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Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Feb 26, 2005

Special Olympics bridges Japan, Arab nations

Madeleine Jalil Umewaka, of MJU public relations, was at Narita Airport early Wednesday morning. She was there to welcome the Special Olympics team of 12 athletes from her native Lebanon, and travel with them to Iida in Nagano Prefecture.
BUSINESS
Feb 26, 2005

FSA suspends Meiji Yasuda Life

The Financial Services Agency ordered Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co. on Friday to suspend part of its life insurance solicitation business for two weeks due to illegal sales practices, FSA officials said.
BUSINESS
Feb 25, 2005

Top three automakers hiked output in January

Japan's top three automakers -- Toyota, Nissan and Honda -- boosted global output in January due to strong sales in overseas and domestic markets, but Mazda and Mitsubishi Motors trimmed production, the companies said Thursday.
BUSINESS
Feb 25, 2005

Ito deems banks ready for end of unlimited deposit insurance

Japanese banks nationwide are prepared for April 1, when the government will remove its full guarantee on ordinary bank accounts, according to Tatsuya Ito, state minister in charge of financial services.
EDITORIALS
Feb 25, 2005

Mr. Thaksin can't relax

Thailand's Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra won a landslide victory in parliamentary elections held earlier this month. That win followed a completion of a full term in office, a historic accomplishment in its own right. Yet victory has not ended Mr. Thaksin's worries. Violence in the country's southern...
COMMENTARY
Feb 25, 2005

Spots on Russia's shiny orb

MOSCOW -- By normal standards Russia should be a happy and contented country. Moscow is awash with money, mostly flowing in from the giant energy sector and hugely boosted by the doubling in oil prices the past year. Shops and restaurants are booming. Cinemas and theaters are multiplying and play to...
BUSINESS
Feb 25, 2005

Japan, Belgium nix double premiums

Japan and Belgium signed a pact Thursday ending the double payment of social security premiums by their citizens.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Feb 25, 2005

Historic port city famous for fugu

Located at the western end of Honshu, Shimonoseki is one of those places that people tend to travel through rather than travel to. With Kyushu only 700 meters away across the Kanmon Strait, Shimonoseki is the main access point to that island, and as visa-run veterans are aware, the Korean port of Pusan...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / BEST BAR NONE
Feb 25, 2005

A reason to be happy: Spike Bar in Shibuya

Shibuya is now headquarters for Tokyo's cool party crowd. In the last six years or so, countless little bars have set up shop and made themselves part of the night circuit around the station. Whether along Miyamasuzaka toward Aoyama, up Dogenzaka toward Daikanyama or south along the Yamanote tracks toward...
Rugby
Feb 24, 2005

IRB chairman points the way forward for Japanese rugby

When Dr. Syd Millar talks rugby, people generally stop and listen.
MORE SPORTS
Feb 24, 2005

Kato, Okazaki named to speedskating team

Men's speedskater Joji Kato and women's speedskater Tomomi Okazaki are among the athletes who will represent Japan at the world single distance championships next month, the Japan Skating Federation said Wednesday.
SUMO
Feb 24, 2005

Futagoyama waging battle against cancer

Sumo stablemaster Futagoyama is waging a battle with mouth cancer, his son and former grand champion Takanohana revealed Wednesday.
MORE SPORTS
Feb 24, 2005

Satoya, Uemura head Japan squad

Moguls skiers Tae Satoya and Aiko Uemura head the list of Japanese representatives for next month's Freestyle Skiing World Championships, which was released by the Ski Association of Japan on Wednesday.
EDITORIALS
Feb 24, 2005

Finding Japan's place in the world

The Japan-United States security alliance took a critical step last weekend. The two governments released a joint declaration that made explicit what has long been left unsaid in their thinking about regional security. The new statement provides a foundation for the continued vitality and relevance of...
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 24, 2005

China can't use its leverage

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts -- In the North Korean nuclear crisis, there is a major difference between having leverage and the ability to use it. China has the former, but not the latter. North Korea has both.
BUSINESS
Feb 24, 2005

Tertiary industry activity up second year

The tertiary industry activity index gained 2.2 percent in 2004 from the previous year for the second straight yearly rise, with the index registering its highest score since 1988, the government said Wednesday.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / NAME OF THE GAME
Feb 24, 2005

A game darn near too scary

If you are looking for the biggest jolt video gaming has to offer, and you don't mind having nightmares, take a deep breath and try "Biohazard 4."
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Feb 24, 2005

'Win-win' tie-up sets sights on sustainable seafood stocks

At the New England Aquarium in Boston, Mass., Heather Tausig is leading a project that, until recently, was unimaginable.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Feb 24, 2005

Spotted nutcracker

* Japanese name: Hoshigarasu * Scientific name: Nucifraga caryocatactes * Description: Nutcrackers are members of the Corvid (crow) family. An adult bird is approximately the size of a jackdaw, with a wingspan of 17.5-19 cm and a body length of 32 cm. They weigh 155-215 grams. Like other crows, their...
SOCCER / World cup
Feb 23, 2005

North Korea prepares to accept Japanese fans

Japan Football Association vice president Junji Ogura on Tuesday said North Korea is moving ahead with preparations to accept Japanese supporters for a 2006 World Cup qualifier in Pyongyang this summer.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Feb 23, 2005

Foreign stars to battle Japan stars in March 14 charity game

Kudos: To Bobby Valentine, Trey Hillman, Tsutomu Ito, Kazuhiko Ushijima and all the players who will participate in the Pro Yakyu Charity Game at Tokyo Dome on Monday, March 14.
BUSINESS
Feb 23, 2005

JR East lets DoCoMo handsets serve as tickets

East Japan Railway Co. said Tuesday it will start a new service in January that allows NTT DoCoMo Inc.'s smart-card cell phone handsets to be used as train tickets.

Longform

Juzo Itami’s “Tampopo” was released Nov. 23, 1985, and though it wasn’t a hit at the time, it has gained a cult following in the years since.
Eat, slurp, love: 'Tampopo' turns 40