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BUSINESS
Apr 11, 2006

BOJ talks unlikely to yield interest rate hike

The Bank of Japan's decision-making panel opened a two-day meeting Monday as analysts widely expect the central bank to maintain its zero-interest rate policy by holding the overnight call money rate near zero.
JAPAN
Apr 11, 2006

Killer gets 13 years for 1990 Tokyo stabbing

The Tokyo District Court on Monday sentenced a man to 13 years in prison for a 1990 murder in Tokyo. He had been indicted just 10 days before the 15-year statute of limitations expired.
JAPAN
Apr 11, 2006

Koizumi ready to take role in base talks

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Monday he is willing to meet Okinawa Gov. Keiichi Inamine, who remains opposed to a plan to relocate a U.S. air station within the prefecture, following a deal struck Friday on the plan with local governments.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Apr 11, 2006

Sick, desperate Japanese turn to booming Chinese organ trade

When Kenichiro Hokamura's kidneys failed, he spent four years on dialysis before going online to check out rumors of organs for sale.
BUSINESS
Apr 11, 2006

Time for Japan to shut up and drill: energy expert

A month has passed since Japan and China last held talks over the development of gas fields in a disputed area of the East China Sea, and both sides appear keen on keeping the issue out of the headlines for now.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Apr 11, 2006

Exploring the world on manga — where to get started?

Hisashi Sakata Public servant, 30 All Japanese know about "doko de mo door," the "everywhere door." In Doraemon, the manga about a robotic cat, you can use the door to travel anywhere you want to go. We can dream of escaping wherever we want to go!
JAPAN
Apr 11, 2006

Abe ahead for top job but Fukuda gains ground

A majority of respondents to a recent Kyodo News survey say they want Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe to replace Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi when the ruling Liberal Democratic Party elects a new leader in September.
BUSINESS
Apr 11, 2006

Core machinery orders rebound after January dip

Core private-sector machinery orders climbed a seasonally adjusted 3.4 percent in February from the previous month to 1.1 trillion yen, following a 6.2 percent fall in January, the government announced Monday.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Apr 11, 2006

Linguistic art of cutting and running gets a tweak

Last week, a girlfriend of mine was at an over-30s-only go-kon (singles drinking party) and came back sorely disappointed. Her gripe was that all the men there -- handsome, well-off and working for high-profile companies -- were nigegoshi (noncommittal, making ready to cut and run) from start to finish....
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Apr 11, 2006

Cheese, yoga and knitting

We're well aware that Tokyo is not the be all and end all of the country, but it's hard to get information useful to the foreign community when we are all so scattered. This is why the following two mails are so welcome. Thanks guys.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Apr 11, 2006

Massage has its good and bad points

In today's deadline-driven, high-stress society, it's no longer uncommon to experiences headaches, stiff shoulders and carpal-tunnel pain every now and then. While many people turn to painkillers for relief from minor complaints, which in some cases can snowball into a chronic condition, massage treatments...
BUSINESS
Apr 11, 2006

Inpex in on 700 billion yen Australia LNG project

Inpex Holdings Inc., Japan's largest oil developer, will produce liquefied natural gas in Australia, with overall investment in the project estimated at 550 billion yen to 700 billion yen, according to company sources.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Apr 9, 2006

New generation has Arsenal dreaming

LONDON -- From The Invincibales of England to The Unbeatables and Impenetrables of Europe, the Gunners continued their march toward the Champions League final with the confidence and style of a team that reflects its manager's football philosophy.
EDITORIALS
Apr 9, 2006

Mr. Ozawa takes the DPJ's helm

The Democratic Party of Japan -- which has plunged into a crisis following the resignation of its young leader Seiji Maehara over a bogus e-mail fiasco -- chose Mr. Ichiro Ozawa, a heavyweight veteran politician, as its new leader. As leader of the No. 1 opposition party, the tasks facing Mr. Ozawa are...
JAPAN
Apr 9, 2006

Negotiators from six-way talks could meet this week

Chief negotiators to the six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear programs could be meeting in Tokyo early this week, with several delegates already in Japan, some of them to attend a security conference starting Sunday.
JAPAN
Apr 9, 2006

Ozawa poised to bedevil the LDP

The election of political veteran Ichiro Ozawa as the new leader of the Democratic Party of Japan poses a threat to the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, regardless of who the next prime minister will be, according to political observers.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Apr 9, 2006

Looking at the big picture of Kyoto

CAPITALSCAPES: Folding Screens and Political Imagination in Late Medieval Kyoto, by Matthew Philip McKelway. Honolulu, University of Hawai'i Press, 2006, 282 pp., 24 color plates, numerous b/w illustrations, $56.00 (cloth). One of the major formats in the history of Japanese painting are the byobu-e,...
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Apr 9, 2006

Who out there cares about 'Cool Japan'?

These days the government is jumping on the bandwagon. The Foreign Ministry is singing in tune. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has hopped on, with a conductor's baton in his hand and a spring in his step that you don't even see when he's ascending the stairs to pay his public-private respects at Yasukuni...
JAPAN
Apr 9, 2006

Governor nixes Okinawa base relocation plan

shares our view that the Japan-U.S. security treaty is necessary. I think we can (settle the matter) through discussions," Nukaga said. Inamine said he appreciates the central government's efforts in the ongoing Japan-U.S talks to reduce the presence of U.S. military forces in Okinawa, including the...

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji