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JAPAN
May 1, 2004

Hatoyama, others in DPJ didn't pay pension premiums

Yukio Hatoyama, former president of the Democratic Party of Japan, and three other DPJ lawmakers have admitted they failed to pay into the national pension program during certain periods.
JAPAN
Apr 30, 2004

Jets keep landing as carjacker chased by cops drives onto Haneda runways

Despite bolstered security, a man was able to commandeer three vehicles Wednesday night at Tokyo's Haneda airport and drive onto the runways with police in pursuit before he came to a stop and jumped into Tokyo Bay and subsequently drowned.
JAPAN
Apr 30, 2004

Musicians back eco-friendly projects

A bank set up by three Japanese musicians to finance environmental-protection projects will start accepting applications for loans throughout May.
COMMENTARY
Apr 30, 2004

Tunnel vision on Japan trade

LONDON -- The recent conclusion of the bilateral trade agreement between Japan and Mexico was heralded as opening the way to other bilateral trade agreements that would substitute for a successful round in World Trade Organization negotiations. This view is mistaken.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 29, 2004

Key ministers admit ducking pension fees

Four more Cabinet ministers, including Chief Cabinet secretary Yasuo Fukuda, and opposition leader Naoto Kan said Wednesday they failed to pay mandatory premiums for the basic pension system.
JAPAN
Apr 29, 2004

Public land developers held 2.5 trillion yen in bad assets: study

An academic research group has found that about 700 prefectural and municipal land development entities nationwide held a combined 2.5 trillion yen in nonperforming assets at the end of fiscal 2001.
BUSINESS
Apr 29, 2004

BOJ says Japan will 'continue its recovery'

The Bank of Japan said Wednesday in a semiannual economic outlook report that the nation's economy will "continue its recovery" in fiscal 2004.
JAPAN
Apr 28, 2004

Hostage blames state for backlash

The harsh criticism that has been aimed at Japanese civilians taken hostage in Iraq stems from government resentment over their relatives' calls for Tokyo to withdraw its troops from the country, one of the hostages said Tuesday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 28, 2004

Should Buddhist art be left in the temples?

The most poignant work in Kyoto National Museum's "Treasures of a Great Zen Temple, The Nanzenji: Commemorating the 700th Memorial Year of Emperor Kameyama" is a hand scroll titled "Prayer for the Prosperity of Zenrinzenji [Nanzenji]" from the hand of Emperor Kameyama himself.
EDITORIALS
Apr 27, 2004

Mixed marks for Mr. Koizumi

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who completed his third year in office on Monday, is already one of the nation's longest-serving postwar prime ministers. Although the stratospheric popularity he enjoyed early in his administration is no more, media polls still give him considerably high approval ratings...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Apr 27, 2004

Does comic relief hurt kids?

'Cuteness, eroticism, and violence are the essence of Japanese pop culture," says Ichiya Nakamura, executive director of the Stanford Japan Center and ex-government policy maker.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Apr 25, 2004

New Fuji TV series, "At-home Dad" and more

The new Fuji TV series, "At-home Dad" (Tuesday, 10 p.m.), takes the usual housewife drama and reverses the genders to comic effect. Kazuyuki (Hiroshi Abe), a 37-year-old account executive at a leading advertising firm, is a victim of downsizing, thus forcing his wife to go out and work full-time.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 25, 2004

Indian candidates take care of business

MADRAS -- India's elections are sometimes compared to a circus. Some call it the greatest show on Earth. I prefer to call the national elections, the first phase of which began last week, the greatest "family show" on Earth.
Features / LIFE OR DEATH
Apr 25, 2004

Debate heats up over legal reform

The maximum legal penalty in Japan is death. Locked alone in their tiny cells, 56 death-row prisoners are now awaiting their fate. Last year, one person was executed. No one knows how many will be this year.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Apr 23, 2004

Overlooked -- and undervalued

If there is one major spot in Japan that visitors somehow tend not to make a beeline for, it is Nagoya.
MORE SPORTS
Apr 23, 2004

Aoki to enter Hall of Fame

Isao Aoki will be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in St. Augustine, Fla., marking the first time for a male Japanese golfer to be honored there, golf sources said Thursday.
JAPAN
Apr 22, 2004

Gloves come off as rival LDP factions fight for cash

The two largest intraparty factions of the Liberal Democratic Party broke a long-standing taboo Wednesday by holding fundraising parties on the same evening in Tokyo.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 22, 2004

English classes all the rage at elementary schools

Teacher Hideo Iida holds up cards featuring simple images for his 17 second-graders to identify, getting them to name the animals, fruit and other items pictured.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 22, 2004

Bush's blinkered nonproliferation policy

NEW DELHI -- Terrorism and weapons of mass destruction (WMD) have emerged as the two most pressing issues in international relations. Since 9/11, the United States has used the two to advance its strategic interests, linking them to reinforce international concerns about a terror-WMD nexus. This has...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 22, 2004

First female ANA executive acts as liaison

As the first female executive officer of All Nippon Airways Co., Junko Yamauchi believes her mission is to improve communication between management and flight attendants.
JAPAN
Apr 19, 2004

Freed captive not sorry he went to Iraq

One of the two Japanese taken captive by gunmen Wednesday near Baghdad and freed Saturday has told a friend in Tokyo that he does not believe he did the wrong thing by entering the war-ravaged country, despite being warned by Tokyo not to do so.
OLYMPICS
Apr 19, 2004

Murata secures Olympic berth

Yukari Murata secured a berth at this summer's Athens Olympics after dominating in all four disciplines and placing first in the all-around standings in an Olympic qualifying event for rhythmic gymnastics Sunday.

Longform

Totopa in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward was picked by consultants TTNE as the best sauna of the year.
Japan’s sauna movement: Relax, refresh, repeat