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JAPAN
Dec 2, 2005

Iraqi prime minister to visit Japan

Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jafari will make his first visit to Japan starting Monday, the Foreign Ministry said Thursday.
JAPAN
Dec 2, 2005

Top court rejects professor's 12-year appeal of textbook-screening revisions

13 years, and the ruling is as unacceptable as it is superficial," Takashima said. Kazushige Yamashita, director of the division in charge of screenings, said the ruling is reasonable because it confirmed the legitimacy and need for the screenings.
EDITORIALS
Dec 2, 2005

A door opens to Gaza

The Palestinian people's efforts to take command of their own destiny took a huge step forward last weekend when Palestinians took charge of their first border crossing point. The opening of the border with Egypt is both a psychological step forward -- a form of liberation as residents must no longer...
JAPAN
Dec 2, 2005

IPods to remain freeof royalty payments

A government panel Thursday decided against expanding the range of products subject to royalty payments on digital music recording devices to include iPods and other new gadgets that use flash memory and hard disks.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 2, 2005

Have music, will travel

Shugo Tokumaru is one of those unfairly talented types who seem to be able to turn their hand to anything. He wrote, played and sang every note on his two albums of "bedroom music" and produced them both too. The 25-year-old also finds time to play guitar and occasionally sing in lo-fi indie pop band...
CULTURE / Music
Dec 2, 2005

Babyshambles : "Down In Albion"

Pete Doherty may be a rock 'n' roll cliche, but in among all that hard living he has managed to keep it together long enough to record two of the most vital rock albums produced in recent years, The Libertines' "Up The Bracket" and the self-titled follow-up.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / THEN AND NOW
Dec 2, 2005

History rises up in Shibuya

The accompanying wood-block print is a panoramic view of Shibuya about 180 years ago, seen from the top of Dogenzaka hill.
COMMENTARY
Dec 2, 2005

Influence of French violence

PARIS -- No use telling Japan Times' readers about Beaujolais. Most of them surely have had the opportunity of tasting this refreshing, though somewhat acidic, wine from France. The day in November when new production went on sale used to be celebrated in many places by popular feasts, as a tribute to...
JAPAN
Dec 2, 2005

Yamaguchi-gumi don to do six years

The boss of Yamaguchi-gumi, Japan's largest crime syndicate, will be imprisoned as soon as the Supreme Court rejects his appeal of a gun conviction, sources said Thursday.
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Dec 2, 2005

NGO puts on two fundraising classical concerts

The Japan International Volunteer Center (JVC) is organizing two classical concerts to raise money for its relief and development work in Asia, the Middle East and Africa. This year, the JVC will present two seasonal concerts, Bach's "Christmas Oratorio" at Izumi Hall, Osaka (Dec. 10) and Handel's "Messiah"...
BUSINESS
Dec 2, 2005

Yahoo, Honda, Canon join to fight online piracy

Yahoo Japan Corp. and other Internet auctioneers joined Thursday with intellectual property rights holders, including Honda Motor Co. and Canon Inc., to set up a group to stem online trade in illegally copied and counterfeit items.
CULTURE / Music
Dec 2, 2005

Quruli: "Nikki"

Quruli? An indie band? It's just not true. While at their creative peak they made mind-blowing J-pop (2002's "The World Is Mine"), at their worst, they are MOR J-popsters with bad hair.
BUSINESS
Dec 2, 2005

Astellas, XenoPort ink sales pact

Astellas Pharma Inc. reached an agreement Thursday with XenoPort Inc., a U.S. pharmaceutical company, giving it exclusive rights to sell in Japan and five other Asian markets a painkiller being developed by the U.S. firm, the two companies said.
CULTURE / Music
Dec 2, 2005

Junior Senior

Since 1995, Danish dance-rockers Junior Senior have been shaking up Scandinavia with their humorous blend of Prince-like funk and indie garage rock, and for the last five years they've taken Britain and the rest of Europe by storm. The effective working relationship between Jesper Mortensen and Jeppe...
BUSINESS
Dec 2, 2005

IRCJ holds final round of bidding for Kanebo

Three candidates placed their bids Thursday in the final round to select a buyer for struggling and scandal-plagued Kanebo Ltd. and Kanebo Cosmetics Inc., now managed by the government-backed Industrial Revitalization Corp. of Japan.
CULTURE / Film
Dec 2, 2005

Getting real on the screen

Belgian filmmaker duo Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne won the Palme D'Or at Cannes in 1999 with "Rosetta," and they went on to win it again this year with "L'Enfant" (international title: "The Child").
BUSINESS
Dec 2, 2005

LDP bill ups ante in China gas dispute

A Liberal Democratic Party panel compiled a bill Thursday to protect the vessels used by marine resource explorers and fishermen in Japan's 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone.
CULTURE / Music
Dec 2, 2005

The Roots: "Home Grown! The Beginner's Guide to Understanding The Roots, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2"

Over the last 13 years, The Roots have accomplished something few urban acts have -- making loyal fans of people who don't listen to hip hop. Using live instrumentation to craft their organic groove-based anthems, the Philadelphia crew has won over lovers of rock, blues, jazz and pop without losing the...
JAPAN
Dec 2, 2005

Capital looks to pool trillions in bid to woo 2016 Olympics

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government may establish a pool of several trillion yen to be used in case the city is picked to host the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, metro officials said Thursday.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Dec 2, 2005

Gordon Ramsay at Conrad Tokyo: Haute cuisine with altitude

Aside from some road-laying and cosmetic work, the bristling high-rises of the Shiodome complex are complete. It's a brutal, soulless landscape on an inhuman scale. There's only one thing that can tempt us along those sterile walkways and mazelike underpasses: the promise of fine dining. And no one does...
BUSINESS
Dec 2, 2005

Government nudging BOJ to introduce inflation target

The Cabinet Office on Thursday effectively called on the Bank of Japan to introduce an inflation target if it terminates its quantitative monetary easing policy.
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Dec 2, 2005

Electronica maestro takes to the stars

Despite a limited recorded output that has seen him release only two albums in the last five years, electronica musician Rei Harakami is a producer and remixer in demand. The Kyoto-based musician, whose largely instrumental music incorporates jazz and techno, has taken on a variety of collaborative projects...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 2, 2005

Engineers, pop singers feted at Innovator Awards

Painless syringes, therapeutic planetariums, cards embedded with IC chips that allow cashless payments, and a singing duo who inspired a U.S. cartoon were among the products and people winning honors Wednesday for innovation.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / THE SECOND ROOM
Dec 2, 2005

Psychedelic radar 12.02

Saturday, Dec. 3
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Dec 1, 2005

Fighters' Iriki garners no suitors

Nippon Ham Fighters pitcher Yusaku Iriki had his hopes of pursuing a career in the major leagues dashed Wednesday after failing to draw a bid via the so-called posting system.

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