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Japan Times
Features
Feb 15, 2004

Laughs and tears in life at Lily's

Lil is a woman who knows a thing or two about survival.
Features
Feb 15, 2004

Lap up a taste of the good times

"I'm going to be in tears before the end of all this. I just know it," says Heidy, fluttering her mascara-clad eyes.
Events
Feb 15, 2004

KANSAI: Who & What

Imperial Hotel brings Swiss wines to Osaka: The Imperial Hotel Osaka is holding a Swiss wine fair through Feb. 29 at its Kita Ward building.
COMMENTARY
Feb 15, 2004

Japan jumping headfirst into the future

The Japanese "get no respect, no respect at all." That trademark line from American comic Rodney Dangerfield certainly applies to the government of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. Last August when I interviewed Koizumi in his official Tokyo residence, I asked him point-blank if Japanese troops really...
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM MOSCOW
Feb 15, 2004

Don't tease the Russian bear

MOSCOW -- In this election year for both Russia and the United States, a major conflict is under way in Russo-American relations: the debate over the expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Created to contain the Soviet Union during the Cold War, NATO had to redesign itself following the...
Japan Times
Features
Feb 15, 2004

Shelters from the storm

Japan's small 'snack' bars may be a mystery to most, but to their loyal and mainly male customers they are cozy havens where they can unwind with friends and share life's ups and downs with a mama-san who's always there for them
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Feb 15, 2004

Asian Sherlocks pursue exotic crimes

THE FENG SHUI DETECTIVE, by Nury Vittachi. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2004, 280 pp., $23.95 (cloth). THE LAST KASHMIRI ROSE, by Barbara Cleverly. New York: Bantam Dell, 2003, 314 pp., $6.99 (paper). The "feng shui detective," an elderly Singaporean named C.F. Wong, doesn't wear a trench coat or pack...
COMMENTARY
Feb 15, 2004

Afghanistan risks becoming narco-state

ISLAMABAD -- The United Nations' office on drugs and crime has warned recently that Afghanistan risks becoming a narco-state, dependent largely on the flow of illegal drugs. The production and shipment of narcotics in an otherwise shattered and bankrupt economy not only add to the aggravation within...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Feb 15, 2004

The politics of sex: How a government stays on top

COLONIZING SEX: Sexology and Social Control in Modern Japan, by Sabine Fruhstuck. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2003, 217 pp., 15 illustrations, $50.00 (cloth), $19.95 (paper). Philosopher Michael Foucault has written that sexuality is the most useful tool in any power relationship. It is...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Feb 15, 2004

Politicians score D-minus for education claims

The American media's resurgent interest in U.S. President George Bush's service as a fighter pilot in the Texas Air National Guard in the early '70s might seem opportunistic given its timing. The controversy over whether or not Bush fulfilled his obligation to the Guard -- records show unaccounted for...
JAPAN
Feb 14, 2004

'Cool' hunter leads foreign visitors along cutting edge of Japan fashion

Loic Bizel leads visitors through alleys packed with wild-haired youngsters, makes his way into tiny boutiques tucked beneath stairwells and points out fatigue-inspired jackets, hand-painted sneakers and plaid miniskirts.
EDITORIALS
Feb 14, 2004

Free trade, without the sweetener

The conclusion of a free trade agreement between the United States and Australia has been greeted with mixed emotions. The deal has been applauded for significantly lowering duties on manufactured goods. It also strengthens the U.S.-Australia strategic partnership. But free trade advocates worry about...
JAPAN
Feb 14, 2004

Horse owners have no publicity rights to names: top court

The Supreme Court ruled Friday that publicity rights do not apply to animals, overturning lower court rulings ordering a video game maker to compensate horse owners for using their steeds' names in games without approval.
JAPAN
Feb 14, 2004

Japan plays cat-and-mouse game over beef import bans

Japan will propose that the United States lift its import ban on Japanese beef during talks between the two governments on the issue of mad cow disease, Yoshiyuki Kamei, minister of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, said Friday.
JAPAN
Feb 14, 2004

Cops arrest four for selling bank accounts used in scam

Police have arrested an executive of a phone-answering service in Tokyo and three other people on suspicion of opening and selling bank accounts to gangsters and others.
SOCCER / J. League
Feb 14, 2004

Marinos all clear

Three Yokohama F. Marinos players who fell ill after an Asian Champions League match in Vietnam do not have symptoms of the deadly bird flu virus, the J. League club said on Friday.
JAPAN
Feb 14, 2004

Japan, Britain in accord over Iraq

Japan and Britain agreed Friday to cooperate on the reconstruction of war-torn Iraq and on advancing its political process by seeking a greater role for the United Nations.
JAPAN
Feb 14, 2004

Fukuda denies Futenma base report

The government denied Friday that the United States had offered to return to Japan land occupied by its Futenma Air Station in Okinawa Prefecture without a relocation site.
JAPAN
Feb 14, 2004

Teacher sues over Hinomaru display

A public elementary school teacher filed a lawsuit Friday against the city of Kunitachi and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government over the compulsory display of the national flag at school ceremonies.
BASEBALL / MLB
Feb 14, 2004

Gaillard backs down on request

Yokohama BayStars right-hander Eddie Gaillard, who will likely move to middle relief with the return of closer Kazuhiro Sasaki from the major leagues, has backed out of a request for a multiyear contract, team executive Masatake Yamanaka said Friday.
MORE SPORTS
Feb 14, 2004

Kitajima wins MVP award again

The Japan Swimming Federation named Kosuke Kitajima as the 2003 Most Valuable Player on Friday, granting him the top distinction for the second year in a row.
JAPAN
Feb 14, 2004

Returnees may collect relatives in Pyongyang

Japan would be willing to allow the five Japanese who returned to their homeland after being abducted to North Korea decades ago to fly to Pyongyang airport to collect their relatives, as long as they do not get off the plane, a senior government official said Friday.
JAPAN
Feb 14, 2004

Whistle-blower law in the pipeline

Three decades after Hiroaki Kushioka exposed a price-fixing cartel involving his employer in the trucking industry, the government is working on what would become Japan's first-ever law to protect whistle-blowers in private-sector firms and government organizations.
JAPAN
Feb 14, 2004

Koizumi promises Palestinians that Tokyo will do what it can

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi promised Palestinian ministers Friday that Japan will provide as much financial support as possible to help them overcome economic difficulties and continue efforts to reach peace with Israel.

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