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JAPAN
Apr 29, 2003

Women, independents make progress

Female and independent candidates made major advances amid record-low voter turnout this weekend in mayoral and municipal assembly elections around the nation, with almost all of the victors having been declared by Monday.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 28, 2003

A silver lining to the SARS epidemic

SINGAPORE -- The outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, is sending shivers down the spines of Asian governments and citizens alike. China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Vietnam have been the most affected by this scourge, while other Asian countries are desperately trying to prevent the disease...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 28, 2003

LDP bags three new Diet seats; DPJ one

The ruling bloc was sailing to victory in three of the four Diet by-elections held Sunday, while the Democratic Party of Japan, the largest opposition force, was assured of winning in the House of Representatives by-election in Tokyo, early returns showed.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 27, 2003

U.S. seeks Japan's help on Pyongyang

Japan and the United States agreed Saturday that the two governments should hold a trilateral meeting with South Korea "at the earliest date" to discuss how to deal with the North Korean nuclear crisis, Japanese officials said.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Apr 27, 2003

Enoshima: Kamakura's better half

Benten is one of those deities you can find yourself developing a soft spot for. She is the goddess of fortune and feminine beauty, she likes a bit of a song and, for a deity at least (as I was to discover), she seems like a game sort of girl.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Apr 27, 2003

Horse power helps handicapped surmount life's daily obstacles

Yukie Yamaguchi stands at the edge of the ring, intently watching the man being led around on horseback at the Yokohama Riding Club. He is clasping a bright-yellow Pikachu to his chest with both hands. Slowly he takes one hand off the stuffed toy and lightly slaps the horse's neck.
JAPAN
Apr 26, 2003

Obituary: Hidefumi Minorikawa

Hidefumi Minorikawa, a House of Representatives member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, died Thursday of liver failure at a hospital in Omagari, Akita Prefecture, his family said. He was 67.
COMMENTARY
Apr 26, 2003

An opportunity for APEC

HONOLULU -- The rapid spread of SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome, is a compelling demonstration of the need for a truly global health network to fight future epidemics. The particulars of this outbreak also highlight the role that the Asia-Pacific region will have to play in this effort. The...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 26, 2003

Is Koizumi's political star waning?

Last weekend, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi was on the campaign trail alongside Liberal Democratic Party candidates fighting Diet by-elections in Tokyo and Ibaraki Prefecture.
COMMENTARY
Apr 26, 2003

A Pyrrhic victory in Iraq

When the war in Iraq began March 19, speculation was rife about its likely duration. Predictions ranged from very short (less than 10 days) to fairly long (over a month) to very long (a protracted Vietnam-type war). As it turned out, the fighting effectively ended in a little over three weeks. But it's...
BUSINESS
Apr 25, 2003

Sony group profit soars sevenfold

Sony Corp. said Thursday its group net profit in fiscal 2002 skyrocketed to 115.52 billion yen -- more than 7.5 times its 15.3 billion yen profit the previous year -- on strong movie sales and cost cutting.
JAPAN
Apr 25, 2003

Tainted Matsunami seeks ear of ethics panel

Lower House lawmaker Kenshiro Matsunami is asking the chairman of the House of Representatives' ethics panel to convene the council to deal with a scandal over Matsunami's links with the criminal underworld.
JAPAN
Apr 25, 2003

LDP wants to legalize SDF by amending Constitution

The dominant Liberal Democratic Party aims to amend the Constitution to state in explicit terms the legitimacy of the Self-Defense Forces, party lawmakers said Thursday.
JAPAN
Apr 24, 2003

332 municipalities inappropriately gave SDF data on youths

More than 300 municipalities across the country have provided the Defense Agency with personal data on teenage residents that should not have been shared, Defense Agency chief Shigeru Ishiba said Wednesday.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / GARDEN PATHS
Apr 24, 2003

Yokohama's green bower

In spring it is delightful to see, as the poet William Wordsworth described it, "the budding twigs put out their fan to catch the breezy air."
COMMENTARY
Apr 23, 2003

A bigger Europe may not be any better

LONDON -- A few days ago in Athens, the birthplace of democracy, EU leaders approved a major expansion of the European Union that will embrace 10 new members and 73 million more European citizens.
JAPAN
Apr 23, 2003

74 members of Diet visit Yasukuni

Seventy-four Diet members, including a Cabinet minister, visited the controversial Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on Tuesday during its annual spring festival.
JAPAN
Apr 23, 2003

Japan's whale meat exceeds mercury density safety limits

Mercury levels in whales caught in Japan's coastal waters increase the further south the creatures are caught, with one specimen from Okinawa's Nago registering a mercury density more than 57 times the nation's provisional safety limit, according to a group of experts.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
Apr 20, 2003

There is no escape from the silliness

It's only April, but the silly season already seems to be upon us.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Apr 19, 2003

Silvio Vita

Silvio Vita leads an enviable life. He says perhaps he is lucky. That may be true, but it is not the whole story. He is also hardworking, and his work has done more than luck to bring him recognition and reward. He is a Roman, born in Romulus' fabulous city, which, built over seven hills by the Tiber...
JAPAN
Apr 19, 2003

June eyed for SDF-Iraq bill

Legislation that would allow the dispatch of Self-Defense Forces to Iraq for postwar reconstruction will probably be submitted to the Diet in June, a senior member of the ruling coalition said Friday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 18, 2003

Suzuki prepares a 'mini' blitz

Suzuki Motor Corp., Japan's top minivehicle maker three decades running, is preparing an assault on the global market with a new line of compact cars, according to company President Hiroshi Tsuda.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 18, 2003

Journalist offers renewable energy as solution to wars fought over oil

OSAKA -- Humans may someday cease to fight over oil when the sun becomes our main source of energy, according to 64-year-old German journalist Franz Alt.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 18, 2003

Cerberus eyes Aozora for keeps

The Cerberus Group may hold on to a controlling stake in Aozora Bank for keeps in an effort to cement its position in Japan, according to James Danforth Quayle, an adviser for the U.S. investment fund and a member of Aozora Bank's board of directors.
JAPAN
Apr 17, 2003

Lawyers bid to curb sex harassment

OSAKA -- The Osaka Bar Association plans to adopt new internal rules designed to crack down on sexual harassment.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 17, 2003

Opposition united in call for Matsunami to resign

Four opposition parties agreed Wednesday to call on Kenshiro Matsunami to resign from the House of Representatives to take responsibility for having a gangster's construction company pay two of his secretaries' salaries.

Longform

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