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EDITORIALS
Jan 23, 2006

Killer's motives remain in the dark

The Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence handed down by lower courts to Tsutomu Miyazaki, 43, who was charged with kidnapping and murdering four young girls in Saitama Prefecture and Tokyo 17 years ago. The highest court concluded that the original judgment recognizing Miyazaki's legal competence...
JAPAN
Jan 23, 2006

Base moderate elected Nago mayor

NAGO, Okinawa Pref. -- Voters here chose continuity Sunday over change and placed promises of economic prosperity over concerns about a new U.S. military base as Yoshikazu Shimabukuro, a ruling coalition-backed candidate and the handpicked successor of former Mayor Tateo Kishimoto, headed for victory...
JAPAN
Jan 23, 2006

TSE raises limit on trade executions to 5 million

The Tokyo Stock Exchange said Sunday it has raised the number of stock trades its computer system can execute each day to 5 million, up from the current 4.5 million, as part of its emergency measures to deal with surges in transactions like those stemming from the scandals involving Livedoor Co.
JAPAN
Jan 23, 2006

Glitches force hundreds to retake test

Problems Saturday with the integrated circuit players used for the English listening component of unified college entrance exams forced 453 examinees to retake that part of the tests, organizers said.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 23, 2006

Funeral for Livedoor-linked suicide

The funeral was held Sunday for a former brokerage executive linked with takeover deals by Livedoor Co. who committed suicide last week in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture.
JAPAN
Jan 23, 2006

Livedoor's Horie uses blog to deny wrongdoing

Livedoor Co. President Takafumi Horie, at the center of a high-profile probe over alleged securities law violations and financial statement falsifications, denied on his Internet blog Sunday involvement in any wrongdoing.
JAPAN
Jan 23, 2006

Big quake in northeast could kill 2,700

A major earthquake hitting northeastern Japan could result in the deaths of 2,700 people and the destruction of 9,400 houses and buildings, according to a government study.
JAPAN
Jan 23, 2006

Nago election about more than base issue

NAGO, Okinawa Pref. -- Voters went to the polls Sunday to choose a new mayor in an election with implications not only for the city of Nago but also the realignment of U.S. military bases in Japan.
JAPAN
Jan 23, 2006

U.S. sailor held over late-night Sasebo robbery

A U.S. sailor was arrested on suspicion of robbing a woman in Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture, police said Sunday, only weeks after another sailor was arrested on charges of fatally beating and robbing a woman in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture.
JAPAN
Jan 23, 2006

Six die in family murder-suicides

Four children and two adults were found dead Sunday in an apparent family murder-suicide and a murder and attempted suicide, police said.
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Jan 23, 2006

Regional cooperation with Japan belies focus on Yasukuni problem

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, in his first news conference of the year, argued that Yasukuni is not a diplomatic issue, rebutting claims that Japan is being isolated in Asia because of his repeated visits to the war-related Shinto shrine.
COMMENTARY
Jan 23, 2006

The feud can end anytime

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi should realize that he holds the key to settling the growing discord with China even as Beijing adds fuel to the fire by urging the Japanese government to restrict news media reports on the alleged security threat posed by China.
SUMO
Jan 22, 2006

Tochiazuma tops Hokutoriki, in line for third title

Ozeki Tochiazuma swatted Hokutoriki to keep his lead, moving him within shooting distance of his third career title while grand champion Asashoryu saw his dream for an eighth straight title shattered at the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament on Saturday.
SOCCER / J. League
Jan 22, 2006

Messina makes play for Ogasawara

J. League club Kashima Antlers have received an offer from Italian first-division side Messina for the services of Japan midfielder Mitsuo Ogasawara, Kashima officials said Saturday.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jan 22, 2006

Roster of foreign players nearly complete for 2006 season

Spring camps begin for the 12 Japan pro baseball teams in just 10 days, and there has been a flurry of activity in the past week with the Central and Pacific League clubs signing new-and second-hand-foreign players and finalizing rosters for the coming season. Following is a team-by-team update on the...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 22, 2006

Unified university entrance exams get under way

Two-day unified entrance exams for universities and colleges began Saturday across Japan as examinees grappled with an English listening comprehension test for the first time.
JAPAN
Jan 22, 2006

Japan to lodge protest over shoddy U.S. beef inspection

Top government officials said Saturday they would lodge protests with the United States after it was found that lack of knowledge on the part of an inspector allowed a banned material that poses a risk of mad cow disease to be included in a shipment of beef to Japan.
EDITORIALS
Jan 22, 2006

Something wiki this way comes

'W ikipedia": Anyone looking for information online in the last few years is bound to have come across this funny word. Type any search term into Google, and a Wikipedia entry will probably pop up somewhere on the first page or two. On "Japan," for example, the Wikipedia entry comes in an impressive...
JAPAN
Jan 22, 2006

Livedoor execs admit falsifying financial data

Senior Livedoor Co. officials have admitted during voluntary questioning that they disseminated false financial information regarding group companies but did not believe their actions were illegal, investigative sources said Saturday.
JAPAN
Jan 22, 2006

Tokyo U. professor faked paper on enzyme experiment

An investigation panel at the University of Tokyo plans to make public this week a report indicating that Kazunari Taira, a professor of biochemistry engineering, fabricated a scientific paper on human enzyme experiments, sources said Saturday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 22, 2006

Digital shakeup leaves most traditional camera makers reeling

Business is booming at the camera shop managed by Hiroaki Kitahara, but he has a sense of emptiness regarding the past and is worried about the future.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 22, 2006

Bolivia prepares to break with the past

...
JAPAN
Jan 22, 2006

Koizumi: U.S. can't stop Yasukuni visits

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi told U.S. President George W. Bush in November he would not stop visiting Yasukuni Shrine even at the request of the United States, sources familiar with bilateral relations said Saturday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 22, 2006

Consumers outraged by risky beef shipment

Anger, concern and a feeling of betrayal swirled among consumers, retailers and restaurants after the government announced that a shipment of beef imported from the United States contained material considered at risk of carrying mad cow disease.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jan 22, 2006

Flag-makers aren't the only beneficiaries of patriotism in sport

Tabloids utilize a clever kind of shorthand for their headlines in order to fix the attention of people as they pass by news-stands. My favorite one recently was a Nikkan Gendai header announcing "Ichiro's abnormal enthusiasm for WBC."
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Jan 22, 2006

The new Japanese woman, from virginity to menopause

INSIDE AND OTHER SHORT FICTION: Japanese Women by Japanese Women, compiled by Cathy Layne, foreword by Ruth Ozeki. Tokyo: Kodansha International, 2006. 237 pp., 2,400 yen (cloth). As Ruth Ozeki writes in her foreword to this very interesting collection of new writing: "Japanese society is undergoing...

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?