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JAPAN
Jul 1, 2006

Tokyo, Fukuoka apply for '16 Olympics

is all smiles Friday with Tsunekazu Takeda, chairman of the Japanese Olympic Committee, at the JOC secretariat in Shibuya Ward as he submits the capital's proposal to host the 2016 Olympic Games. KYODO PHOTO
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jun 30, 2006

Lecture to celebrate Bach's 'inventions'

The NEC Early Music Lecture by Masaaki Suzuki, musical director of the Bach Collegium Japan, takes place July 1 at Tokyo Opera City Recital Hall. There will also be a cembalo performance as part of the same event.
CULTURE / Music
Jun 30, 2006

Summer Sonic

W hen & Where: Summer Sonic takes place Aug. 12-13 at Chiba Marine Stadium, Makuhari Messe in Chiba Prefecture; and WTC Open Air Stadium, Osaka Intex and Zepp Tokyo in Osaka. Shows begin at 11 a.m. on both days. The lineups on Saturday switch cities on Sunday.
BUSINESS
Jun 30, 2006

Shiseido, Tosoh get OK for defensive measures

Shareholders in top cosmetics maker Shiseido Co. and major chemical maker Tosoh Corp. separately approved measures Thursday to defend against corporate takeovers.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jun 30, 2006

Digital art with a punk attitude

Kensuke Sembo and Yae Akaiwa are two Tokyo-based artists who engage a variety of technology. Working under the name Exonemo, the duo's current installation, "World B/Turn over your awareness to play the B-side," marks the 10th anniversary of the two-man collective and runs for a further two weeks through...
COMMENTARY
Jun 30, 2006

Rewriting the line on Japan

HONG KONG -- There are encouraging signs that both China and Japan are looking for ways to ease the prolonged deadlock between their two countries and improve relations -- an essential prerequisite to any strengthening of East Asian regional integration and the eventual emergence of an Asian community....
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 29, 2006

WTO: a call for 'enlightened negotiators'

The current multilateral trade negotiations under the auspices of the World Trade Organization (WTO) are approaching the moment of truth. The major gridlock among key players, such as Japan, the United States, the European Union and Brazil seems, however, difficult to be unlocked at the series of ministerial...
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 29, 2006

Uribe raises hope for Colombia's future

PRAGUE -- A leftwing tide has supposedly been sweeping Latin America. But President Alvaro Uribe's re-election in Colombia may not only have begun the process of reversing that tide; it has perhaps also shown conservative and liberal parties across the continent a way forward -- one that may soon be...
BUSINESS
Jun 28, 2006

Toshiba shareholders OK poison pill

Toshiba Corp. shareholders approved measures to fend off hostile takeover bids at their annual meeting Tuesday, company officials said.
JAPAN
Jun 28, 2006

Pension system bugbear only got band-aid fix

Five years was not enough time for Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to overhaul the nation's ailing pension system.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Jun 28, 2006

Marine management is all at sea

Our oceans and seas are in deep trouble, and if the Japanese government is to be believed, part of the blame rests with the whales.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 27, 2006

Warner Japan taking greater interest in local movie scene

Warner Entertainment Japan Inc., a subsidiary of U.S. media giant Time Warner Inc., plans to acquire more Japanese films and increase local production of movies in response to the growing popularity of domestic films, said William Ireton, who was named president of the company in May.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WORDS TO LIVE BY
Jun 27, 2006

Tadanobu Tsunoda

Tadanobu Tsunoda, MD, 79, is the author of "The Japanese Brain" (now in its 38th Japanese edition), and the inventor of the Tsunoda Key Tapping Machine. He developed this simple analog system in the 1960s, and claims it is still the most accurate machine in the world for measuring the brainstem's switch...
EDITORIALS
Jun 26, 2006

Keeping an eye on the beef

Japan agreed last week to lift its ban on imports of American beef after the United States accepted Tokyo's demand for stricter safety checks. Imports will resume only after Japanese experts have checked the 35 U.S. meatpackers authorized to process beef for export to Japan. Even after imports resume,...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jun 25, 2006

Who needs a trial when the media has hanged, drawn and quartered the accused?

Cynicism comes naturally to members of the tabloid press, who report sensational news in a sensational way and rarely think about what exactly it is they're doing. All they care about is the gory details. However, their coverage of the murder of a 7-year-old boy last month in Akita Prefecture and the...
BUSINESS
Jun 24, 2006

Son says Vodafone can top rivals with content

Mobile phone carrier Vodafone K.K., which Softbank Corp. acquired in April, can outperform rivals NTT DoCoMo Inc. and KDDI Corp. by funneling content from Softbank subsidiary Yahoo Japan Corp. into its mobile business, Softbank President Masayoshi Son said Friday.
BUSINESS
Jun 22, 2006

Plethora of features leaves novice PC users flummoxed

Personal computer makers' call centers are buzzing these days.
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Jun 21, 2006

Pacers ponder shipping out Jermaine

MIAMI -- If you read a quote by a named Pacers official or an unnamed source denying Jermaine O'Neal is being shopped, do not fall for it.
EDITORIALS
Jun 21, 2006

Medical reforms need work

The laws passed last week by the Diet to curb the growth in the nation's medical spending testify to the government's determination to solve the problem. While the laws include positive elements, they are not problem-free. The government needs to continuously review the nation's medical system. Rationalizing...
EDITORIALS
Jun 19, 2006

A united lobby for life

Japan has seen more than 30,000 people kill themselves annually for eight consecutive years since 1998. Last year, 32,552 people took their own lives, a total that breaks down to 89.18 suicides per day and 3.71 suicides every hour. Certainly these are grim figures.
EDITORIALS
Jun 17, 2006

Mr. Fukui's poor judgment

Bank of Japan Gov. Toshihiko Fukui has made public that he invested 10 million yen in an investment fund led by maverick fund manager Mr. Yoshiaki Murakami, who was arrested June 5 on suspicion of insider trading involving purchases of Nippon Broadcasting System Inc. shares.
JAPAN
Jun 17, 2006

Diet passes North sanctions bill

The Diet passed a bill Friday that requires the government to impose economic sanctions on North Korea if Pyongyang fails to make progress in addressing its human rights situation, notably resolving the fate of abducted Japanese.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jun 16, 2006

Old tipple with new spirit

KAGOSHIMA -- Some Japanese traditions are best left alone. Those who would attempt to capitalize on the popularity of Kyoto's ancient temples by placing soft-drink machines and loudspeakers inside them deserve the severest form of punishment a society can devise, like being forced to watch a TV program...
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jun 16, 2006

Behold a make-believe world

The work of Tokyo-born filmmaker Junichi Okuyama, widely known by his nickname of "Mr. Experimental Film," will be marked at the weeklong "Anarchy Film Festival," from June 16.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jun 16, 2006

Popularizing music

Fete de la Musique au Japon 2006, now in its fifth year, takes place in the Kansai area June 17-18 and June 21 in Osaka, Kobe, Miho, Suita, Takatsuki, Ibaraki and Otsu.
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jun 16, 2006

Wanted: Contestants for kids' cooking competition

Hattori Nutrition College in Tokyo is currently recruiting elementary school-age children -- and their parents -- to contest its "12th Hattori Kids' Cooking Contest" to be held July 28. The theme for the competition is primarily breakfast, and in particular, "breakfast made from tomato with miso soup."...
BUSINESS
Jun 15, 2006

Livedoor execs meet with shareholders

CHIBA -- Livedoor Co. investors finally had their say Wednesday as the scandal-tainted firm held its first shareholders' meeting since its top executives were arrested in January.

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