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CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Nov 7, 2004

And you thought doing deals in today's Japan was tough

THE DESHIMA DIARIES MARGINALIA 1740-1800, edited by Leonard Blusse, Cynthia Vialle, Willem Remmelink and Isabel van Daalen. Tokyo: The Japan-Netherlands Institute, 898 pp., 2004, 13,000 yen (cloth). It has been 12 years since I had occasion to review on this page the first volume of the Deshima Diaries...
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Nov 2, 2004

Immigration, acting and yellow pages

Otemachi still open? Dave was in a panic last week. He had just realized his three-year visa required renewal, and wondered if the immigration office in Otemachi was still open.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 28, 2004

Parents of lonely hearts join own group

Tadashi Saito imagines his son leaving the office after a long day at work and trudging home to a lonely bachelor's apartment with all the lights out and no hot food on the table.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Oct 5, 2004

Alien card concerns and a visitor

Fall is a beautiful time in Japan. If you have a chance, try and get away to to the mountains somewhere -- Nikko, Chichibu . . . it is absolutely beautiful.
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Sep 30, 2004

Deaf school phenomenon points to innate language origins

So there's this deaf American visiting Russia, and he's thirsty. Using American Sign Language, he says to his deaf-guide, "I really want a soda." But in Russian Sign Language, the gestures he used correspond to, "I really want to have sex." Guessing at some linguistic problem, the Russian guide diplomatically...
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Sep 28, 2004

New talent, cheap fares and STDs

Talent scouting Jan believes she has a great voice and wonders how to find representation in Japan. "Are there any agencies that take on foreigners?"
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Sep 23, 2004

Good stuff, people and advice on how to tailor your consumption

It's back-to-school time again, and whether you are going back, sending your child off, or just getting swept up in the streams of backpack-wielding kids, change is in the air. Time for new books, new people and new gossip, and time to clear the desk even if only for a place to rest your head.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / THE SECOND ROOM
Aug 20, 2004

The Gathering 2004 preview

After dozens of hours of copious, nail-biting research, I have deduced that there is absolutely no connection whatsoever between Respect for the Aged Day and the ending date for Gathering 2004, except that vigorous dancing has been medically proven to reverse the aging process.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Aug 17, 2004

Collecting your pension dues

After those who leave Japan, hand in their gaijin cards and apply for their 2.4 month refund, the remaining millions of yen they've paid into the system stay in Japan, where the money is used to pay pension payments for those they left behind.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Aug 17, 2004

Mosquitoes, surgery and cheap words

More on mozzies A reader named Rodney was interested in information about "ka" (mosquitoes) in a July column. He says there are few things he hates in this world, even among the insect family, "but I do abhor mosquitoes!" He did some research on mosquito repellents about a year ago and learned that...
JAPAN
Jul 30, 2004

493 punished for pension info misuse

The Social Insurance Agency said Thursday it has punished 493 officials over a scandal involving unauthorized access to pension-related personal information, such as premium payment records.
JAPAN
Jul 27, 2004

Jenkins, lawyer may meet by week's end

A U.S. military defense lawyer may meet with accused deserter Charles Jenkins by the end of this week, Japanese government sources said Monday.
EDITORIALS
Jul 24, 2004

Use and abuse of intelligence

Two official reports come to disturbing conclusions about intelligence failures in the United States and Great Britain. Both identify systemic flaws in the collection and analysis of critical intelligence that resulted in the invasion of Iraq. There is much to learn from these episodes, but the most...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Jun 27, 2004

Business documentary "Dawn of Gaia" on TV Tokyo and more

Recently, the news has been filled with stories about customer data being leaked from large companies to shady individuals. This activity, which is called "information theft," is explored in depth on TV Tokyo's business documentary program "Dawn of Gaia" (Tuesday, 10 p.m.). Such leaks are not a new phenomenon,...
EDITORIALS
Jun 25, 2004

Bringing science and society closer

The connection between science and technology, on the one hand, and our daily life, on the other, is growing closer and increasingly wide-ranging. To see that relationship, we have only to think of the example of advanced medicine, in which information and images obtained via cell phones or the Internet...
EDITORIALS
Jun 22, 2004

Moment of truth for Iran, IAEA

Doubts surrounding Iran's nuclear-energy program continue to mount. Last week, the governing board of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) adopted a resolution condemning Iran's failure to come clean about its nuclear plans and urging greater cooperation with the nuclear watchdog. The next steps...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 2, 2004

ETFs gain popularity with individual investors

With the stock market picking up, exchange traded funds, investment trusts linked to stock market indexes, are gaining popularity, especially among stock investment beginners and some brokerage houses who have begun to market overseas ETFs.
JAPAN
May 29, 2004

Two Japanese reported killed south of Baghdad

Two Japanese freelance journalists died after their vehicle was attacked by unidentified assailants in the city of Mahmudiyah, about 30 km south of Baghdad, a Foreign Ministry official in Tokyo quoted Iraqi hospital officials as saying Friday.
BUSINESS
May 29, 2004

UBS told to toughen data control

The Financial Services Agency on Friday ordered the Japanese unit of the Switzerland-based UBS financial group to strengthen its internal control of undisclosed corporate data following revelations that the branch provided information to investing clients.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 26, 2004

Japanese interest in abduction issue led North Korea to isolate Hasuike

Repatriated abductee Kaoru Hasuike said Tuesday he was isolated from the rest of North Korean society during the late 1990s, when Pyongyang's abduction of Japanese nationals became a hot topic in Japan.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 26, 2004

Japanese interest in abduction issue led North Korea to isolate Hasuike

Repatriated abductee Kaoru Hasuike said Tuesday he was isolated from the rest of North Korean society during the late 1990s, when Pyongyang's abduction of Japanese nationals became a hot topic in Japan.
Events
May 16, 2004

KANSAI: Who & What

Indian handicrafts on sale for charity Mustard Seeds, an organization providing support for children and nongovernmental organizations in Kolkata, India, is holding a charity exhibition and sale of Indian handicrafts in Kyoto and Nara.
JAPAN
May 13, 2004

Bulletin Board

Tokyo, Kobe study-abroad fairs slated
Japan Times
JAPAN / POLITICS IN FOCUS
May 11, 2004

Lawmakers now looking to make laws

Liberal Democratic Party member Ichita Yamamoto felt he had done his job when the Diet enacted legislation earlier this year to allow Japan to impose unilateral economic sanctions on North Korea.
Japan Times
JAPAN / POLITICS IN FOCUS
May 11, 2004

Lawmakers now looking to make laws

Liberal Democratic Party member Ichita Yamamoto felt he had done his job when the Diet enacted legislation earlier this year to allow Japan to impose unilateral economic sanctions on North Korea.
Events
May 2, 2004

KANSAI: Who & What

Takatsuki set to host sixth jazz festival: A large-scale, free jazz festival will be held on May 3 and 4 in the city of Takatsuki, Osaka Prefecture.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Apr 30, 2004

Get away from it all without going so far

HINASE, Okayama Pref. -- Most people, if asked to name their favorite islands in Japan, might plump for the southernmost and most exotic ones which together comprise Okinawa Prefecture. Others, less enamored of balmy climes, might prefer Niigata Prefecture's Sado Island in the Sea of Japan; while some...

Longform

It's back to the classroom for some residents as municipal governments across the country conduct lessons to learn how to use new technologies.
Can aging Japan go digital without leaving anyone behind?