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Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 8, 2005

Prime minister's new quarters a step up

Built more than 70 years ago, it had only three rooms for private use that get little sunshine and was inhabited by mites and cockroaches. A previous occupant had been assassinated there.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 6, 2005

U.S., Vietnam draw closer

HONOLULU -- An American warship steamed slowly up the Saigon River last week to mark the gradual forging of normal political, economic and even military relations between the United States and Vietnam 30 years after the end of their long and bloody war.
EDITORIALS
Apr 6, 2005

Dying in peace with dignity

The death of Terri Schiavo has focused attention on euthanasia. With her feeding tube removed, the 41-year-old American woman died in Florida last week after 15 years of living in a "vegetative state." The long and bitter dispute, in and out of court, that continued through her last days suggest the...
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 5, 2005

Russia wastes time as AIDS crisis builds

NEW YORK -- In recent years, HIV/AIDS infection in Russia has been spreading at the fastest rate in the world. Several experts estimate that more than 1.5 million Russians are HIV-infected at present. According to World Bank estimates, that number could total 5.4 million to 14.5 million by 2020 unless...
JAPAN
Apr 4, 2005

Ex-Defense Agency engineer suspected of leaking sub info

Police have questioned a former senior Defense Agency engineering officer and searched his home on suspicion he gave copies of confidential submarine documents to an acquaintance who may have leaked the information to China, according to informed sources.
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Apr 4, 2005

Expo no ordinary economy booster

Aichi Expo 2005 -- the first world exposition of the 21st century -- has attracted tens of thousands of visitors since it opened March 25. Under the theme of "Nature's wisdom," the expo is providing the governments, companies and people of the 120 participating countries a place to exchange ideas and...
JAPAN
Apr 3, 2005

Miyake lifts volcanic gas warning

The Miyake village government lifted a volcanic gas warning Saturday morning that was the first issued since residents were allowed to return to the island on Feb. 1.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 3, 2005

Jesse van Ruller

Although Holland has one of the best jazz scenes in the world, the number of Dutch musicians who have made an impression outside of Europe is surprisingly small. One who has made it "out" is guitarist Jesse van Ruller, who brings his trio to Japan for a rare tour this week.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / CLOSE-UP
Apr 3, 2005

Ryu Murakami: Straight-talking wordsmith wields his pen like a sword

For nearly three decades since his seismic debut with "Almost Transparent Blue," which delved into the sex- and drug-fueled lives of Japanese youths in a town hosting a huge U.S. military base, author Ryu Murakami has often used his trademark explicit, offensive and guiltlessly cheerful language to dig...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 3, 2005

The rebirth of a salesman

For Atsushi Yamada, conductor of the New York City Opera, his presentation of Giacomo Puccini's opera "Madame Butterfly" to be staged in Tokyo and Nagoya in May will be something of a triumphant return.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 2, 2005

Alleged al-Qaeda link seeks vindication

A Bangladeshi businessman who was incorrectly alleged by police and the media last year as being linked to the al-Qaeda terrorist network is seeking vindication.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 1, 2005

Asahi censors ad critical of its sponsored 'news'

The Asahi Shimbun published a partially blacked-out advertisement Thursday that had been placed by the weekly magazine Shukan Bunshun to plug an article accusing the newspaper of engaging in "checkbook journalism."
MORE SPORTS
Mar 29, 2005

Judo judges to try out video aids

International judo officials will begin using video footage at this year's world championships on a trial basis to help avoid controversy in refereeing, Japanese judo officials said Monday.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 27, 2005

Rice shows her mettle in Asian gauntlet

HONOLULU -- A Korean journalist in Seoul last weekend asked visiting U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice how she coped with a bureaucracy staffed largely with white men.
COMMENTARY
Mar 27, 2005

Who decides life and death?

WASHINGTON -- Last week the U.S. Congress voted to try to save, at least temporarily, the life of Terri Schiavo, who otherwise would slowly starve to death at the hospice in the state of Florida in which she is confined.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Mar 27, 2005

First, stop, look and listen

THE SINGLE TONE: A Personal Journey into Shakuhachi Music, by Christopher Yohmei Blasdel, Tokyo: Printed Matter Press, 2005, 168 pp., with photographs and glossary, 1,500 yen (paper). In the summer of 1972 Christopher Blasdel first came to Japan. He was from West Texas, "a landscape dominated by strip...
MORE SPORTS
Mar 26, 2005

Fukushima to fight for WBA title

Japanese bantamweight boxer Manabu Fukushima will fight Ukrainian WBA champion Wladimir Sidorenko in Tokyo in June in his first shot at a world title in three years, his gym said Friday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Mar 23, 2005

The end of the line for American Eden

Times change and things move on. "The past," as L.P Hartley (1892-1972) wrote in his 1956 novel The Go-Between, "is a foreign country, they do things differently there."
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 22, 2005

Special court can right Haitian wrongs

PORT-AU-PRINCE -- Known as the "Perle des Antilles" at the time of its independence in 1804, Haiti has gone through several periods of upheaval and terror that have stymied a once promising future. Human rights violations are widespread, and justice is nonexistent in the country today.
Features / WEEK 3
Mar 20, 2005

On a wing and no fare

When Momoko Sasaki goes traveling, she literally "goes an extra mile" to enjoy perks that few of her peers have likely ever dreamed of.
EDITORIALS
Mar 18, 2005

Russia-Japan thaw not in sight

The deadlock in Japan-Russia relations shows no signs of ending anytime soon. A Tokyo visit by President Vladimir Putin -- which had been expected early this year -- is up in the air now that an advance trip by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, initially set for earlier this month, has been postponed indefinitely....
BUSINESS
Mar 15, 2005

Industrial output revised up 2.5%

The nation's industrial output expanded a seasonally adjusted 2.5 percent in January from the previous month, revised upward from the initially reported 2.1 percent increase, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said Monday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 13, 2005

Sibling rivalry fans the creative flames

Matthew and Eleanor Friedberger, the brother-sister duo known as Fiery Furnaces, have become the standard bearers of underground progressive rock by reviving the idea that albums can be complete, integrated pop works unto themselves. In this age of institutionalized short attention spans and the iPod...
COMMENTARY
Mar 7, 2005

Let taxes spur carbon cuts

On Feb. 16, the Kyoto Protocol, aimed at curbing the air pollution blamed for global warming, took effect. To become valid, the accord had to be ratified by at least 55 countries, including developed countries that accounted for at least 55 percent of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gas emissions...
COMMENTARY
Mar 7, 2005

Bush narrows U.S.-EU gap

PARIS -- "Forgive the Russians, ignore the Germans, punish the French." U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice didn't appreciate being reminded of this famous statement, which she made in 2003 while serving as U.S. President George W. Bush's national security adviser. The purpose of Rice's recent visit...
BUSINESS
Mar 5, 2005

Toyota Vitz reclaims pole position in vehicle sales battle

Toyota Motor Corp.'s Vitz was the best-selling new car in Japan in February, returning to the top spot for the first time since July 2000.
BUSINESS
Mar 3, 2005

Firms take shine to environment-friendly materials

An increasing number of corporations have begun producing biodegradable plastics and other materials less harmful to the environment, reflecting rising environmental consciousness.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 3, 2005

MMC to stay in U.S., new chief says

Scandal-plagued Mitsubishi Motors Corp. remains committed to the U.S. market, which is critical for the firm's turnaround, its new president said Wednesday.
EDITORIALS
Mar 2, 2005

Putting a lid on proliferation

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is to discuss plans for the international management of the gateways to nuclear-weapons development -- activities related to uranium enrichment and plutonium reprocessing. The debate follows a report submitted by a committee of experts to the board of governors,...

Longform

Totopa in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward was picked by consultants TTNE as the best sauna of the year.
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