Search - 2004

 
 
JAPAN
Jan 21, 2006

Tokyo, Seoul ink bilateral crime pact

Japan and South Korea signed a bilateral treaty Friday to facilitate and speed up their cooperation on criminal investigations, government officials said.
JAPAN
Jan 14, 2006

Nation's transport security still being tightened

Transport minister Kazuo Kitagawa and 13 counterparts agreed Friday in Tokyo to work together to fight terrorism, a threat Japan is already addressing by bolstering security to prevent attacks on its transportation networks.
JAPAN / FRAMING THE FUTURE
Jan 3, 2006

Japan's quake-preparedness quest never-ending

Amid the scores of shoddily built high-rises connected to disgraced architect Hidetsugu Aneha, the fraud scandal may have had one positive outcome -- reawakening society's sense of urgency to prepare for a major earthquake.
JAPAN
Jan 1, 2006

China says Japan wanted suicide of diplomat to stay under wraps

Japan urged China not to disclose the suicide of a staff member at the Japanese Consulate General in Shanghai in May 2004, saying it had been caused by job stress, the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo said in a written statement Saturday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 31, 2005

Is hiking taxes the solution to Japan's fiscal mess?

The nation has no choice but to make salaried workers pay more taxes to put its finances in order.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 28, 2005

English immersion of toddlers on the rise

Mana Kitazawa was 18 months old in September 2004 when she first started going to Poppins International Preschool in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo.
JAPAN
Dec 24, 2005

Prosecutors get papers on defense bid-rigging

The Defense Facilities Administration Agency has submitted documents tied to bid-rigging allegations over installation of electrical equipment, in response to a request from the Tokyo District Public Prosecutor's Office.
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.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 20, 2005

Hiroshima murder suspect had poor life, broken home in Peru

Jose Manuel Torres Yake, a 33-year-old Peruvian of Japanese descent arrested in the murder of a 7-year-old girl in Hiroshima in November, first came to Japan under an assumed name in April 2004.
JAPAN
Dec 17, 2005

Population now on track to start shrinking in 2006, not 2007: report

Japan's population will start shrinking next year and not in 2007 as was earlier projected and could be half of what it is now in a century, if the birthrate continues to decline at the current pace, according to a government report released Friday.
JAPAN
Dec 17, 2005

Record 5 million ambulance calls cast doubt on disaster preparedness

The government Friday called for establishing an effective emergency rescue system as the number of ambulance dispatches topped 5 million for the first time in 2004, exposing potential problems for the swift transfer of the sick and injured during major disasters.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Dec 6, 2005

Genki drinks riding high

People the world over are raising a toast to the growing mainstream acceptance of energy and functional drinks.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 2, 2005

Have music, will travel

Shugo Tokumaru is one of those unfairly talented types who seem to be able to turn their hand to anything. He wrote, played and sang every note on his two albums of "bedroom music" and produced them both too. The 25-year-old also finds time to play guitar and occasionally sing in lo-fi indie pop band...
BUSINESS
Nov 23, 2005

Major insurers profit thanks to fewer disasters

The nation's six major nonlife insurers reported higher first-half net profits from a year ago thanks to a decline in natural disasters, according to parent-only earnings reports released Tuesday.
EDITORIALS
Nov 15, 2005

Braking illicit drug use

Police statistics show that the number of people taken into police custody on narcotics-related charges is on the decrease. Still, optimism about drug use in Japan is not warranted, as recent arrests or indictments have involved a former lawmaker and members of the Self-Defense Forces.
EDITORIALS
Oct 15, 2005

Reining in medical expenditures

The Japanese spent 31.4 trillion yen for medical services in fiscal 2004, or about 246,000 yen per person, an increase of 2 percent from the previous year. The figure of 2 percent may be a small and acceptable growth, requiring no stricter lid on the rise of the nation's medical spending. But Japan's...
EDITORIALS
Oct 3, 2005

Winning doesn't make him right

The Osaka High Court on Friday found unconstitutional Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's three visits to Yasukuni Shrine from 2001 to 2003. The court said the visits violated Article 20, Section 3, of the Constitution, which prohibits religious education and any other "religious" activity by the state...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Sep 25, 2005

Carp may bring in ex-player Brown to try and revive club

Hiroshima Carp manager Koji Yamamoto has announced he will be stepping down at the end of this season, and press reports have indicated the leading candidate to replace him is former Carp infielder-outfielder Marty Brown.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 17, 2005

Local version of wedding magazine teaches men how to tie the knot

While brides-to-be may complain that their future spouses do nothing to help them prepare for the big day, it's often the case that men just don't have a clue about what to do to help.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 24, 2005

Vote on Koizumi's record, not postal reform, scholar says

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi may want to make his postal privatization quest the focal point of the Sept. 11 election, but economics professor Masaru Kaneko argues voters should instead cast their ballots based on how he has steered the economy and society.
JAPAN
Aug 11, 2005

Nikkei has highest close since April '04 on economy restart announcement

The key Nikkei stock index ended Wednesday at its highest level since late April 2004, racking up the second-largest single-day gain this year after the government said the day before that economic recovery had ended its pause.

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?