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CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Feb 1, 2004

The answers without the questions

ZEN SAND: The Book of Capping Phrases for Koan Practice, by Victor Sogen Hori. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2003, 764 pp., $37.00 (cloth). Back in 1947 when I was sitting with Dr. Suzuki Daisetsu, he gave me my first and last koan -- the one about Nansen Fugan's cat. The eminent Zen master Nansen...
SOCCER / J. League
Feb 1, 2004

Tough opener for Marinos

Defending league champion Yokohama F. Marinos will entertain Nabisco Cup holders Urawa Reds in the pick of opening-day matches on March 13 as the J. League released the fixture list for the first stage of the 2004 season on Friday.
JAPAN
Feb 1, 2004

Takenaka debates investment classes

Heizo Takenaka, state minister for financial services, exchanged opinions Saturday with high school teachers and representatives of civic groups on how to teach students about asset management and investments.
SOCCER / J. League
Feb 1, 2004

Jubilo's tough draw

Japan's Jubilo Iwata, which has been placed in arguably the toughest group for the first stage of the 2004 Asian Football Confederations Champions League, announced on Friday the schedule for six of its matches in Group E.
COMMENTARY
Feb 1, 2004

Paying more for education

LONDON -- Last week the Labour Party government of Prime Minister Tony Blair just barely won a vote in the House of Commons on the payment of "top-up" fees at British universities. The government had failed to consult widely in the Labour Party before announcing its policy on fees, and this was one reason...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Feb 1, 2004

Entertaining the idea of surrogate mums

Last week, the health ministry decided not to recommend revisions to current guidelines regarding fertility treatments. This disappointed the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, which has been advocating the legalization of such controversial procedures as the use of surrogate mothers because they say they...
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 1, 2004

China-Southeast Asia relations blossom

SINGAPORE -- Chinese worldwide ushered in the Year of the Monkey on Jan. 22. The outgoing Year of the Goat had been excellent for China -- despite the outbreak of SARS last winter -- and a relatively good year for Southeast Asia.
JAPAN
Jan 31, 2004

Tobacco ads to go up in smoke?

The days of omnipresent tobacco advertisements here may be coming to an end.
JAPAN
Jan 31, 2004

Motegi eyes trip to Russia-held isles

Toshimitsu Motegi, state minister for Okinawa and Northern Territories affairs, expressed his intention Friday to visit a group of Russian-held islands off Hokkaido that are claimed by Japan.
JAPAN
Jan 31, 2004

Info slipups over Iraq situation might be due to staff shortage

Recent conflicting information on the local situation in Iraq might be due to Japanese staff shortages in the country.
JAPAN
Jan 31, 2004

Panel proposes career education for kids

An education ministry panel proposed Wednesday a system to encourage children to begin thinking about possible careers at an early age.
JAPAN
Jan 31, 2004

Lower House panel OKs Iraq dispatch

The special Lower House committee on Iraq issues on Friday approved the contentious dispatch of Self-Defense Forces units to Iraq, despite last-ditch resistance from opposition parties.
JAPAN
Jan 31, 2004

Tokyo restaurants put a fresh spin on staple miso soup

Miso soup has had a makeover.
JAPAN
Jan 31, 2004

Jobless rate slides under 5% threshold

Japan's unemployment rate dropped to 4.9 percent in December, falling below the 5 percent threshold for the first time since June 2001, the government said Friday.
JAPAN
Jan 31, 2004

Ax attack spurs fears for safety of Japanese in Seoul

Japan said Friday it will ask South Korea to be more vigilant about possible attacks against Japanese nationals in the country following a recent assault there.
BASEBALL / MLB
Jan 31, 2004

Sasaki clears waivers; Giants not interested

The Yomiuri Giants on Friday said the team is not interested in acquiring right-handed closer Kazuhiro Sasaki, who cleared waivers Thursday and was released by the Seattle Mariners.
JAPAN
Jan 31, 2004

ASEAN visit to focus on arms curbs

Japanese officials will visit the 10 member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in February to hold talks on preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles.
EDITORIALS
Jan 31, 2004

Lessons unlearned in Asia

In the aftermath of the devastating SARS outbreak in Asia last year, Asian governments loudly proclaimed that they had learned their lesson. Governments and health authorities must be quick to acknowledge when diseases appear and move rapidly to disclose pertinent information to the public and their...
JAPAN
Jan 31, 2004

Aum chemist sentenced to hang

The Tokyo District Court on Friday sentenced a senior Aum Shinrikyo disciple to death for his role in the production of sarin that was used in two deadly nerve gas attacks
BUSINESS
Jan 31, 2004

Honda sees net profit surge despite disappointing auto figures

Honda Motor Co. said Friday that its net profit rose 31 percent to a record 151.05 billion yen in the October-December period.
MORE SPORTS
Jan 31, 2004

Capriati to sit out Toray Pan Pac Open

American Jennifer Capriati will miss the upcoming Toray Pan Pacific Open tournament, the sponsor said Friday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Jan 31, 2004

Frederick Harris

Many people know Frederick Harris, a 40-year resident of Japan. A past president of the Tokyo American Club, he is a prominent member of several organizations, "joining them if I can give something. If it is to take, I am not interested," he said. Some people know him through his articles, books and...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 31, 2004

Creator of blue LED wins ¥20 billion patent payout

The Tokyo District Court on Friday ordered midsize chemical maker Nichia Corp. to pay an unprecedented ¥20 billion to the inventor of a key semiconductor device for his transfer of patent rights to the firm.
BUSINESS
Jan 31, 2004

Tokyo CPI continues slide into record 52nd month

The key gauge of consumer prices in Tokyo in January slipped 0.3 percent from a year earlier for a record 52nd consecutive month of decline.
BUSINESS
Jan 31, 2004

Beef to run out at 'gyudon' eateries in March

Restaurants serving "gyudon" stewed-beef-on-rice dishes will run out of beef next month due to Japan's ban on beef imports from the United States.
JAPAN
Jan 31, 2004

Kin win 60 million yen for malpractice death

The Tokyo District Court on Friday awarded 60 million yen to the family of a patient who died in a Tokyo hospital in 1999 after being administered disinfectant through an intravenous drip.

Longform

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
Rethinking that second drink: Japan’s Gen Z gets ‘sober curious’