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COMMUNITY / Our Lives / NOTES FROM THE SMOKE
Dec 24, 2002

Veering from Brookside Close to Robocop

As Notes From the Smoke afternoons go, the one I spent in Monzennaka-cho got off to an unpromising start.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Dec 24, 2002

Clothing homeless volunteering and kids' art classes

Donating old clothes Being the season of good cheer and giving rather than receiving, here are some ways to help those less fortunate than ourselves.
COMMENTARY
Dec 24, 2002

The Iranian nuclear threat

ISLAMABAD -- New claims by the Bush administration that draw attention to Iran's covert nuclear program are certain to intensify security concerns surrounding the oil-rich Middle East.
SOCCER / J. League
Dec 23, 2002

Gamba bounced

Second-stage runnerup Gamba Osaka became the latest side to suffer an Emperor's Cup upset as it went down 1-0 to second-division Kawasaki Frontale in the fourth round on Sunday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Dec 23, 2002

Lotte's Kobayashi gets big reward

Right-hander Masahide Kobayashi on Saturday re-signed with the Lotte Marines for 155 million yen, up 55 million yen, for next season after setting saves records in 2002. Kobayashi earned "save points" -- a combination of saves and wins in relief -- in 33 straight appearances as the top pick in the 1998...
MORE SPORTS
Dec 23, 2002

Ai-chan ousted in sixth round

Teenager Ai Fukuhara lost to Asami Suemasu 4-3 in the sixth round of the women's singles at the national table tennis championships Saturday, going out at the same stage for the second straight year.
COMMENTARY
Dec 23, 2002

Contrived crisis in education

Educational reform is becoming a political issue in Japan. At the center of the controversy is the Education Basic Law, which took effect in 1947 when the Constitution was established. Earlier this year the Central Council for Education, an advisory panel to the education minister, published an interim...
COMMENTARY / JAPAN IN THE GLOBAL ERA
Dec 23, 2002

Bleaker times may await the grandkids

LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- In four weeks this series will have run for a year, and it will be time to bring it to an end. These last four articles, therefore, will constitute a combination of conclusions and parting thoughts.
COMMENTARY
Dec 23, 2002

Fundamentalism twists ethics of religions

LONDON -- Because of the events of 9/11 and al-Qaeda terrorism, we have all become deeply concerned about the malevolent aspects of Islamic fundamentalism. It is not always easy to remember that most followers of Islam are moderate and tolerant.
MORE SPORTS
Dec 23, 2002

Symboli Kris S wins Arima Memorial

FUNABASHI, Chiba Pref. -- France's Olivier Peslier wrapped up the year and his own Christmas present with a victory in Japan's horse racing grand finale Arima Memorial on Sunday aboard the American-born Symboli Kris S.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / ON THE BOOK TRAIL
Dec 23, 2002

"The World of Peter Rabbit"

A hundred years ago, a naughty little rabbit sneaked its way into a farmer's garden -- and into the imagination of generations of children across the world.
SOCCER / J. League
Dec 23, 2002

Hamburg, Jubilo reach deal on striker Takahara transfer

OSAKA -- German first-division side SV Hamburg reached a deal with J. League champion Jubilo Iwata on Saturday for the transfer of Japan striker Naohiro Takahara.
EDITORIALS
Dec 23, 2002

Pay cuts demand job security

It has been a long time since the word "shunto" -- the spring labor offensive -- stood for its traditional meaning. With the domestic economy caught in a deflationary spiral, the idea of winning across-the-board wage concessions from management on top of regular pay increases no longer holds water. So...
COMMENTARY
Dec 23, 2002

Fix the U.S.-ROK alliance

HONOLULU -- Now that the South Korean presidential elections are over, it's time for outgoing President Kim Dae Jung to take the necessary steps to ensure a proper legacy. No, I am not talking about his "sunshine policy" of engagement with North Korea. His bold, if only partially successful, efforts...
BASEBALL / MLB
Dec 22, 2002

Giants outfielder Shimizu holds out

Yomiuri Giants outfielder Takayuki Shimizu refused an offer for a 72 million yen salary raise to 180 million yen Friday after coming within one hit of a Central League record this year. Shimizu, who as the Yomiuri leadoff man had 191 hits and a .314 average, hopes for an annual salary of 200 million...
MORE SPORTS
Dec 22, 2002

Shibui ready to hit Nagoya road

Yoko Shibui, who finished third in the Chicago Marathon in October, said Saturday she plans to run in Nagoya in March in a bid to earn a place in the women's marathon at next year's World Championships in Paris.
MORE SPORTS
Dec 22, 2002

Secom still alive in run for final 8

Secom kept alive its, albeit slim, hopes of reaching the last eight of the 55th Company Clubs Rugby Football Championship with a 26-19 win over Coca Cola West Japan at a cold, wet and miserable Chichibunomiya Stadium in Tokyo on Saturday.
MORE SPORTS
Dec 22, 2002

Hingis pulls out of Toray Open

Defending champion Martina Hingis, who is recuperating from ankle surgery, has withdrawn from the Toray Pan Pacific Open, organizers said Friday.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 22, 2002

From bluster to the risk of catastrophe

HONOLULU -- The United States and North Korea have once again reached an impasse in their long distance negotiations through the press. The North Koreans have demanded that the U.S. sign a nonaggression pact as part of a settlement of disputes on the Peninsula.
MORE SPORTS
Dec 22, 2002

Tokuyama edges past Penalosa

Masamori Tokuyama retained his World Boxing Council super flyweight title Friday with a 12-round split decision over Gerry Penalosa of the Philippines.
BASEBALL / MLB
Dec 22, 2002

Nori buffaloes Mets

OSAKA -- Amid widespread speculation he was on the verge of signing a deal with the New York Mets, slugger Norihiro Nakamura announced Saturday he has instead opted to play for the Kintetsu Buffaloes for a 12th season.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Dec 22, 2002

Trial judge completes the vicious circle in curry-poisoning case

Exactly four years ago in this column, I wrote that, egged on by the media, which had already tried and convicted Masumi Hayashi for murder in the Wakayama Curry Poisoning Incident even before she was arrested, "the police . . . proudly announced that they have enough circumstantial evidence to convince...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Dec 22, 2002

The Christmas business

Japanese marketers are well aware that Christmas ranks second in popularity only to New Year's -- above even the Bon holiday in August, when people flock back to their hometowns to pay respect to their ancestors.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / PLAY BUTTON
Dec 22, 2002

Exploring musical compositions' demarcation lines

What is the difference between a track and a song? To the average listener, nothing -- the terms are often used interchangeably.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Dec 22, 2002

Looks at stolen lives, loot and . . . bases

As Japan's Major League Baseball broadcaster by default, NHK will certainly have its hands full next year when Hideki Matsui makes his MLB debut. It may be a logistic nightmare airing all Ichiro Suzuki and Matsui games, but it pays off in the end with lots of viewers.
COMMENTARY
Dec 22, 2002

Abductee hysteria in Japan

That old saying about democracies being their own worst enemies is getting a good workout in Japan's abductee dispute with North Korea. By any standards, North Korea's willingness to release five Japanese abducted in the 1970s following Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's Sept. 17 breakthrough visit to...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Dec 22, 2002

Kazuko Shiraishi does it her way

KAZUKO SHIRAISHI: Let Those Who Appear. Translated by Samuel Grolmes and Yumiko Tsumura. New Directions, 2002, 49 pp., $12.95 (paper). I've met the poet Kazuko Shiraishi three times, on each of her visits to New York. Shiraishi made her latest trip to this city in the spring of 2002, to mark the publication...

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