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BASEBALL / MLB
Jan 15, 2004

'Little' Matsui is ready for New York challenge

Moving to the major leagues won't be the first big change Japanese star Kazuo Matsui has had to make in his baseball career.
BUSINESS
Jan 15, 2004

Koizumi defends reform efforts

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi went on the defensive Wednesday, denying charges that his administration has been slow to bring about promised economic reforms.
EDITORIALS
Jan 15, 2004

DPJ needs a clearer identity

The Democratic Party of Japan's latest annual convention, which ended Tuesday, was an occasion to renew its quest for power. That was only to be expected, given that the largest opposition party, emboldened by its dramatic gains in last November's general election, is determined to take over from the...
SUMO
Jan 15, 2004

Asashoryu remains undefeated

Grand champion Asashoryu breezed past Wakanosato on Wednesday to remain perfect at 4-0 on the fourth day at the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Jan 15, 2004

An island alone that is worlds apart

If it were possible to view the Japanese archipelago rising from the Pacific in profile, a distinct, lonely, broad cone would be immediately apparent between the high peaks of the Japanese Alps of Honshu and the even higher peaks of Taiwan. That cone is the long-isolated, mountainous island of Yakushima,...
BUSINESS
Jan 15, 2004

Ashikaga chief slams accounting firm

A former head of the nationalized Ashikaga Bank on Wednesday said ChuoAoyama Audit Corp.'s sudden decision not to count the bank's deferred tax assets as part of its capital was to blame for the bank's failure in December.
BUSINESS
Jan 15, 2004

Don't forsake young people in hiring, business chiefs told

The government urged top business leaders Wednesday to expand the employment of young people, saying the difficulty they face in finding jobs threatens the future of the economy.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / MATTER OF COURSE
Jan 15, 2004

Meiji schoolhouse offers lessons in history

"You want us to go to school on our day off?" my 9-year-old cried in disbelief. "Zettai iyada! (Absolutely no way!)" He's been in Japan since he was 5 and tends to speak in Japanese when he's riled. "Yeah, leave it to our mother to come up with a cockamamie scheme like going to school while we're on...
JAPAN
Jan 15, 2004

Chickens destroyed at flu-hit farm

Authorities were in the process Wednesday of destroying thousands of chickens at a Yamanashi Prefecture farm that is at the center of an avian flu outbreak.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT
Jan 15, 2004

'Miyake man' leaves a legacy of inspiration

Last week, the environmental community lost a beacon of wisdom and inspiration, a gentle and passionate man who dedicated his career to raising awareness of the oceans' unique ecosystems and Japan's in particular. On Friday, at the age of 74, Jack Thomson Moyer is believed to have taken his own life,...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Jan 15, 2004

Jelly blob

* Japanese name: Oomari-kokemush * Scientific name:Pectinatella magnifica * Description:The common name says it all. This organism looks like nothing so much as a quivering lump of jelly. It is often mistaken for the egg mass of some animal, but in fact the blob is itself a colony of tiny animals....
COMMENTARY
Jan 15, 2004

China more open, at least on medical front

HONG KONG -- Last year, after China was caught suppressing information about the deadly severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, it dismissed the minister of health and the mayor of Beijing and dramatically opened its health-care system up to international scrutiny. There was much hope then that the...
BUSINESS
Jan 15, 2004

To access your cash, get your palm read

Regional lender Suruga Bank will in June become the first Japanese bank to introduce a biometrics-based savings account.
LIFE / Digital / NAME OF THE GAME
Jan 15, 2004

Green man hulks his weight about

"Hulk," a game based on the new Universal Studios movie, has an element that is missing from most games based on superheroes -- fun.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 14, 2004

The sound of the crowd leads to an indie gem

Josee, The Tiger and The Fish Rating: * * * * (out of 5) Director: Isshin Inudo Running time: 116 minutes Language: Japanese Currently showing [See Japan Times movie listings] Why does one small indie film pack theaters week after week, while others with similar themes play to no one...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 14, 2004

Taking responsibility pays off

25th Hour Rating: * * * 1/2 (out of 5) Director: Spike Lee Running time: 136 minutes Language: English Opens Jan. 24 [See Japan Times movie listings] Think of Spike Lee and you'll probably think of a film he made in his fertile period of 1988-1992: "Do The Right Thing," "Jungle Fever,"...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 14, 2004

Cash-strapped video artist soldiers on

Video artist Michael Goldberg counts himself lucky to have been able to work on projects that inspired him: those focusing on cross-cultural communication between Japan and the world.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 14, 2004

North Korea escapees, NGO rep held in China

Two ethnic Koreans born in Japan who fled North Korea and an official of a Japanese nongovernmental organization were taken into custody by Chinese authorities in mid-December and are still being held, the NGO said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jan 14, 2004

U.S. base school gets bomb threat

Military police cordoned off part of the high school at the U.S. Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo on Tuesday following the second false bomb threat in less than a week.
JAPAN
Jan 14, 2004

Academic touted for U.N. posting

The government wants to appoint a University of Tokyo professor and foreign policy adviser as an ambassador to the United Nations.
MORE SPORTS
Jan 14, 2004

Olympic qualifying tourneys set

Japan and South Korea are among the eight teams named to the list of countries which will participate in the women's volleyball final Olympic qualifying tournament, the Japan Volleyball Association said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jan 14, 2004

Monitoring stepped up for avian flu

The government said Tuesday it will step up its monitoring of the first outbreak of avian flu in Japan since 1925 to determine its source and prevent it from spreading through poultry farms and to people.

Longform

Once smoky, male-dominated spaces, today's net cafes, like Kaikatsu Club, are working to make their operations more attractive to women customers.
The second life of Japan's net cafes