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JAPAN
Apr 9, 2005

Koizumi to go to Afro-Asia meeting

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will visit Indonesia from April 21-24 to attend the Afro-Asia Conference in Jakarta and a ceremony to mark the 50th anniversary of the Bandung Conference, the top government spokesman said Friday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 9, 2005

Prolific director Nomura of 'Castle of Sand' fame dead at 85

Movie director Yoshitaro Nomura, whose 1974 suspense thriller "Castle of Sand" ("Suna no Utsuwa") has been ranked by critics as one of the country's best films ever, died Friday at 85.
JAPAN
Apr 9, 2005

Ono admits '94 pre-emptive strike feasibility study amid North tension

Yoshinori Ono, director general Defense Agency, on Friday confirmed a media report that the agency had studied in 1994 the feasibility of pre-emptive attacks on enemy states, but declined to reveal the details of the study.
COMMENTARY
Apr 9, 2005

School kitchens need a nanny

LONDON -- Turkey twizzlers once divided the nation; now they appear to have united it in a surge of national purpose for reform. This is thanks to a new political hero, chef Jamie Oliver, who, from one of the most despised backgrounds in Britain -- white working-class boy from Essex -- has shown imagination...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Apr 9, 2005

'Too friendly'? Hopelessly Midwestern

I am crossing America by Amtrak train and am now leaving the Wild West headed east through the Midwest. Much of the Midwest is prairie, farms and cows. Collectively these states are called the Plains States, probably because they are indeed very plain. Not a thing is growing at this time of year, but...
EDITORIALS
Apr 9, 2005

Politicized student textbooks

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology has announced the results of its screening textbooks scheduled for use in junior high schools beginning in April 2006. Two things are particularly notable with regard to neighboring Asian nations such as South Korea and China. First,...
BUSINESS
Apr 9, 2005

Ripplewood CEO concerned over Tokyo's moves to restrict M&As

Timothy Collins, founder and chief executive officer of Ripplewood Holdings LLC, has expressed concern over Japan's moves to tighten regulations on merger and acquisition deals due to a takeover war between Livedoor Co. and the Fujisankei Communications Group.
JAPAN
Apr 9, 2005

Schieffer arrives with mandate to underscore ties

The new U.S. ambassador to Japan arrived Friday in Tokyo, saying he was delighted to be here and stressing the importance of the U.S. security alliance with Japan.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 9, 2005

Ministry experts discuss OIE beef proposal

Government-appointed experts met Friday to discuss a proposal from the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) to ease mad cow disease-related restrictions on beef trade.
BUSINESS
Apr 9, 2005

Machinery orders see first rise in three months

Japan's core private-sector machinery orders rose a seasonally adjusted 4.9 percent in February from the previous month to 1.01 trillion yen, for the first rise in three months.
BUSINESS
Apr 9, 2005

BOJ policy like morphine: appointee

A newly appointed member of the Bank of Japan Policy Board said Friday the central bank should eventually stop its ultraeasy monetary policy, calling it "morphine" for the economy.
JAPAN
Apr 9, 2005

Ex-Sheraton exec accused of evading taxes

Tax authorities have filed a criminal accusation with prosecutors against a former top official of Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay Hotel, sources said Friday.
COMMENTARY
Apr 9, 2005

Can John Bolton save the United Nations?

WASHINGTON -- The United Nations is a mess. Often corrupt and venal, always inefficient and wasteful, frequently captured by the worst political interests, and commonly motivated by the most extreme ideological impulses, the organization is anything but "the last great hope of mankind." If anyone can...
BUSINESS
Apr 9, 2005

Tokyo's terms for joining China gas project rejected

Japan could accept China's offer to jointly conduct oil and gas exploration in the East China Sea, but only if Beijing provides details of its ongoing gas projects in the disputed waters and halts its operations there, the industry minister said Friday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 9, 2005

Lamb increasingly popular despite 'stinky' repute

With mad cow disease and the bird flu still making some people anxious about the safety of beef and poultry, an increasing number of Tokyo residents are turning to mutton and lamb.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 9, 2005

Japan Post unit chiefs to be from private sector

The government will select private-sector personnel for the presidential posts at five spinoff units of Japan Post to be created in April 2007, sources said Friday.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
Apr 9, 2005

2005: A sneeze odyssey

As she springs toward her second half-century of life, my always-young wife is afraid of but one thing.
BUSINESS
Apr 9, 2005

Yoshinoya forecasts profit for current year

Yoshinoya D&C Co. on Friday forecast a profit for the current fiscal year, despite the loss of its signature dish of "gyudon" beef on rice.
BUSINESS
Apr 9, 2005

Credit Suisse Trust gets partial suspension

The Financial Services Agency has ordered Credit Suisse Trust and Banking Co. to suspend part of its operations for one month for making several thousand improper business transactions.
JAPAN
Apr 9, 2005

747,000 households refuse to pay NHK subscription fees

About 747,000 households had refused to pay subscription fees to the embezzlement scandal-tainted public broadcaster NHK as of the end of March, up from 560,000 the previous month, its president said.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 9, 2005

Palestinian struggle: reality vs. rhetoric

DOHA, Qatar -- No other national struggle in the world has assimilated itself, or has been inadvertently assimilated, to symbolize so many things to different people as has the Palestinian struggle. And yet, despite the intricate layers of sense and understanding that have sought to encapsulate the Palestinian...
JAPAN
Apr 9, 2005

Thrice court-recognized refugee wants ministry nod

Afghan asylum-seeker Abdul Aziz says he is tired of fighting.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 9, 2005

Dalai Lama arrives, urges followers to fulfill late pope's wishes for peace

Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, arrived Friday in Japan, urging people to carry on Pope John Paul II's legacy of peace as the world prepares for the pontiff's funeral.
JAPAN
Apr 9, 2005

Singapore turns to Japan's matchmakers as birthrate sags

Japan might assist in Singapore's efforts to set up matchmaking services, sources said Friday.
JAPAN
Apr 9, 2005

Asylum-seeker sues state for damages

A Myanmarese asylum-seeker who recently received a special residence permit filed a damages suit against the government Friday, demanding 11 million yen for being detained despite his status as a refugee, his lawyers said.
SOCCER / World cup
Apr 8, 2005

Japan to play friendlies against Peru, UAE

Japan will play international friendlies against Peru and the United Arab Emirates next month in the Kirin Cup round-robin tournament, the Japan Football Association said Thursday.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Apr 8, 2005

Brawl with Dyer just the latest transgression by Bowyer

LONDON -- Sticking up for Lee Bowyer is like putting in a good word for Jack The Ripper.

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?