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JAPAN
Sep 9, 2006

Ministry sees lack of help for elderly

The public should be engaged more actively in caring for the elderly and child-rearing in their communities by turning their work-oriented lives into family- and community-oriented ones, the labor and welfare ministry said in an annual report released Friday.
BUSINESS
Sep 8, 2006

Mitarai briefs Abe on China's cooperation hope

Fujio Mitarai, chairman of the Japan Business Federation (Nippon Keidanren) on Thursday told Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe that China wants to cooperate with Japan on environmental protection and energy conservation, and that the Japanese business community also hopes to work together in these areas,...
JAPAN
Sep 7, 2006

Abe looking to beef up defense posture

Shinzo Abe, the runaway favorite to succeed Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, has big ambitions for Japan's traditional pacifist diplomacy.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Sep 5, 2006

Grim bar system may hurt legal reforms

Sept. 21 is awaited with a mixture of anticipation and dread in campuses across Japan. It is the date on which results of the country's first new bar examination are announced. How well a school's students do on this test, which is projected to have a pass rate of about 40 percent, may have a serious...
EDITORIALS
Sep 3, 2006

Lessons from a paper chase

by Oji Paper Co., Japan's largest paper producer, for Hokuetsu Paper Mills Ltd., the nation's sixth-largest paper maker, was Japan's first-ever hostile TOB mounted by a major company against a domestic rival. The bid eventually failed as Oji President Kazuhisa Shinoda admitted Aug. 29 that the deal was...
JAPAN
Sep 3, 2006

Crime victims may get voice in parole decisions

The Justice Ministry plans to launch a system in October 2007 that would allow crime victims to express their opinion on whether the perpetrators should be released on parole, government sources said Saturday.
JAPAN
Sep 2, 2006

Japan to do nothing for now in Iranian nuclear standoff: Aso

Japan will observe for now the current developments in the Iranian nuclear standoff and put off any decision on whether to impose sanctions before a meeting next week between Iranian and European negotiators, Foreign Minister Taro Aso said Friday.
COMMENTARY
Sep 1, 2006

Rights awareness spreading like wildfire

HONG KONG -- The headlines tell it all. On the front page of the International Herald Tribune: "Activist in China sentenced to 4 years -- decision seen as part of a sweeping move to punish dissent."
JAPAN
Aug 30, 2006

NPA will offer reward money for info on crimes

The National Police Agency announced a seven-point public safety plan Tuesday for fiscal 2007, highlighted by the offering of rewards for information leading to the arrest of people suspected of committing serious crimes.
EDITORIALS
Aug 30, 2006

Simplifying disaster communications

Since Japan lies in the path of typhoons, wide areas of the nation suffer from floods and landslides every year. Cloudbursts also wreak havoc in limited areas. Accurate information is crucial in preventing injuries, deaths and property damage when disasters strike. In a welcome move, the Ministry of...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Aug 27, 2006

TBS's "Message," TV Tokyo's "Dawn of Gaia" and more

Aug. 28 marks the 53rd anniversary of the very first broadcast of a television commercial in Japan, and as a way of commemorating the event TBS has produced a special two-hour drama, "Message" (Monday, 9 p.m.), about Toshi Sugiyama, who is considered the most innovative TV commercial director in the...
CULTURE / Books
Aug 27, 2006

Picturing North Korean propaganda

Japan's comic craze was first documented for the West with the publication of Frederick Schodt's "Manga Manga, The World of Japanese Comics" (1983). Since then, the production and consumption of manga and anime -- its moving picture equivalent -- have spread to China and the Republic of Korea. More recently,...
EDITORIALS
Aug 26, 2006

Yet another test for the U.N.

As promised, Iran has delivered its response to the U.N. ultimatum that it resume negotiations over its nuclear-energy program. And, as expected, the response was sufficiently ambiguous to offer something to everyone. If Tehran is serious about talks and is truly seeking a negotiated solution to stave...
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Aug 24, 2006

The 'fools' dance'

'O doru aho ni miru aho, onaji ahonara odorana son son (Dancing fool and watching fool. If both are fools, then dance, or you'll lose big)."
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 24, 2006

Political internships gaining a foothold

They may not all be dreaming about making the big time as a politician, but an increasing number of students are working as interns for elected officials.
JAPAN
Aug 22, 2006

Osaka rights funds, 'buraku' kingpin, mob enjoy shady ties

OSAKA -- Calls for fundamental changes in how Osaka funds human rights activities are mounting following new allegations of fraud and discoveries of further links involving a disgraced former official representing the "burakumin" community and underworld figures.
EDITORIALS
Aug 22, 2006

The possibility of work at any age

Job opportunities for young people, women and elderly people are the main topic of this year's government white paper on people's lifestyles. Many young people can't seem to get the jobs they really want. Women are experiencing a hard time finding jobs after giving birth or after raising their children....
LIFE / Lifestyle
Aug 22, 2006

Let's dance

The end of bon (Aug. 13-15) brings with it a sense that summer is drawing to a close, even though the weather is still hot. Summer festivals in Tokyo cap the season -- reviving culture from the Edo Period (1603-1868), incorporating regional dancing, and even imitating foreign carnivals. Communities are...
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 21, 2006

Can regional integration save Africa?

PRAGUE -- During the last quarter-century, global economic growth has soared, but Africa continued to lose ground. Indeed, the Continent's share of world exports fell from 4.6 percent in 1980 to 1.8 percent in 2000, and its share of world imports declined from 3.6 percent to 1.6 percent over the same...
JAPAN
Aug 20, 2006

Okinawa to get school backed by U.S. military

The Japanese and U.S. governments are working to establish an international school in Okinawa Prefecture that promotes English education among Japanese children with the help of the U.S. military.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 20, 2006

Limits of long-term arrogance revealed

JERUSALEM -- Wars are won not only on battlefields, but also in people's minds. So, while Hezbollah has not decisively won its current war with Israel, by maintaining its ability to fight in the face of the might of the Israeli Army, it has captured the imagination of Arabs, restoring lost pride in the...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Aug 19, 2006

TaoZen: synthesizing life practices of the sages

Masahiro Ouchi stands before a group of 30 assorted individuals in Be Yoga, a studio in Tokyo's Hiro-o (including five dishy-enough French men to make one English guy joke that among so many women he has never felt so disadvantaged) and introduces us to the essence of the spiritual and therapeutic practice...
JAPAN
Aug 19, 2006

Tokyu contractor kills self following tax probe grilling

A branch office head of Tokyu Construction Co. has committed suicide after being questioned by prosecutors in connection with alleged tax evasion by engineering firm Mizutani Kensetsu Co., sources said late Thursday.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 18, 2006

Kishi's diplomacy overdue

In a recent book Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi was dubbed "The Man Who Turned Diplomacy into Fighting." Even after a diary by a former head of the Imperial Household Agency was revealed, describing Emperor Showa's displeasure over Yasukuni Shrine's decision in 1978 to honor Class-A war criminals,...
EDITORIALS
Aug 17, 2006

A legacy of callousness

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visit to Yasukuni Shrine on Aug. 15, the 61st anniversary of the end of World War II, points to his failure to understand that such visits have a historical dimension that overshadows Japan's relations with neighboring countries.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 16, 2006

Intelligence works better than bullets

The British police, acting closely with intelligence agencies in the United States, Pakistan and perhaps elsewhere over many months, have foiled a major terrorist plot of blowing up numerous planes between Britain and America.

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?