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COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Feb 3, 2004

'Real' last samurai fights for attention

Tom Cruise and Ken Watanabe may be raking in big box-office bucks as The Last Samurai, but a rival claimant to the title has emerged in the unlikely form of a sword-wielding British TV producer.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 3, 2004

Retail beef prices continue to hit new records

Retail prices of domestic and imported beef continued rising to new records last week amid the import ban on U.S. beef, the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry said Monday.
BUSINESS
Feb 3, 2004

Sony gets serious about chip production

Sony Corp. said Monday the Sony group of companies will spend 120 billion yen in fiscal 2004 to manufacture high-end semiconductors at production sites run by Sony Computer Entertainment Inc., IBM Corp. and Toshiba Corp.
BUSINESS
Feb 3, 2004

Mapmaking firms brace for patent suit

A Tokyo-based computer software company plans to file a patent infringement suit against major mapmaking firms over technologies used to make electronic maps for car navigation systems, a company spokesman said Monday.
JAPAN
Feb 3, 2004

Koizumi to open Yankees' season

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will throw out the ceremonial first pitch when the New York Yankees begin their 2004 season March 30 in the Tokyo Dome, event organizers said Monday.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Feb 3, 2004

Tenant rights and health care for foreigners

Tenant rights Two years ago, I rented an apartment through a realtor, and paid lots of money -- two-months deposit, one-month thank you money, and realtor fee -- thinking that after two years, we could renew our contract and somehow use the place longer to compensate for the initial payments we had...
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 3, 2004

U.S. plans consolidation of Pacific forces

HONOLULU -- U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld is planning a sweeping revision of the command apparatus through which American military forces are controlled in Asia in an effort to make them more responsive to contingencies from the Korean Peninsula to Australia.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Feb 3, 2004

Can a foreigner really learn the way of the samurai?

Koji Hayashi Web designer, 31
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 3, 2004

Osaka gubernatorial election characterized by voter apathy

OSAKA -- In an election marked by extreme voter apathy, Fusae Ohta was re-elected Sunday to a second term as Osaka governor by a huge majority.
COMMENTARY
Feb 3, 2004

British society's fatal divide

LONDON -- Last week the inquiry by Senior Appeals Judge Lord Hutton into the July 18 death of weapons expert Dr. David Kelly cleared all state politicians and civil servants -- bar one -- of any blame for Kelly's death and indicted the media, in particular the BBC, for Kelly's wretched end. The one state...
BUSINESS
Feb 3, 2004

Sharp third-quarter profit buoyed by LCD TV sales

Sharp Corp. said Monday its net profit for the October-December quarter rose 27 percent to 17.76 billion yen on strong sales of liquid crystal display TVs and cell phone handsets.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 3, 2004

Electronic toll system users on rise

The Electronic Toll Collection system, introduced in 2001 to collect highway fees without drivers having to stop, is gaining in popularity due to discounts for installing the system and reduced fees for users.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 3, 2004

Asylum seeker holds onto hope

On Jan. 23, the day after his book came out, 21-year-old Ali Jane received a surprise phone call from his mother back home in Afghanistan, telling him she and his two older sisters were safe in Kabul.
BUSINESS
Feb 3, 2004

Colony Capital to build 'perfect' resort complex

Colony Capital LLC will create a comprehensive resort complex that is less dependent on baseball as part of moves to rebuild the operations it takes over from debt-ridden retailer Daiei Inc.
JAPAN
Feb 3, 2004

U.S. to raise abductions at six-nation talks: Armitage

The United States will work closely with Japan in trying to resolve the issue of Japanese abducted by North Korean agents during upcoming talks on ending Pyongyang's nuclear threat, a visiting U.S. official said Monday in Tokyo.
EDITORIALS
Feb 2, 2004

The dollar's dangerous path

A stronger yen, or a weaker dollar, is a drag on Japan's export-led economic recovery. Trying to stem the tide, the government often steps into currency markets on a massive scale. Market players, however, worry that these dollar-buying, yen-selling interventions could be putting the Japanese and U.S....
JAPAN / TALKING SHOP
Feb 2, 2004

Celebrated female exec makes case for telling it straight

To get your point across in the United States, you have to stand up for yourself -- whether you are a man or a woman.
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Feb 2, 2004

The unofficial truth about Japan and its official economic recovery

So it's official. Or so the officials say. The Japanese government's latest monthly report on the state of the economy proudly announces that recovery is now steadily in progress.
JAPAN
Feb 2, 2004

Iraq commander noted for cool-headed decisions

Col. Koichiro Bansho, who is to command the Ground Self-Defense Force in its reconstruction aid activities in the southern Iraqi city of Samawah, is credited with a cool head and quick thinking in combat drills.
COMMENTARY
Feb 2, 2004

Chirac faces mixed fortunes

PARIS -- Poll ratings have suddenly begun to substantially improve for both French President Jacques Chirac and Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin. That said, a wide gap still separates the two men. While 56 to 58 percent of those polled have a favorable view of Chirac, Raffarin's confidence rating...
COMMENTARY
Feb 2, 2004

Setbacks have Chen scrambling for win

HONG KONG -- Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian has encountered unexpected setbacks in recent weeks that have slowed down his re-election campaign even though, at this point, the race between him and Kuomintang chairman Lien Chan is still neck and neck.

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.
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