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Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Aug 10, 2003

Treasures too much for one

For one man alone, the Tokugawa treasures were simply too much to handle.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Aug 10, 2003

The spirit of corrupt regimes alive in Japan

It's no secret that Japan discourages asylum-seekers, though officials never admit to it openly. When asked what the government would do about the 10 North Korean refugees who entered the Japanese Embassy in Bangkok on July 31, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said that it would be better for them...
JAPAN
Aug 10, 2003

Fraud probe dropped after Tanaka questioned

Public prosecutors questioned former Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka in late July about allegations that she misused the government salary of her secretary before they decided not to indict her, investigative sources said Saturday.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 9, 2003

U.S. need not fear the ICC

NEW YORK -- In recent years regional courts have been set up in Europe and the Americas to deal with the most serious human rights abuses committed by governments. International "ad hoc" criminal tribunals have been set up to deal with atrocities and massive killings committed in the former Yugoslavia,...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 9, 2003

Debt-collectors push professionalism, not pain

Despite popular perceptions, profanities and threats are not screamed down the phone and the receiver doesn't end up getting slammed down.
COMMENTARY
Aug 6, 2003

A threat to one is a threat to all in a nation of laws

WASHINGTON -- There is a "very real potential" that al-Qaeda will strike again on U.S. soil, warns Attorney General John Ashcroft. Which makes it even more difficult to criticize the Bush administration's efforts to combat terrorism. But while the U.S. Constitution is not a suicide pact, it also means...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Aug 6, 2003

Kings of Leon: "Youth and young Manhood"

The story about the Kings of Leon, a Nashville-based rock band touted as the next big thing, is that the four young men, with their tight bell-bottoms and shaggy hair are pure throwbacks. Having grown up shuttling between Memphis and Oklahoma City with their itinerant Pentecostal preacher father, the...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 6, 2003

Tanaka set to escape indictment for fraud

Prosecutors are expected to decide against indicting former Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka, who stands accused of misusing the salary of her state-funded secretary, investigative sources said Tuesday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Aug 5, 2003

If you can't beat the Japanese, serve them

If you're looking for contentment in Japan, serve the Japanese. At least that's the impression one gets from being around Andy Lunt, Kerry Cox and Johnny Miller.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Aug 5, 2003

NHK fees, will-writing and shipping

The NHK man Dear Lifelines: Recently my wife, who is Japanese, answered the door to an NHK rep. She was warned that not paying the monthly fee of 1,000 yen could wind her up in court. She paid.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Aug 3, 2003

SDF bill provides ammo for DPJ bid for power

The photos and footage of opposition lawmakers trying to prevent a July 25 vote in the Upper House on a Liberal Democratic Party-sponsored bill to send Self-Defense Forces to Iraq were all over the media last week, which is understandable considering how action-packed the Three Stooges-like melee was....
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Aug 2, 2003

Patti McAdam

The Make a Wish organization, which helps make the dreams of terminally ill children come true, began in America with the story of Chris. This 7-year-old boy wanted to be a policeman, but Chris wouldn't be growing up. To grant him his wish, his local police force swore him in ceremoniously as an honorary...
EDITORIALS
Aug 1, 2003

More trouble in Manila

As more information emerges about last weekend's failed mutiny in the Philippines, old fears about the stability of the country have resurfaced. The peaceful conclusion of the episode is to be applauded, but charges that the rebellion was a cover for a coup d'etat raised again the specter of instability....
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 1, 2003

Too rich, too complex to be run by slaves

HONG KONG -- China's new premier, Wen Jiabao, on his first visit to Hong Kong in his new job gave a resounding speech, declaring that local people were in charge of their own destiny. The question now is whether he meant it and whether the leaders in Beijing are prepared to trust the maturity of Hong...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 1, 2003

Ex-governor escapes indictment

Former Saitama Gov. Yoshihiko Tsuchiya escaped indictment Thursday over his suspected role in the misuse of political funds by his eldest daughter, prosecution officials said.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jul 31, 2003

When in doubt, just blame it on the wind

The Japanese have traditionally described their island country as being governed by the forces of mizu (water) -- what, with all this rain falling for what seems like 360 days of the year, but our grandmothers say kaze (wind) is the other ruling force that tends to be overlooked. Mizu will wash everything...
JAPAN
Jul 30, 2003

U.S. Navy sailor held in Tokyo robbery

Police said Tuesday they have arrested an enlisted U.S. Navy sailor over the wounding of a Tokyo shop owner with a stun gun during a 10 million yen watch and jewelry robbery early this month.
JAPAN
Jul 30, 2003

Tsujimoto loaned out illegal cash

Arrested former lawmaker Kiyomi Tsujimoto used some 40 million yen of her office's illegally pooled funds to loan to her friends, sources alleged Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jul 29, 2003

Social recluses age in isolation as help elusive

The average age of those who shun interaction with society and hole themselves up inside their homes stands at 26.7, with some 14 percent aged 35 or older, according to a health ministry study released Monday.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Jul 29, 2003

In search of senbei and more culture

Senbei fan Randall writes from California, reporting that around 1900 a Japanese gardener in San Francisco started serving cookies with thank you notes inside at that city's Japanese garden.
JAPAN
Jul 28, 2003

Horiuchi voices conditional support for Koizumi in LDP race

Mitsuo Horiuchi, who heads one of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's major factions, said Sunday he will support Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's re-election as party chief if Koizumi changes his economic policies.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 28, 2003

Political reformers of Japan unite!

The new buzzword in Japanese politics these days is "manifesto." The Japanese language does not use capital letters, but if it did, you can be sure "manifesto" would be written with a capital M to convey the weighty tone with which it is pronounced by those who believe it is the answer to Japan's political...
BUSINESS
Jul 28, 2003

Chinese currency system must face step-by-step liberalization

We recently hear a lot about the need for China to adjust the exchange rate of its currency, the yuan. In fact, Federal Reserve Board chairman Alan Greenspan, during the U.S. Senate Banking Committee hearing July 16, said it is "increasingly evident" that China should allow its currency to trade freely...

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