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COMMENTARY
Jan 15, 2004

China more open, at least on medical front

HONG KONG -- Last year, after China was caught suppressing information about the deadly severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, it dismissed the minister of health and the mayor of Beijing and dramatically opened its health-care system up to international scrutiny. There was much hope then that the...
BUSINESS
Jan 15, 2004

To access your cash, get your palm read

Regional lender Suruga Bank will in June become the first Japanese bank to introduce a biometrics-based savings account.
LIFE / Digital / NAME OF THE GAME
Jan 15, 2004

Green man hulks his weight about

"Hulk," a game based on the new Universal Studios movie, has an element that is missing from most games based on superheroes -- fun.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 14, 2004

The sound of the crowd leads to an indie gem

Josee, The Tiger and The Fish Rating: * * * * (out of 5) Director: Isshin Inudo Running time: 116 minutes Language: Japanese Currently showing [See Japan Times movie listings] Why does one small indie film pack theaters week after week, while others with similar themes play to no one...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 14, 2004

Taking responsibility pays off

25th Hour Rating: * * * 1/2 (out of 5) Director: Spike Lee Running time: 136 minutes Language: English Opens Jan. 24 [See Japan Times movie listings] Think of Spike Lee and you'll probably think of a film he made in his fertile period of 1988-1992: "Do The Right Thing," "Jungle Fever,"...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 14, 2004

Cash-strapped video artist soldiers on

Video artist Michael Goldberg counts himself lucky to have been able to work on projects that inspired him: those focusing on cross-cultural communication between Japan and the world.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 14, 2004

North Korea escapees, NGO rep held in China

Two ethnic Koreans born in Japan who fled North Korea and an official of a Japanese nongovernmental organization were taken into custody by Chinese authorities in mid-December and are still being held, the NGO said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jan 14, 2004

U.S. base school gets bomb threat

Military police cordoned off part of the high school at the U.S. Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo on Tuesday following the second false bomb threat in less than a week.
JAPAN
Jan 14, 2004

Academic touted for U.N. posting

The government wants to appoint a University of Tokyo professor and foreign policy adviser as an ambassador to the United Nations.
MORE SPORTS
Jan 14, 2004

Olympic qualifying tourneys set

Japan and South Korea are among the eight teams named to the list of countries which will participate in the women's volleyball final Olympic qualifying tournament, the Japan Volleyball Association said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jan 14, 2004

Monitoring stepped up for avian flu

The government said Tuesday it will step up its monitoring of the first outbreak of avian flu in Japan since 1925 to determine its source and prevent it from spreading through poultry farms and to people.
EDITORIALS
Jan 14, 2004

Mr. Bush sets his sights on Mars

For as long as humankind has been capable of wonder, men and women have looked to the stars and dreamed. For centuries, they had to be content with just that. Only a mere half century ago, we first escaped the Earth's atmosphere; a decade later an American astronaut lowered himself to the lunar surface....
SUMO
Jan 14, 2004

Asashoryu stays perfect

Yokozuna Asashoryu looked overpowering and ozeki Tochiazuma kept his promotion hopes alive and on the third day of the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 14, 2004

Resort's 'healing powers' draw sick, scam artists

Crystallized minerals called "hokuto-seki" at the Tamagawa Onsen hot spring resort in Akita Prefecture have captured much media attention because they are believed to be effective in curing cancer and rheumatism.
JAPAN
Jan 14, 2004

Court targets obscene comics

A Tokyo publisher was found guilty in a landmark criminal trial Tuesday of distributing obscene comic books containing uncensored sex scenes.
BUSINESS
Jan 14, 2004

Canadian beef import ban intact

Yoshiyuki Kamei, minister of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, on Tuesday rejected Canada's request that Japan lift its import ban on Canadian beef.
BUSINESS
Jan 14, 2004

Fuji Heavy pins 2004 hopes on remodeled Legacy wagon

Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. said Tuesday it plans to sell 623,000 vehicles globally in 2004, up 14.5 percent from the previous year.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 14, 2004

A fail-safe genre that rarely misfires

Hollywood Homicide Rating: * * * (out of 5) Director: Ron Shelton Running time: 111 minutes Language: English Opens Jan. 24 [See Japan Times movie listings] It's interesting to see the different fates allotted to those stars who've entered what used to be termed their "twilight years."...
BUSINESS
Jan 14, 2004

McDonald's to give away burgers

McDonald's Co. (Japan) said it will hand out 10 million hamburger coupons on Sunday in an attempt to buck up sales following the outbreak of the first U.S. case of mad cow disease.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 14, 2004

Security concerns jeopardize future of age-old tradition of 'hanko' seals

Masao Sekine, a 77-year-old doctor in Fukushima Prefecture, keeps his personal seals locked up in a safe-deposit box at the bank.
BUSINESS
Jan 14, 2004

Yasukuni visit to hit Japan-China ties, Okuda says

Hiroshi Okuda, the leader of the nation's most powerful business lobby, said Tuesday that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visit to Yasukuni Shrine on New Year's Day will probably affect business deals between Japan and China.
JAPAN
Jan 14, 2004

U.S. weapons laws stymie school satellite

A joint project by university students in Japan and the United States to launch a small experimental satellite has been stalled by U.S. laws on arms trade, professors said Tuesday.

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