| 18 Mar 10 |
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Washington admits drug use  SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington admitted he made a "huge mistake" when he used cocaine and failed a Major League Baseball drug test last season. In his first public acknowledgment, Washington apologized Wednesday for his... |
| 18 Mar 10 |
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Land prices fell nearly everywhere in '09 as downturn hit demand Land prices fell nearly everywhere nationwide in 2009 as the global economic downturn that began in late 2008 decimated property demand, the government said Thursday. As of Jan. 1, land prices had declined at a record 99.6 percent of the 27,410 survey... |
| 18 Mar 10 |
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¥23 billion deal pitched for JNR unionists The three ruling parties and an opposition party on Thursday presented the government with a proposal for a ¥23 billion settlement package to resolve a 23-year-old dispute over the dismissal of unionized workers at the former state-run Japanese Nationa... |
| 18 Mar 10 |
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Honda looks to give hybrids a lithium-ion charge Honda Motor Co., the nation's second-largest carmaker, plans to introduce lithium-ion battery-powered hybrid cars as it struggles to narrow Toyota Motor Corp.'s lead in sales of gasoline-electric cars. Honda plans to use lithium-ion batteries in its... |
| 18 Mar 10 |
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L&G 'enten' fraudster who hatched ¥55 billion scam gets 18-year term The founder of now-defunct L&G K.K., the bedding supplier that created and promoted the use of its "enten" quasi-currency, was sentenced Thursday to 18 years in prison for defrauding investors of ¥327 million from 2006 to 2007. Kazutsugi Nami, 76... |
| 18 Mar 10 |
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Devils sweep away Penguins  NEWARK, N.J. (AP) If the New Jersey Devils get past the Pittsburgh Penguins in the playoffs, they will have beaten the defending Stanley Cup champions 10 times. They already have six in the bag. |
| 18 Mar 10 |
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Big firms' sentiment worsened in last quarter Business sentiment among large firms deteriorated in the January-March quarter from the previous three months, despite steady improvements in the manufacturing sector, amid continued weak domestic demand, a government survey showed Thursday. The index of... |
| 18 Mar 10 |
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Unqualified Minamata cases to be settled The government will accept a court-brokered settlement in a damages suit filed by unrecognized sufferers of Minamata disease, Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said Thursday. "When I think of the feelings of those who have badly suffered from Minamata... |
| 18 Mar 10 |
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L.A. jailers cleared in Miura death: DA  LOS ANGELES (Kyodo) Nearly 1 1/2 years after murder suspect Kazuyoshi Miura died inside a Los Angeles jail, the county's district attorney's office released a report that cleared the detention officers and jail personnel of any wrongdoing. The review,... |
| 18 Mar 10 |
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Jordan confirmed as new owner of Bobcats  CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) Michael Jordan became a basketball star at North Carolina. Now he'll try to turn around the state's money-losing NBA team by becoming the first ex-player to be a majority owner in the league. The NBA's Board of Governors on Wednesday... |
| 18 Mar 10 |
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Obama predicts Kansas will win NCAA title NEW YORK (AP) The First Fan appears to be a big fan of basketball programs from Kansas. President Barack Obama predicted Kansas and Kansas State to join Kentucky and Villanova in the men's basketball Final Four this season, with the Jayhawks defeating... |
| 18 Mar 10 |
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Cavs clinch division  CLEVELAND (AP) The Cavaliers clinched their second straight outright Central Division championship Wednesday night — and Mo Williams went home disappointed. LeBron James had 32 points, nine rebounds and nine assists in Cleveland's 99-94 victory over t... |
| 18 Mar 10 |
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Messi magic sends Barca through  BARCELONA, Spain (AP) Lionel Messi put defending champion Barcelona in the quarterfinals of the Champions League with two goals and assist in a 4-0 rout of Stuttgart on Wednesday night, then received some lofty praise. "He was so decisive," Barcelona... |
| 18 Mar 10 |
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Being low-paid male temp probably spells bachelorhood Being a temp comes with a number of drawbacks: a lack of job security, often low pay — and if you're a man, anyway, little chance of tying the knot. So says the latest labor ministry survey, released Wednesday, which found that out of some 700 singl... |
| 18 Mar 10 |
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'Guts' shows off his softer side  FRaU is one women's magazine that's got guts. Baseball fans may be in for a slight shock in the coming weeks, when Yomiuri Giants third baseman, Michihiro Ogasawara graces the pages of the magazine's May issue. |
| 18 Mar 10 |
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Star-crossed lovers of past and present Women have been wielding swords in Japanese period actioners for decades now, from the days when Junko Fuji and Meiko Kaji were slicing up bad guys, Fuji with stoic grace, Kaji with icy rage. But as good as Fuji, Kaji and other sword-wielding actresses... |
| 18 Mar 10 |
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Budding economic recovery The government's monthly economic report for March raised its evaluation of the economy for the first time in eight months, saying it "has been picking up steadily." It appears that a second dip has been avoided, but the deflationary trend is a cause for... |
