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Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 9, 2004

Part-timers seek some respect; unions step up

Longtime part-time employee Yasue Kitamura found her job becoming more worthwhile after being assigned responsibility for the Calvin Klein bedroom items corner at Takashimaya Co.'s Nihonbashi flagship department store five years ago.
MORE SPORTS
Mar 9, 2004

Sato, Sakata to fight for WBA titles

Osamu Sato and Takefumi Sakata will take part in a World Boxing Association double-header in Tokyo in June, their promoter Kyoei Gym said Monday.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Mar 9, 2004

Rumble in the whiteboard jungle

Our article on the state of eikaiwa teaching in Japan provoked a flurry of responses. Here's a selection of readers' letters
JAPAN
Mar 9, 2004

'Sakura' set to blossom early

The news was broadcast on every TV network and headlined in the major newspapers. It set off a flurry of phone calls to weather officials. The big story: Japan may be on its way to one of its earliest cherry blossom seasons ever.
BUSINESS
Mar 9, 2004

BOJ to review 'tankan' framework

The Bank of Japan said Monday it will review the corporate samples used in its quarterly "tankan" survey this spring to better reflect the nation's evolving industrial structure.
BUSINESS
Mar 9, 2004

TSE lauded for bypassing bureaucrats

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Monday praised a planned move by Tokyo Stock Exchange Inc. to appoint people from the private sector -- and not former bureaucrats -- to top management, saying they are more likely to "energize" Japan's largest bourse.
BUSINESS
Mar 9, 2004

Afghanistan seeks more financial aid

Visiting Afghan Finance Minister Ashraf Ghani asked Japan on Monday to offer further economic assistance during an international donors' conference in Berlin later this month.
JAPAN
Mar 9, 2004

More fake IDs found at airports

The number of fake passports, visas and other official identification documents found by immigration officers at Japanese airports rose 41 percent in 2003 from the previous year, hitting 3,660, the Justice Ministry's Immigration Bureau said Monday.
JAPAN
Mar 9, 2004

Subway-disaster anniversary marked

Relatives of the people killed in a Tokyo subway train collision on March 8, 2000, observed the anniversary at the accident site Monday.
BUSINESS
Mar 9, 2004

Imported beef prices decline 1.8%

Retail prices of imported beef fell for the first time in eight weeks in the five days ending March 5, the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry said Monday.
JAPAN
Mar 9, 2004

Consumers getting jumpy about chicken

More than 60 percent of consumers who took part in a weekend telephone survey are concerned about the safety of chicken meat and eggs due to the recent outbreak of bird flu, it was reported Monday.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Mar 9, 2004

Freecycling, sun lamps and dancing

Clothes, fabrics, toys Anne recommends a charity organization in Stellenbosch, South Africa, that helps people in shanty towns to get back on their feet. "They're always looking for donations of secondhand clothes, dress fabrics and toys for the creche."
COMMENTARY
Mar 9, 2004

Perilous drop in readership

One long-standing trend in Japan has been the "shift away from print" -- an aversion to serious reading. For example, in the past four years, book sales have continued to decline. Compared with other countries, the books being read woefully lags in quality and quantity.
EDITORIALS
Mar 9, 2004

Diet's plate remains full

Diet deliberations have been proceeding fairly smoothly since the 150-day regular session opened on Jan. 19. This augurs well for Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who wants to avoid a legislative gridlock before July's Upper House election. He cleared a major hurdle last month when the Diet approved...
BASEBALL / MLB
Mar 9, 2004

Yokohama inks pitcher Walker

The Yokohama BayStars announced Monday the acquisition of right-hander Pete Walker, but did not disclose information on the details of the contract after they bought the rights to the 34-year-old from the Toronto Blue Jays.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 9, 2004

Takada farm has H5N1 strain of avian influenza

The bird flu virus detected at a second bird flu-hit poultry farm in Tanba, Kyoto Prefecture, is of the highly contagious H5N1 strain, the National Institute of Animal Health said Monday.
BUSINESS
Mar 9, 2004

Fujitsu-Hitachi venture to boost plasma display output

A joint venture between electronics makers Fujitsu and Hitachi will build a new plant for plasma display panels in southwestern Japan to cope with rising demand for PDPs in flat-panel TVs and public information monitors, the company said Monday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Mar 9, 2004

Olympics green light for Nagashima

Shigeo Nagashima, who has been hospitalized since last Thursday after suffering a stroke, will manage Japan's baseball team as scheduled at this summer's Athens Olympics, a Japanese baseball official said Monday.
BUSINESS
Mar 9, 2004

Sony to mass produce LCD panels in '05

Sony Corp. said Monday it will start mass producing large liquid crystal display panels in summer 2005 at a joint facility it will launch with Samsung Electronics Co. of South Korea.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 9, 2004

Taiwanese stretch envelope before polls

SINGAPORE -- In the runup to Taiwan's presidential election on March 20, political sparks are flying not only in Taiwan but also in China and the United States. Moreover, the commemoration in Taiwan of the Feb. 28, 1947, killing of some 10,000 Taiwanese by Kuomintang (KMT) troops -- otherwise known as...
MORE SPORTS
Mar 9, 2004

Terao opts out of short track worlds

Satoru Terao has asked to be withdrawn from the national team for the upcoming World Short Track Speed Skating Championships after failing to recover from an elbow injury, the Japan Skating Federation said Monday.
JAPAN
Mar 8, 2004

Party policy chiefs eye ban on family as official aides

Fukushiro Nukaga, policy chief of the Liberal Democratic Party, proposed Sunday that a bill be drafted to amend the law on Diet members' government-paid secretaries that would set new guidelines on the employment of family members.

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