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JAPAN
Jan 3, 2003

Ishihara's first term gets mixed review

Outspoken Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara is one of the most talked-about politicians in Japan today, often mentioned by the media as a possible future prime minister.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 3, 2003

LDP eyes age limit in quest for new blood

Older lawmakers of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party may be feeling particularly jittery as speculation of an early dissolution of the Lower House for a snap election circulates in Nagata-cho.
JAPAN
Jan 3, 2003

Ichiro coughs up over tax dodge

Seattle Mariners star Ichiro Suzuki failed to declare 80 million yen in income in Japan over three years through 2001, according to sources.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 3, 2003

'Dear Leader' no madman

CAMBRIDGE, England -- When I was in Beijing the week before Christmas, the topic of North Korea came up several times in conversations with friends and colleagues. Several of them referred to North Korean leader Kim Jong Il as a madman. Kim's state of mind is quite an important question at a time when...
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Jan 3, 2003

The mice with the windows in their skulls

The British entertainer Derren Brown has caused a stir by apparently demonstrating mind control. He's not psychic, he says, but he can see into other people's brains.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 3, 2003

Koreans on either side sweep offbeat honors

HONG KONG -- The two Koreas swept the board with the most Asian Institute of Discord Analysis (Aida) "awards" for 2002, in a way reminiscent of the glory days of the Indo-Pakistani antagonism, before those two South Asian nations won the "Rivalry of the Year" award in perpetuity.
COMMENTARY
Jan 3, 2003

Little love lost in year of discord

HONG KONG -- Once again, it is time to give away the Asian Institute of Discord Analysis (Aida) "awards" for the just concluded Year of the Horse, an offbeat listing made exclusively for The Japan Times.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Jan 3, 2003

Vast visions made real

First of two parts These days the United States may not be pulling its weight and taking any kind of responsible lead vis-a-vis climate change and the Kyoto Protocol. In the past, however, there have been undeniable -- if occasional -- grand American visions or strokes of inspired leadership. One such...
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Jan 3, 2003

Kyoto upsets Kashima in Emperor's Cup final

Kyoto Purple Sanga captured the Emperor's Cup for the first time after beating the Kashima Antlers 2-1 with a second-half rally on Wednesday at National Stadium in Tokyo.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK
Jan 3, 2003

A dark day for ducks

A Niigata sake brewery that would prefer to remain anonymous in this context, asked me to sit on a committee for an environmental trust they had just set up. They do brew the most excellent sake, so I happily agreed.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jan 3, 2003

Chic eats for the months ahead

It's prognostication time again and, just like Janus (after whom this month is, after all, named), the Food File likes to look ahead by surveying all that lies behind.
COMMENTARY
Jan 1, 2003

Pols are but small cogs in the machine

LONDON -- My God, the shame of it. Prime Minister Tony Blair is a poodle, yapping obediently when U.S. President George W. Bush snaps his fingers. This bitter vein of comedy runs through the thin political culture we have at the moment. But perhaps, muse the bitter critics, this British subservience...
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 1, 2003

Trials of Khmer Rouge must serve true justice

WASHINGTON -- The New Year may finally see the start of trials for Khmer Rouge leaders responsible for the deaths of nearly 2 million Cambodians in the 1970s, if the Cambodian government seizes the opportunity. But it's also possible that the United Nations could be dragged into a flawed process to set...
JAPAN
Jan 1, 2003

Recruiters adapt to a changing job scene

Are the days of the job-offering "recruiter" numbered? In Japan, recruiters are young employees who help their companies woo recent graduates from their alma maters. But the long-standing practice -- criticized for favoring students from a small circle of select universities -- is giving way to more...
JAPAN
Jan 1, 2003

Nippon Yusen collared over huge tax dodge

Nippon Yusen K.K., Japan's biggest shipping company, failed to declare about 5.8 billion yen in taxable income in the five years through 1999, sources said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jan 1, 2003

Koizumi reiterates his determination

The government is determined to push structural reforms forward on various policy fronts in 2003 to achieve a long-desired economic recovery, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said in a New Year's Day statement.
BUSINESS
Jan 1, 2003

Dollar expected to fall against yen in first half

For Japanese looking to travel to the United States this year, the best exchange rates for the yen are likely to last until around June -- that is, if market predictions prove to be correct.
JAPAN
Jan 1, 2003

Parties prepare for snap election

Although no date has been set for the next general election for the House of Representatives, the ruling and opposition parties have already decided to field a total of 811 candidates, believing it will be held this year.
CULTURE / Music
Jan 1, 2003

2002: The sound of a year

Chickens Coming Home to Roost Award Last fall, Dr. Dre was sued by an Indian composer who said the producer used a sample of the composer's music in Truth Hurts' hit single "Addictive" without permission and without giving credit. The composer accused Dre of "cultural imperialism" and "perpetuating...
JAPAN
Jan 1, 2003

New university to join bioscience race

KYOTO -- Although the government is aware that bio-related businesses are important for revitalizing the economy, this field has yet to develop in Japan at the level seen in other countries.
EDITORIALS
Jan 1, 2003

Tumultuous politics await

A big question hangs over Japanese politics in 2003: Will a snap general election be held? The key to the question is held by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who has the prerogative of dissolving the Lower House. Mr. Koizumi, who is also president of the Liberal Democratic Party, faces a party presidential...
CULTURE / Music
Jan 1, 2003

In with the new

Diva dilemma The three big names in Top 40 R & B released albums this past month, but Whitney Houston's "Just Whitney . . . ," Mariah Carey's "Charmbracelet" and Toni Braxton's "More Than a Woman" are musically mediocre and generally embarrassing.
JAPAN
Jan 1, 2003

Quest for disputed islands snarled by Suzuki scandals

Japan's efforts to get back the four Russian-held islands off northeast Hokkaido suffered an apparent setback last year.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 1, 2003

Okuda offers economic solution: substantially raise sales tax

Hiroshi Okuda, chairman of the Japan Business Federation (Nippon Keidanren), thinks he has a cure for the sick economy, but consumers aren't likely to enjoy his bitter medicine.

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