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COMMENTARY
Feb 28, 2006

Thoughts better left buried

LOS ANGELES -- Japan offers the world a culture of surpassing elegance, intellect, literature and political achievement, but it still remains something of an enigma. The great novelist Haruki Murakami understands, perhaps as well as anyone, this aspect of his country. His recent "Kafka on the Shore,"...
JAPAN
Feb 28, 2006

Iran's foreign minister tells Japan Tehran has a right to nuke program

Despite diplomatic pressure by Japan, visiting Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki maintained Monday that Tehran has the right to continue its nuclear program, a Foreign Ministry official said.
JAPAN
Feb 28, 2006

Convenience stores go gimmicky to hold appeal

Major convenience store chains, which have seen sluggish sales amid severe competition in a highly saturated market, are trying to diversify in a bid to mine more promising market segments.
BUSINESS
Feb 28, 2006

TSE exec to check out foreign bourses' systems

Tokyo Stock Exchange Inc.'s new chief information officer is planning to visit New York and London in mid-March ahead of the bourse's plan to build a new trading system, it was learned Monday.
BUSINESS
Feb 28, 2006

Banks shining in investment trusts

Banks are having surprising success selling investment trusts, succeeding where brokerages have largely failed, according to a Standard & Poor's report Monday.
BUSINESS
Feb 28, 2006

Yamato, Seino in shipping venture

Yamato Transport Co. will establish a joint venture with Seino Transportation Co. next month to provide a distribution service for corporate clients, the company said Monday.
BUSINESS
Feb 28, 2006

NSG inks deal to acquire Pilkington

Nippon Sheet Glass Co. announced Monday it has sealed a deal to acquire British glassmaker Pilkington PLC in a friendly takeover bid worth some 359 billion yen that at one point was rejected by the Pilkington side.
JAPAN
Feb 28, 2006

Cabinet should set aid policy: panel report

A government advisory panel will propose that the prime minister and four other Cabinet members come up with strategies on overseas economic cooperation, according to a draft panel report obtained by Kyodo News.
JAPAN
Feb 28, 2006

Aso criticizes cartoons of prophet

Foreign Minister Taro Aso criticized some European publications Monday for printing contentious cartoons of the prophet Muhammad, calling such action "shallow."
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Feb 28, 2006

Poison, vendors and tai chi

Dangerous G wonders (somewhat bizarrely) where to begin inquiring about where people go to find poisons for the purpose of suicide. "I would appreciate some suggestions for the heroine of a story I'm planning to write."
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Feb 28, 2006

Do you support adoption rights for gay couples?

Christian Butzek ALT, 27 There are a lot of bad two-parent hetero families People say kids should be raised in a "normal environment," but I'm not sure what that is. If two gay people are going to do a good job then I have no problems with it.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WORDS TO LIVE BY
Feb 28, 2006

Masaru and Katsutoshi Arai

Masaru Arai, 58, and his son, Katsutoshi, 28, from Tokyo's Asakusa are carpenters from a long line of master craftsmen. Katsutoshi, who has three sisters, is the youngest child. The father and son love working together and always strive for perfection. Although their yearly income can fluctuate dramatically,...
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Feb 28, 2006

Invisible minority

Misrepresented, misunderstood and mysterious, a group of women fight a dual struggle, compelled to speak up for their rights, yet fearing the consequences of a life made visible in an oppressive world.
LIFE / Language
Feb 28, 2006

To learn the Japanese language, get pod-agogical

With Internet blogs beginning to challenge traditional print media, it was only a matter of time before a new medium broke radio's traditional choke hold on free audio programming. Enter podcasts, the downloadable MP3 audio files that feature mixes of music and chatter created by amateurs worldwide....
JAPAN
Feb 28, 2006

METI hosts show of goods from 23 poorest countries

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry started a five-day exhibition Monday of specialty goods from 23 least developed countries as part of Japan's "one village one product" initiative to help poor nations make their local products globally competitive.
SUMO
Feb 27, 2006

NHK Sumo - Yea or Nay?

NHK, Japan's public broadcaster, is this week expected to make an announcement that will, in part, give either a thumbs up or a thumbs down to the continuation of their English language coverage of sumo tournaments.
MORE SPORTS
Feb 27, 2006

Sano sets another record at short-course national c'ships

Hidemasa Sano set a national record for the second time in as many days Sunday when he won the men's 200-meter individual medley at the national short-course swimming championships.
EDITORIALS
Feb 27, 2006

Deepening crisis in Nepal

The political situation in the Himalayan kingdom of Nepal grows increasingly chaotic. Local municipal elections recently called by King Gyanendra, who assumed direct rule after sacking the prime minister and his Cabinet a year ago, had a voter turnout of just 22 percent, abnormally low for that country....
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Feb 27, 2006

Team Japan starts firing

FUKUOKA -- Team Japan finally got its offense going, sort of.

Longform

A store clerk tries to cool things down in front of their shop by spraying a hose.
Is extreme weather changing the way Japan shops?