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Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / NAME OF THE GAME
Mar 1, 2006

Nintendo scores with consumers and then almost squanders its edge

Xbox 360 vs. PlayStation 3, Microsoft vs. Sony, DVD vs. Blu-ray -- there's a glimpse into the world of the hardcore game community. Tech talk and brand loyalty create enough static to scare away normal people who just want to play some games in their free time.
OLYMPICS
Feb 28, 2006

Yang to follow with donation

TURIN, Italy (AP) Inspired by American speedskater Joey Cheek's example, Chinese short track Olympic medalist Yang Yang said Sunday she'll donate her $10,000 bronze-medal bonus to a charity that helps children in areas ravaged by conflict. The donation helps push the charity, Right to Play, close to...
OLYMPICS
Feb 28, 2006

Merkel hails German team

TURIN, Italy (AP) Chancellor Angela Merkel congratulated Germany's Olympic team Sunday on a performance that saw it once again top the medals chart. "You have achieved a series of great successes on which I congratulate you heartily," Merkel wrote in a message released by her office in Berlin. "All...
JAPAN
Feb 28, 2006

U.S. tech to correct nearsightedness finds favor

A U.S. technology that improves nearsightedness by just getting some shut-eye is catching on around the world and has moved into the clinical testing stage in Japan.
JAPAN
Feb 28, 2006

Support drops a bit for female-line succession

The percentage of people who support allowing a child of a female monarch to ascend the Imperial throne fell 7.8 percentage points from December to 64 percent, following news that Princess Kiko, the wife of Emperor Akihito's second son, is pregnant.
JAPAN
Feb 28, 2006

Single seniors find way to meet day of reckoning

A 67-year-old Tokyo woman intends to stipulate in her will that she wants her ashes to be thrown away after she is cremated.
EDITORIALS
Feb 28, 2006

Fueling trust in rocket science

In the short span of one month, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency has successfully launched three rockets, each carrying a satellite. This success has increased trust in JAXA's technological capability, raising Japan's hopes of entering the commercial rocket business.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Feb 28, 2006

Invisible minority

Misrepresented, misunderstood and mysterious, a group of women fight a dual struggle, compelled to speak up for their rights, yet fearing the consequences of a life made visible in an oppressive world.
LIFE / Language
Feb 28, 2006

To learn the Japanese language, get pod-agogical

With Internet blogs beginning to challenge traditional print media, it was only a matter of time before a new medium broke radio's traditional choke hold on free audio programming. Enter podcasts, the downloadable MP3 audio files that feature mixes of music and chatter created by amateurs worldwide....
EDITORIALS
Feb 27, 2006

Deepening crisis in Nepal

The political situation in the Himalayan kingdom of Nepal grows increasingly chaotic. Local municipal elections recently called by King Gyanendra, who assumed direct rule after sacking the prime minister and his Cabinet a year ago, had a voter turnout of just 22 percent, abnormally low for that country....
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Feb 26, 2006

Carp ace Kuroda out of WBC

FUKUOKA -- Japan lost Hiroshima Carp ace Hiroki Kuroda for the World Baseball Classic after a finger injury sustained in Friday's 7-0 win over the NBP All-Stars.
EDITORIALS
Feb 26, 2006

Justice for a Holocaust doubter

Of all the people whose misfortunes made news this past week, few inspire less sympathy than David Irving. The British historian who has fashioned a career out of questioning the Nazis' slaughter of millions of European Jews was sentenced to three years in prison on Monday for violating Austria's ban...
Japan Times
Features
Feb 26, 2006

Dateline: Xinjiang

Our plane looked new and well maintained, but as we headed off into the void on the atlas far, far to the northwest of Shanghai, I still wondered if I had made a mistake by not buying some of the "Air Unexpected Insurance" on offer at the airport.
SOCCER / J. League
Feb 25, 2006

Missing Japan stars cause headaches for Buchwald, Nishino

Gamba Osaka manager Akira Nishino and Urawa Reds counterpart Guido Buchwald have admitted that the absence of their Japan stars has hampered preparations for the 2006 season and both are expected to field weakened teams for Saturday's Xerox Super Cup clash in Tokyo.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Feb 25, 2006

Uehara tosses gem

FUKUOKA -- Koji Uehara stands alone, so he must stand tall.
JAPAN
Feb 25, 2006

War-displaced denied redress appeal

Three war-displaced women appealed a court ruling Friday rejecting their demand for 60 million yen in damages from the state for its alleged failure to take swift action to repatriate them from China at the end of World War II.
EDITORIALS
Feb 25, 2006

Building a suicide safety net

Every year, slightly more than 30,000 people kill themselves in Japan. Compared with other countries, the situation is particularly grim. The nation's suicide rate, calculated in terms of the number of suicides per 100,000 people, stands at 25.3 -- compared with 38.7 in Russia, 17.5 in France, 13.5 in...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Feb 25, 2006

Software aids communication in cultural context

Nils Plett, president and CEO of QE Tech, is tall. While angling my camera skyward to get his picture, walking alongside requires two steps to his every stride.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Feb 25, 2006

That's no kanji, that's just a hairball

So, how's your kanji study coming along? What? You've been slacking off? Well, me too. And I have a good reason: hairballs. Any Westerner who has studied Japanese kanji has had hairballs: those things that result when you start to write a kanji, usually one you've written a thousand times before, but...
JAPAN
Feb 24, 2006

Red Army founder gets 20 years

The Tokyo District Court sentenced Japanese Red Army guerrilla group founder Fusako Shigenobu to 20 years in prison Thursday for plotting and aiding the 1974 occupation of the French Embassy in The Hague and for passport forgery.
JAPAN
Feb 24, 2006

Upgrade plan finds Shimokitazawa split

A popular Tokyo shopping and nightlife district is slated to get a major face-lift, and some local residents are resisting, saying they want their neighborhood to stay as is.
COMMENTARY
Feb 24, 2006

Insults reserved for Islam

Recently, when a Danish newspaper published cartoons offensive to Muslims, Muslim protests met claims that our Western democracies had to uphold the sacred principle of free speech. Under no circumstances could we Westerners be expected to give up that important right simply because others objected to...

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji