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JAPAN
Mar 9, 2006

Extend wire-tapping law to terrorism cases: FBI

Japan could aid the fight against terrorism by strengthening its wire-tapping law and letting prosecutors plea-bargain with terrorism suspects, a top FBI official said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Mar 9, 2006

Narita ex-officials avoid prison over bid scam

Two former officials of the New Tokyo International Airport Authority received suspended prison terms Wednesday for their involvement in bid-rigging on electric transformation equipment projects at Narita airport.
EDITORIALS
Mar 9, 2006

Turbulent times for JAL

The drama started Feb. 10, when four board members of Japan Airlines Corp.'s international operations unit visited JAL President Toshiyuki Shinmachi with a petition carrying the signatures of some 50 managers. They urged him and two other executives to take responsibility for the JAL group's poor business...
BUSINESS
Mar 9, 2006

Loans up after eight-year pause

The average daily balance of bank lending rose 0.2 percent in February from a year earlier, the first increase in eight years and two months, the Bank of Japan said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Mar 9, 2006

Toshiba, Canon put off new TVs

Toshiba Corp. and Canon Inc. said Wednesday their alliance will delay the release of a next-generation television called surface-conduction electron-emitter display TV, or SED, until October to December of 2007. The new TVs were originally to go on sale in early spring of this year.
JAPAN
Mar 9, 2006

Tokyo pursues 2016 Olympics bid

The Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly adopted a resolution Wednesday to seek the opportunity to host the 2016 Summer Olympics in the capital.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Mar 9, 2006

Who are you, Tommy?

" 'Tommy' didn't really answer anything, which was the beauty of it.''
CULTURE / Stage
Mar 9, 2006

A thumbnail history of the rock musical

"Bye Bye Birdie" (1961) The songs aren't rock, but it was the first Broadway show to address rock 'n' roll: an Elvis-like singer (actually based on singer Conway Twitty) stages a big publicity event before he enters the army.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / NEW ART SEEN
Mar 9, 2006

Collages catch a fire

Computer software has revived the term "cut and paste." We execute the commands when writing documents, treating images, or slipping stuff into an e-mail. Cutting and pasting is so simple that it's easy to forget that the actions were originally performed not in a flash with a cursor and a mouse -- but...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Mar 9, 2006

Young, fresh and traditional Japanese artists

Some people complain that poetry has never been the same since poets were absolved of their obligations to rhyme and rhythm. The same people also think that since the 1968 scrapping of the Hollywood Production Code that regulated sexual content, movies have lost a lot of their sexual sizzle.
BASKETBALL
Mar 8, 2006

Kimura thinks outside the box as chairman of new hoop circuit

As the bj-league representative and president of Invoice inc., Ikuo Kimura draws a clear line from the conventional sports chairpeople and directors.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Mar 8, 2006

Central League to add playoffs

Japan's Central League decided Tuesday to introduce postseason playoffs next year to help boost sagging attendance, following the success of the Pacific League.
SUMO
Mar 8, 2006

Tochiazuma or Hakuho to shine in Osaka?

Just four days off now, the March 12th to 26th Haru Basho looks like being the make or break tournament for Tochiazuma of Tamanoi Beya in Tokyo's Adachi-ku.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 8, 2006

High levels of mercury found in beached whales

About a dozen melon-headed whales that recently beached in Chiba Prefecture and died had mercury concentrations some 10 times higher than the level the government considers acceptable, a study showed Tuesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 8, 2006

Another architect fakes design strength

Five Sapporo condominium complexes have been confirmed to have been built with faked earthquake-resistance data, the land ministry said Tuesday, and the city is investigating 28 more buildings the architect who compiled the data has said are not sufficiently quake-proof.
EDITORIALS
Mar 8, 2006

On the brink of civil war

The destruction of the Askariya Shrine in Samarra has brought Iraq to the brink of civil war. Hundreds of lives have been lost in sectarian violence following the bombing of the Shiite house of worship. The divisions in the country have never been clearer. There is hope, however, that the sheer revulsion...
JAPAN
Mar 8, 2006

Realignment of U.S. forces to be done no matter what

Japan will finalize an accord with the United States in early April on realigning U.S. forces in Japan, effectively shelving efforts to gain the unlikely endorsement of local-level authorities for the changes, government sources said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Mar 8, 2006

Hostage beheaded in Iraq 'not tortured'

BAGHDAD (Kyodo) The Iraqi man who has confessed to executing a hostage Japanese backpacker in 2004 said Monday that Shosei Koda was not tortured during his captivity.

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