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JAPAN
Dec 25, 2005

Missile shield project to proceed

The government formally decided Saturday to begin joint development of a next-generation interceptor missile with the United States in April -- a move critics say will create tension in East Asia.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Dec 25, 2005

Merry Christmas -- whether rendered as a fact or not

Today being Christmas Day, I think we should all come clean and dedicate ourselves to truth. When all is said and done (and pretty soon it may be), there is probably no person in the world as tortured over the truth these days as U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Dec 24, 2005

Mourinho alienating everyone but his players, Chelsea fans

LONDON -- Jose Mourinho seems to have found the 30-hour day.
JAPAN
Dec 24, 2005

Emperor turns 72, frets blizzard woes

Emperor Akihito marked his 72nd birthday Friday with an address to the public, expressing concern about people who have been hit hard by the recent heavy snowfall.
JAPAN
Dec 23, 2005

China posing a threat: Aso

A Beijing spokesman Thursday called remarks by Foreign Minister Taro Aso on China posing a threat "highly irresponsible" and questioned his intentions. Now is the wrong time for a meeting between Aso and his Chinese counterpart, Li Zhaoxing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang also a press briefing....
JAPAN
Dec 23, 2005

New war memorial off budget in '06

The government will not appropriate outlays in the fiscal 2006 budget for a feasibility study for the proposed building of a new war memorial, Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe said Thursday, citing divided public opinion.
JAPAN
Dec 23, 2005

Political parties' fundraising under 300 billion yen, off 10%

Political parties and affiliated organizations collected a combined 290.8 billion yen in political funds in 2004, a 9.8 percent decline from the previous year and below the 300 billion yen mark for the second time since the early 1990s, a Kyodo News survey revealed Thursday.
JAPAN
Dec 23, 2005

Population already contracting

Japan's population has started shrinking for the first time this year, health ministry data showed Thursday, presenting the government with pressing challenges on the social and economic front, including ensuring provision of social security services and securing the labor force.
BUSINESS
Dec 23, 2005

State allocates 50 billion yen in 2006 budget

The government announced Thursday how to spend an as-yet-unallocated 50 billion yen in the 79.69 trillion yen fiscal 2006 budget.
BUSINESS
Dec 23, 2005

U.S. expects sluggish beef exports in '06

U.S. beef exported to Japan is estimated to total about 100,000 tons in 2006, one-third the level prior to the ban imposed in December 2003, the president and CEO of the U.S. Meat Export Federation said Thursday.
OLYMPICS
Dec 22, 2005

Igaya focused on 2016 bid

International Olympic Committee vice president Chiharu Igaya said there is a good chance for Japan to host the 2016 Games.
JAPAN
Dec 22, 2005

Tokyo, Pyongyang to talk on weekend

Japan and North Korea have agreed to resume working-level government talks Saturday and Sunday in Beijing, and Tokyo again will demand the abduction issue be resolved, the top government spokesman said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Dec 22, 2005

No seat at Koizumi table for factions

Junior Diet members should avoid jealousy -- this was the advice Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi had Wednesday for 30 new Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers who weren't invited to a party dinner he hosted the previous evening, apparently because they had joined LDP factions.
BUSINESS
Dec 22, 2005

Nissan woos women with curvy new sedans

In an effort to attract new female drivers, Nissan Motor Co. on Wednesday unveiled a revamped Bluebird Sylphy sedan aimed specifically at the needs of women in their 40s.
COMMENTARY
Dec 22, 2005

Insecurity fuels anti-globalization battle

LOS ANGELES -- The issues that fueled the antiglobalization movement at the Battle of Seattle have not gone away. A revival movement surfaced last week. Call it the Battle of Hong Kong.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Dec 21, 2005

Ex-Giants slugger Kiyohara to play for Buffaloes next year

Veteran slugger Kazuhiro Kiyohara, who was released by the Yomiuri Giants in the fall, said on Tuesday he will play for the Orix Buffaloes next season.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 21, 2005

Stalker-killer's life term upheld

The Tokyo High Court on Tuesday upheld a life sentence for a man who stalked and played a part in the slaying of a 21-year-old woman who had broken off a relationship with his brother.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 20, 2005

Making a difference in Aceh

BRUSSELS -- The European Union's successive waves of industrial, social, economic and monetary integration have come and, mostly, gone. The cutting edge of political debate within the EU now centers on an emerging Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP).
MORE SPORTS
Dec 18, 2005

Seagulls ready to rumble with Impulse in X Bowl

The Obic Seagulls captain Tatsuro Shoji is uplifted by the opportunity to pay back for a humiliation.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 18, 2005

Maehara raps Koizumi's policy toward U.S., Asia

Democratic Party of Japan leader Seiji Maehara said Saturday that Japan should place strong emphasis on its relations with other Asian countries, criticizing Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi for leaning too much on ties with the United States.
Japan Times
Features
Dec 18, 2005

Legal loner courts controversy every day

Any weekday, if you happen to drop by the Tokyo District/High/Summary Court building in Kasumigasaki, among all the besuited lawyers and the like you'll likely spy a blond, bearded young man leafing through the day's schedules in the first-floor lobby, or shuffling in and out of courtrooms big and small....
BUSINESS
Dec 17, 2005

No decision on future inflation target: Fukui

The Bank of Japan has not decided whether it will introduce a specific inflation target after it ends its ultraeasy monetary stance, BOJ Gov. Toshihiko Fukui said Friday, after the Policy Board announced the policy would continue.
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM MOSCOW
Dec 15, 2005

Russian rightwingers ride benzene spill

MOSCOW -- The city of Khabarovsk is ill-starred. Founded by hopeful entrepreneurs as a major trade hub in the Russian Far East on the doorstep of China, it turned into a big dump -- a symbol of missed opportunities and disillusionment.
MORE SPORTS
Dec 14, 2005

Eight pass test for NFL Europe

NFL Japan announced Tuesday that eight Japanese players will be invited for next February's NFL Europe training camp for non-Americans in Tampa, Fla.

Longform

Totopa in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward was picked by consultants TTNE as the best sauna of the year.
Japan’s sauna movement: Relax, refresh, repeat