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JAPAN
Apr 27, 2005

Postwar reconciliation with rest of Asia in peril

Bilateral relations between Japan and the United States during the four years Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has been in office have often been characterized as a "honeymoon."
BUSINESS
Apr 27, 2005

TVs, phones give Sharp record profit

Sharp Corp. said Tuesday its net profit for fiscal 2004 jumped 27 percent to a record 76.85 billion yen, driven by brisk sales of liquid crystal display TVs and mobile phones.
BUSINESS
Apr 27, 2005

U.S. official sees beef issue making 'painfully slow' progress

The United States is frustrated with Japan's ban on U.S. beef imports but believes Tokyo is moving toward reopening its market despite consumer fears over mad cow disease, a U.S. agriculture official said Tuesday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 27, 2005

Russian diva's voice to die for

"Russians always need a little shit in our lives. If everything is good and we seem completely happy, then we become suspicious of that." This is Russian opera star Anna Netrebko's philosophy -- slightly incongruous for one who, at a glance, seems to have it all and to be enjoying every bit of it.
BUSINESS
Apr 27, 2005

Household spending saw first rise in eight years in '04

Monthly spending by wage-earning households rose for the first time in eight years in fiscal 2004, the government said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Apr 27, 2005

Emperor, Empress to visit Saipan

Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko will visit Saipan, a site of fierce fighting between Japan and the United States during World War II, in June, the government formally announced Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Apr 27, 2005

Honda hits record profit on brisk overseas sales

Honda Motor Co. said Tuesday its group net profit increased 4.7 percent from the previous year to a record 486.1 billion yen in fiscal 2004, mainly due to brisk overseas sales and a rise in profits from affiliates.
JAPAN
Apr 27, 2005

Tokyo court rejects Yasukuni-visit suit

The Tokyo District Court on Tuesday rejected a damages suit by about 1,000 people, including South Koreans, who said visits to Yasukuni Shrine by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara were unconstitutional.
BUSINESS
Apr 27, 2005

Mizuho unveils plan to boost profits

Mizuho Financial Group on Tuesday announced a three-year business plan aimed at repaying 1.47 trillion yen in borrowed public funds and boosting the group's profitability through a new unit and a tieup.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 27, 2005

By-election losses dent DPJ's pitch to ditch opposition image

Don't call us an opposition party, says Katsuya Okada, leader of the Democratic Party of Japan.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Apr 27, 2005

Cloning a son makes tragedy

Downtown Tokyo-based theater company, tpt (Theater Project Tokyo)'s 50th memorial production since their foundation in 1993 is "A Number," the latest work by Caryl Churchill, one of Britain's most important and prolific contemporary dramatists. Written and premiered in 2002, this work is about human...
JAPAN
Apr 27, 2005

Reporter sues over Okinawa story

A former reporter for the Mainichi Shimbun sued the government Monday for 33 million yen, saying his career has stalled after he was "unreasonably" indicted for a report about a secret Japan-U.S. agreement on the reversion of Okinawa.
BASEBALL / MLB
Apr 26, 2005

Players for Asian baseball championship announced

The names of 20 amateur players who will compete in the Asian baseball championship next month were announced Monday, officials of Japan's baseball governing body said.
SUMO
Apr 26, 2005

Roho moves up rankings for summer basho

Mongolian yokozuna Asashoryu continues to stamp his authority as the lone yokozuna and Russian wrestler Roho jumped up to a career high in the rankings for the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament issued by the Japan Sumo Association on Monday.
EDITORIALS
Apr 26, 2005

Mending battered ties

It appears that Japan-China relations, severely strained by recent anti-Japanese demonstrations in Chinese cities, are beginning to move toward rapprochement. Credit goes to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Chinese President Hu Jintao, who agreed on the urgent need to improve bilateral ties at a...
JAPAN
Apr 26, 2005

Postal reform plan is watered down but moves forward

The government Monday accepted a set of demands from top executives of the Liberal Democratic Party to further water down Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's contentious postal privatization plan.
JAPAN
Apr 26, 2005

Ex-UFJ execs in scandal avoid prison

Former UFJ Bank Vice President Kazuyoshi Okazaki, 57, was sentenced Monday to 10 months in prison, suspended for three years, for masterminding efforts to thwart government inspections in 2003.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 26, 2005

Missing Kobe man added to abductee list

The government on Monday added a man who went missing in Kobe in 1978 to the list of Japanese whom it officially recognizes as having been abducted by North Korea, sources said.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 26, 2005

Japan and the United Nations

On Dec. 18, 1956, Japanese Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu stood before the General Assembly of the United Nations to make a speech marking Japan's admission to the organization. In this address he stated that as the only nation to suffer the ordeal of atomic bombing, Japan hoped with all its heart...
JAPAN
Apr 26, 2005

Residents heard screech, then roar, then silence

AMAGASAKI, Hyogo Pref. -- A screech, followed by a roar, and then silence.

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