Search - 2003

 
 
JAPAN
Dec 1, 2004

Winny file-sharer gets suspended term

A man arrested last year on copyright charges for disseminating films on the Internet was given a three-year suspended sentence Tuesday -- averting a jail term in one of the first crackdowns on file-sharing in Japan.
JAPAN
Dec 1, 2004

Prince Akishino regrets brother's remarks on Masako

Prince Akishino, who turned 39 on Tuesday, expressed regret that his elder brother, Crown Prince Naruhito, commented in public about the health of his wife without consulting Emperor Akihito.
BUSINESS
Dec 1, 2004

Beef-tracking system traces full history of domestic cows

A beef-tracking system will go online Wednesday at retailers and specialized restaurants, completing the system's link from producers to consumers.
BUSINESS
Dec 1, 2004

E*Trade fetches 500,000 yen on Jasdaq

E*Trade Securities Co. debuted Tuesday on the Jasdaq over-the-counter stock market for startups, fetching an initial quote of 500,000 yen, compared with its initial public offering price of 400,000 yen.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 30, 2004

Top court nixes sex slave, Korean vet suit

The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a damages suit against the government by Korean wartime sex slaves and former Korean soldiers forced to serve the Imperial Japanese Army during the war.
JAPAN
Nov 29, 2004

Hashimoto projected to win in Kochi

Daijiro Hashimoto was poised to win the gubernatorial election Sunday in Kochi Prefecture, according to initial returns and Kyodo projections.
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
Nov 29, 2004

Remains of the Occupation mentality

NEW YORK -- Sometimes a perception formed during an era, however unthinking, never seems to leave you. When I read, in a detailed chronology of Yukio Mishima (1925-70), that Meredith Weatherby visited Mishima at a New York hotel for an all-day discussion about his translation of Mishima's "Confessions...
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 29, 2004

A new dawn for Myanmar?

Many Myanmar watchers might have been surprised when they got news of the pending release of nearly 4,000 prisoners who had been inappropriately jailed by the notorious Military Intelligence (MI) wing of former Prime Minister Gen. Khin Nyunt's regime.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Nov 28, 2004

So many deities for still many troubled lives

EIGHT MILLION GODS AND DEMONS, by Hiroko Sherwin. Plume Books, 2003, 320 pp., $14 (paper). When "The Name of the Rose" transformed Umberto Eco from obscure Italian academic to international best-selling author, a common complaint among readers of his dark novel was that only after wading through the...
SOCCER / J. League
Nov 27, 2004

JEF Utd striker arrested on suspicion of rape attempt

Brazilian-born striker Sandro Cardoso Dos Santos is in police custody on suspicion of attempting to rape a Japanese woman visiting his home in May, an official said Friday.
BUSINESS
Nov 27, 2004

Major life insurers post declines in new contracts

Japan's major life insurers continued to post declines in individual life insurance and annuity contracts for the six months to Sept. 30, reflecting consumer reluctance to increase spending amid persistent deflation, according to their earnings reports released as of Friday.
JAPAN / BY THE NUMBERS
Nov 25, 2004

Why recycle PET bottles if China will buy them?

Every PET bottle bears a triangle of arrows with the message: "Yes! to recycling. No! to littering." But it doesn't show where the bottles go.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Nov 25, 2004

Ramirez, Swallows set to ink new deal

The Yakult Swallows are set to sign a new deal with outfielder Alex Ramirez, who has turned down an offer from the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, Yakult officials said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Nov 25, 2004

Fuso trucks made this month to join recall for faulty hubs

Mitsubishi Fuso Truck & Bus Corp. announced Wednesday it will issue recalls possibly in mid-December for about 130,000 large vehicles to replace front- and rear-wheel hubs, including vehicles produced this month.
BUSINESS
Nov 25, 2004

Teenager request for shorter classes among public ideas for deregulation

A teenager's request for shorter classes was one of many ideas proposed by members of the public in the latest round of suggestions for deregulation, the government said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Nov 25, 2004

Faction treasurer fingers Muraoka

A former treasurer of the Liberal Democratic Party's largest faction pleaded guilty Wednesday to failing to report a 100 million yen political donation in 2001 but said former Chief Cabinet Secretary Kanezo Muraoka played a key role in the coverup.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 25, 2004

Consumers starting to take notice of Japanese wine

Despite a wide selection of imported wines available at stores nationwide, domestic wines are reportedly beginning to appear on connoisseurs' tables.
EDITORIALS
Nov 24, 2004

Yasukuni's shadow darkens summit

Sunday's meeting between Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Chinese President Hu Jintao -- the first in more than a year -- proved once again that history remains the biggest thorn in the side of Japan-China relations. Unless historical disputes are resolved from a broad perspective, mistrust between...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 24, 2004

Photos take on a life all of their own

When you enter "Frei schwimmer," the Wolfgang Tillmans exhibition currently at Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery (TOC), one of the first things you notice is that the photographs on display are attached to the walls with tape or paper clips.
JAPAN
Nov 23, 2004

Watchdog group raps proposed defense policy

A group that monitors Japan's defense policy warned Monday that a new security policy recommended last month by an advisory panel to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi could violate agreements under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, as it would allow nuclear retaliation against use of other weapons...
JAPAN
Nov 23, 2004

Suspended term for royal nuptial scam

The Tokyo District Court sentenced a 43-year-old man on Monday to a suspended 18-month prison term for his role in a fake Imperial wedding reception in which some 6.87 million yen in cash and a valuable painting were collected from guests.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 23, 2004

More effort urged to curb youth drug use

The man was 17 when he took speed for the first time, experimenting with a high school friend by inhaling the amphetamine in smoke form.

Longform

Atsuyoshi Koike, the president and CEO of Rapidus, says there is a “sense of urgency” when it comes to Japan’s efforts in manufacturing semiconductors. “We have to make sure we are successful,” he says.
Atsuyoshi Koike’s big game: Fourth down and 2 nanometers to go