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BUSINESS
Apr 12, 2002

Seven-Eleven Japan thanks extra stores for 3.3% sales growth

Seven-Eleven Japan Co., the nation's largest convenience store chain, said Thursday its sales rose 3.3 percent to 2.11 trillion yen in the business year through February.
BUSINESS
Apr 12, 2002

Zoellick proposes WTO ministerial talks

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick told Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi on Thursday that a four-way ministerial meeting should be held next month in Paris under the World Trade Organization, according to a ministry official.
BUSINESS
Apr 12, 2002

Nissan plans full lineup for customers in China

Nissan Motor Co. plans to launch almost its entire lineup of passenger cars in China, expecting the country to grow into a huge auto market, according to Nissan President Carlos Ghosn.
SOCCER / World cup
Apr 12, 2002

Japan-Sweden tickets to go on sale

Ticket phone booking for the Japan-Sweden World Cup warmup match, slated for May 25 at Tokyo's National Stadium, will start for registered members of the "FamilyMa Club," a membership ticket service system, from 10 a.m. April 16 to 6 p.m. on April 21 before opening sales up to the general public May...
BUSINESS
Apr 12, 2002

BOJ monetary policy intact

The Bank of Japan on Thursday kept its monetary policy unchanged, deciding to keep the banking system awash with funds, BOJ officials said.
BUSINESS
Apr 12, 2002

Fukuda airs possibility of pushing early tax cuts

The government may introduce early tax cuts as part of additional antideflation measures, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said Thursday.
BUSINESS
Apr 12, 2002

Ito-Yokado claims top supermarket slot

Ito-Yokado Co. has claimed top spot in the supermarket chain sector in terms of operating profits for the first time in two years, according to an earnings report released by the company Thursday.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Apr 12, 2002

Humpback whale

* Japanese name: Zatokujira * Scientific name: Megaptera novaeangliae * Description: Measuring 12-14 meters, weighing 25-30 tons and with flippers up to 5.5 meters long, the humpback whale is unmistakable. It is black, with white patches on the flippers, which may also be encrusted with barnacles....
BUSINESS
Apr 12, 2002

Trade surplus drops but current account rises on investment returns

The nation's current account surplus expanded for the fifth month in a row in February, marking a 3.9 percent year-on-year increase to 1.41 trillion yen, according to a preliminary report released Thursday by the Finance Ministry.
LIFE / Language
Apr 12, 2002

Online tournament aiming to take haiku global

Last week, The World Haiku Club kicked off a global haiku tournament. For the first time, haiku enthusiasts from more than 10 countries are gathering online to watch and participate in this three-month contest which runs through June.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 12, 2002

Comet discoverer Hyakutake dies

Yuji Hyakutake, an amateur Japanese astronomer known for his discovery of a comet in 1996 that was later dubbed Comet Hyakutake, died Wednesday evening, his family said Thursday. He was 51.
BUSINESS
Apr 12, 2002

Negotiations on Narita user fees end in failure

Two days of negotiations between airlines and the Narita Airport Authority over user charges ended in a stalemate Wednesday, with little hope left for any deals before the current five-year agreement expires April 18.
BUSINESS
Apr 12, 2002

Shiokawa eyes tobacco tax hike

Finance Minister Masajuro Shiokawa expressed willingness Thursday to raise taxes on tobacco products starting in fiscal 2003.
BUSINESS
Apr 12, 2002

Mazda drives up earnings estimates

Mazda Motor Corp. said Thursday it has upwardly revised its fiscal 2001 earnings estimates, thanks to the favorable impact of cost-cutting efforts and a weakened yen.
BUSINESS / ON THE FRONT LINE
Apr 12, 2002

State must act before market backs banks

Special bank inspections have found that the disposal of soured loans made headway toward the close of fiscal 2001.
MORE SPORTS
Apr 12, 2002

Sanmiya to hang up her skates

Former world silver-medalist Eriko Sanmiya, who carried the flag for Japan at the opening ceremony of the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, revealed Thursday that she plans to call it a career in speedskating.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / JET STREAM
Apr 12, 2002

The man who gave the JET program liftoff

The JET program marks its 15th anniversary this year. Today the country's largest teacher-exchange program, it all started from the simple dream of a young British banker called Nicolas Maclean.
JAPAN
Apr 12, 2002

Top court rejects wine poisoner's sixth appeal

The Supreme Court has turned down a 76-year-old death row inmate's sixth appeal for a retrial in a 1961 wine-poisoning case in which five people were killed.
JAPAN
Apr 12, 2002

Wife of murder victim held for asking lover to kill him

OSAKA -- The 34-year-old wife of a company worker slain Saturday in Moriguchi, Osaka Prefecture, has been arrested for asking her lover to kill her husband, police officials said.
BASEBALL / MLB
Apr 12, 2002

Giants survive on Petagine's error

In the 12th and final frame of the game, Yakult first baseman Roberto Petagine errored Akira Eto's grounder in a one-out, bases-loaded situation, allowing Yomiuri to escape with a 5-4 "sayonara" win over the Swallows at the Tokyo Dome on Thursday.
EDITORIALS
Apr 11, 2002

Steel-trade row's global jolts

With the world economy globalizing as never before, the possibility is growing that trade disputes may also assume global dimensions, with dire implications for the world's free-trade system. A case in point is the current international trade dispute sparked by the U.S. decision last month to impose...
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM MOSCOW
Apr 11, 2002

Russia's Mideast conundrum

MOSCOW -- The current crisis in the Middle East is a conundrum for Moscow. Russia's involvement in the area has traditionally been painful and controversial, heavily loaded with historical associations, cultural stereotypes and racial prejudice. Rarely did Russian diplomacy score a success there, while...

Longform

Once smoky, male-dominated spaces, today's net cafes, like Kaikatsu Club, are working to make their operations more attractive to women customers.
The second life of Japan's net cafes