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COMMENTARY
Jun 10, 2004

China woos influence with softer style

HONG KONG -- Publicly, American officials such as Secretary of State Colin Powell are saying that relations with China are the best they have ever been. Privately, however, policymakers are not shy about admitting that the two countries are engaged in a diplomatic contest in many arenas, most notably...
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Jun 10, 2004

Kicking up a storm over climate change

For those who cannot decide whether to see "The Day After Tomorrow," I sympathize. This recent Hollywood thriller that offers an apocalyptic portrayal of global climate change has me at odds with myself. I am torn between the desire to wallow in mindless hyperbole, and the fear of seeing an audience...
BUSINESS
Jun 10, 2004

Japan, China reveal mail target

Japan Post and China's State Postal Bureau have agreed to aim to double mail services between the two countries in the next three years, Japan Post said Wednesday.
MORE SPORTS
Jun 10, 2004

Campo hits out at disco-dancing robots, penny-pinching unions

It's probably fair to say that David Campese is not exactly at the top of the International Rugby Board's Christmas card list. Or for that matter the Australia Rugby Union's.
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Jun 10, 2004

Hormone therapy for menopause?

The age of menopause doesn't seem to have changed much in the last few thousand years. Records from ancient Egypt and Greece indicate that menstruation ended when a woman was around 50 years old. Before that we don't really know, as a woman was unlikely to live much longer than 50.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 10, 2004

Educator hopes to revive sister school in Scotland

"The function of a child is to live his own life — not the life that his anxious parents think he should live, nor life according to the purpose of the educator who thinks he knows best," wrote British educator A.S. Neill.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 10, 2004

Australians sense vulnerability

SYDNEY -- How safe is sleepy Australia from terror within? Very unsafe, it seems, from the belated jailing of the first person convicted under Canberra's new antiterror laws. Moreover, if it takes four years after Australian police were warned about him to catch this convert to Islam and would-be bomber,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 9, 2004

A camp experience to remember

The summer Todd Graff turned 14, his parents saw an ad in The New York Times about a summer camp called Stage Door Manor. Unlike other camps, this one taught the kids to act and perform in musicals, and since Graff had always loved to sing, his parents (both musicians) encouraged him with enthusiasm....
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jun 9, 2004

'Sugoi' Seguignol showing his stuff in rare second chance

Rarely does a foreign player get a second chance at Japanese baseball. If a gaikokujin does not do well and is let go by a Central or Pacific League team, it is not likely he will be picked up by another club in Japan.
EDITORIALS
Jun 9, 2004

Increasing signs of an oil crunch

Rising oil prices are casting a dark shadow over the world economy. Last week's decision to increase output by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries -- a largely nominal move to ratify the increase already in place -- has apparently failed to calm the jitters in world oil markets, where prices...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 9, 2004

I was a teenage thespian freak

Camp Rating: * * * 1/2 (out of 5) Director: Todd Graff Running time: 111 minutes Language: English Currently showing [See Japan Times movie listings] Being a teenager is difficult, but when you're a teenager aspiring to be a music star, that difficulty gets multiplied by 10. So goes...
BUSINESS
Jun 9, 2004

MMC to receive 295 billion yen capital injection

Mitsubishi Motors Corp. said Tuesday it will receive a capital injection of 295 billion yen from Mitsubishi Group firms and China Motor Corp. later this month, 15 billion yen more than was initially planned.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 9, 2004

Washington is now free to give up on its East Asian allies

The United States recently announced that it will soon send to Iraq one of the two brigades of the Second Infantry Division (2ID) currently stationed in South Korea. There was virtually no consultation with Seoul, and the Pentagon is making no promises that these troops will ever go back. Now unconfirmed...
BUSINESS
Jun 9, 2004

Cosmo reveals extent of data leak

Cosmo Oil Co. said Tuesday it is highly likely that personal data on 923,000 of its 2.2 million registered credit card users as of March have been leaked.
COMMENTARY
Jun 9, 2004

Much on the line this month for Europe

LONDON — June is proving to be a traumatic month for Europeans and a busy one for their leaders.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 9, 2004

Where still waters run deep

Hejar Rating: * * * 1/2 (out of 5) Director: Handan Ipekci Running time: 120 minutes Language: Turkish, Kurdish Opens June 12 at Tokyo-to Shashin Bijitsukan in Ebisu [See Japan Times movie listings] Turkish director Handan Ipekci's "Hejar" is a small, quiet film, about a small, quiet...
BASEBALL / MLB
Jun 9, 2004

Kawakami, Tatsunami scoop awards

Kenshin Kawakami and Kazuyoshi Tatsunami, who both play for the Chunichi Dragons, on Tuesday won the Central League monthly MVP awards as the top-performing pitcher and position player in the month of May.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 9, 2004

Honey, honey, ah, sugar, sugar

Cutie Honey Rating: * * * * (out of 5) Director: Hideaki Anno Running time: 93 minutes Language: Japanese Currently showing [See Japan Times movie listings] Doesn't everybody need a break once in a while? The answer is evidently yes for Hideaki Anno, best known abroad for his meditative...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jun 9, 2004

An Ebizo XI is born

The Kabukiza in Ginza has been drawing crowds of Kabuki lovers to its special performances in May and June to celebrate the birth of Ichikawa Ebizo XI. The "newborn" is, in fact, 26 years old -- the tall, handsome tachiyaku (male lead) Ichikawa Shinnosuke, son of Ichikawa Danjuro XII (who last year starred...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / CERAMIC SCENE
Jun 9, 2004

In the footsteps of a genius grandfather

The perks and pressures of being the child of someone famous can be enormous -- doubly so if following in the family footsteps. In Japan, with its grand artistic traditions, this is not an uncommon phenomenon. The results, though, range across a broad spectrum, from glory (not always deserved -- think...
BUSINESS
Jun 9, 2004

Takenaka upbeat over interest rates

Economic and fiscal policy minister Heizo Takenaka said Tuesday that recent surges in long-term interest rates indicate stronger expectations for the economic recovery.
BUSINESS
Jun 9, 2004

Nippon Oil set to refine for PetroChina

Nippon Oil Corp. plans to start refining oil for PetroChina Co., company officials said Tuesday.
EDITORIALS
Jun 8, 2004

Put pension reform above politics

The ruling parties early Saturday morning rammed much-maligned pension bills through the House of Councilors. However, their resorting to physical violence at a committee session and a tricky procedure at a plenary session badly tarnished the House of Councilors as the "chamber of common sense." The...
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 8, 2004

Power of LDP support groups waning

About 5,000 people gathered in Sapporo on May 23 to attend a convention of the national association of special post office chiefs, a longtime supporter of and the biggest vote-gathering machine for the Liberal Democratic Party.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / A GAIJIN'S TALE
Jun 8, 2004

I know rain

I know rain. I'm from Seattle. Japan knows rain, too. They cope with it well.
BUSINESS
Jun 8, 2004

Ministry to offload 289,334 JT shares

The Finance Ministry said Monday it will sell 289,334 shares in Japan Tobacco Inc. held by the government for 843,000 yen per share this week.

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