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JAPAN
Jan 11, 2003

Jan. 20 start to Diet session approved

The government decided at a Cabinet meeting Friday to convene an ordinary Diet session Jan. 20 for a 150-day run through June 18, government officials said.
JAPAN
Jan 11, 2003

Imperial Couple attend 2003 lecture

Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko attended an annual New Year's lecture Friday at the Imperial Palace covering language, material science innovations and genetic research, the Imperial Household Agency said.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 11, 2003

Jobless fear for future, survive on savings

When Mamoru Kawasaki, 45, was forced to leave a well-known information technology company in March, he had heavy housing debts and a family of five to support, but also enough savings to live on for the time being.
JAPAN
Jan 11, 2003

Domestic, overseas travelers to fall 0.3% in 2003, JTB predicts

The number of Japanese traveling to domestic and overseas destinations this year will fall 0.3 percent to 335.82 million, according to an estimate by travel agency JTB Corp.
MORE SPORTS
Jan 9, 2003

Takahashi taking life in stride

First of two parts
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 9, 2003

Opera in Manila to showcase famed Christian daimyo's life

A celebrated daimyo stands immortal in the middle of a plaza in the busy Paco district of Manila.
JAPAN
Jan 8, 2003

Court-ordered property auctions moving to Net

Information on properties up for public auction, currently only accessible at individual courthouses arranging the sales, will be posted on the Internet, Supreme Court officials said Tuesday.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jan 8, 2003

Can a foreign catcher succeed here in Japan?

A Happy New Year to all readers of the "Baseball Bullet-In" out there.
BUSINESS
Jan 8, 2003

Coalition seeks passage of budgets

Executives of the three ruling parties agreed Tuesday to try to push the fiscal 2002 supplementary budget, the fiscal 2003 budget and tax-related bills through the Diet by the end of March, party officials said.
JAPAN
Jan 8, 2003

Extra DNA tests planned to identify more soldiers

The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry plans to increase its use of DNA testing to identify the remains of Japanese soldiers who were buried overseas, ministry officials said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Jan 7, 2003

Economic uncertainty mounting in 2003: business leaders

The leaders of Japan's three most powerful business groups said Monday that the uncertainty over Japan's economy is increasing this year due to the possibility of a U.S.-led war against Iraq, and predicted that annual economic growth will be between zero and nearly 1 percent.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Jan 7, 2003

Drunken driving, unhappy holidays, and shaping up

Under the influence Glen refused a drink with us on Christmas Eve with more than his usual reluctant zeal. He had just heard of someone who had been arrested in a car being driven by someone else. The acquaintance was relatively sober; the driver was not.
COMMUNITY
Jan 7, 2003

Is crime taking the place of a political opposition?

The irony screamed -- so did I.
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM MOSCOW
Jan 6, 2003

Little progress, little protest

MOSCOW -- The Russian capital is gridlocked. This grim observation applies both physically and metaphorically: The city cannot manage its traffic, and the nation cannot handle its problems.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Jan 5, 2003

Milner the hottest new kid on the block

LONDON -- James Milner will celebrate his 17th birthday on Saturday by signing a new contract with Leeds United that will earn the forward £800 a week -- 10 times his current apprentice salary of £80.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jan 5, 2003

All aboard: a nation in motion

Monday is the first business day of the new year, so on Sunday the nation's airports, highways and rail lines will be crammed to overcapacity by a mass migration known as the "U-turn."
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jan 4, 2003

Banish bad habits with hypnotherapy and healing

Erik Bragg had said to look for a beard and a big blue coat. And here he is, though not quite as hirsute as imagined, and wearing an anorak rather than the more theatrical style somehow envisaged. He has traveled in from Kashiwa, in Chiba Prefecture, where he practices as a certified clinical hypnotherapist...
EDITORIALS
Jan 4, 2003

A year of living dangerously

By most measures, the war against Osama bin Laden and the al-Qaeda terror network is going well. Close collaboration among security agencies has resulted in the arrest of high-ranking operatives and the cracking of terrorist cells around the world. Yet fear persists -- and with good reason. In 2003,...
BASEBALL / MLB
Jan 4, 2003

Buffs won't drop Otsuka

OSAKA -- Kintetsu Buffaloes manager Masataka Nashida on Thursday ruled out the possibility that the Pacific League club will release right-hander Akinori Otsuka to enable him to negotiate with major-league clubs during the offseason.
JAPAN
Jan 4, 2003

Business chiefs gloomy on future

More than 90 out of 100 business leaders polled by Kyodo News in December are gloomy about the nation's future, saying the economy has either stalled or is deteriorating.
BASEBALL / MLB
Jan 3, 2003

Buffs rule out giving Otsuka his release

OSAKA -- Kintetsu Buffaloes manager Masataka Nashida on Thursday ruled out the possibility that the Pacific League club will release right-hander Akinori Otsuka to enable him to negotiate with major-league clubs during the offseason.
JAPAN
Jan 3, 2003

Ishihara's first term gets mixed review

Outspoken Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara is one of the most talked-about politicians in Japan today, often mentioned by the media as a possible future prime minister.
JAPAN
Jan 1, 2003

Koizumi reiterates his determination

The government is determined to push structural reforms forward on various policy fronts in 2003 to achieve a long-desired economic recovery, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said in a New Year's Day statement.
JAPAN
Jan 1, 2003

New university to join bioscience race

KYOTO -- Although the government is aware that bio-related businesses are important for revitalizing the economy, this field has yet to develop in Japan at the level seen in other countries.
EDITORIALS
Jan 1, 2003

Tumultuous politics await

A big question hangs over Japanese politics in 2003: Will a snap general election be held? The key to the question is held by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who has the prerogative of dissolving the Lower House. Mr. Koizumi, who is also president of the Liberal Democratic Party, faces a party presidential...
JAPAN
Jan 1, 2003

Quest for disputed islands snarled by Suzuki scandals

Japan's efforts to get back the four Russian-held islands off northeast Hokkaido suffered an apparent setback last year.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 1, 2003

Okuda offers economic solution: substantially raise sales tax

Hiroshi Okuda, chairman of the Japan Business Federation (Nippon Keidanren), thinks he has a cure for the sick economy, but consumers aren't likely to enjoy his bitter medicine.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 1, 2003

Humanoid robots: companions or just costly toys?

In the 1950s, Astro Boy drew on his 100,000 horsepower and hip-mounted machineguns to fight evil-doers. Despite his supposed April 7, 2003, birthday, however, the creation of robots the likes of Astro will probably remain a superhero pipe dream forever.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 1, 2003

These things take time

Jazz fans have long taken scratches, hisses, poor miking and wobbly mixing as signs of hidden truths and authenticity in recordings of their legends. In 2002, though, they had to deal with a little cleanliness. Last year's releases of freshly remastered classics showed off extended sonic depth and range,...

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.