search

 
 
JAPAN
Sep 9, 2003

Foreign minister post left in doubt until after LDP presidential election

Who will speak as Japan's foreign minister at the U.N. General Assembly meeting Sept. 23?
EDITORIALS
Sep 9, 2003

Can do in Cancun?

Trade ministers from 146 states gather in Cancun, Mexico this week to jump-start international trade negotiations. It is difficult to exaggerate the importance of this week's meeting. The Doha round, launched nearly two years ago, has stalled, the victim of a global economic slowdown and growing ill...
JAPAN
Sep 9, 2003

Koizumi unlikely to repeat landslide win

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's chances of being re-elected in the Sept. 20 Liberal Democratic Party's presidential election are high, but he is unlikely to win a landslide victory as he did in the last election due to the new voting system the party has adopted.
JAPAN
Sep 9, 2003

Koizumi comes up with a faction all his own

The 20 endorsements Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi collected to cement his candidacy in the LDP presidential election underscore his tendency to operate outside factional lines.
BASEBALL / MLB
Sep 9, 2003

Swallows' Hodges to fly the coop

Yakult Swallows right-hander Kevin Hodges will not re-sign with the Central League team for next season, club officials said Monday.
BUSINESS
Sep 9, 2003

Confidence up among Tokyo shoppers

The key index of consumer confidence in Tokyo rose to 43.7 in August, up 1.8 points from the previous month for the second straight month of increase, the government said Monday.
SUMO
Sep 9, 2003

Asashoryu marches ahead

Grand champion Asashoryu brushed aside fellow Mongolian Kyokutenho to win his second straight bout while ozeki Kaio and Chiyotaikai stayed hot on the trail with victories of their own at the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament on Monday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / FRONT-RUNNERS
Sep 9, 2003

'Yakiniku' chain weathers hike in beef tariff

The fallout from the Aug. 1 tariff increase on beef has not yet reached the nation's largest "yakiniku" grilled-beef restaurant chains.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Sep 9, 2003

Scootering, start-ups and an update

Scooter licenses Maynard never learned to drive in Canada before moving here in 1972 ("yes, 31 years ago, sigh"). Living and working in Tokyo's Yoga district, he has had no need to drive a car, and is put off by the 250,000 yen starting price for local driving schools.
JAPAN
Sep 9, 2003

More talks eyed over fatal gas leak

Japan and China will hold another round of working-level talks Tuesday in Beijing over last month's fatal mustard gas leak, the Foreign Ministry said Monday. The mustard gas was left in China by the Japanese military at the end of World War II.
JAPAN
Sep 9, 2003

Osaka's Ohta announces she will seek second term

OSAKA -- Osaka Gov. Fusae Ohta formally announced Monday that she will seek a second term when her current term expires in February 2004.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Sep 9, 2003

Waging war on the U.S. presence

If you're a reader of Japanese newspapers or a viewer of Japanese TV news, you're probably well aware of the U.S. military presence in Japan.
BUSINESS
Sep 9, 2003

Carmakers worried about effects of Bridgestone plant fire

Automaker officials voiced concerns Monday about the possible impact of suspended operations at tire maker Bridgestone Corp.'s plant in Kuroiso, Tochigi Prefecture, which caught fire earlier in the day.
JAPAN
Sep 9, 2003

LDP's No. 2 man loses defamation suit

Taku Yamasaki, the Liberal Democratic Party's No. 2 man, lost a defamation suit Monday when the Tokyo District Court rejected his demands that a magazine pay him damages for writing a report about his alleged mistress.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / A GAIJIN'S TALE
Sep 9, 2003

No fixed abode

When I first arrived in Japan I was living with a friend who was working "under the table."
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 9, 2003

Campaigning under way in LDP presidential race

Campaigning for the Sept. 20 Liberal Democratic Party presidential election officially kicked off Monday.
BUSINESS
Sep 9, 2003

McDonald's roasted over illicit pies

Ltd. said Monday it will change its apple pie supplier after learning that its current supplier uses a coloring agent banned under the Food Sanitation Law. Pies containing the banned agent azorubin were sold to McDonald's, with food-processing firm Nippon Suisan Kaisha Ltd. acting as an importer.
JAPAN
Sep 9, 2003

Contenders for LDP president's crown

Shizuka Kamei For 66-year-old former LDP policy chief Shizuka Kamei, the past 2 1/2 years have been filled with betrayal and frustration.
JAPAN
Sep 9, 2003

Policy package turns out to be a collection of vague promises

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi hopes to realize a primary budget balance in the early 2010s and create more than 5 million jobs, according to his long-awaited policy package released Monday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / INTERNATIONAL RATIONALE
Sep 9, 2003

Hello Kitty, Pokemon, Doraemon battle for global supremacy

A number of U.S. celebrities have been spotted toting Hello Kitty paraphernalia in the past year or so, leaving officials of Sanrio Co., the maker of the long-selling character, scratching their heads.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Sep 9, 2003

Should Japan upgrade its defense?

Lee Frank
BUSINESS
Sep 9, 2003

Workers on the front lines more positive

Sentiment on the current state of the economy among people who deal directly with consumers improved in August to a 16-month high, according to a government survey released Monday.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 9, 2003

Using the right words in Kosovo

When it comes to media access, Kosovo's population is spoiled for choices. No apartment block is complete without its symmetrical rows of white satellite dishes scanning the heavens for news and entertainment. One estimate has it that 75 percent of the population has media access. BBC and MTV are just...

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