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JAPAN
Jan 21, 2004

Flaws ground 95 more JAS flights

Japan Air System canceled 95 flights Tuesday to continue emergency inspections following the discovery of engine flaws in its MD-81 and MD-87 planes.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 21, 2004

Did the government lay an egg?

The recent outbreak of avian flu in Yamaguchi Prefecture has not only shocked restaurants and the fast-food industry, but has highlighted the government's inability to prevent such deadly diseases from emerging in Japan.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 21, 2004

Hong Kong action ends up on the wrong flight

Bulletproof Monk Rating: * * (out of 5) Director: Paul Hunter Running time: 104 minutes Language: English Currently showing [See Japan Times movie listings] Hollywood takes a shot at B-grade Hong Kong action in "Bulletproof Monk." The difference between this picture and the hundreds...
BASEBALL / MLB
Jan 21, 2004

'Daimajin' quits Mariners

Kazuhiro Sasaki said Tuesday he has decided to leave the Seattle Mariners to stay home in Japan with his family.
BUSINESS
Jan 21, 2004

Japan hopes Mexico is just bluffing

Japan hopes Mexico does not really intend to discontinue ongoing negotiations for a free-trade agreement by the end of March as it proposed last week, both the trade and foreign ministers said Tuesday.
EDITORIALS
Jan 21, 2004

Reform key to Mr. Koizumi's future

In his policy speech to the Diet on Monday, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi spent a considerable amount of time trying to convince a public that is skeptical about sending Self-Defense Force troops to Iraq to provide humanitarian aid and assist with reconstruction. It is not clear whether he succeeded...
JAPAN
Jan 21, 2004

Aegis-equipped warship set for Arabian Sea

The Aegis-equipped destroyer Myoukou will depart Friday from the Maizuru base in Kyoto Prefecture to replace the destroyer Hiei in the Arabian Sea, the Defense Agency Maritime Staff Office said Tuesday.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jan 21, 2004

A 'who's who' of foreign players for the 2004 season

With only 11 days now until the 12 Japanese pro baseball teams begin spring training for the 2004 season and, by my unofficial count, the Central and Pacific League clubs have so far, through Jan. 19, signed up 62 non-Japanese personnel, including 54 players, two managers and six coaches.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 21, 2004

Officials lobby LDP rebels over SDF dispatch

A day after Japan's first ground troops set foot on Iraqi soil, top government officials found themselves urging members of the Liberal Democratic Party to unite and collectively support the dispatch.
BUSINESS
Jan 21, 2004

BOJ panel agrees to ease monetary grip

The Bank of Japan's policy-setting panel said Tuesday it will further ease its monetary grip.
SUMO
Jan 21, 2004

Asashoryu makes it a perfect 10

Grand champion Asashoryu manhandled maegashira-ranked Kotomitsuki for his 10th straight win Tuesday, staying undefeated at the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament. Ozeki Chiyotaikai remained in the hunt with his ninth victory.
BUSINESS
Jan 21, 2004

November economic gauge upgraded

The government said Tuesday it has revised upward the key gauge of the economy for November due to positive data on the capacity operating rate at manufacturers.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 21, 2004

Where the rock girls are . . . By SIMON BARTZ

In "Kill Bill," Japanese garage-rockers The 5.6.7.8's dripped cool as the blood splashed. But that was just a scratch on the surface of a thriving girl-band scene. Here we dig deeper to give you the chick picks of 2004.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 21, 2004

Fiction made real

I met with Kazuo Kuroki following the premiere of "Utsukushii Natsu Kirishima (Kirishima 1945)" at the Fukuoka International Film Festival in 2002. A native of Ebino, Miyazaki Prefecture, where the film was shot, Kuroki looked content with the warm response he had received from the Kyushu audience. Smartly...
JAPAN
Jan 21, 2004

Pyongyang facing sanctions

Diet lawmakers who have adopted a hardline stance on North Korea agreed Tuesday to submit bills during this legislative session that would allow the government to slap economic and other sanctions on Pyongyang.
JAPAN
Jan 21, 2004

Clinic looks to screen in vitro embryos

A fertility clinic affiliated with Keio University in Tokyo wants to genetically screen embryos conceived for a couple by in vitro methods for signs of muscular dystrophy, clinic officials said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Jan 21, 2004

G7 wants currency stability: Tanigaki

Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki said Tuesday the Group of Seven major nations agree that foreign-exchange rates should reflect economic fundamentals, and any G7 action will be based on that belief.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jan 21, 2004

Seeing double at kabuki new year shows

Kabuki has made an auspicious start to the Year of the Monkey, with performances at no less than three venues in Tokyo: the Kokaido (Public Hall) in Asakusa, the Kabukiza in Ginza and the National Theater in Hanzomon. Of these, the first two venues offer the special excitement of watching up-and-coming...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jan 21, 2004

Making a spectacle of man's inhumanity to man

"Bent" is one of the outstanding theatrical creations of the 20th century. Ostensibly about the persecution of homosexuals and Jews under Hitler's dictatorship, what the play really addresses is the power -- in even the most disempowered circumstances -- of the individual and of love.
BUSINESS
Jan 21, 2004

Skymark to acquire more planes

Skymark Airlines Co. plans to increase the number of airplanes it owns to 12 from the current five by 2008 and start offering flights between Naha and Fukuoka and Naha and Kobe, the company's next president said Tuesday.
COMMENTARY
Jan 21, 2004

Washington-Seoul: tough times ahead?

HONOLULU -- Is the U.S.-South Korea relationship in for some tough times? The answer is "yes," but not because of the recent forced resignation of "pro-American" Foreign Minister Yoon Young Kwan (whose wise council and steady, mature leadership will be sorely missed).
BUSINESS
Jan 21, 2004

Kiwis offer to ship more beef if tariff is lifted by Japan

SYDNEY (Kyodo) New Zealand can increase beef exports to Japan if the Japanese government reassesses its tariff, New Zealand's beef marketing body said Tuesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 21, 2004

GSDF team to build ties with Iraqis

SAMAWAH, Iraq -- An advance Ground Self-Defense Force team vowed to cement ties with the Iraqi people after arriving at a Dutch base near here Monday evening.
JAPAN
Jan 21, 2004

Koizumi hits 1,000-day landmark

Junichiro Koizumi on Tuesday became the sixth postwar prime minister to remain in office at least 1,000 days and has served one of the longest stints in recent years.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 20, 2004

Bandai to launch talking Doraemon

Bandai Co. said it will release in late March a talking toy robot based on the cartoon character Doraemon, a robotic feline from the future.
JAPAN
Jan 20, 2004

Yamaguchi sends out an SOS over avian flu

Chicken farmers in Yamaguchi Prefecture and the prefectural government urged the national poultry association and other prefectures Monday to help stop sales losses caused by the outbreak of avian flu there.

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