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JAPAN
Jul 9, 2004

Koizumi to visit South Korea soon

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi plans to visit South Korea to meet South Korean President Roh Moo Hyun around July 21, government sources said Thursday.
JAPAN
Jul 9, 2004

Japan may allow U.S. beef imports to resume

The government is inclined to change its stance on testing for mad cow disease to pave the way for resuming imports of beef from the United States, government sources said Thursday.
EDITORIALS
Jul 8, 2004

Educational reform in perspective

There is something disquieting about moves by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito to rewrite the Fundamental Law of Education. In an interim report they have just completed, the LDP emphasizes the importance of cultivating "love of country," meaning patriotism. Komeito uses a different...
MORE SPORTS
Jul 8, 2004

Miyazato books ticket for Britain

Teenager Ai Miyazato will head a field of five Japan LPGA golfers at the upcoming Women's British Open, this year's last major on the women's tour, golf officials said Wednesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 8, 2004

Lack of continuity in English teaching hit

The introduction of English in elementary school classrooms to help improve fluency in later years is bringing to light a problem that has dogged Japanese educators for years -- how to provide continuity in teaching the language so that students can graduate from university with a conversant level.
JAPAN
Jul 8, 2004

Rice, Koizumi mull North Korea issues

Visiting U.S. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice and Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi discussed issues ranging from North Korea's nuclear program to Iraq during their meeting Wednesday, Japanese officials said.
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Jul 8, 2004

Renewable energy sources offer global chance to shed fossil fuels

As the leading national consumer of fossil fuels, the United States churns out almost a quarter of all the industrial carbon dioxide worldwide. Apologists say this is the price that must be paid in exchange for driving the global economy. Realists see such hubris as eventually undermining human viability...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jul 8, 2004

2004 season is a honeymoon for Carp second baseman LaRocca

You might call Greg LaRocca's first year in Japanese baseball a "honeymoon season" for two reasons, and the first is obvious.
BUSINESS
Jul 8, 2004

AXA Life set to sell Aioi products

AXA Life Insurance Co. said Wednesday it has agreed to sell nonlife insurance products developed by Aioi Insurance Co.
JAPAN
Jul 8, 2004

Delegates at Kyoto talks push Security Council expansion

KYOTO -- A two-day conference on reforming the United Nations ended here Wednesday with participants agreeing that the number of Security Council seats should be expanded to better meet threats to global security.
JAPAN
Jul 8, 2004

Government paints rosy picture to lure Jenkins

Charles Robert Jenkins, the American husband of repatriated abductee Hitomi Soga, would not necessarily be imprisoned if he came to Japan, even though he will probably face a U.S. court-martial for desertion, government sources claimed Wednesday.
COMMENTARY
Jul 8, 2004

Rising doubts about NATO

LONDON -- The June 28-29 summit meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in Istanbul was a sour affair. The so-called allies within NATO could not agree on how to help with reconstruction in Iraq and ended up merely offering to do some training of Iraqi personnel, but not much more.
JAPAN
Jul 8, 2004

Teacher loses appeal over 'Kimigayo' punishment

The Tokyo High Court on Wednesday dismissed an appeal by a teacher seeking the annulment of a board of education reprimand issued over her refusal to play "Kimigayo" on the piano during a school ceremony in 1999.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Jul 8, 2004

Little egret

* Japanese name: Kosagi * Scientific name: Egretta garzetta * Description: The Little Egret is a bird related to the heron, with snow-white plumage, a long, pointed black bill and black legs with bright yellow feet. Its body is 50-60 cm long. In the breeding season in summer, the feet turn bright red,...
BASEBALL / MLB
Jul 8, 2004

Hawks pounce on Fernandez's throwing error

Jose Fernandez's wild throw home on pinch hitter Noriyoshi Omichi's slow grounder to third base allowed a pair of runs to score in the bottom of the seventh inning Wednesday as the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks rallied for a 5-2 win over the Seibu Lions.
JAPAN
Jul 8, 2004

Electric power body sat on data

The Federation of Electric Power Companies admitted Wednesday that it failed to disclose data it compiled in February 1996 on the cost of burying spent nuclear fuel.
BUSINESS
Jul 8, 2004

DoCoMo retakes subscription crown

NTT DoCoMo Inc. saw the biggest net subscription growth in the domestic mobile phone market in June, surpassing that of KDDI Corp. for the first time since September, an industry association said Wednesday.
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Jul 8, 2004

Voles suggest key to male monogamy

Everyone knows someone who is a compulsive womanizer; a man who simply can't remain faithful to one woman.
OLYMPICS
Jul 8, 2004

Takahara to join camp

Hamburg SV striker Naohiro Takahara will join Japan's Olympic team training camp being held on Ishigaki Island in Okinawa, Japan Under-23 coach Masakuni Yamamoto said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jul 8, 2004

Ueno Zoo says panda pregnancy was false alarm

Efforts to artificially impregnate a giant panda on loan from Mexico have failed, officials at Tokyo's Ueno Zoo said Wednesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 8, 2004

Iraqi boy heads home after eye surgery

A 10-year-old Iraqi boy left Tokyo for home Wednesday night after a one-month stay in Numazu, Shizuoka Prefecture, where he underwent surgery on his left eye.
JAPAN
Jul 8, 2004

Koizumi urges Murase to use private sector

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Wednesday told Kiyoshi Murase, tapped to become the new commissioner of the Social Insurance Agency, to reform the scandal-hit agency through means such as bringing in a slew of private-sector individuals.
BUSINESS
Jul 8, 2004

Foreign reserves totaled $817.95 billion in June

The nation's foreign-exchange reserves totaled $817.95 billion in June, up $1.10 billion from the previous month due to investment returns from foreign bonds, mainly U.S. Treasuries, the Finance Ministry said Wednesday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 8, 2004

Honda unveils Edix minivan in Tokyo

Honda Motor Co. on Wednesday unveiled its new Edix minivan, featuring an unconventional seating layout.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 7, 2004

Director sends his love to Huppert

La Vie promise Rating: * * * (out of 5) Director: Olivier Dahan Running time: 93 minutes Language: French Currently showing [See Japan Times movie listings] "La Vie promise (The Promised Life)" is not really a movie, but a love letter from director Olivier Dahan to actress Isabelle Huppert...

Longform

Figure skater Akiko Suzuki was once told her ideal weight should be 47 kilograms, a number she now admits she “naively believed.” This led to her have a relationship with food that resulted in her suffering from anorexia.
The silent battle Japanese athletes fight with weight