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JAPAN
Nov 23, 2001

Colleges for teachers face drastic cuts

An education ministry panel recommended Thursday that the number of government-run teachers' universities and education departments at other schools should be cut in half.
JAPAN
Nov 23, 2001

Insurer Taisei folds in wake of Sept. 11

Taisei Fire & Marine Insurance Co. filed Thursday with the Tokyo District Court for protection from creditors, becoming the first Japanese insurer to collapse under the weight of obligations arising from the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States.
JAPAN
Nov 23, 2001

Cut back landfill dumping: recycle report

The amount of garbage dumped annually in landfills throughout the country should be slashed by nearly 90 percent from 1996 levels by 2050, according to a report released by a government advisory committee Thursday.
BUSINESS
Nov 23, 2001

Bank of Yokohama's profits plunge as bad loans bite

The Bank of Yokohama said Thursday its group net profits fell 53.3 percent in the first half ending Sept. 30, mainly due to hefty loan-loss charges and appraisal losses on its stockholdings.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Nov 23, 2001

Forest cockroach

* Japanese name: Morichabane gokiburi * Scientific name: Blattella nipponica * Description: These sleek insects are 11-14 mm long, with two pairs of wings. Adults are brown, although when they change from a nymph into an adult, the body is white, as in the photo. During the transformation, the wings...
JAPAN
Nov 23, 2001

Koizumi turns blind eye to reform of farm sector

When he roared into office in April, the maverick Junichiro Koizumi vowed to die hard in a fight against old guard forces within his own Liberal Democratic Party. His proclaimed mission was clear: to turn around the decade-long economic slump in the medium and long terms through "bold structural reforms...
SOCCER / J. League
Nov 23, 2001

Kickoff time may be changed

The kickoff time for cohost Japan's final first-round group match may be switched to 6 p.m. from 3:30 p.m. as scheduled at next year's World Cup finals, informed sources said Wednesday.
EDITORIALS
Nov 22, 2001

Be more flexible, Mr. Koizumi

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, in a "town meeting" with Tokyo residents on Sunday, called for a package privatization of Japan Highway Public Corp. and three other road-related government-affiliated entities. He also proposed a review of the tollway expansion project and an end to the 300-billion-yen-a-year...
JAPAN
Nov 22, 2001

Fusion offering free New Year calls

Fusion Communications Corp. said Wednesday it will offer free long-distance calls this New Year's Day as part of a marketing campaign.
BUSINESS
Nov 22, 2001

New law limits bank holdings

The Diet passed a bill Wednesday aimed at limiting banks' shareholdings and creating a stock-buying body designed to buy some of them.
JAPAN
Nov 22, 2001

Happy ecology-economy medium urged at confab

NAGANO -- Adoption of more environmental economic indicators and accounting measures is necessary to keep the economy from outpacing the environment, according to proposals put forth at a recent environmental conference held in Nagano Prefecture.
JAPAN
Nov 22, 2001

Gunmen steal 5 million yen from bank

OSAKA -- Two men fired shots and stole around 5.2 million yen Wednesday from a bank here in Nishi Ward, police said.
JAPAN
Nov 22, 2001

Beef-shy consumers grow more anxious

The confirmation Wednesday of a second case of mad cow disease has made consumers -- already suspicious of the government's declaration that domestic beef that goes to market is completely safe -- even more anxious.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 22, 2001

Imperial Navy doctor's wartime diary opens a window to the nation's past

In World War II, the only U.S. soil to be captured by the Japanese Imperial Army was the so-called Outer Aleutians. Located approximately equidistant between Los Angeles and Tokyo, the unopposed seizure in June, 1942, of the barren and virtually unpopulated islands of Kiska and Attu in the Bering Sea...
BUSINESS
Nov 22, 2001

Koizumi, partners agree on 2.5 trillion yen in extra spending

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and his two coalition partners agreed Wednesday to compile a 2.5 trillion yen second extra budget for this fiscal year to prop up the ailing economy, lawmakers of the coalition parties said.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 22, 2001

Banker sees smooth euro cash start, no 'black fund'

FRANKFURT -- Japanese investors should have full confidence in the stability and strength of the euro as the currency is launched in its physical form at the start of next year, according to the European central banker coordinating the project.
BUSINESS
Nov 22, 2001

Japan Telecom posts losses

Plagued by declining performance in its fixed-line business, Japan Telecom Co. said Wednesday it suffered net losses of 5.19 billion yen in the first half of fiscal 2001.
JAPAN
Nov 22, 2001

Fitness clubs turning to middle-aged, elderly

Fitness clubs around Japan are embarking on a major campaign to attract middle-aged and elderly members by promoting exchanges and introducing discount rates.
BUSINESS
Nov 22, 2001

Sumitomo Mitsui sees 150 billion yen loss

Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. announced Wednesday a sharp increase in loan-loss charges and large losses in its shareholdings, prompting it to revise its 2001 earnings forecast from a consolidated net profit of 180 billion yen to a 150 billion yen net loss.
BUSINESS
Nov 22, 2001

BOJ denies report of joint action to combat deflation

BOJ Gov. Masaru Hayami on Wednesday threw cold water on a report that the government and the Bank of Japan will set up a joint team to compile a comprehensive policy to stem the deflationary trend.
JAPAN
Nov 22, 2001

$500,000 to go to Sierra Leone court

Japan decided Wednesday to give $500,000 (about 62 million yen) to the United Nations to help set up a special international court to try those suspected of committing crimes against humanity and war crimes in Sierra Leone, the Foreign Ministry said.
BUSINESS
Nov 22, 2001

Koizumi adamant on reform of state firms

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi expressed his determination Wednesday to reform loss-making public corporations despite strong opposition from within his ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
JAPAN
Nov 22, 2001

Second Holstein confirmed with mad cow disease

The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry said Wednesday it has discovered a second case of mad cow disease in its ongoing inspections, and a panel of experts convened by the ministry formally confirmed the case later in the day.
BUSINESS / ON THE FRONT LINE
Nov 22, 2001

Market fluctuations reflect investor jitters

With signs of an economic recovery nowhere in sight, the Tokyo stock market has been a roller coaster ride in recent weeks.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 22, 2001

Protecting the public from the threats of terror and depression

In his Sept. 30 New York Times article, "The Fear Economy," MIT economist Paul Krugman warned that the American public should be prepared for a possible deflationary spiral comparable to the Great Depression of the 1930s and Japan's milder but chronic depression of the 1990s. A major depression could...

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji