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JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
May 15, 2005

The great corporate escape: Blame it on the factotums and avoid responsibility

The news media's breathless coverage of the train derailment in Amagasaki that claimed 107 lives last month operated on several levels. On one level was an investigation into the details of the accident itself. On another was the coverage of victims and their families. And on a third was the gradual...
BUSINESS
May 14, 2005

'Indoor dogs' on rise as small pets become part of the family

"Beware of Dog" signs are becoming increasingly rare as a growing number of people choose to keep their pets inside with them and not outside to guard the house.
COMMENTARY
May 13, 2005

China cracks rights window

HONG KONG -- Last month, China issued a white paper that purported to show progress it had made on the human-rights front in 2004. It was immediately dismissed by human-rights organizations as little more than propaganda. While this may well be true, there are signs of significant progress on human rights....
BUSINESS
May 10, 2005

Chairman quits but JAL is back in black

Japan Airlines Corp. said Monday that Isao Kaneko will resign as both chairman and board member at the end of this month and become an adviser to the company.
SOCCER / J. League
May 9, 2005

Maeda notches 10,000th goal in history of J. League

Substitute Masafumi Maeda scored the 10,000th goal in the J. League first division in Gamba Osaka's 3-1 win over Nagoya Grampus Eight as runaway leaders Kashima Antlers went 10 points clear at the top of the table with a last-gasp 2-1 win over Tokyo Verdy on Sunday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
May 7, 2005

Knitting trip around Japan ties up more projects

One Japan-related project attracts attention at "Knit 2 Together: Concepts in Knitting," organized by the U.K.'s Crafts Council and on show in London until May 15, from where it will set out to tour Britain as part of the "Knitting and Stitching Show 2005."
COMMENTARY
May 3, 2005

University gap set to widen

One year has passed since Japan's national universities gained corporate status. How have they changed? Following are my personal views on the merits and demerits of some of the changes.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 3, 2005

Shakeup in the lending business

O Kobayashi was stunned last year when he found that his mortgage applications had been rejected by two banks.
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
May 2, 2005

Transition to 'payoff' system went smoothly, but full impact unknown

On April 1, the government's limited deposit guarantee, known as the "payoff" system, took full effect as scheduled. So far, the measure hasn't resulted in any visible disturbances, such as a major shift of funds out of bank accounts. Why?
JAPAN
Apr 29, 2005

Teikoku Oil seeks rights to test-drill in disputed seas

A Japanese oil company on Thursday requested test-drilling rights in the East China Sea, in disputed waters just a few kilometers from where China is preparing full-scale drilling.
JAPAN
Apr 29, 2005

Kyoto Protocol emissions steps adopted by state

Japan adopted a set of measures Thursday to cut emissions of greenhouse gases in a bid to fulfill its obligations under the Kyoto Protocol, government officials said.
COMMENTARY
Apr 28, 2005

New biotech miracles won't come cheap

WASHINGTON -- The California biotechnology industry recently gathered for its annual CALBIO conference. Participants were excited at the prospect of developing new medical miracles. But the potential of government interference hung over the proceedings like dark clouds on the horizon.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 27, 2005

Russian diva's voice to die for

"Russians always need a little shit in our lives. If everything is good and we seem completely happy, then we become suspicious of that." This is Russian opera star Anna Netrebko's philosophy -- slightly incongruous for one who, at a glance, seems to have it all and to be enjoying every bit of it.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Apr 27, 2005

Cloning a son makes tragedy

Downtown Tokyo-based theater company, tpt (Theater Project Tokyo)'s 50th memorial production since their foundation in 1993 is "A Number," the latest work by Caryl Churchill, one of Britain's most important and prolific contemporary dramatists. Written and premiered in 2002, this work is about human...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 26, 2005

Missing Kobe man added to abductee list

The government on Monday added a man who went missing in Kobe in 1978 to the list of Japanese whom it officially recognizes as having been abducted by North Korea, sources said.
JAPAN
Apr 26, 2005

Is the economy better off under Koizumi?

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Tuesday enters the fifth year of his administration.
BUSINESS
Apr 26, 2005

Nissan reports record profit for fifth year

Nissan Motor Co. said Monday it posted a record group net profit of 512.3 billion yen for fiscal 2004, up 1.7 percent from the previous year, and the fifth consecutive record annual profit.
BUSINESS
Apr 26, 2005

Credit card fraud -- how they do it and how to protect yourself

People walking around with their wallets sticking up out of their back pockets is a sight pickpockets in Japan are only too used to being grateful for.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 24, 2005

Canadian indie scene keeps it together

When the Canadian music collective known as Broken Social Scene arrives in Tokyo next month, they'll be bringing a few members of their family tree along. Found on the group's Web site, the "tree" is actually 40-plus band and artist names scrawled on a paper bag and connected by the squiggly white lines....
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Apr 23, 2005

Plot thickens over meetings between Kenyon, Ferdinand

LONDON -- If, by chance, a guy bumped into an old girlfriend in a restaurant his wife would no doubt understand. Unfortunate coincidences happen, unplanned, innocent liaisons . . . hey, they're part of life.
JAPAN
Apr 23, 2005

Former teacher can't understand indictment over 'Kimigayo' protest

A former teacher pleaded not guilty in a court hearing Thursday to a charge of disrupting a graduation ceremony at a public high school in Tokyo last year by opposing the singing of "Kimigayo," the national anthem.
SOCCER / J. League
Apr 22, 2005

Manchester United to play Kashima, Urawa

English Premier League club Manchester United will play Kashima Antlers and Urawa Reds on a preseason tour of Japan this summer, officials of the J. League clubs said Thursday.
BUSINESS
Apr 22, 2005

Japan settles for 'low-risk, low-return' FTA goals

Prudish about bilateral free-trade agreements just five years ago, Tokyo is now fielding partnership requests from 25 economies and regional blocs.
JAPAN
Apr 22, 2005

DVD rivals hope to unify standard by end of month

Corporate groups led by Sony Corp. and Toshiba Corp. are mulling joint development of a unified standard for next-generation DVDs, sources said Thursday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 20, 2005

Narita to extend runway, but which way?

The transport ministry is in a dilemma over whether to extend Narita International Airport's "interim" second runway northward or pursue its original southward plan.

Longform

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