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Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / JAZZNICITY
Sep 23, 2005

Keeping the Hot Club flame lit in Tokyo

One of Europe's biggest contributions to jazz, Gypsy swing jazz -- now more correctly called "jazz manouche" -- comes down to one man, famed Belgian guitarist Django Reinhardt. Together with violinist Stephane Grappelli and a rotating ensemble of musicians, Django's Quintette du Hot Club de France shot...
BUSINESS
Sep 23, 2005

Nikko Antfactory to aid Honma Golf reconstruction

Nikko Antfactory K.K. and another investment firm announced a basic agreement Thursday to aid the reconstruction of Honma Golf Co., a leading manufacturer of golf-related items.
BUSINESS
Sep 23, 2005

Glitch disrupts NTT Com data lines

A computer glitch brought down parts of NTT Communications Corp.'s corporate data network, disrupting about 68,000 lines in Osaka, Wakayama and Nara prefectures, the company said Thursday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 23, 2005

The American Analog Set and Her Space Holiday

Texas isn't just for rednecks any more -- or, at least, Austin isn't. Home to the University of Texas and the South By Southwest music conference, it's a city where even bedroom music-makers can relax and do their quiet simple thing without having to wear a cowboy hat to prove their relevance.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 23, 2005

Honda hopes revamped Civic wins over drivers with sophisticated taste

Honda Motor Co. on Thursday unveiled its remodeled Civic -- the first major revamp of the car in five years -- hoping to take one of its mainstays more upmarket.
Sep 23, 2005

Violence by kids in elementary schools hit record in '04

The number of reported violent acts by children at public elementary schools reached a record high of 1,890 in the 2004 academic year through March, an education ministry survey showed Thursday.
JAPAN
Sep 23, 2005

Sony plans workforce, plant cuts in bid to stem losses

Sony Corp. announced Thursday it will slash 10,000 employees, or about 7 percent of its global workforce, and close 11 production facilities as part of a sweeping restructuring plan in a bid to revive its fortunes.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 23, 2005

Breast cancer threat ignored

Japanese women must bring about radical change in their country's health-care culture to stem a worrisome increase in breast cancer, a prominent cancer-awareness advocate said ahead of Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October.
COMMENTARY
Sep 23, 2005

Small but vital step for man

HONOLULU -- The agreement on denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula reached Monday in Beijing was "one small step for man." It is, however, premature to call it a "giant leap for mankind." The agreement provides a template for working toward a solution to the denuclearization problem; it is not yet a road...
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Sep 22, 2005

Marines rip Hawks, trim lead to 2 games

Koichi Hori connected for a grand slam in the fifth inning Wednesday night as the Chiba Lotte Marines trounced the Softbank Hawks 13-3 to move within two games of the Pacific League leaders.
SUMO
Sep 22, 2005

Asashoryu two off pace after loss

Kotooshu overpowered Tochiazuma on Wednesday to stay undefeated and in the lead, while grand champion Asashoryu was handed his second loss at the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament.
JAPAN
Sep 22, 2005

Koizumi's new mandate even gets LDP rebels' nod

Liberal Democratic Party President Junichiro Koizumi was re-elected prime minister Wednesday by more than two-thirds of the 480-seat House of the Representatives on the opening day of a special Diet session, with supporting votes coming even from some of his LDP foes.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 22, 2005

'Razor Gotoda' dead at age 91

Masaharu Gotoda, a former deputy prime minister, died of pneumonia Monday, his aides and government sources said. He was 91.
EDITORIALS
Sep 22, 2005

Social assistance for crime victims

To become the victim of a crime is a tragic experience that can cause lasting physical, psychological or financial damage. In the past, crime victims and their family members have not received much help from society. Last December, however, the Diet passed the Basic Law for Crime Victims, which recognizes...
JAPAN
Sep 22, 2005

Outlays for welfare set new record at 84 trillion yen

Social security spending rose to a record high 84.27 trillion yen in fiscal 2003, up 700.2 billion, yen or 0.8 percent, from the previous year due mainly to snowballing outlays for the aging population, a government research institute said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Sep 22, 2005

Takagi bids for Rengo leadership

Tsuyoshi Takagi, head of UI Zensen Domei, filed his candidacy Wednesday for president of the 6.6 million-strong Japanese Trade Union Confederation (Rengo) in a bid to become its fifth leader.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 22, 2005

Parolees win retrial bid over '67 killing

The Mito District Court's Tsuchiura branch granted a retrial Wednesday for two parolees found guilty of robbery and murder, casting strong doubt on the evidence that led to their convictions.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Sep 22, 2005

The Bard in abundance in Edo Japan

After four hours rejoicing in my seat as I watched "Tempo 12-nen no Shakespeare (Shakespeare in the 12th year of Tempo)" at the Theatre Cocoon, had I been wearing one I would have taken off my hat to the team who delivered the marvelous, grand-scale production -- director Yukio Ninagawa, writer Hisashi...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 22, 2005

'Manga' publishers see cell phones as the future

Cartoon-strip publishers, whose printed-matter sales have been losing steam, are actively embracing mobile media because cell phones are what young people are spending their time and money on.
BUSINESS
Sep 22, 2005

Japan to guard Teikoku Oil if gas-field talks fail

If no agreement is reached in talks next week with China on natural gas development in the East China Sea, Japan is prepared to ensure the safety of Teikoku Oil Co. employees and protect the Japanese company's right to drill in disputed waters, Shoichi Nakagawa, minister of economy, trade and industry,...
COMMENTARY
Sep 22, 2005

Japan's 'Thatcher' moment?

LONDON -- Prime Minister Junichiro Koziumi's smashing election victory could give him the same kind of political power as that which fell into the hands of British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s. Should he therefore follow the Thatcher recipes and methods for structural economic reform,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / NEW ART SEEN
Sep 22, 2005

Becoming Japanese to satisfy the American eye

The elegant and enigmatic new exhibition at the Mori Art Museum, "The End of Time," is a retrospective on four decades of work by Hiroshi Sugimoto. One of Japan's most internationally acclaimed artists, Sugimoto uses photography to condense events in celebrated time-exposure series such as "Seascapes"...
JAPAN
Sep 22, 2005

New, returning lawmakers step onto Diet's red carpet

Lawmakers elected Sept. 11, some under a cloud of scandal, started their first official duties Wednesday, attending a House of the Representatives special session.
BUSINESS
Sep 22, 2005

Mizuho names Briton

Mizuho Corporate Bank said Wednesday it has appointed Jeremy Ghose as an executive officer, making the Briton the first foreigner to take a board membership among Japan's four largest banking groups.
Sep 22, 2005

Pair plead guilty to diesel-filter fraud

A former Mitsui & Co. employee and the former vice president of an affiliate pleaded guilty Wednesday to falsifying test results for diesel exhaust filters it sold to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government for some 57 million yen.
SUMO
Sep 22, 2005

Winter tour may be canceled

The customary regional winter sumo tour, centered in Kyushu, will likely be canceled due to the flagging popularity of the ancient Japanese sport, sumo sources said Tuesday.

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?