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COMMENTARY
Dec 28, 2006

Turkey's gaze is shifting East

LONDON -- The ambiguous attitude of Western European countries toward Turkish entry into full membership of the European Union has produced a flood of comments, as well as a good deal of anger and confusion in Turkey.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 28, 2006

Murakami's influence will linger

Yoshiaki Murakami's arrest was one of the biggest financial scandals of 2006, but the nation's best-known shareholder activist has played a pivotal role in persuading Japanese managers to be more attentive to shareholder interests, according to Marc Goldstein, head of Institutional Shareholder Services...
JAPAN
Dec 27, 2006

Aneha seen as just part of problem

Architect Haruyasu Kawaguchi thought something was wrong when he looked at the blueprints and concrete pillars of a condominium high-rise in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture. This was on Nov. 22, 2005, for a TV program, a few days after a major shoddy construction scam was revealed.
BUSINESS
Dec 27, 2006

Abe to name Kosai head of the Tax Commission

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Tuesday he plans to appoint noted economist Yutaka Kosai, 73, as head of the Tax Commission to replace Masaaki Honma, who resigned under a cloud last week.
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Dec 27, 2006

Our family festivities run foul of hard facts

Christmas has become a modest affair in our family. Our son gets a few presents and the adults get a day of peace and quiet.
JAPAN
Dec 23, 2006

Prosecutors demand four years for Horie

Prosecutors on Friday demanded a four-year prison sentence for Takafumi Horie, the former president of Internet firm Livedoor Co., for alleged violations of the Securities and Exchange Law.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 22, 2006

Voices from the Inside

To find out what 2006 meant to others in Japan, we spoke to people involved in the industry. Here's their take on the best, the worst and what comes next.
JAPAN
Dec 19, 2006

One bad apple set to spoil Osaka's 'buraku' aid barrel

projects because the system of distributing funds could easily be abused," he said. "Local political leaders at that time bear much of the blame for Osaka's current scandals." Osaka pumped billions of yen into social welfare projects run by Konishi for more than three decades in line with its policy...
JAPAN
Dec 19, 2006

One bad apple set to spoil Osaka's 'buraku' aid barrel

More than six months after mobster Kunihiko Konishi was arrested for decades of embezzlement, Osaka is set to scrap two dozen city projects to aid the plight of the local 'buraku" community of descendents of the feudal outcast class.
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Dec 19, 2006

Men's restrooms

Dear Alice,
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Dec 18, 2006

Triangular mergers and the argument for stringent controls

With the ban on so-called triangular mergers scheduled to be lifted in May, debate in Japan -- which has occasionally involved interested parties in the United States and Europe -- has focused on determining the conditions under which such cross-border takeovers should be allowed.
EDITORIALS
Dec 16, 2006

Blame users, not software

The Kyoto District Court has fined Mr. Isamu Kaneko, a former University of Tokyo researcher, for developing the anonymous file-sharing software Winny. It ruled that development of the software program, in effect, helped users illegally copy copyrighted content.
BUSINESS
Dec 16, 2006

Tokyo, New Delhi OK trade agreement talks

India and Japan agreed Friday to launch talks on an economic partnership agreement centered on lowering tariffs on bilateral trade, with Tokyo trying to make up for lost time as it tries to deepen business ties with India, whose economy is growing rapidly.
EDITORIALS
Dec 13, 2006

Clarify ASDF's Iraq activities

The government has decided to extend the deployment of the Air Self-Defense Force in Iraq until July 31, 2007. The ASDF started airlifts from Kuwait in March 2004 under a July 2003 ad hoc law to carry out Self-Defense Forces deployment for noncombat activities in Iraq. Initially the ASDF's airlifts were...
JAPAN / CONSUMER LOAN CRACKDOWN
Dec 13, 2006

Will lending law revision put brakes on debt-driven suicide?

First in a series
JAPAN / CONSUMER LOAN CRACKDOWN
Dec 13, 2006

Will lending law revision put brakes on debt-driven suicide?

First in a series
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Dec 12, 2006

Birthday travel offers

Birthday special In spring 2005, Marion availed herself of ANA's birthday special ticket, but has discovered the service not longer exists. "Is there any other? It was great. I went all the way to Fukuoka in Kyushu for just 10,000 yen."
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / VINELAND
Dec 8, 2006

Koshu: Japan's great white hope

Winemaking in Japan has a long but difficult history. At first glance, there's the auspicious fact that Japan lies at a similar latitude to sunny, dry California. But here, unlike California, the rainy season strikes during the early summer flowering, and recurrent typhoons batter vineyards just prior...

Longform

Atsuyoshi Koike, the president and CEO of Rapidus, says there is a “sense of urgency” when it comes to Japan’s efforts in manufacturing semiconductors. “We have to make sure we are successful,” he says.
Atsuyoshi Koike’s big game: Fourth down and 2 nanometers to go