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Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 24, 2006

Upgrade plan finds Shimokitazawa split

A popular Tokyo shopping and nightlife district is slated to get a major face-lift, and some local residents are resisting, saying they want their neighborhood to stay as is.
EDITORIALS
Feb 24, 2006

Putting the squeeze on Hamas

For Hamas, the radical Islamic group, winning an election may prove to be the easiest part of the political process. Having claimed an outright majority in last month's Palestinian parliamentary elections, the party is now trying to assemble a Cabinet. That task, difficult at the best of times, has been...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 24, 2006

Japan, Chile start formal FTA talks

Japan and Chile began two days of negotiations Thursday in Tokyo aimed at concluding a bilateral free-trade agreement by the end of the year.
JAPAN
Feb 24, 2006

Japan rebuts Russia protest over Aso's isles remarks

Tokyo told Moscow on Thursday that it finds "unacceptable" the Russian Foreign Ministry protest over Foreign Minister Taro Aso's recent remarks on the disputed Russian-held islands off Hokkaido, Japanese officials said.
COMMENTARY
Feb 24, 2006

Insults reserved for Islam

Recently, when a Danish newspaper published cartoons offensive to Muslims, Muslim protests met claims that our Western democracies had to uphold the sacred principle of free speech. Under no circumstances could we Westerners be expected to give up that important right simply because others objected to...
BUSINESS
Feb 24, 2006

What is Livedoor's future on TSE?

With the Wednesday arrest of Livedoor Representative Director Fumito Kumagai and fresh warrants served on founder Takafumi Horie and three former executives for alleged accounting fraud, Livedoor's delisting from the Tokyo Stock Exchange may be inevitable. Below are answers to some questions about what...
JAPAN
Feb 24, 2006

Eels' mystery spawning site found: report

Japanese researchers have solved part of the mystery of where Japanese eels go to spawn, having discovered one spot in the Pacific Ocean, west of the Mariana Islands.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Feb 24, 2006

Submarine heading for own Marines

FUKUOKA -- The SubMarine will get a shot at the Chiba Lotte Marines this weekend. Submarine pitcher Shunsuke Watanabe is the projected starter for Japan's World Baseball Classic warmup against the Japan Series champion at Yahoo Dome, and although he is not thrilled about facing his teammates, he is ready...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 24, 2006

Rejection of land seizure for road reversed

The Tokyo High Court on Thursday overturned a lower court ruling that barred the Tokyo Metropolitan Government from expropriating land in Akiruno, western Tokyo, for a state-approved project to route an expressway through the site.
BUSINESS
Feb 24, 2006

TV Tokyo to buy 39% of Inter-FM

TV Tokyo Broadband Entertainment Inc. said Thursday it will become the biggest shareholder in FM Inter-Wave Inc., purchasing a 39 percent equity stake in the struggling radio broadcaster in a deal valued at 1 billion yen.
JAPAN
Feb 24, 2006

Court extends detention of Horie, four former executives

The Tokyo District Court on Thursday authorized a 10-day extension to the detention of former Livedoor Co. President Takafumi Horie and four other ex-executives.
JAPAN
Feb 24, 2006

Livedoor fraud made 6 billion yen: sources

Bogus share swap allegedly concocted to pad group's financial statements
BUSINESS
Feb 24, 2006

'05 tertiary index highest since '88

Japan's service industry activity index rose 2.2 percent in 2005 from the previous year for the third straight yearly increase, with the index registering its highest score since 1988, the government said Thursday.
BUSINESS
Feb 24, 2006

January records first trade deficit in five years

Japan posted a customs-cleared trade deficit of 348.9 billion yen in January, the first monthly deficit in five years and the largest in 23 years, the Finance Ministry said Thursday.
BUSINESS
Feb 24, 2006

Honda hopes Zest helps spice up its minicar lineup

Honda Motor Co. unveiled the Zest minivehicle Thursday, aiming to survive in the increasingly competitive domestic minicar market.
CULTURE / Music
Feb 24, 2006

Beth Orton "Comfort of Strangers"

British singer/songwriter Beth Orton's fourth album, "Comfort of Strangers," does little that is new, but that's not to say it's a disappointment. The 14 tracks are among her best, and are far more concise and instantly likable than those on 2002's "Daybreaker." Famed experimental musician Jim O'Rourke,...
CULTURE / Music
Feb 24, 2006

Independence-D

Everyone has to start somewhere. That's the concept behind Independence-D, a three-day festival with the noble-sounding aim of bringing together the very finest bands from the very best independent labels to give us lucky people a glimpse of the future. Under the ambitious slogan, "From the world to...
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Feb 24, 2006

Essence of womanhood from top flamenco muse

One of the so-called "Three Muses" at the summit of flamenco dancing, along with Sara Baras and Maria Pages, is Eva Yerbabuena. The Granada-born dancer returns to Japan riding a wave of success in the wake of her performances last year at the Spanish Pavilion at Aichi Expo, and at the Flamenco Festival...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / THE SECOND ROOM
Feb 24, 2006

Psychedelic radar 02.24

Saturday, Feb. 25
CULTURE / Music
Feb 24, 2006

The Verbs "And Now . . . "

When Meegan Voss tells off her unfaithful lover in "Don't Say a Word," you imagine her walking out the door all calm and collected. "I'm tired of your story," she exhales, and while the bluesy backing track sounds a little like "Piece of My Heart," Voss's vocals are exactly the opposite of Janis Joplin's...
CULTURE / Music
Feb 24, 2006

Likkle Mai "Roots Candy"

As a member of Dry & Heavy, one of Japan's best-known dub-reggae outfits, Likkle Mai shared stages with the likes of Lee "Scratch" Perry and Horace Andy and wowed crowds at festivals such as Britain's WOMAD festival and Fuji Rock. "Roots Candy" -- the Japanese singer's first solo outing -- sees Mai creating...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / BEST BAR NONE
Feb 24, 2006

A guide for doing the Nakameguro stroll

Naka-Meguro is one express stop southwest of Shibuya on the Tokyu Toyoko Line. And, like its one-stop counterparts on other commuter lines, the shopping streets closest to the station tend to attract a high concentration of eateries and bars all vying for your post-work cash. But like anywhere in Tokyo,...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Feb 24, 2006

You can't get too much snow up here

Glaciers are in retreat, global weather patterns are going haywire and the Earth's climate is the warmest it's been in a millennium. Nonetheless, every winter, as regular as clockwork, winds from Siberia howl across the Sea of Japan, siphon up moisture, and dump it on Hokkaido as some of the world's...

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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?