search

 
 
JAPAN
Jul 17, 2003

Foreign drugs urged for Alzheimer's

A health ministry research group has come out with the nation's first medical guidelines on Alzheimer's disease, recommending the government allow pharmaceutical firms to introduce two foreign-made drugs in Japan as soon as possible, researchers said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jul 17, 2003

Molester-rap fighter held for indecent photography

A representative of a group seeking to help men falsely accused of molesting women has been arrested for allegedly photographing up a woman's skirt on a Tokyo subway last week, police said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jul 17, 2003

Lower House OKs Showa holiday

The House of Representatives Cabinet Committee endorsed a bill Wednesday to move Greenery Day from April 29 to May 4, which is already a national holiday, and to redesignate April 29 as Showa Day.
EDITORIALS
Jul 17, 2003

Opening of labor market delayed

Japan is running in the fast lane of information technology, yet it has been relatively slow in one vital area: employment of foreign IT engineers. Part of the reason seems to lie in the nation's deep-seated reluctance to open the labor market wider to foreigners.
JAPAN / IN WITH THE NEW
Jul 17, 2003

Maverick Suginami mayor likes to stir things up

Until Hiroshi Yamada took control of Tokyo's Suginami Ward in April 1999, local government activity proceeded at a predictably slow pace.
COMMENTARY
Jul 17, 2003

Sino-Indian ties could benefit Pakistan

ISLAMABAD -- The recent visit to China by Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee is seen as the first step toward a turning point in relations between Delhi and Beijing following India's acceptance of China's sovereignty over Tibet. The emerging warmth in Sino-Indian ties is also viewed in Pakistan...
JAPAN
Jul 17, 2003

Play on Constitution's birth now timely

Since its birth in 1947, the Constitution has always been a target for revision, primarily because it was drafted by Americans rather than Japanese.
JAPAN
Jul 17, 2003

JMA hits government cancer study for violating rights of test subjects

The Japan Medical Association has blasted a government cancer study on people in Hiroshima Prefecture, saying important information is being withheld and the subjects' rights are being violated.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Jul 17, 2003

Red fox

* Japanese name: Kitsune * Scientific name: Vulpes vulpes japonica * Description: Foxes look somewhat like dogs and belong to the same family. The fur of the red fox is orange-rust colored, apart from the throat, belly and tip of the tail, which are white. The feet and the rims of the ears are black....
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 17, 2003

Fuji Photo Film develops WLAN digital camera

Fuji Photo Film Co. has developed a digital camera prototype that uses wireless local area networks to allow easier access to printers and personal computers.
BUSINESS
Jul 17, 2003

Pension to raise housing loan rates

The Government Pension Investment Fund said Wednesday it will raise its housing loan rates by 0.16 percentage point to 0.24 percentage point, effective Sept. 2.
CULTURE / Books / THE BOOK REPORT
Jul 17, 2003

Manga attempt to evolve against multiple threats

Manga and anime from Japan are increasingly popular overseas, with Hayao Miyazaki's "Spirited Away" receiving an Academy Award earlier this year. In their birthplace, however, manga seem past their glory days when loyal readers eagerly awaited the next installment from their favorite authors, such as...
BASEBALL / MLB
Jul 17, 2003

Tigers dominate as CL tops PL

CHIBA -- With a little help from his new Hanshin Tigers teammates, Hideki Irabu made a triumphant return to his old stomping grounds.
MORE SPORTS
Jul 17, 2003

Yamada asked to be a Buccaneer

Asahi Drink Challengers and Japan linebacker Shinzo Yamada has been invited to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' training camp, his agent announced Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Jul 17, 2003

Use of 'special accounts' for stocks grows amid market surge

Against the backdrop of booming stock transactions in recent weeks, an increasing number of individual investors are opening "special accounts" for stocks at securities companies.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / THEN AND NOW
Jul 17, 2003

Exploring a once bleak, medieval upland

In 1601 Tokugawa Ieyasu established a nationwide highway network radiating from Edo and designated post stations on the roads to serve the needs of travelers. Shinagawa, on the city's southwestern perimeter, was the first of these post stations on the Todaido, the most frequented route between Edo and...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Jul 17, 2003

Humble marvels of nature

The mechanics of flight are beyond me, and I especially can't imagine how bumblebees can become airborne. Images of a jumbo jet taking off without a runway spring to mind.
BUSINESS
Jul 17, 2003

FTC mulls new antimonopoly pact

The Fair Trade Commission is considering signing an agreement with Australia and South Korea on boosting antimonopoly cooperation after it enters a similar arrangement with Canada, a senior FTC official said Wednesday in Tokyo.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 17, 2003

Tsujimoto to face fraud charges

Tokyo police will establish a criminal case against former Social Democratic Party lawmaker Kiyomi Tsujimoto on suspicion of fraud by skimming government salaries for her policy secretaries, according to investigative sources.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 17, 2003

Why India said 'no' to U.S.

Those who think little of the United Nations are constantly puzzled by the authority it continues to exert for many others around the world. On Monday, India decided against sending a major contingent of troops to Iraq because the operation would be outside the U.N. mandate, thereby reconfirming Secretary...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Jul 17, 2003

Safe hydrogen power needs nuclear energy

Herbert Hoover, the 31st President of the United States, said in 1928 that "the slogan of progress is changing from the full dinner plate to the full garage." Soundbite culture had taken hold even then, and Hoover's words were quickly paraphrased as "a car in every garage and a chicken in every pot."...
JAPAN
Jul 17, 2003

JCP forced to admit to more public drinking rules

Top executives of the Japanese Communist Party were embarrassed again Wednesday following a newspaper report revealing an internal party document that strictly outlines the behavior of party members when they drink outside their homes.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 17, 2003

Japan must think outside the box if it hopes to get ahead: creativity guru

Japan needs to set up a "Ministry of Creativity" to think its way out of the economic slump it has endured for a decade, according to the world's leading authority in the field of creative and conceptual thinking.
BUSINESS
Jul 17, 2003

Ministry to order NTT West back to table

The telecommunications ministry will order NTT West Corp. to resume talks with the Softbank Corp. group over a Softbank demand to allow its engineers to do wiring work at NTT West's phone stations to improve its high-speed Internet access service, ministry officials said Wednesday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 17, 2003

Takenaka censure defeated

The House of Councilors voted down a censure motion Wednesday against Financial Services Minister Heizo Takenaka, who has been taking heat for injecting nearly 2 trillion yen in public funds into an ailing banking group and failing to pull the economy out of its decade-old slump.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 17, 2003

Koizumi, Howard stress pressuring North Korea and liberalizing trade

The leaders of Japan and Australia agreed Wednesday on the necessity of five-nation talks on the North Korean nuclear issue and the importance of liberalizing bilateral trade.

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