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Events
Nov 2, 2003

KANSAI: Who & What

Foreigners invited on autumn colors tours: Non-Japanese are being invited to take part in tours by an English-speaking guide to view the autumn foliage in Nara every day in November except Saturdays.
EDITORIALS
Nov 2, 2003

Long words for a short bear

'I am a Bear of Very Little Brain, and long words Bother me," Winnie-the-Pooh once famously said. Words like "merchandising" would certainly have Bothered him, or "licensing rights" or even "royalties." Those were all buzzing around the Pooh legacy like bees around a honey pot last week, after a U.S....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Nov 2, 2003

Sharp-dressed Electric Six turn on the juice

In June of last year, the British radio remix duo that calls itself 2 Many DJs released its long-awaited debut mash-up album, which consisted of several dozen fairly famous songs by people as diverse as Lou Reed, Salt'n'Pepa and Dolly Parton laid end-to-end and on top of each other for a full hour of...
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM MOSCOW
Nov 2, 2003

Slippery prop for democrac

MOSCOW -- The arrest last weekend of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the richest man in Russia and the owner of the oil giant Yukos, shocked the international business community, enraged domestic opposition groups and sent Russian currency and bonds into a frightful free fall.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Nov 2, 2003

The Machiavellian good

MACHIAVELLI'S CHILDREN: Leaders and Their Legacies in Italy and Japan, by Richard J. Samuels. New York: Cornell University Press, 2003, 456 pp., $39.95 (cloth). This is an intriguing comparison between Japan and Italy, two nations that seem so different, but in fact share a great deal. Both nations came...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Nov 2, 2003

On TV, what you get is not what you want

Last weekend, former Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka, prior to her official announcement to stand as a candidate in the upcoming House of Representatives election, held a press conference; or, more exactly, two press conferences -- one for the national newspapers and one for the TV networks. No magazines...
EDITORIALS
Nov 1, 2003

Last man standing

The arrest of the richest man in any country is always an earthshaking event, and the jailing of Mr. Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the premier among Russia's oligarchs, is no exception. There are a number of explanations for Mr. Khodorkovsky's arrest, but there is no mistaking the chief beneficiary of the move:...
JAPAN
Nov 1, 2003

Teen hacker identified as Cyber Lord member

A 17-year-old Brazilian youth suspected of being a member of an international hacking group has been arrested for allegedly hacking into Web sites, police said Friday.
BUSINESS
Nov 1, 2003

ANA swings back into black

Despite the impact of the SARS epidemic across Asia and the Iraq war, All Nippon Airways Co. said Friday it swung back into the black in the first half of fiscal 2003, posting a group net profit of 20.57 billion yen.
BUSINESS
Nov 1, 2003

Fujitsu sets up semiconductor unit

Fujitsu Ltd. said Friday it has established a subsidiary in Shanghai to reinforce its semiconductor business in the growing Chinese market.
JAPAN
Nov 1, 2003

SDF Iraq dispatch still on: Fukuda

Japan still plans to send Self-Defense Forces units to Iraq despite a United Nations decision to remove staff from Baghdad amid the deteriorating security situation, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said Friday.
BUSINESS
Nov 1, 2003

Deflation to slow in 2004, economy will continue slow recovery: BOJ says

While deflation will slow, the economy is unlikely to move forward beyond a snail's pace through fiscal 2004, the Bank of Japan said Friday.
JAPAN
Nov 1, 2003

Drug suspect, yakuza have same name

A gangster with the same name as a Japanese trader reportedly arrested in North Korea on drug-smuggling charges left Japan for Beijing earlier this month, the Foreign Ministry said Friday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Nov 1, 2003

Writer fills niche with new yakuza movie book

Mark Schilling is feeling a bit bleary-eyed. His son -- a freshman in media studies at Glasgow University, unused to the time difference between Europe and Japan -- had rung from Scotland around 5 a.m.
BUSINESS
Nov 1, 2003

TV Asahi raises earnings forecast

TV Asahi Corp. said Friday it has raised its group earnings forecast for the first half and full year of fiscal 2003 due to strong performance in its music publishing business.
COMMENTARY
Nov 1, 2003

U.S., Europe make amends

PARIS -- It was widely assumed, a few months ago, that three of the world's top international organizations -- the United Nations, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the European Union -- would suffer heavily from the quarrel over the Iraqi war between the U.S.-led coalition and those nations...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Nov 1, 2003

Human slingshot flings herself overseas

Today I'll tell you my own experience with The Beckham Phenomenon, when Japanese women turn themselves into human slingshots and launch themselves at a man to get his attention. When a young Japanese woman wants a particular guy, get out of her way. Especially if that guy is a foreigner.
JAPAN
Nov 1, 2003

Prosecutors to receive case against trio under arrest in China for kidnapping

Tokyo police said Friday they plan to turn over to prosecutors their case against three Chinese men who allegedly kidnapped a Japanese man in China, although the suspects are currently being held by Chinese authorities.
BUSINESS
Nov 1, 2003

September housing starts up 1.2%

Housing starts in Japan rose 1.2 percent in September from a year earlier to 98,369 units, according to a government report released Friday.
COMMENTARY
Nov 1, 2003

Break the chain of violence

LONDON -- There are new incidents almost every day in the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. Both sides retaliate and innocent bystanders, including children, are killed. No remorse is shown. Mercy and forgiveness seem never to be considered.
JAPAN
Nov 1, 2003

LDP still spells state largess to rural voters

HONJO, Akita Pref. -- Gigantic pillars soar toward the sky in a mountainous area 7 km north of the city of Honjo in southern Akita Prefecture, symbolizing the power of Kanezo Muraoka.
JAPAN
Nov 1, 2003

Ishihara unrepentant over slur

An unrepentant Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara on Friday reiterated claims that Koreans had chosen Japanese rule rather than face Chinese or Russian governance when Japan annexed the Korean Peninsula in 1910.

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