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JAPAN
Mar 4, 2003

Once-charging Koizumi now besieged

Approval of the 81.79 trillion yen fiscal 2003 budget package by the Lower House Budget Committee -- with little deviation from the ruling coalition's schedule -- should spell one victory for the administration of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.
COMMENTARY
Mar 4, 2003

Signs of a thaw in cross-Strait relations

HONG KONG -- In a potentially significant move, China is reported to have pulled back some of its missiles along the Fujian coast facing Taiwan, something that the United States and Taiwan have been urging China to do for some time. An article in Taiwan's United Daily News on Thursday reported that "the...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 4, 2003

Display firm fancies dollhouses

KYOTO -- Dollhouses have a long history in the West, but in Japan they are mainly the work of hobbyists.
EDITORIALS
Mar 3, 2003

Price of backing U.S. against Iraq

A pall of gloom hangs over the world economy as a war looms with Iraq. If war does come, world oil prices will go higher, crimping growth and investment worldwide. That much is fairly clear. What is not clear is just how much the price of petroleum will rise and how hard the global economy will be hit....
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Mar 2, 2003

The Great North

"It is Japan, but yet there is a difference somehow.'' -- Isabella Bird, 1878
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / NATURE TRAVEL
Mar 2, 2003

Robben Island's living ghosts

First of two parts The history of Robben Island is so dense with incident, tragedy, hope and despair that you can almost touch it. You can almost hear the ghosts and the slamming of prison doors.
BUSINESS
Mar 1, 2003

With Sogo recovering Wada takes on Seibu

Shigeaki Wada, who has successfully navigated the Sogo department store chain out of bankruptcy, began his second successive resuscitation job Friday, taking the helm of now troubled Seibu Department Stores Ltd.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Mar 1, 2003

Tips on teaching yourself sumo at home

The sumo world is being turned upside down, so to speak, with the recently retired yokozunas (grand champions) and the proliferation of foreigners reaching high ranks in the sport. The first foreign-born yokozuna was Akebono (born in Hawaii), followed by Musashimaru (born in Hawaii) and Asashoryu, from...
Japan Times
JAPAN / IN WITH THE NEW
Feb 28, 2003

Ex-BOJ man hopes to wield LDP clout as reformer

A glance at his Web site can tell you quite a lot about his position.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 28, 2003

Oshima back in the frying pan

Scandal-tainted farm minister Tadamori Oshima faced more trouble Thursday as opposition lawmakers grilled House of Representatives Legislative Bureau officials who coached Oshima on how to respond to sensitive questions at a recent Diet committee session concerning misdeeds by his former aide.
JAPAN
Feb 27, 2003

Quake drill held on Tokyo subway system

A Tokyo subway company and the Tokyo Fire Department conducted a special earthquake and fire drill Wednesday, following last week's fatal subway torching in South Korea.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / GARDEN PATHS
Feb 27, 2003

Plants of blooming passion

On a gray February day, gardeners may be looking at colorful seed catalogs or even holiday brochures, dreaming of a trip to a tropical island. But this week it's time to leave your armchair gardening, because the tropics have come to Tokyo. The Japan Grand Prix International Orchid Festival offers a...
JAPAN
Feb 27, 2003

Application time limit for asylum may be scrapped

The government plans to scrap a widely criticized rule that says refugee applications can only be accepted within 60 days of an individual's arrival, according to a draft bill.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 25, 2003

Ministry cuts off funds for fraudulent NGO

The Foreign Ministry will demand that a nongovernmental organization that falsified documents to get government subsidies in 2001 refrain from accepting the subsidies for fiscal 2002, and if it doesn't cooperate, the funds will be withheld anyway, ministry officials said Monday.
EDITORIALS
Feb 25, 2003

Less than reassuring words

Finance ministers and central bankers from the Group of Seven industrialized countries held one of their regular meetings last weekend in Paris. Two days of discussions produced a statement promising efforts to stabilize and stimulate their economies and a pledge to convene again in the event of an emergency....
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Feb 25, 2003

The Art of Dining 2003

Refugees International Japan is staging its thirteenth annual Art of Dining Exhibition on March 12 2003 at the Westin Tokyo, Ebisu Garden Place.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 25, 2003

Sumo head stung for elder rights

The Tokyo District Court on Monday ordered the current head of the Tatsunami sumo stable to pay 175 million yen to his predecessor in return for receiving his rights to operate the stable.
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Feb 24, 2003

Like real reforms, banking crisis this spring unlikely to materialize

Each spring in recent years, people have started talking about a financial crisis in Japan as the month of March draws near. In about five weeks, most Japanese firms will be closing their books for fiscal 2002, and I would like to discuss this year's situation from several perspectives.
COMMENTARY
Feb 24, 2003

Reform of the fourth estate

I was stunned by recent media reports that Takuhiko Tsuruta, president of the Nihon Keizai Shimbun newspaper, had become a whistle-blowing target. At a company shareholders meeting, a proposal demanding Tsuruta's dismissal from the board was presented by an editor and shareholder of the newspaper. Tsuruta...
JAPAN
Feb 24, 2003

New Narita operator to be quieter, greener

The proposed new operator of Narita airport may be faced with strict measures for environmental conservation and noise reduction.
EDITORIALS
Feb 24, 2003

Cozy business-political ties die hard

The question of politics and money remains very much alive in Japan. It was the subject of intensive debate at Thursday's special session of the Lower House Budget Committee. Central to the debate was the legality of corporate donations to political parties, a question that has taken on new meaning in...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Feb 24, 2003

Burying beetle

* Japanese name: Yamatomon shidemushi * Scientific name: Nicrophorus japonicus * Description: Burying beetles are large insects, growing up to 20 mm long. They have large eyes, strong legs, powerful biting jaws and club-shaped antennae. These beetles are black, with distinctive orange markings on...
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 24, 2003

Shifting fortunes for France's 'bulldozer'

LONDON -- A year ago, he was dropping in the polls as he faced a tough re-election fight. Allegations of political and financial scandal surrounded him. His rival for the presidency accused him of being old and tired. Five years of having ruled with a government of the opposing party had marginalized...
JAPAN
Feb 24, 2003

Confab on human security begins

A Japanese-initiated international panel began on Sunday its two-day final meeting on human security.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Feb 23, 2003

Taisho treasure

Tokyo is in the throes of a particularly bold face-lift. In the cause of urban regeneration, massive high-rises are shooting up in Shinagawa, Shinbashi, Roppongi and Shinjuku, transforming the skyline of metropolitan Tokyo. On the ground, wrecking trucks clear more land, demolishing old homes and felling...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Feb 23, 2003

Men among monsters in deep Yamagata

When it comes to ski resorts, Japan has virtually everything you could want. For serious powder, there are the wonderlands of Niseko in Hokkaido or Hachimantai in Iwate. For those looking for Western-style apres-ski, there's the posh Arai Mountain and Spa. And for the day-trippers from Tokyo, there are...
MORE SPORTS
Feb 22, 2003

Ex-pros allowed to join company clubs

The Japan Amateur Baseball Association will amend its articles of association to allow former pro baseball players, managers and coaches to join corporate baseball teams on a legitimate basis, officials said Friday.
BUSINESS
Feb 22, 2003

Bridgestone's profits surge 161%

Bridgestone Corp., Japan's biggest maker of automobile tires, said Friday that its group net profit in the business year through December 2002 surged 161 percent to 45.38 billion yen.

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years