to read (a book); to open (a book) to read; to unravel (e.g. a mystery); to discover (the truth)
around the world; throughout the world
secret information; intelligence
department (in an organization, company, etc.); division; club (at a school, university, etc.); team; part; portion
army; armed forces; military authorities; team; group
rogue; thug; hoodlum; punk; racketeer
company; lot; people; troupe; company (of musicians)
a few years ago; some years back
concerning ...; over ...; about ...; centering on ...
contest; competition; struggle; scramble
country; state; region; national government; central government; home (i.e. hometown, home country); province (of Japan)
as a nation; with the whole country
trend; tendency; movement; attitude
gait; walk; stride; trace (e.g. of route taken by hunted criminal); track; trail
vague; faint; dim; indistinct; hazy; blurry
scale; scope; plan; structure
judging from; on the basis of; from the point of view of
considerably; fairly; quite; rather; pretty
to fall behind; to lag behind; to be outdistanced; to be beaten
main topic; main subject; main issue; this subject
professional killer; hit man
to aim at (for, to do, to become); to try for; to have an eye on; to go toward; to head for
a short time ago; a while ago; for some time
business district; shopping district; bustling street; shopping centre; shopping center; downtown
middle; centre; center; midpoint; heart
far; distant; distant (past); remote (in time); distant (relationship or kinship); having little to do (with someone); far (from something else in quality, degree, etc.)
time; season; period; phase; stage
to buy; to purchase; to value (highly); to think highly of; to incur (someone's anger, displeasure, etc.); to elicit (e.g. sneers)
height; stature; length (esp. of clothing); all (one has); everything; magnificence (of a waka poem, etc.)
alternating between happiness and anxiety; swinging between joy and sorrow; being glad and sad by turns; oscillating between optimism and pessimism
power balance; balance of power
bargaining; haggling; tactics; strategy; (tactical) advance or retreat of troops
to imagine; to picture; to figure; to see
railway station; train station; staging post on a highway (in pre-modern Japan); counter for railway stations and bus stations
to meet (by chance); to come across; to meet (e.g. of rivers, highways, etc.); to emerge and engage (an enemy)
huh?; eh?; what?; oh; hey!; look!