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EDITORIALS
Oct 20, 2003

Manifestos appear out of focus

The central question in the Nov. 9 general election is whether a full-fledged two-party system will come into existence in Japan. Key to the answer is how voters will respond to manifesto-based debates between the two largest parties, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the opposition Democratic...
COMMENTARY
Oct 20, 2003

'Swing vote' could usher in two-party system for Japan

A brewing political drama could open the way for a two-party system in Japan. Already the ruling and opposition parties are bracing for the Nov. 9 general election in which a transfer of power between two major parties looms as a real possibility for the first time since the end of World War II.
JAPAN
Oct 20, 2003

Man awaiting transplant dies, becomes a donor

A man waiting for a kidney transplant but who was declared brain dead became a donor himself Sunday when his pancreas was transplanted in accordance with his wishes, medical sources said.
COMMENTARY
Oct 20, 2003

ASEAN further devalued itself at summit

HONG KONG -- It is almost impossible to see the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' ninth summit in Bali earlier this month as having regenerated the regional body, even though that was the objective asserted by the participants.
BASEBALL / MLB
Oct 20, 2003

Zuleta's bat adds volume to Fukuoka Dome noise

FUKUOKA -- Game 2 of the Japan Series at the Fukuoka Decibel Dome.
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Oct 20, 2003

Japan must rethink trade policy

The outcome of the World Trade Organization's ministerial conference in Cancun, Mexico, in September was extremely regrettable and damaging to multilateral trade liberalization based on rules. However, we should not simply resent past failures. We should turn them into lessons for achieving the goals...
JAPAN
Oct 20, 2003

Koizumi ally says handling of Fujii heavy-handed

Liberal Democratic Party Vice President Taku Yamasaki said Sunday that the government is being heavy-handed in dealing with the dismissal of Japan Highway Public Corp. President Haruho Fujii.
COMMENTARY
Oct 20, 2003

Danger welcomes Americans abroad

JAKARTA -- "It's dangerous here for Americans," said my cab driver when I visited a few weeks ago. No question. A few blocks away sat the J.W. Marriott, its facade broken and blackened from the bombing in August. Scores of windows were blown out; mutilated blinds swayed in the wind. Wrecked autos sat...
COMMENTARY
Oct 20, 2003

Pension plans on life-support

LONDON -- A flood of articles in the European media recently has warned about the growing problem of paying pensions as the populations of European countries age and birthrates decline. For Japan, this problem looks especially acute.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 19, 2003

Scandal-hit Suzuki pulls out of election

Scandal-tainted lawmaker Muneo Suzuki said Saturday that he will not run in the upcoming general election due to health reasons.
JAPAN
Oct 19, 2003

Ministries at odds over pension age in 2004 reforms

The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry is not planning to raise the age of eligibility for the public to start receiving pensions in its reform of the pension system for 2004, ministry sources said Saturday.
Events
Oct 19, 2003

KANSAI: Who & What

CASO to host art fair featuring 17 galleries: A fair of contemporary art will take place between Wednesday and Oct. 26 at Contemporary Art Space Osaka, or CASO, in the city's Minato Ward.
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Oct 19, 2003

Unconvincing France struggles by upstart Japan

TOWNSVILLE, Australia -- Japan may have lost its second game in the 2003 Rugby World Cup but the Cherry Blossoms produced a performance against France that surpassed even their heroics of last week when they lost to Scotland, but won over a nation.
SOCCER / J. League
Oct 19, 2003

Marinos cling to top spot after stalemate

Yokohama F. Marinos failed to put distance between themselves and their nearest challengers after a 0-0 draw away to lowly Kyoto Purple Sanga in the J. League on Saturday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Oct 19, 2003

Kazuo Matsui tops potential FA list

Seibu Lions shortstop Kazuo Matsui heads a list of 60 players eligible for free agency this season, the Japanese Pro Baseball Commissioner's Office said Saturday.
JAPAN
Oct 19, 2003

More women testing for defects in fetuses

More than 15,000 pregnant women underwent tests to determine the likelihood of congenital abnormalities in their unborn children every year between 2000 and 2002, despite the government's recommendation that the practice be scrapped, it was learned Saturday.
JAPAN
Oct 19, 2003

JH chief Fujii eyes Ishihara, Abe libel suits

Haruho Fujii, president of Japan Highway Public Corp., is considering legal action against land minister Nobuteru Ishihara and Shinzo Abe, secretary general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, Fujii's lawyers said Saturday.
MORE SPORTS
Oct 19, 2003

Davies to take on men in Japan

Former world No. 1 Laura Davies of England is set to take on the men again, this time on the Japanese GTO tour at the Casio World Open next month in Kagoshima, golf sources said Friday.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Oct 19, 2003

Out of the ordinary

SELECTED POEMS 1976-2001, by Peter Robinson. Manchester, Britain: Carcanet, 2003, 139 pp., £8.95 (paper). NO VISION WILL TELL: 100 Selected Poems 1992-2002, by Scott Watson. Sendai, Japan: Bookgirl Press, 2002, 123 pp., 1,500 yen (paper). Both of the poets reviewed here, one British and the other American,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 19, 2003

Grooves guaranteed to take you higher

Audio Active are Japan's most controversial band and also it's bravest. With each new album release they flip the bird in the face of the authorities. It's like they're asking for a showdown.
COMMUNITY
Oct 19, 2003

Labor pains

On a recent Saturday, some 80 delegates from the National Union of General Workers, Tokyo South, trudged through cold rain to gather at a conference hall near Mount Fuji for their annual meeting. Greetings were kept brief and to the point. After all, with the sour economy putting such pressure on unions,...

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’