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JAPAN
Jan 13, 2005

SDP stumped by call to back DPJ candidates

Confusion reigned among Social Democratic Party officials Wednesday after Democratic Party of Japan leader Katsuya Okada claimed he called the SDP chief and urged her party not to field candidates in April's House of Representatives by-elections and instead support DPJ candidates.
JAPAN
Jan 13, 2005

Inventor of blue LED angry with settlement

The inventor of the blue light-emitting diode said Wednesday he was forced to settle with Nichia Corp. out of court for ¥843 million over the diode patent.
EDITORIALS
Jan 13, 2005

Chance for peace in Sudan

The government of Sudan and southern rebels signed a peace agreement last weekend. The deal could end one of Africa's longest civil wars. While hopes are high, there are many reasons to be cautious. The history of this conflict is fraught with agreements that have been betrayed.
JAPAN
Jan 13, 2005

Flesh traders targeting Western women

A 23-year-old Russian woman became intrigued with the idea of working as a hostess in Japan a few years ago after a friend returned home flush with cash from hostessing and opened a boutique.
JAPAN
Jan 13, 2005

Norovirus spreading among children

Infectious gastroenteritis caused by the norovirus has spread among children since December, a survey by the National Institute of Infectious Diseases showed Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jan 13, 2005

MSDF sends biggest transport to serve as Sumatra relief base

Japan's largest Maritime Self-Defense Force transport ship departed Wednesday for Indonesia's Sumatra Island as part of a relief mission to the worst-hit area of the Dec. 26 tsunamis triggered by a massive earthquake.
JAPAN
Jan 13, 2005

Solo yachtsman passes Cape Horn

Adventurer Kenichi Horie passed Cape Horn at the tip of South America on Tuesday as he continues on his nonstop solo sailing circumnavigation, according to his supporters in Japan.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Jan 13, 2005

Fossils reveal human drift to 'beauty'

The 18th-century British philosopher David Hume said "Beauty is no quality in things themselves: It exists merely in the mind which contemplates them; and each mind perceives a different beauty."
JAPAN
Jan 13, 2005

Rocket hits GSDF Samawah camp

A rocket hit the Ground Self-Defense Force camp in the Iraqi city of Samawah on Tuesday evening but no one was hurt, the Defense Agency said.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Jan 13, 2005

Japanese white-eye

* Japanese name: Mejiro * Scientific name: Zosterops japonicus * Description: The white-eye is a small, delicate bird, with an olive-green upper body, wings and head, and a gray to pale-brown belly. The distinguishing feature is the bright-white eye ring made of feathers (the Japanese name means...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Jan 13, 2005

Jakuemon: A man for the ladies

NAKAMURA JAKUEMON IV: The Art of Onnagata Acting, by Rei Sasaguchi, photos by Yutaka Umemura, Akira Iwata, Fumio Watanabe. Designed and published by Rei Sasaguchi, 2004, 116 pp., 3000 yen (cloth). This very interesting, beautifully designed book is an essay on the art of onnagata, the kabuki actor playing...
LIFE / Digital / NAME OF THE GAME
Jan 13, 2005

Adult fun and gore galore

Here's my dirty little secret: Despite my reputation as a hardcore moralist, truth be told I love the "Mortal Kombat" games. When it's late at night and the kids are in bed, I'll sometimes pull out whichever is the latest title in the series -- surely the bloodiest of the bloody fighting games -- and...
LIFE / Lifestyle / ON THE BOOK TRAIL
Jan 13, 2005

"The Time Wreccas," "Winnie's Magic Wand"

"The Time Wreccas," Val Tyler, Puffin Books; 2005; 338 pp. Children's fiction these days is so all-knowing, so cynical, even, that possibly only a first-time writer can bring back to it the naivete that it has all but lost. Perhaps Val Tyler, author of "The Time Wreccas" has not noticed how popular...
MORE SPORTS
Jan 12, 2005

Inoue sidelined for a month

Japanese heavyweight judoka Kosei Inoue will be sidelined for around one month after sustaining an injury to his chest in the Kano Cup international tournament on Sunday, his coach said Tuesday.
SUMO
Jan 12, 2005

Kaio loses 2nd bout in a row

Rising star Hakuho dealt a major blow to Kaio's promotion bid Tuesday with a convincing win over the ozeki wrestler on the third day of the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jan 12, 2005

What's in a name? The good, the bad and the absurd

From the (e-)mail bag, Patrick O'Mara from Washington, D.C., sent the following message: "I'm writing as a new fan to the game; my wife got me into (baseball) this past season, when the Red Sox finally overcame the Yankees. My question is why do they call it the "World" Series?
MORE SPORTS
Jan 12, 2005

Shibutani set to call it a day

Hiroshi Shibutani, a three-time Olympian and winner of the bronze medal in men's doubles at the 1997 World Championships, said Tuesday he will call it a career after the ongoing table tennis national championships.
EDITORIALS
Jan 12, 2005

A permanent Security Council seat

Japanese diplomacy faces formidable challenges in 2005, the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II. With momentum building for reform of the United Nations, this will be a crucial year in Japan's bid for permanent membership on the powerful U.N. Security Council.
JAPAN
Jan 12, 2005

Flier poster indicted for trespassing

Prosecutors indicted a 57-year-old Buddhist monk on Tuesday for trespassing while posting fliers at a housing complex in Katsushika Ward, Tokyo, last month.
JAPAN
Jan 12, 2005

State seeks to fund only quality foreign students

The Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry urged the government on Tuesday to review its policy on foreign students because their academic performance has been declining.
JAPAN
Jan 12, 2005

North Korea boycott sees some impact

. "I think our campaign has put pressure on North Korea." Has the boycott worked?
JAPAN
Jan 12, 2005

Obituary: Takuo Kato

Famed ceramic artist and Living National Treasure Takuo Kato died of pneumonia at a hospital in Tajimi, Gifu Prefecture, on Tuesday, his family said. He was 87.
JAPAN
Jan 12, 2005

Koizumi favors governor term limits

A limit should be imposed on the number of terms a governor can serve, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Tuesday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jan 12, 2005

Stars come out in plays of love and loyalty

Kabuki is flourishing in Tokyo at the beginning of the year of the cock as the four of the city's major theaters vie with one another to present the best kabuki performances. At the Tokyo National Theater in Hanzomon, there is a three-hour production of "Gohiiki Kanjincho" (literally "Our Favorite Kanjincho"),...

Longform

Mamoru Iwai, stationmaster of Keisei Ueno Station, says that, other than earthquake-proofing, the former Hakubutsukan-Dobutsuen (Museum-Zoo) Station has remained untouched.
Inside Tokyo's 'phantom' stations — and the stories they tell