| 18 Mar 10 |
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Mudy on the Sakuban "Pavilion"  Mudy on the Sakuban turned out an awesome showcase of their energetic instrumental rock during their 2008 appearance on Fuji Rock's newcomer stage, Rookie A Go-Go. And while that year's "Voi" EP was a good disc, it paled in comparison to how powerful the... |
| 18 Mar 10 |
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Designs for both palate and palette  It was one of those hot tips that come our way from time to time. This one, though, was delivered with a caveat: "A fantastic little French place, as good as any in town for the price; but the location's so obscure no one knows about it. It's called Le... |
| 18 Mar 10 |
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Man behind the masks  HOLLYWOOD — Sacha Baron Cohen is perhaps the unlikeliest British movie star since the plain, self-effacing and rather asexual Sir Alec Guinness. But like the brilliant knight — who happened to be half-Jewish — Baron Cohen seemingly becomes the cha... |
| 18 Mar 10 |
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Revising the art of defense LONDON — How much should a nation spend on defense and its armed forces? A furious argument is now raging in Britain over this very question, with insults and criticisms flying between top military men and politicians about levels of defense spendin... |
| 18 Mar 10 |
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Flower designer Daniel Ost breathes life into Baccarat crystal  Belgian flower artist Daniel Ost is filling Ikebukuro's Seibu Gallery with a taste of spring. His flower decorations and collaborative works with French crystal makers Baccarat will be on display till March 23. "The most important thing in this exhibition... |
| 18 Mar 10 |
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Growing disarray in the LDP With the approval rating of the Hatoyama administration having fallen below 40 percent, now is a good time for the opposition Liberal Democratic Party to launch into action and try to win back lost ground. But the party has so far failed to grab its... |
| 18 Mar 10 |
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Ueno Park blooms with song  Spring is coming. The first thing that comes to people's minds in this season is probably going to hanami — eating traditional Japanese food and enjoying some traditional music under the blooming cherry trees. In Ueno Park, however, classical music wi... |
| 18 Mar 10 |
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Jason Reitman flies high; Rob Marshall nosedives Everyone's got to make a living, but it's hard to imagine a nastier job than to work for a weasely-named outfit called Career Transition Counseling, whose consultants specialize in the actual face-to-face firing of employees for management too cowardly to... |
| 18 Mar 10 |
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The Phillip Morris addiction that gets a little out of control The Phillip Morris addiction that gets a little out of control Gus Van Sant was slated to direct "I Love You Phillip Morris" before he backed down or walked out, leaving the screenwriting team of Glenn Ficarra and John Requa stranded in filmmaking... |
| 18 Mar 10 |
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Chris Botti  Picture a smooth-jazz pop icon like Kenny G playing trumpet like Miles Davis circa his "Kind of Blue" phase while looking like a heartthrob and you get Chris Botti. Not that the 47-year-old American is anything like either musician, with his penchant for... |
| 18 Mar 10 |
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Bubble prophet fears new disaster  Prominent economist Yukio Noguchi is one of the few who correctly predicted the collapse of Japan's bubble economy in 1987, warning the preceding euphoria was based on a major distortion in land prices. Now the doomsday prophet is making another... |
| 18 Mar 10 |
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Elementary school teacher gets 30 years for raping pupils HIROSHIMA (Kyodo) The Hiroshima High Court sentenced a 44-year-old former elementary school teacher Thursday to 30 years in prison for raping and performing lewd acts on at least 10 pupils. In imposing the maximum term of imprisonment for a definite... |
| 18 Mar 10 |
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Ashby leads Apache past Broncos Julius Ashby carried the Tokyo Apache on his big, broad shoulders on Thursday night, leading them to a series sweep against the struggling Saitama Broncos. Ashby had 26 points and eight rebounds in Tokyo's 80-78 win over Saitama at Yoyogi National... |
| 18 Mar 10 |
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DPJ caught on the horns of a fiscal dilemma While the Democratic Party of Japan-led government secured the passage of the ¥92.3 trillion fiscal 2010 budget this month, the party still faces a fiscal dilemma given its election pledge to realize ¥16.8 trillion worth of policy measures at a time wh... |
| 18 Mar 10 |
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2010 auto sales to hit 33-year low Domestic sales of cars, trucks and buses in fiscal 2010, beginning in April, are expected to drop 4.9 percent from the previous year to a 33-year low of 4,649,600 units, the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association said Thursday. It would be the lowest... |
| 18 Mar 10 |
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Ambassadors urge action on child abductions Japan should sign the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction and act to resolve its current cases by enabling parents left out in the cold to contact their spirited-away offspring, eight ambassadors in Tokyo said in a joint... |
| 18 Mar 10 |
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Roberts says Broncos have underachieved Three teams are in the hunt for the Eastern Conference's fourth and final playoff berth. But in a month a clearer picture should emerge as to which team will be the favorite. Right now, though, the Toyama Grouses (14-22), Saitama Broncos (13-24) and... |
