection with the fiasco.
JAPAN
Jul 17, 2004

Kabuki to be nominated for UNESCO heritage list

Japan decided Friday to nominate kabuki for recognition by UNESCO for entry to the list of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 17, 2004

Asia seizing new opportunities in Africa

In the Senegalese city of Thies, a new enterprise, "Senbus," is assembling 30-seat buses for the domestic and regional markets. The first units of this first vehicle factory in Senegal rolled out the plant's doors in September 2003, thanks to a partnership between Senegalese investors and Tata International,...
JAPAN
Jul 17, 2004

Jenkins should confess, plea-bargain: Baker

U.S. Ambassador to Japan Howard Baker suggested to senior lawmakers of the ruling coalition Friday that Charles Jenkins, an alleged U.S. Army deserter to North Korea, should seek a plea bargain, officials said.
COMMENTARY
Jul 17, 2004

A tale of two occupations

HONG KONG -- History did not repeat itself in Iraq as the Americans naively expected. While it has become obvious that U.S. intelligence reports and analysis were deficient in the runup to the war, less attention has been paid to the fact that the United States occupied Iraq imbued with a dubious historical...
JAPAN
Jul 17, 2004

UFJ, MTFG agree to start merger talks

UFJ Holdings Inc. and Mitsubishi Tokyo Financial Group Inc. -- two of Japan's four major banking groups -- said Friday they have agreed to start merger talks, aiming to integrate their operations during the first half of fiscal 2005.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Jul 17, 2004

Benjamin Lee

Six years ago when the Chen Kaige movie "First Emperor" was being made in China, celebrity photographer Benjamin Lee went along from Tokyo for the filming. "I had the chance to meet the producer, and in an interesting way followed the crew around," he said. He did more than look on. He spent six months...
JAPAN
Jul 17, 2004

Japanese women outlive everyone: poll

The life span of Japanese women, already the longest in the world, grew to an average 85.33 years in 2003.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 17, 2004

Kurdish asylum-seekers stage sit-in in Shibuya

Two Kurdish families are staging a sit-in outside the United Nations University in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward over the Justice Ministry's rejection of their applications for refugee status.
BUSINESS
Jul 17, 2004

Report says Japan must be more open to outside world

Japan needs to carry out further structural reforms to take greater advantage of economic globalization, according to the government's annual white paper on the economy.
COMMUNITY
Jul 17, 2004

Designing and touring Japanese gardens in U.K.

Robert Ketchell, a designer of Japanese gardens and a guide to gardens in Japan, is at full stretch when we first talk. He is off to meet Princess Anne in Spalding, on Lincolnshire's east coast, where she is due to visit a garden he and his business partner, Jacquie Blakeley, have created.
SOCCER / World cup
Jul 16, 2004

Takahara likely out of Games squad

Hamburg SV striker Naohiro Takahara is most likely to be left out of Japan's squad for next month's Athens Olympics, Kozo Tashima, head of the Japan Football Association technical committee said Thursday.
JAPAN
Jul 16, 2004

Young delegates at symposium stress value of peace

Young people across the globe need to better appreciate the value of peace, which they so often take for granted, foreign students who are studying Japanese said during a symposium in Tokyo earlier this week.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 16, 2004

Jenkins coming to Japan this weekend for treatment

Charles Jenkins, an alleged U.S. Army deserter to North Korea who reunited with his Japanese wife, former abductee Hitomi Soga, last week in Jakarta, will come to Japan over this extended weekend and be hospitalized, government sources said Thursday.
OLYMPICS
Jul 16, 2004

JOC adds 68 members for Athens

on Thursday added 45 athletes and 23 officials in athletics, equestrian and beach volleyball to the country's delegation for next month's Athens Olympics. The additional 68 members brought the total of delegates to 463, including 276 athletes and 187 officials, who will make the trip to Athens for the...
JAPAN
Jul 16, 2004

Suzuki aide in fund scam sees suspended term upheld

The Tokyo High Court on Thursday upheld a suspended 16-month prison term for a former aide of ex-House of Representatives member Muneo Suzuki convicted of funds misuse and bid-meddling.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jul 16, 2004

A year of flower power

Looking for places to go this summer? Well, if you want something unique then head for Hamamatsu City in Shizuoka Prefecture.

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