search

 
 
JAPAN
Sep 1, 2006

Japan still grappling to predict 'Big One' as it crunches figures

Since a devastating earthquake was predicted 30 years ago for the Tokai region, an observation network has been set up that the Meteorological Agency claims to be one the world's best.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 1, 2006

Blondie

Among that small elite of American bands who enjoyed strings of Top 40 hits during their respective heydays, Blondie stands out. The New York-based group may not have shifted as many units as The Beach Boys, Creedence Clearwater Revival or even Hall and Oates, but they managed to stay on top without...
BUSINESS
Sep 1, 2006

Iran sanctions won't cause oil woes

Japan can manage with its oil reserves in the event economic sanctions are imposed on Iran and oil shipments from the country are suspended, a senior Japanese trade official suggested Thursday.
BUSINESS
Sep 1, 2006

H.K. may lift ban on Japan beef

Japan plans to work out soon the final details of an accord with Hong Kong for the territory to resume imports of Japanese beef after banning the trade since September 2001 when Japan discovered its first case of mad cow disease, diplomatic sources said Thursday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / FUZZY LOGIC
Sep 1, 2006

Fun for all the family

Looking at all the music festivals this summer, Rock In Japan is a trip to detox heaven. It arrives in early August, a week after my favorite fest -- Fuji Rock -- but, unlike the mud, mountains and madness of Fuji, it's a place where you can take your kids, your mum and grandad, too. Everybody laps up...
JAPAN
Sep 1, 2006

Dates set for when Horie ex-colleagues take stand

The Tokyo District Court will focus on six issues in its trial of former Livedoor Co. President Takafumi Horie over alleged securities law violations, and have ex-Livedoor Chief Financial Officer Ryoji Miyauchi testify as a key witness from Sept. 15, judicial sources said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Sep 1, 2006

Get with e-ticket program: IATA chief to airlines

The head of the International Air Transport Association on Thursday urged Japan to catch up with industry trends by speeding up implementation of e-ticketing and getting rid of its fuel tax on domestic flights.
JAPAN
Sep 1, 2006

Koizumi to attend ASEM in Finland

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who returned home Thursday from his four-day tour to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, will next visit Finland on a six-day trip from Sept. 7 to attend the Asia-Europe Meeting, government officials said.
BUSINESS
Sep 1, 2006

Japan may extend fiber import duties

Japan said Thursday it will consider extending past next June its antidumping duties levied on South Korean and Taiwan firms for cheap fiber imports.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 1, 2006

China's revolutionary myth

LONDON -- Arriving in Beijing on Aug. 23 for his third China visit in five years, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez praised the country's Communist leaders to the skies for having rescued China from a "practically feudal" situation and made it one of the world's largest economies in less than half a century....
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Sep 1, 2006

PingMag party in the park

PingMag (www.pingmag.jp), a Tokyo-based online magazine "about design and making things," and Test Tone will host a free party this Sunday in Yoyogi Park featuring cutting-edge electronic acts.
JAPAN
Sep 1, 2006

'05 uncollected pension premiums top 1 trillion yen

National pension premiums uncollected after a two-year grace period totaled 1.04 trillion yen in fiscal 2005, topping 1 trillion yen for the first time, Kyodo News learned Thursday.
CULTURE / Music
Sep 1, 2006

Walter Trout and Friends "Full Circle"

Inviting special guests onto albums is almost obligatory these days, but on his new one, "Full Circle," bluesman Walter Trout wants sizzling guitar duels rather than promo plugs. With string bending friends like John Mayall and Joe Bonamassa, the gutbucket blues explodes with dazzling licks and impassioned...
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Sep 1, 2006

Call for short-film submissions

Looking for a platform to showcase your film genius? The Curse of Sunscreen, an annual independent short-film contest, is inviting all filmmakers, from first-timers to veterans, to submit five-minute shorts. Selected works will be screened Oct. 29 at A-bridge in Sangenjaya, Tokyo.
CULTURE / Music
Sep 1, 2006

Metalchicks "St. Wonder"

Formed in 2000, Metalchicks are comprised of Sugar Yoshinaga from Buffalo Daughter and Yuka Yoshimura, formerly of DMBQ and OOIOO. Their sophomore disc, "St. Wonder," is the soundtrack for the film "Warau Michael."
JAPAN
Sep 1, 2006

Bangladeshi nets 1.7 million yen in Kyodo slander suit

The Tokyo District Court ordered Kyodo News on Thursday to pay 1.65 million yen in compensation to a 35-year-old Bangladeshi businessman and his Tokyo-based company for running reports in 2004 about their alleged links with the al-Qaida terrorist network.
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Sep 1, 2006

Bongout Noh: A sutando where standards are high

The boom in tachi-nomi (drinking while standing) bars continues unabated. At the traditional end of the spectrum are the rough-and-ready sake and shochu pubs. At the other extreme are more genteel establishments that prefer to call themselves sutando bars. The principles are the same -- no chairs; pay...
BASKETBALL
Aug 31, 2006

Greeks gaining respect

SAITAMA -- Even before Wednesday night's game, the Greek basketball team had been turning a lot of heads.
BASKETBALL
Aug 31, 2006

Greece dunks France to reach World Championship semis

SAITAMA -- Lazaros Papadopoulos and Antonis Fotsis scored 14 points each as Greece posted a methodical 73-56 victory over France in their quarterfinal game at the FIBA World Championship on Wednesday at Saitama Super Arena.
BASKETBALL
Aug 31, 2006

Team USA coasts past Germany

SAITAMA -- The start was sluggish, the finish was impressive.
JAPAN
Aug 31, 2006

Abe states he'll declare on Friday

Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe has moved closer to throwing his hat into the ring for the Sept. 20 Liberal Democratic Party presidential election, announcing he will publicly declare his candidacy Friday for the race, the winner of which becomes the prime minister.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 31, 2006

M.crew offers work in the day, cheap bed at night

Three years ago, a 19-year-old man arrived in Tokyo from Kyushu to work at a security company.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 31, 2006

New tours with military theme score direct hit for Hato Bus

Travel agents are always looking for new ways to entice the fickle Japanese customer, and Hato Bus Co. has landed a direct hit with a set of new military-themed tours.

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years