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EDITORIALS
Jul 8, 2004

Educational reform in perspective

There is something disquieting about moves by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito to rewrite the Fundamental Law of Education. In an interim report they have just completed, the LDP emphasizes the importance of cultivating "love of country," meaning patriotism. Komeito uses a different...
OLYMPICS
Jul 8, 2004

Takahara to join camp

Hamburg SV striker Naohiro Takahara will join Japan's Olympic team training camp being held on Ishigaki Island in Okinawa, Japan Under-23 coach Masakuni Yamamoto said Wednesday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 7, 2004

Director sends his love to Huppert

La Vie promise Rating: * * * (out of 5) Director: Olivier Dahan Running time: 93 minutes Language: French Currently showing [See Japan Times movie listings] "La Vie promise (The Promised Life)" is not really a movie, but a love letter from director Olivier Dahan to actress Isabelle Huppert...
JAPAN / BY THE NUMBERS
Jul 7, 2004

Exporting animation a huge Japanese success story

Pokemon, Digimon, Sailor Moon and Yu-Gi-Oh!
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jul 7, 2004

The cutting edge of samurai swords

Attention to detail, design, and decoration are hallmarks of traditional Japanese aesthetics, and these values are shown off splendidly by the decorative elements and accoutrements of the Japanese sword. Furthermore, the sword is believed to be an almost sacred item, capturing the soul and spirit of...
JAPAN
Jul 7, 2004

Experts mull security issues at informal Kyoto meeting

KYOTO -- Nearly two dozen former political leaders and policy experts from around the world met in Kyoto on Tuesday for informal discussions on how to make the United Nations more effective in responding to international security threats.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 7, 2004

A classic -- by the numbers

Tange Sazen: Hyakuman Ryo no Tsubo Rating: * * * (out of 5) Director: Toshio Tsuda Running time: 119 minutes Language: Japanese Opens July 17 [See Japan Times movie listings] Tange Sazen -- the one-eyed, one-armed ex-samurai swordsman -- is one of those literary characters with a mythic...
BUSINESS / INDUSTRY TRENDS
Jul 7, 2004

Web surfers turn to fiber optics

Japan boasts some of the fastest and cheapest broadband services in the world, thanks to fierce competition waged by new entrants like Softbank Corp. against telecommunications behemoth NTT Corp.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Jul 6, 2004

Barely managing

In a country with few real careers for women, a job in an energetic internationally-oriented service industry would surely be a dream come true for many.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 6, 2004

Pie-in-the-sky Asian monetary reform

GUATEMALA CITY -- Following the experiences of the European Union's euro zone, a common currency area for Asia has been widely discussed. Even though an Asian monetary union is a fantasy that ignores both economic and political realities, respectable economists have bought into the idea.
BUSINESS
Jul 6, 2004

Japan, U.S. protest EC rules on chemicals

Japan and the U.S. have separately submitted documents to the World Trade Organization spelling out concern about draft European Commission rules on hazardous chemicals, Japanese trade sources said Monday.
COMMENTARY
Jul 5, 2004

Genuine educational reform

As part of the government-proposed trilogy of reform, a review will be made of having the national treasury pay the costs of compulsory education. Present plans call for transferring some government revenues generated by the consumption tax and other sources to local autonomies and abolishing various...
JAPAN
Jul 5, 2004

New Komeito official breaks with Koizumi on defense

Tetsuzo Fuyushiba, secretary general of New Komeito, indicated Sunday he opposed Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's remarks that the pacifist Constitution should be revised so it can exercise the right to collective defense and carry out joint actions with U.S. forces.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Jul 4, 2004

Blaming referee for England's loss to Portugal pathetic

LONDON -- When Urs Meier disallowed Sol Campbell's last-minute goal against Portugal last week the Swiss referee had no idea he was to become the latest recipient of the English media's revenge on a Johnny Foreigner who had, in the words of most tabloids, "cheated us" out of victory.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 4, 2004

A case for keeping Taiwan's status as is

Gradually, with hardly anyone noticing, President Chen Shui-bian of Taiwan has emerged as the most influential player in the volatile triangle of relations between China, the United States and his own island nation.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / FUZZY LOGIC
Jul 4, 2004

Vitamins, chill pills and indie rock

Everyone goes home, seeks out some sympathetic tunes, and cries now and then. I know hardened punkers with Belle & Sebastian albums hidden under their futon. Let's face it, every rock 'n' roller needs a metaphorical teddy-bear to cuddle at times even if they'd never admit it -- hence the enduring spirit...
JAPAN
Jul 4, 2004

Independent voters growing in power

Former Tokyo Gov. Yukio Aoshima still believes in the power of independent voters.
EDITORIALS
Jul 3, 2004

No respite for NATO

Leaders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization expected their two-day summit in Istanbul to highlight a renewed sense of unity. Coming on the heels of one of the most bitter splits in the alliance's history, anything less would raise serious doubts about the organization's future. And yet they failed....
JAPAN
Jul 3, 2004

WWF ties illegal tuna fishing in Europe to Japan demand

The World Wide Fund for Nature warned in a recent report that illegal fishing for bluefin tuna is pervasive in Europe to meet Japanese market demand.
COMMUNITY
Jul 3, 2004

Japanese antique textiles taking over life and home

For any enthusiast keen to know the state of the Japanese antique textile market in the U.K., Marilyn Ratcliffe knows more than most. When we talk -- her already soft Cheshire burr blurred by hay fever ("they just mowed the grass in fields nearby") -- she has just the day before returned from a vintage...
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 2, 2004

Cracks visible in U.S.-Australia alliance

Could Australia's long-standing alliance with the United States rupture? It's not likely, but not unthinkable either. An Australian election looms, with security policy as a major issue. The Labor Party, out of power since 1996, is desperate for a win. The polls portend a close race.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jul 2, 2004

Getting to the top in Japan

There is a Japanese proverb that says only a fool has never climbed Mount Fuji -- or has climbed it twice.
JAPAN
Jul 1, 2004

Army town Asahikawa finds few foes to dispatch

The Ground Self-Defense Force's mission to Iraq may not be supported by all of the public, as evidenced by the protest rallies staged nationwide last year as the government readied the dispatch.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 1, 2004

SDF striving to become global partner

Among the 550 Ground Self-Defense Force troops in the first deployment to the southern Iraqi city of Samawah were five men in green fatigues armed with musical instruments.

Longform

Wealthier women in the prewar era had been the targets of various media-related health campaigns that mistakenly encouraged them to avoid everything from riding bicycles to reading novels when their monthly cycles came around.
Menstruation in Japan: Breaking the silence, slowly