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EDITORIALS
Sep 23, 2003

Mr. Koizumi gets down to business

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi reshuffled his Cabinet Monday after his victory in Saturday's Liberal Democratic Party presidential election. The new Cabinet demonstrates the prime minister's determination to push his mandate without being swayed by forces that oppose his policy line.
BUSINESS
Sep 23, 2003

Takenaka to keep pushing banks on loans

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's controversial reappointment Monday of Heizo Takenaka as financial services minister means banks will still be under pressure to clean up their bad loans.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Sep 23, 2003

Confessions of a foreign correspondent

These are not happy times for people who make a living writing about Japan. With the country apparently having become, as one magazine put it, the "Switzerland of Asia," i.e., rich but boring, foreign newspapers are shuttering their Tokyo bureaus as fast as they can move their correspondents to cover...
EDITORIALS
Sep 21, 2003

Sweden sends a message to Europe

Sweden has voted to reject the euro. European governments may be inclined to see the results as an expression of Swedish exceptionalism. That would be a mistake. Despite an emotionally charged campaign, the outcome reflects a careful consideration of the country's national interests. European leaders...
JAPAN
Sep 20, 2003

Group-use discounts for expressways to be stopped

Japan Highway Public Corp. will abolish toll discounts extended to group users of expressways in a bid to ensure fairness, transport minister Chikage Ogi said Friday.
EDITORIALS
Sep 20, 2003

The crash in Cancun

The gap between rich and poor nations proved too wide to bridge, and negotiations broke off amid finger-pointing and concern that the failure to reach agreement could unravel the global trade order. In place of one system, it is feared that governments will embrace bilateral and regional deals.
SUMO
Sep 20, 2003

Tochiazuma bundles Asashoryu out for second straight loss

Yokozuna Asashoryu was handed his second straight loss on Friday when he was overpowered by ozeki Tochiazuma on the 13th day of the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament.
COMMENTARY
Sep 20, 2003

Liberal ideals gain ground in the Asia-Pacific region

MANILA -- In past decades, liberal democracy and economic freedom have made great advances in all parts of the world. This general trend also applies to Asia, as is documented in the annual "Freedom in the World" surveys published by the Washington-based Heritage Foundation and the "Economic Freedom...
BUSINESS
Sep 20, 2003

Colony Capital leads Daiei bidding

U.S. investment firm Colony Capital LLC has offered a higher bid for struggling retailer Daiei Inc.'s businesses in Fukuoka than that of a U.S. rival, informed sources said Friday.
JAPAN
Sep 19, 2003

Panel calls for reinterpretation of the antiwar Constitution

In light of the nuclear threat posed by North Korea, the government should alter its interpretation of the Constitution and allow Japan to exercise the right of collective defense, according to a report compiled Thursday by an advisory panel to Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / VINELAND
Sep 19, 2003

Secret treasures of southern Sonoma

The sensual impact of a vacation in the wine country is hard to beat. Hot days, cold nights, good food and meandering drives under blue skies between vineyards and wineries that range from the manicured to the seemingly long-ago abandoned.
EDITORIALS
Sep 19, 2003

Quartet skirts tough questions

As the campaign for the Liberal Democratic Party's presidential election draws to a close, all four candidates, including Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, continue to avoid tough questions about economic policy issues. In offering "carrots" but no "sticks," they are projecting, wittingly or not, a populist...
BUSINESS
Sep 18, 2003

Fashion guru takes helm at sock firm

Fukusuke Corp. has named noted fashion buyer Yukio Fujimaki as president of the time-honored sock maker, which is undergoing court-supervised rehabilitation, company officials said Wednesday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 18, 2003

FSA to scrutinize bank earnings

Financial Services Minister Heizo Takenaka said Wednesday his agency plans to impose heavy penalties on banks that manipulate earnings reports for the year through next March.
CULTURE / Art / CERAMIC SCENE
Sep 17, 2003

Hand-made objects have a soul of their own

I've often been asked about my beginnings with Japanese pottery and how I got so deeply interested in the subject. Mostly, it was a philosophical and intuitive introduction that just struck a chord within me, as well as topics associated with Zen and the present. As with most inspiring art, words often...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / FRONT-RUNNERS
Sep 17, 2003

Small Tokyo-based firm challenges bigger rivals in artificial heart sector

One might think that the list of companies playing a leading role in the development and manufacture of artificial hearts would be limited to major suppliers of medical equipment.
SUMO
Sep 14, 2003

Asashoryu looks unstoppable after forcing out Kotoryu

Mongolian grand champion Asashoryu never even flinched as he left another hapless victim in his wake to maintain a spotless record at the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament on Saturday.
MORE SPORTS
Sep 14, 2003

Sungoliath kicks off Top League with 54-31 victory

The new Top League may have been established to ensure the next generation of Japanese rugby players can compete on the world stage and Hirotoki Onozawa certainly made his mark with four tries -- but the party that marked the launch of the new league was for a time gate-crashed by some of the veterans...
EDITORIALS
Sep 13, 2003

Mr. Arafat flexes his muscles

Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat has been sending a message to the world over the past few months: Despite being confined in his destroyed headquarters for a year and a half, he is still the only person that can make peace between Palestinians and Israelis. U.S.-led attempts to sideline...
MORE SPORTS
Sep 13, 2003

Shop until you drop: Eriksson may be next on Chelsea's list

LONDON -- Sven-Goran Eriksson quits his job as head coach of England to become manager of Chelsea where he takes over from Claudio Ranieri.
BUSINESS
Sep 13, 2003

Saks Fifth Avenue to open in Japan

The Japan unit of upscale U.S. department store Saks Fifth Avenue said Friday it will open its first Japanese outlet in Tokyo in the fall of 2005.
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Sep 11, 2003

'War on Terror' veils assaults on the environment

Alread two years have passed since terrorist attacks in New York and Washington shook America and shocked the world. Today, the repercussions of those tragedies continue to impact American lives in ways never imagined. For environmentalists, one of the most disturbing consequences has been the Bush administration's...
BUSINESS
Sep 11, 2003

KDDI plans to sell PHS unit, focus on au cellular service

KDDI Corp. plans to sell DDI Pocket Inc., its personal handy-phone system unit, company sources said Wednesday.
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Sep 11, 2003

Putting bacteria to work in the body

Margaret Atwood's latest novel, "Oryx and Crake," is set in a future where multinational power has created a dystopia of genetically engineered organisms living in a globally warmed world.
SUMO
Sep 10, 2003

Asashoryu arrests 'Robocop'

Fiery grand champion Asashoryu exacted swift revenge on Takamisakari on Tuesday to maintain his blemish-free record on the third day of the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / FRONT-RUNNERS
Sep 9, 2003

'Yakiniku' chain weathers hike in beef tariff

The fallout from the Aug. 1 tariff increase on beef has not yet reached the nation's largest "yakiniku" grilled-beef restaurant chains.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Sep 9, 2003

Scootering, start-ups and an update

Scooter licenses Maynard never learned to drive in Canada before moving here in 1972 ("yes, 31 years ago, sigh"). Living and working in Tokyo's Yoga district, he has had no need to drive a car, and is put off by the 250,000 yen starting price for local driving schools.
JAPAN
Sep 9, 2003

Osaka's Ohta announces she will seek second term

OSAKA -- Osaka Gov. Fusae Ohta formally announced Monday that she will seek a second term when her current term expires in February 2004.

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