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Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 5, 2003

Battle for power waged on voters' screens

The leader of the Democratic Party of Japan is fleetingly portrayed in a recent TV commercial as the stern-faced chairman of a fictitious Cabinet meeting, the scene accompanied by upbeat rock music.
Japan Times
JAPAN / ELECTION 2003
Nov 4, 2003

Party campaign strategies smack of desperation

With the coming election in mind, former House of Representatives member Kaoru Yosano last spring departed the Liberal Democratic Party faction led by Shizuka Kamei.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Nov 2, 2003

The Machiavellian good

MACHIAVELLI'S CHILDREN: Leaders and Their Legacies in Italy and Japan, by Richard J. Samuels. New York: Cornell University Press, 2003, 456 pp., $39.95 (cloth). This is an intriguing comparison between Japan and Italy, two nations that seem so different, but in fact share a great deal. Both nations came...
BUSINESS
Nov 1, 2003

Jobless rate steady at 5.1% in September

The seasonally adjusted jobless rate remained at 5.1 percent in September, unchanged from the previous month, with both the number of people employed and those unemployed decreasing, the government said Friday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 30, 2003

Diplomats' photo show puts lens on Japan

U.S. Ambassador Howard Baker and other foreign diplomats in Japan are set to present photographs showing unique features of the country at an exhibition that begins Thursday in Tokyo and then moves to Osaka.
BUSINESS
Oct 30, 2003

Daiei rehab plan features asset sales, banking help

The proposed rehabilitation of Daiei Inc.'s Fukuoka hotel, ballpark and baseball business will feature the sale of assets and financial assistance from the supermarket giant's six main banks, sources connected with the plan said Wednesday.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / NAME OF THE GAME
Oct 30, 2003

N-Gage fails to engage

It's no use beating around the bush, N-Gage, the new hand-held cellular telephone/video game system hybrid from Nokia, is quite probably the worst game system in video game history -- and that's counting such notable disasters as the Nintendo Virtual Boy and the Bandai Pipin.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / NEW ART SEEN
Oct 29, 2003

250 reasons to be happy, then some

I'm happy! The reason I'm happy is I love art, and this month a total of four -- yes four -- new contemporary art spaces opened in Tokyo.
BUSINESS
Oct 28, 2003

Olympus in endoscope breakthrough

Olympus Corp. has developed a high-resolution endoscope that may allow doctors to detect cancerous tissue within the body without taking samples, a company spokesman said Monday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 28, 2003

Matsui's success in U.S. hits a home run for Mizuno's sales

New York Yankees slugger Hideki Matsui drew praise for helping his team clinch the American League pennant and for his contribution, albeit in vain, toward their quest for a World Series victory.
JAPAN
Oct 25, 2003

New tests challenging TOEIC stronghold

Scoring 500 points on the TOEIC English proficiency test is a prerequisite for promotion to section chief or a higher managerial position at construction machinery maker Komatsu Ltd.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 23, 2003

Expert lays bare environmental carnage of war

While environmental destruction is often the last thing considered when war breaks out, this form of devastation can take decades -- if not centuries -- to correct.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 23, 2003

37th Tokyo Motor Show revs up for the media

MAKUHARI, Chiba Pref. -- The 37th Tokyo Motor Show opened to the media Wednesday at the Makuhari Messe convention center, showcasing futuristic, environmentally friendly and concept vehicles, motorcycles and the latest technology.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Oct 23, 2003

Freshwater pearl mussel

* Japanese name: Kawashinjukai * Scientific name:Margaritifera laevis * Description: Mussels are bivalves: mollusks that have their body contained between two shells. Young freshwater pearl mussels often have yellowish-brown shells, which become green-tinged and darker as they mature. This animal grows...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Oct 22, 2003

Cynic's view of the sex and the city

One of kabuki's most prolific playwrights, Tsuruya Nanboku, produced 120 dramas in the last 25 years of his life. This month, the Kabukiza, in Ginza, stages just two of them, a pair of remarkable sewamono (realistic plays) titled "Kamikakete Sango Taisetsu (A Pledge of Love to Sango)" and "Osome Hisamatsu...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 21, 2003

Bullets sent to politicians; Suzuki called a traitor

Former lawmaker Muneo Suzuki has received letters containing rifle bullets at his Tokyo and Hokkaido offices, while a similar letter has been sent to the residence of former Foreign Minister Yohei Kono, police said Monday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / FRONT-RUNNERS
Oct 21, 2003

Toho to take domestic smash 'Bayside Shakedown 2' overseas

A Tokyo-based motion picture company is poised to take on Hollywood with a live-action cop film that was a hit in Japan this summer.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Oct 19, 2003

Diamond exhibit is a real sparkler

The diamond is a symbol of love, wealth and power. Down the centuries, this precious stone has been adored by the rich and powerful -- among them empresses such as Catherine the Great of Russia and Elisabeth of Austria. Now the general public has the opportunity to get a little closer to the treasures...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Oct 19, 2003

Two local novelists strut their stuff

THE BANG DEVILS, by Patrick Foss. New York: HarperCollins, 2003 305 pp., $13.95 (paper). AMBASSADOR STRIKES, by Robert J. Collins. California: McKenna Publishing Group, 2003 260 pp., $19.95 (paper). With so much rich material to draw upon, the relatively small number of English novels set in the Kansai...
BUSINESS
Oct 16, 2003

Mazda launches Axela compact to replace Familia

Mazda Motor Corp. launched its new Axela sports compact on the domestic market Wednesday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / FRONT-RUNNERS
Oct 15, 2003

Shopping site Rakuten thinks empire

The nation's largest online shopping mall operator appears to be building an empire, or what its president calls a new zaibatsu in the world of Internet retail.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Oct 9, 2003

Aggregating anemone

* Japanese name: Yoroiisoginchaku * Scientific name:Anthopleura japonica * Description: Anemones are marine invertebrates, cylindrical animals with rings of tentacles on the upper surface. They are related to jellyfish and corals. Aggregating anemones grow up to 3 cm in diameter and can have a brilliant...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Oct 8, 2003

Bygone beauties in the modern age

Shoen Uemura was a rarity -- one of the few Japanese female artists who worked in a traditional style and found recognition and acclaim. "The Shoen Uemura Retrospective," an exhibition showing at the Hiroshima Prefectural Art Museum (then moving to the Utsunomiya Museum in Tochigi Prefecture later this...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 8, 2003

Sony shows game machine-DVD recorder

CHIBA -- Sony Corp. announced Tuesday it will introduce its "crossover" game console and home entertainment unit on the domestic market for the yearend shopping season.
JAPAN
Oct 4, 2003

DPJ eyes toll-free roads, 'amakudari' ban

With an eye to the expected general election next month, the Democratic Party of Japan has drafted a compact platform calling for various reforms, including elimination of highway tolls.
BUSINESS
Oct 3, 2003

Home energy unit developed by Honda

Honda Motor Co. said Thursday it has developed a home energy station that generates hydrogen from natural gas for use in fuel cell motor vehicles while supplying households with electricity and heat.
BUSINESS
Sep 30, 2003

Toyota launches minivan in bid for new customers

Toyota Motor Corp., hoping to carve a bigger share out of the expanding minivan market, on Monday released the new Sienta minivan in Japan.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Sep 27, 2003

Martin Cameron

FOLKESTONE, England -- This seaport and resort in Kent on England's southeast coast bears many features of historic interest. Facing the continent across the English Channel at its narrowest expanse, from earliest times Kent has attracted invasion and settlement. It is said that Folkestone was originally...

Longform

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.