Search - 2004

 
 
EDITORIALS
Sep 13, 2006

MSDF must run a tighter ship

On the evening of Sept. 5, the Vulcan 20 mm machine gun on a Maritime Self-Defense Force high-speed missile boat was accidentally fired at the Ominato base in Mutsu, Aomori Prefecture. At least one of the 10 rounds hit a tree a mere 12 meters from a house. Only through sheer good luck were injuries or...
JAPAN
Sep 13, 2006

Builders face 6.7 billion yen in penalties for rigging bridge bids

The government and four highway operators are seeking payment of 6.7 billion yen in penalties by Sept. 29 from 38 contractors for allegedly rigging bids on bridge projects since 2003, government officials said Tuesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 12, 2006

Imperial imposters get 26 months

The Tokyo District Court on Monday sentenced a man and a woman to 26 months in prison for staging a fraudulent wedding reception in which they pretended to be members of the Imperial family and bilked guests out of 12 million yen in cash and a painting.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 12, 2006

Condo owners see dreams shattered in Aneha scandal

When Mitsuhide Taira moved into his 150-sq.-meter condominium in Grand Stage Kawasaki Daishi in November 2004, he thought he had found the perfect place for his wife and him to raise their three preschool-age children.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Sep 12, 2006

Owning the bragging rights to work addiction

The Japanese were once famed for their work ethic. Now, shigoto-chudoku (workaholism) has been franchised out to the rest of the world and become a fact of globalized life.
JAPAN
Sep 10, 2006

Exec denies Fukushima bid-rigging

The chairman of Fukushima-based construction contractor Sato Kogyo Corp. has denied involvement in rigging bids for a sewage system project ordered by the Fukushima Prefectural Government, investigative sources said Saturday.
JAPAN
Sep 9, 2006

METI submits criminal complaint on Mitutoyo

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry filed a criminal complaint on Friday against precision instrument maker Mitutoyo Corp. and its executives on suspicion of unlawfully exporting two measuring devices that could be used to make nuclear weapons to Malaysia in 2001, ministry sources said.
EDITORIALS
Sep 8, 2006

Japan joins the Great Game

Acentury ago, Russia and Britain contested for influence in Central Asia in a competition known as the Great Game. One hundred years later, Central Asia remains a vitally important region, and the governments fighting for influence have increased, and now include Japan.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / COUNTER CULTURE
Sep 8, 2006

Dover Street shop storms into Tokyo

When it comes to revolutionary retail concept stores in Japan, there's no getting away from Tokyo's Aoyama district. That area's latest major opening comes from none other than Japan's epoch-making fashion house Comme des Garcons.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 8, 2006

Kimura admits window-dressing but denies fraud in building safety scandal

Former Kimura Construction Co. President Moriyoshi Kimura, a key figure in the building safety scandal, pleaded not guilty Thursday to fraud for allegedly selling a building he knew did not meet earthquake-resistance standards, but admitted to window-dressing.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 7, 2006

Fans, patients, shop owners weigh in on Imperial birth

Amid heavy security Wednesday, the media, Imperial enthusiasts and well-wishers swarmed to prestigious Aiiku Hospital in Minato Ward, Tokyo, during the wee hours to wait for Princess Kiko to give birth.
BUSINESS
Sep 7, 2006

Yoshinoya chief announces gradual resumption of 'gyudon' mainstay

The fast-food chain that made its fame on a rice dish topped with American beef announced Wednesday that "gyodon" will return Sept. 18 after a two-year hiatus caused by the mad cow scare.
EDITORIALS
Sep 6, 2006

Kurds put the fear in Turkey

Kurdish militants have launched a campaign to "turn Turkey into hell." A series of bombings by the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (KFF) is part of a larger campaign to secure more autonomy from the Turkish government and the eventual creation of an independent Kurdish state. That ambition is not only opposed...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 6, 2006

'Nagai Sanpo' wins big in Montreal

The film "Nagai Sanpo" ("A Long Walk") has won the Grand Prix at the Montreal World Film Festival, the film's distributor said Tuesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 6, 2006

Two executives held for Fukushima bid-rigging

Prosecutors have arrested the head of a construction equipment firm and purported supporter of Fukushima Gov. Eisaku Sato on suspicion he rigged the bidding on a prefectural contract to build a road and sewage system.
BASKETBALL
Sep 5, 2006

Roundball at best (and worst) at FIBA

SAITAMA -- We've watched so much basketball over the past two weeks that we've started blurting out phrases such as "Dunk again, Gasol!" and "Hit another 3-pointer, Navarro!" in our sleep.
JAPAN
Sep 5, 2006

Dead husband not father of child conceived using frozen sperm: top court

The Supreme Court on Monday quashed a lower court ruling that a deceased man was the father of a child conceived after his death using frozen sperm.
JAPAN
Sep 5, 2006

Even without direct say, public influencing LDP race

, Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe (center) and Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki, attend an LDP regional meeting last week. KYODO PHOTO
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 5, 2006

Future of Japan securities reform at stake

As the trial of Japan's most famous dot-com entrepreneur opened Monday, a much wider issue was also before the court: the nation's tenuous shift toward a more freewheeling market economy.
BASKETBALL
Sep 4, 2006

Tanjevic: Worlds have plenty of room to improve

SAITAMA -- Turkey coach Bogdan Tanjevic was clearly under the weather after the game.
JAPAN
Sep 4, 2006

Horie ready to rebuff 'far-fetched' charges, lawyer says ahead of trial

Former Internet entrepreneur Takafumi Horie and his defense team are confident he will be cleared of securities laws violation charges, one of the lawyers said Sunday, a day before the trial is due to begin.
JAPAN
Sep 4, 2006

Seoul willing to resume summits with Abe

South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki Moon has told Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe, the front-runner to become Japan's next prime minister, of Seoul's readiness to resume summit talks, sources close to the bilateral relationship said Sunday.
JAPAN
Sep 3, 2006

GSDF machinegun went off in Iraq

A machinegun mounted on a Ground Self-Defense Force vehicle went off accidentally in the southern Iraqi city of Samawah in May 2004, Defense Agency officials said Saturday.
JAPAN
Sep 3, 2006

Japan, U.S. to initiate treaty on pirated goods

Japan and the United States have agreed to get working on creating an international convention to prevent the spread of illegally copied products by holding a meeting with several interested countries this fall, government officials said Saturday.

Longform

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