| 18 Mar 10 |
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Fortuneteller didn't see fraud bust OSAKA (Kyodo) A popular fortuneteller in Osaka was charged with fraud Wednesday for allegedly lying about his ¥3 million monthly income and swindling the city out of more than a decade of welfare benefits. Tokihiro Inoue, 63, who frequently appears on T... |
| 18 Mar 10 |
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Baruto stays in hunt OSAKA (Kyodo) It wasn't pretty, but sekiwake Baruto disposed of Wakanosato to retain his share of the lead alongside yokozuna Hakuho in his chase for ozeki promotion at the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament on Thursday. The sekiwake giant came flying out of... |
| 18 Mar 10 |
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U.S. prods on beef, autos, insurance WASHINGTON (Kyodo) Beef and automobiles are among the markets Japan should make more accessible to U.S. firms, a senior U.S. official said Wednesday. Testifying at a subcommittee of the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs, Joseph... |
| 18 Mar 10 |
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IBM Japan disputes ¥30 billion back tax IBM Japan Ltd. is suspected of failing to declare more than ¥400 billion in income through the use of the so-called tax consolidation regime, sources said Thursday. The amount of income allegedly undeclared by the group is believed to be the larges... |
| 18 Mar 10 |
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Ozawa to can detracting deputy Democratic Party of Japan Secretary General Ichiro Ozawa said Thursday he plans to fire his deputy, after the DPJ vice secretary general went public in calling for Ozawa to resign over his funding scandal. "If he (Ozawa) is unable to obtain public... |
| 18 Mar 10 |
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Net content complaints shoot up 95% The Internet Hotline Center received 27,751 reports of illegal or harmful content on Internet sites in 2009, up 95.3 percent from the previous year, the National Police Agency said Thursday. The nongovernmental online watchdog, based in Tokyo, asked Web... |
| 18 Mar 10 |
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BOJ loan program likely to please politicians more than deflation foes The Bank of Japan's decision to double the size of a liquidity program for banks may prove more effective in placating the government than stemming deflation. The bank Wednesday increased its three-month lending facility for banks to ¥20 trillion, ... |
| 18 Mar 10 |
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U.S. to hand over to Japan most Okinawa air control on March 31 Washington officially agreed Thursday with Tokyo to hand over to Japan on March 31 air traffic control rights around Okinawa Island that have effectively been under U.S. forces' control since 1945, the Foreign Ministry said Thursday. Okinawa was returned... |
| 18 Mar 10 |
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Shogunate ship's U.S. arrival feted  SAN FRANCISCO (Kyodo) A ceremony was held Wednesday in San Francisco to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the arrival in the United States of a Japanese vessel sent by the Tokugawa shogunate, an event that marked the opening up of Japan after more than... |
| 18 Mar 10 |
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'Idol' star Lambert takes on judge's role  Adam Lambert, who grabbed second place in last year's televised singing contest American Idol, visited Japan for the first time to promote his album and perform live at Club Eleven in Tokyo on Monday. Clad in a leather jacket, very tight pants, golden... |
| 18 Mar 10 |
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Curator reveals lessons learned from stint at foreign museum  Japan's art world is occasionally compared to the Galapagos Islands — and not just because it is inhabited by some curious creatures; sorry, I mean artists. No, the theory is that Charles Darwin's famous comment on the Galapagos' isolation could equal... |
| 18 Mar 10 |
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French-flavored rooms for kids  Oriental Hotel Tokyo Bay, a Tokyo Disney Resort partner hotel, opened its Kiddy Sweet concept rooms on its top floor on March 18, targeting families with children from ages 4 through 6. The new concept evolved from the requests of guests who had used the... |
| 18 Mar 10 |
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Japan's dubstep forges own path  Young people dressed in baggy jeans and hooded sweaters groove to chunky rhythms in a dark, smoky club. The music is spun by the night's DJ, Goth-trad. It may look like any other club, but the style is unique to Japan. Goth-trad is spinning dubstep, a... |
| 18 Mar 10 |
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Happy returns for two French chefs in Tokyo  We're always sad when a top restaurant shuts down, but we were especially disappointed when we heard that the Michelin two-star Pierre Gagnaire a Tokyo had closed its bijou doors last year. As one of the world's most brilliant chefs, Gagnaire's exquisite... |
| 18 Mar 10 |
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Concert fetes Bach's birth  On March 20, one day before the 325th anniversary of Johann Sebastian Bach's birth, three choral groups and an instrumental group will present Bach's "St. Matthew Passion" in Hoya, Tokyo. They will be led by Taro Tanno and his mother, Yumiko, both of... |
| 18 Mar 10 |
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Reinterpretations of modern history  One of Japan's pre-eminent contemporary artists, Yasumasa Morimura is known for his gender-bending self- portraits reinterpreting canonical works of Western art history. His works combine aspects of painting, sculpture, set design, performance and... |
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