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BUSINESS
Dec 3, 2005

Nissan paint removes scratches

Nissan Motor Co. said Friday it has developed a type of paint that automatically repairs light scratches made to the body of an automobile.
BUSINESS
Dec 3, 2005

Bank merger OK'd

The Financial Services Agency on Friday approved the merger of Resona Bank and Nara Bank, both of which operate under the wing of Resona Holdings Inc.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Dec 3, 2005

Divine intervention for shrine epiphany

People always ask, "Amy, what do you do all day long on that island?" I assure them there is never a dull moment. A constant stream of visitors, mostly foreign, come to Shiraishi Island throughout the year. Some come out of curiosity, others to escape the city or catch a glimpse of old Japan. Some want...
JAPAN
Dec 3, 2005

Nukaga heads to GSDF Iraq camp

Defense Agency Director General Fukushiro Nukaga left for Iraq on Friday of the Ground Self-Defense Force troops stationed in Samawah, Iraq.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Dec 3, 2005

Giants raise Abe's salary

Yomiuri Giants catcher Shinnosuke Abe re-signed Friday with the Central League club for an estimated yearly salary of 140 million yen. Abe, who batted .300 with 26 homers and a career-high 86 RBIs, will get a 20 million yen pay raise after renewing his contract in his sixth year next season. Yomiuri...
MORE SPORTS
Dec 2, 2005

Taniguchi takes three-shot lead

Toru Taniguchi got off to a strong start at the Nippon Series JT Cup on Thursday after his first victory of the season at the Casio World Open last week.
BASEBALL / MLB
Dec 2, 2005

Ichiro agrees to play in WBC

Seattle Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki will play for Japan in next year's World Baseball Classic, it was announced on the Seattle Times Web site on Thursday.
SOCCER / J. League
Dec 2, 2005

Verdy to play K-League champs

Recently relegated Tokyo Verdy will face the South Korean K-League's champion team in the group stage of the 2006 Asian Champions League, the Japan Football Association said Thursday.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Dec 2, 2005

Kida set to ink Swallows deal

Right-hander Misao Kida, who played mainly for the Seattle Mariners' Triple-A Tacoma this past season, has been acquired by the Yakult Swallows, officials of the Central League team said Thursday.
JAPAN
Dec 2, 2005

Iraqi prime minister to visit Japan

Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jafari will make his first visit to Japan starting Monday, the Foreign Ministry said Thursday.
JAPAN
Dec 2, 2005

Top court rejects professor's 12-year appeal of textbook-screening revisions

13 years, and the ruling is as unacceptable as it is superficial," Takashima said. Kazushige Yamashita, director of the division in charge of screenings, said the ruling is reasonable because it confirmed the legitimacy and need for the screenings.
EDITORIALS
Dec 2, 2005

A door opens to Gaza

The Palestinian people's efforts to take command of their own destiny took a huge step forward last weekend when Palestinians took charge of their first border crossing point. The opening of the border with Egypt is both a psychological step forward -- a form of liberation as residents must no longer...
JAPAN
Dec 2, 2005

IPods to remain freeof royalty payments

A government panel Thursday decided against expanding the range of products subject to royalty payments on digital music recording devices to include iPods and other new gadgets that use flash memory and hard disks.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 2, 2005

Have music, will travel

Shugo Tokumaru is one of those unfairly talented types who seem to be able to turn their hand to anything. He wrote, played and sang every note on his two albums of "bedroom music" and produced them both too. The 25-year-old also finds time to play guitar and occasionally sing in lo-fi indie pop band...
CULTURE / Music
Dec 2, 2005

Babyshambles : "Down In Albion"

Pete Doherty may be a rock 'n' roll cliche, but in among all that hard living he has managed to keep it together long enough to record two of the most vital rock albums produced in recent years, The Libertines' "Up The Bracket" and the self-titled follow-up.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / THEN AND NOW
Dec 2, 2005

History rises up in Shibuya

The accompanying wood-block print is a panoramic view of Shibuya about 180 years ago, seen from the top of Dogenzaka hill.
COMMENTARY
Dec 2, 2005

Influence of French violence

PARIS -- No use telling Japan Times' readers about Beaujolais. Most of them surely have had the opportunity of tasting this refreshing, though somewhat acidic, wine from France. The day in November when new production went on sale used to be celebrated in many places by popular feasts, as a tribute to...
JAPAN
Dec 2, 2005

Yamaguchi-gumi don to do six years

The boss of Yamaguchi-gumi, Japan's largest crime syndicate, will be imprisoned as soon as the Supreme Court rejects his appeal of a gun conviction, sources said Thursday.
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Dec 2, 2005

NGO puts on two fundraising classical concerts

The Japan International Volunteer Center (JVC) is organizing two classical concerts to raise money for its relief and development work in Asia, the Middle East and Africa. This year, the JVC will present two seasonal concerts, Bach's "Christmas Oratorio" at Izumi Hall, Osaka (Dec. 10) and Handel's "Messiah"...
BUSINESS
Dec 2, 2005

Yahoo, Honda, Canon join to fight online piracy

Yahoo Japan Corp. and other Internet auctioneers joined Thursday with intellectual property rights holders, including Honda Motor Co. and Canon Inc., to set up a group to stem online trade in illegally copied and counterfeit items.
CULTURE / Music
Dec 2, 2005

Quruli: "Nikki"

Quruli? An indie band? It's just not true. While at their creative peak they made mind-blowing J-pop (2002's "The World Is Mine"), at their worst, they are MOR J-popsters with bad hair.
BUSINESS
Dec 2, 2005

Astellas, XenoPort ink sales pact

Astellas Pharma Inc. reached an agreement Thursday with XenoPort Inc., a U.S. pharmaceutical company, giving it exclusive rights to sell in Japan and five other Asian markets a painkiller being developed by the U.S. firm, the two companies said.
CULTURE / Music
Dec 2, 2005

Junior Senior

Since 1995, Danish dance-rockers Junior Senior have been shaking up Scandinavia with their humorous blend of Prince-like funk and indie garage rock, and for the last five years they've taken Britain and the rest of Europe by storm. The effective working relationship between Jesper Mortensen and Jeppe...
BUSINESS
Dec 2, 2005

IRCJ holds final round of bidding for Kanebo

Three candidates placed their bids Thursday in the final round to select a buyer for struggling and scandal-plagued Kanebo Ltd. and Kanebo Cosmetics Inc., now managed by the government-backed Industrial Revitalization Corp. of Japan.
CULTURE / Film
Dec 2, 2005

Getting real on the screen

Belgian filmmaker duo Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne won the Palme D'Or at Cannes in 1999 with "Rosetta," and they went on to win it again this year with "L'Enfant" (international title: "The Child").
BUSINESS
Dec 2, 2005

LDP bill ups ante in China gas dispute

A Liberal Democratic Party panel compiled a bill Thursday to protect the vessels used by marine resource explorers and fishermen in Japan's 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone.

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?