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LIFE / Digital / NAME OF THE GAME
Mar 11, 2004

This Cat falls flat on the mat

Don't look for traces of Dr. Seuss in "Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat" coming out from Vivendi Universal Games for Xbox on March 25. He's not there.
JAPAN
Mar 11, 2004

Yen loans to China set to be reduced by 20%

China will slip from the top of Japan's yen-loan recipient list for fiscal 2003, as Tokyo plans to reduce aid to the country by 20 percent from the previous year to about 96.7 billion yen, according to a Foreign Ministry report unveiled Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Mar 11, 2004

Kadokawa eyes Nippon Herald stake

Publishing house Kadokawa Holdings Inc. said Wednesday it will obtain a stake of about 43 percent in Nippon Herald Films Inc., putting the movie distribution company under its control.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 11, 2004

Income disparities widening in China

UBUD, Bali -- China's leaders in Beijing are eager to heap blame on other countries for their past misdeeds and real or imagined affronts to the dignity of the Chinese people. But the ruling Communist Party should be cautious about casting stones at others while occupying its own glass house. China has...
BUSINESS
Mar 11, 2004

Consumer confidence up in Tokyo for second month

Consumer confidence in the Tokyo metropolitan area improved in February for the second straight month, reflecting brighter sentiment on employment, income growth and living standards, the government said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Mar 11, 2004

IRCJ commits to 366 billion yen bailout of Kanebo

The state-backed Industrial Revitalization Corp. of Japan said Wednesday it has decided to bail out the country's No. 2 cosmetics maker, Kanebo Ltd., using 366 billion yen in public money.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 10, 2004

Apply Botox before viewing

Gothika Rating: * * (out of 5) Director: Mathieu Kassovitz Running time: 97 minutes Language: English Currently showing [See Japan Times movie listings] It was sad, but it had to be done. After a steady diet of horror films throughout my, uh, youth, I went through a voluntary detox/rehab...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 10, 2004

Ishii still probing female mysteries

Moju vs lssunboshi Rating: * * * (out of 5) Director: Teruo Ishii Running time: 95 minutes Language: Japanese Opens March 13 at Shibuya Cine La Sept [See Japan Times movie listings] Film critics don't usually issue disclaimers, but one is in order, I think, before I launch into a review...
JAPAN
Mar 10, 2004

Bills on evacuation of civilians, U.S. cooperation wrap up defense package

The Cabinet approved and submitted to the Diet seven bills Tuesday that would define citizen evacuation procedures and update cooperation with U.S. forces stationed in Japan, wrapping up the nation's war-contingency legislation.
JAPAN
Mar 10, 2004

Cabinet endorses diluted bill to safeguard whistle-blowers

In response to a spate of insider revelations of corporate wrongdoing in recent years, the Cabinet endorsed a bill Tuesday to protect whistle-blowers from employer retaliation under certain conditions.
JAPAN
Mar 10, 2004

Japan to sign global smoking treaty

The government said Tuesday it will sign the first global treaty aimed at reducing the health hazards from smoking.
MORE SPORTS
Mar 10, 2004

Bright named Japan League MVP

Canadian Chris Bright of Kokudo, who led the league with 39 points on 23 goals and 16 assists, was named MVP of the Japan Ice Hockey League for the first time in seven years on Tuesday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 10, 2004

Under the Taliban's shadow

Osama Rating: * * * * (out of 5) Japanese title: Afghan Zero-Nen Director: Siddiq Barmak Running time: 83 minutes Language: Dari, Pashtu Opens March 13 at Tokyo Shashin Bijitsukan, Yebisu Garden Place [See Japan Times movie listings] Of all the repression that the Taliban inflicted on...
BUSINESS
Mar 10, 2004

Uniqlo stages comeback after two years in the doldrums

After suffering weak sales for nearly two years following the end of its phenomenal "fleece jacket boom," casual clothing chain Uniqlo is again enjoying strong sales.
JAPAN
Mar 10, 2004

Manual on handling dead birds issued

Don't panic -- just look it up in the booklet.
EDITORIALS
Mar 10, 2004

Security bills merit deliberation

For all the talk about defending the country against possible armed attacks from abroad, Japan has no legal framework for protecting civilian populations in these national emergencies. Now, belatedly but necessarily, the government is seeking Diet approval of such legislation as a followup to the military...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / CERAMIC SCENE
Mar 10, 2004

Hold your breath and turn the wheel

Kyoto. The name conjures up images of courtly nobles and stoic Zen temples -- and yet so much more of Japan's cultural identity was born in that ancient city. In the world of ceramics, one of its glorious contributions has been Kyo-yaki, or Kyoto pottery.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 10, 2004

Wooden ruins believed site of Emperor Tenmu's palace

Archaeologists in western Japan have unearthed the remains of a wooden palace believed to be that of a seventh-century emperor who laid the foundations for the nation's bureaucracy, a member of the team said Tuesday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 10, 2004

Ministerial face-off fails to spark FTA joy

A face-to-face meeting Tuesday between the Mexican and Japanese agriculture ministers failed to bridge differences hindering progress toward a free-trade agreement, Japanese officials said.
JAPAN
Mar 10, 2004

Municipal merger law to be updated

The Cabinet endorsed three bills Tuesday to update legislation to promote mergers of local administrations.
BUSINESS
Mar 10, 2004

Mercedes-Benz vehicles recalled

DaimlerChrysler Japan Co. said Tuesday it will recall about 12,000 Mercedes-Benz cars due to problems in their fuel-supply system that could cause fuel leakage.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Mar 10, 2004

Two sides to every epoque

They called it the Belle Epo^que, the "Beautiful Age": France's brief period of grace after concluding peace with Prussia in 1871 and before the horrors of World War I turned her pastures into killing fields in 1914.
JAPAN
Mar 10, 2004

Yasukuni visits feel natural: Koizumi

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Tuesday he visits the war-related Yasukuni Shrine each year because it "feels natural" to do so.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 10, 2004

Unions playing softball despite lift in economy

Labor unions at large companies, debilitated by falling membership and record unemployment, have given up all hope of obtaining wage increases for their members this year.
JAPAN
Mar 10, 2004

Cabinet OKs highway privatization plan

The Cabinet endorsed contentious legislation Tuesday aimed at privatizing the nation's four expressway corporations.
BUSINESS
Mar 10, 2004

'Gyudon' back on Matsuya's menu

Matsuya Foods Co. said Tuesday it will reintroduce "gyudon" beef-on-rice dishes at its restaurants Wednesday as part of a campaign that will run until the end of March.

Longform

The volunteer lifesavers of Nishihama Surf Lifesaving Club never know what's in store at the start of their day.
It's no simple day at the beach for Japan's volunteer lifesavers