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COMMENTARY
Dec 23, 2004

Mongolia's nuclear-free wish

JEJU ISLAND, South Korea -- Mongolia is a landlocked wilderness the size of Alaska. With a population of only 2.7 million, it is squeezed between two geopolitical giants, China and Russia. The collapse of the Soviet Union led to the withdrawal of Russian troops in 1992, leaving the country alone -- and...
COMMENTARY / WASHINGTON UPDATE
Dec 23, 2004

President had a better year than most

WASHINGTON -- As this supercharged political year of 2004 comes to a close, it seems appropriate to take a look at where Americans stand, and what they decided and changed in the past year.
Dec 23, 2004

Kyoto farm worker had bird flu

One person caught the bird flu virus while working at a contaminated poultry farm after an outbreak in Japan last February, in the first case of human infection confirmed in Japan, the government said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Dec 23, 2004

Ex-UFJ Bank execs freed on bail

Three former executives of UFJ Bank were freed on bail Wednesday after being indicted Tuesday for blocking government inspections last year in violation of the Banking Law.
JAPAN
Dec 23, 2004

Three held over huge Ecstasy haul

Three men have been indicted for allegedly smuggling into Japan about 46,000 tablets of Ecstasy, police said Wednesday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 23, 2004

Taiwan bullet train project stalled by adjustments

Taiwan's high-speed railway system linking Taipei and the southern city of Kaohsiung will probably not start on schedule next October due to delays in adjusting the Japanese bullet train system to European specifications.
Dec 23, 2004

Emergency medic network fell shy in Niigata

Only 20 percent of hospitals linked to an emergency medical transport system responded to calls for information on available rescue support teams during the first day of the October earthquakes in Niigata Prefecture.
BUSINESS
Dec 23, 2004

Auto liability premiums to rise in '05

Drivers with compulsory automobile liability insurance will have to pay about 4,000 yen more in fiscal 2005 because the government plans to phase out subsidies over the next four years, government officials said.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 23, 2004

Myanmar mom 'anxious' for kids before her release

A Myanmarese woman who along with her husband was separated from her young children while incarcerated at the Tokyo immigration center for illegal entry said Wednesday she was filled with anxiety and dread during her ordeal.
EDITORIALS
Dec 23, 2004

Ukraine's poisonous politics

How far will the old order in Ukraine go to safeguard its privileges? News that opposition presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko was poisoned suggests that it is desperate indeed. Three months after the alleged poisoning, questions continue to mount about how Mr. Yushchenko ingested what should have...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 22, 2004

Mission of self-destruction

Sylvia Rating: * * * 1/2 (out of 5) Director: Christine Jeffs Running time: 110 minutes Language: English Opens Dec. 25 [See Japan Times movie listings] "A writer should be remembered for his writing," Jean-Paul Sartre once wrote, but in the world of movies many writers tend to be remembered...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 22, 2004

Making love from the inside out

Vital Rating: * * * 1/2 (out of 5) Director: Shinya Tsukamoto Running time: 86 minutes Language: Japanese Currently showing [See Japan Times movie listings] When Shinya Tsukamoto released his first feature, "Tetsuo," in 1989, many critics compared the crazed black-and-white speed dream...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 22, 2004

Tsukamoto's great escape

Although his onscreen characters usually range from the demonic to the neurotic, in person Shinya Tsukamoto is the picture of gentle-spirited, well-mannered sanity. One can imagine him as the ideal maitre d' for an exclusive club, able to soothe even the most savage millionaire.
JAPAN
Dec 22, 2004

230 people killed or missing in natural disasters in 2004

At least 230 people were killed or remain missing and presumed dead in typhoons, rainstorms and other natural disasters in 2004, according to a government report released Tuesday.
JAPAN
Dec 22, 2004

LDP launches panel to revise the Constitution

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party launched a new panel Tuesday to revise the Constitution, LDP Secretary General Tsutomu Takebe said.
EDITORIALS
Dec 22, 2004

DPJ lacks drive to take power

Many Japanese want the Democratic Party of Japan to take power in the next general election in the hope that a DPJ victory will usher in a two-party system that puts Japanese politics on a sounder footing. The party's latest annual convention, however, must have left people wondering whether the DPJ...
BASKETBALL
Dec 22, 2004

New hoop league to hold open tryouts

The bj league, Japan's first professional basketball circuit with six men's teams, will hold an open tryout for all applicants in February before fairly distributing the players between the teams, league officials said Monday.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Dec 22, 2004

Iwakuma not the first Japanese pitcher caught in tug-of-war

The on-going tug-of-war between the Orix Buffaloes and the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles over pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma reminds me of a somewhat similar situation that occurred a quarter of a century ago in Japanese baseball: the case of another right-handed hurler, Suguru Egawa.
JAPAN / READERS' FUND
Dec 22, 2004

JVC uses donations to dig wells, improve water in Laotian villages

Japan International Volunteer Center kicked off a project in 1997 to promote environment-friendly agriculture at villages in Vientiane Prefecture, Laos.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 22, 2004

Thai orphan gets one-year visa

The government Tuesday granted renewable one-year temporary resident status to a 13-year-old Thai girl orphaned in Thailand and now living in Japan with her adoptive guardians.
JAPAN
Dec 22, 2004

Airline passenger ID system in works

Japan will start a system on Jan. 4 in which information on passengers flying to the country will be provided to authorities in an effort to enhance security against terrorism and criminals, government officials said Tuesday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / CERAMIC SCENE
Dec 22, 2004

Dreams for a perfectly set table come true

"Everybody sets out to do something, and everybody does something, but no one does what he sets out to do," said Irish author George Moore of the good intentions that abound in life. Setting an idea in motion is often more important than the end result, whether one creates products, ideas, or life itself....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 22, 2004

The sound of 2004

Rock and blues Animal Collective, "Sung Tongs" (Fat Cat): An acoustic hootenany reinvented for the electronic era. Exhilarating, innocent of any apparent influence, and completely unlike anything else released this year (or maybe ever). (S.T.)
JAPAN
Dec 22, 2004

UFJ Bank, former execs indicted for blocking inspections

Prosecutors indicted former UFJ Bank Vice President Kazuyoshi Okazaki and two other former executives as well as UFJ Bank for allegedly blocking government inspections last year in violation of the Banking Law.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 22, 2004

Can't hold down a good stereotype

Kiss of Life Rating: * * * * (out of 5) Director: Emily Young Running time: 86 minutes Language: English Currently showing [See Japan Times movie listings] Nathalie ... Rating: * * * 1/2 (out of 5) Director: Anne Fontaine Running time: 105 minutes Language: French Currently...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 22, 2004

Bang a gong for . . .

The '60s Live! Award: Tie between Art Garfunkel and David Crosby, both of whom were busted for marijuana possession.
MORE SPORTS
Dec 22, 2004

Kitajima, Asashoryu win inaugural FSAJ Sportsman of the Year honors

Kosuke Kitajima won two gold medals at the Athens Games this summer.
JAPAN
Dec 22, 2004

Lee gets visa; LDP is told to steer clear

The government issued a visa Tuesday to former Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui and China quickly reacted by urging Japan to cancel the move.

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?