Search - member

 
 
EDITORIALS / WASHINGTON UPDATE
Jul 30, 2004

Taking care of business

The extraordinary Diet session that opens Friday should be an occasion to review the outcome of the July 11 Upper House election. This is true especially for the Liberal Democratic Party, which failed to win its targeted number of seats. Yet neither the LDP nor the administration of Prime Minister Junichiro...
JAPAN
Jul 30, 2004

Hashimoto's position under threat over funding scandal

Pressure is mounting on former Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto to step down as chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party's largest faction, with a meeting Thursday revealing that group members are losing confidence in him over a political funding scandal.
JAPAN
Jul 29, 2004

High court upholds death sentence for two culprits in subway gassing

The Tokyo High Court on Wednesday upheld the death sentences meted out to two Aum Shinrikyo figures over their roles in the 1995 sarin attack on the Tokyo subway system.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 29, 2004

Automakers get in touch with their feminine side

Automakers used to think cars in pastel colors with floral-patterned seats were key to attracting female buyers.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 29, 2004

Ogi set to become first female president of Upper House

Former transport minister Chikage Ogi will become the first female president of the House of Councilors this week at the extraordinary Diet session, party sources said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jul 21, 2004

Moms who skipped baby check prone to depression, abuse: poll

A third of mothers who skipped a medical checkup for their babies in fiscal 2001 in Kitakyushu were found to be suffering from depression and may have abused their children, according to a survey released recently.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 20, 2004

Former Prime Minister Suzuki dies at Tokyo hospital, aged 93

Former Prime Minister Zenko Suzuki died at a Tokyo hospital Monday, his family said. He was 93.
JAPAN
Jul 16, 2004

Suzuki aide in fund scam sees suspended term upheld

The Tokyo High Court on Thursday upheld a suspended 16-month prison term for a former aide of ex-House of Representatives member Muneo Suzuki convicted of funds misuse and bid-meddling.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 16, 2004

Hashimoto linked to shady 100 million yen from dental group

A former Japan Dental Association chairman tied to an embezzlement scandal sent a 100 million yen check from the coffers of the group's political arm to former Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto prior to the 2001 House of Councilors election, investigative sources said Thursday.
JAPAN
Jul 16, 2004

Suzuki aide in fund scam sees suspended term upheld

The Tokyo High Court on Thursday upheld a suspended 16-month prison term for a former aide of ex-House of Representatives member Muneo Suzuki convicted of funds misuse and bid-meddling.
BUSINESS
Jul 15, 2004

Bank of China deal widens JCB credit card business

JCB Co. has signed a deal with the Bank of China to jointly issue credit cards in China, becoming the first Japanese company to enter the Chinese credit card business, company officials said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Jul 13, 2004

Takenaka rapped despite topping proportional list

Although Economic and Fiscal Policy Minister Heizo Takenaka garnered the most proportional representation votes on his party's ticket in Sunday's Upper House election, analysts on Monday called his performance modest and said it might cloud the outlook for Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's economic...
JAPAN
Jul 13, 2004

Last Greens Japan representative falls

Atsuo Nakamura, the leader and only member of the Greens Japan party in the House of Councilors, lost his seat in Sunday's election, according to the final results announced Monday by the Central Election Administration Committee.
EDITORIALS
Jul 12, 2004

Applauding a regional forum

It is tempting to dismiss the just-concluded annual meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) as little more than a talk shop. The statement released at the end of each meeting tends to look like the one before it. Tangible accomplishments are hard to identify. Furthermore, it is difficult to take a...
JAPAN
Jul 8, 2004

Delegates at Kyoto talks push Security Council expansion

KYOTO -- A two-day conference on reforming the United Nations ended here Wednesday with participants agreeing that the number of Security Council seats should be expanded to better meet threats to global security.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 7, 2004

Iranian's charge of brutality vs. word of police

Jailed for two months and charged with obstructing justice, Ghadir Esmaeili, a 34-year-old Iranian permanent resident in Japan, claims he's a victim of police brutality, although other than his damaged eye he lacks damning visual evidence like the notorious video footage of L.A. police beating Rodney...
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 6, 2004

Clarify 'self-defense' role

The government decided recently to keep Self-Defense Force troops stationed in Iraq as participants in the multinational force following the handover of sovereignty. I support this decision. One reason the decision has been criticized is that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi made a procedural faux pas...
Features
Jul 4, 2004

Interns buck the trend

It's a sad fact that Japanese people, especially the young, are losing interest in politics.
JAPAN / ELECTION '04
Jul 3, 2004

Pension issue strikes chord with voters

It's always tough to draw the attention of apathetic voters when stumping.
JAPAN
Jul 2, 2004

Seibu defendants admit pandering to 'sokaiya' demands

A former managing director of Seibu Railway Co. pleaded guilty Thursday to providing benefits worth 89 million yen to a corporate racketeer and his accomplices by selling company-owned land at prices well below market value in 2001, thereby violating the Commercial Code.
EDITORIALS
Jun 26, 2004

A wakeup call for Europe

June has been a cruel month for the European Union. Euroskeptics were the big winners in elections for the EU Parliament, although apathy rather than outright opposition to the EU project best captures voter sentiment. Then, last week, a second attempt to agree on a new constitution made progress only...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 22, 2004

DPJ needs more than union help at polls

On a recent evening, about 2,500 members of the UI Zensen labor federation filled a hall in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward to rally for fellow member Mitsuyoshi Yanagisawa, who will run in the July 11 House of Councilors election.
CULTURE / Stage
Jun 20, 2004

Guys en pointe frolic in frocks in grand diva style

Watching a bunch of grown men wearing tutus and pancake makeup parodying some of ballet's most cherished classics, such as "The Dying Swan" and "The Nutcracker Suite," may not sound like everybody's bag. But the wildly hilarious Les Ballets Grandiva, an all-male comedy ballet troupe based in New York,...
EDITORIALS
Jun 17, 2004

Reconciliation under house arrest

Defying international opinion, Myanmar's military government continues to rule the country with an iron hand. It is hard to understand why the ruling generals, despite their increasing isolation at home and abroad, maintain such a hardline stance. They should know that genuine democratic reform is the...
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 13, 2004

European Parliament signals right turn

LONDON -- This weekend the European Union faces its five-year parliamentary makeover as voters across an enlarged union go to the polls. Results will be shaped by three impulses:

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