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JAPAN
Oct 25, 2003

Nations commit cash at Iraq donors' conference

MADRID -- Nudged by the United States, international donors came through with pledges of $19 billion in grants and loans Friday to rebuild Iraq but were falling short of the estimated $56 billion needed to rebuild the country.
JAPAN
Oct 25, 2003

Teacher held over attempted rape

A 33-year-old elementary school teacher in Tokyo has been arrested after he allegedly tried to rape a fifth-grade girl at the school, police said Friday.
BUSINESS
Oct 25, 2003

METI forms task force for plotting FTA strategies

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry launched a task force Friday to deal comprehensively with talks for a free-trade agreement, METI head Shoichi Nakagawa said.
BUSINESS
Oct 25, 2003

Haneda-Kimpo shuttle flights set

New shuttle flights between Japan and South Korea will begin Nov. 30, connecting Tokyo's Haneda airport and Kimpo airport near Seoul for the first time, transport ministry officials said Friday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / PARTY LINE
Oct 25, 2003

NCP has grand policy designs but LDP poll support falls shy

The New Conservative Party says the core policy issues in the Nov. 9 general election are boosting national security, revising the Constitution and reviving the economy, but its own tallest order will be getting its few members voted in.
BUSINESS
Oct 25, 2003

Woo foreign investors, make babies: report

Already mired in its worst economic slump in decades, Japan could see its growth decline even further as its citizens age and its population shrinks, the government said in an annual economic assessment released Friday.
JAPAN
Oct 25, 2003

Ishihara tells Fujii to hold his tongue

Transport minister Nobuteru Ishihara said Friday he would not comply with a request by Haruho Fujii for exemption from the public servant's oath to keep official secrets.
JAPAN
Oct 25, 2003

New tests challenging TOEIC stronghold

Scoring 500 points on the TOEIC English proficiency test is a prerequisite for promotion to section chief or a higher managerial position at construction machinery maker Komatsu Ltd.
JAPAN
Oct 25, 2003

Canon accused of blocking rivals

The Fair Trade Commission has raided Canon Inc. on suspicion that the camera and printer company is unfairly obstructing the sale of laser-beam printer toner cartridges produced by other firms for use in Canon products,
BUSINESS
Oct 25, 2003

Daiei decides against IRCJ rehab request

Struggling supermarket chain Daiei Inc. has decided against seeking the help of the state-backed Industrial Revitalization Corp. of Japan following a disagreement with IRCJ officials over the sale of its assets, it was learned Friday.
BUSINESS
Oct 25, 2003

Small firms pushing for more funds

Demand for funds has improved markedly among small and midsize firms, according to a Bank of Japan survey released Friday.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Oct 25, 2003

F.W. Rustmann

In 1992, F.W. Rustmann founded CTC International Group. This initiative, he reports, represented "an effort to fill the growing need for U.S. corporations to collect business intelligence and to protect their proprietary information. CTC is a pioneer in the field of business intelligence and a recognized...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Oct 25, 2003

I am Eiimi: a beautiful, excellent twig!

As promised, today I will translate names of foreigners into Japanese to reveal their true meanings. Since I did male names last time, I'll do female names this week. However, I decided to highlight famous women in order that we might find out a little more about them than we would ordinarily be allowed...
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 25, 2003

Recipe for a leaner, keener Pentagon

HONOLULU -- In a leaked memo that caused a stir in Washington and throughout the far-flung American military forces last week, U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld asked: "Is the DoD [Department of Defense] changing fast enough to meet the new 21st Century security environment?"
BUSINESS
Oct 25, 2003

Auto giants increase production in first half

Toyota Motor Corp., Nissan Motor Co. and Mazda Motor Corp. increased global vehicle production in the first half of fiscal 2003 to meet growing overseas demand.
BUSINESS
Oct 25, 2003

Group discusses regional economies

The government on Friday held the first meeting of a special task force charged with revitalizing regional economies.
JAPAN
Oct 25, 2003

Japan Highway chief sacked

Land minister Nobuteru Ishihara officially sacked Japan Highway Public Corp. President Haruho Fujii on Friday, calling him an obstacle to the government's plan to privatize the debt-strapped entity by 2005.
JAPAN
Oct 25, 2003

Nippon Ham padded bill by 30 million yen

Nippon Meat Packers Inc. improperly received excessive funds from the state under program to alleviate damage to the meat industry from the mad cow disease outbreak, Board of Audit officials said Friday.
COMMUNITY
Oct 25, 2003

Palette mixes people of every color and capacity

Naoko Taniguchi is a pioneer in bringing mentally handicapped individuals into the community. Thirty years ago, when she began volunteer activities, families still regarded the disabled as a source of shame. She says the situation is improving, "though there will be no major shift until companies hire...
BUSINESS
Oct 25, 2003

Leopalace21 to buy into Dia Kensetsu

Apartment rental service Leopalace21 Corp. will purchase a 37.25 percent stake in Dia Kensetsu Co. to help revive the troubled condominium builder, the two companies said Friday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Oct 25, 2003

Southpaws strut their stuff at this year's Japan Series

NISHINOMIYA, Hyogo Pref. -- The Hanshin Tigers and the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks are playing what could be called the Japan Series of southpaws and sayonaras.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 25, 2003

Redesigned 1,000 yen bills roll off presses

Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki announced Friday the start of printing of redesigned 1,000 yen bills, which will go into circulation in July.
BUSINESS
Oct 25, 2003

PC price reductions exacerbate Toshiba loss

Toshiba Corp. said Friday its net loss widened during the first half due to sharp price reductions in its PC business.
JAPAN
Oct 24, 2003

Deportee's lawyer lodges protest

The lawyer for a woman from a South Asian country who was deported the same day her bid for refugee status was rejected sent a letter of protest and a questionnaire to Justice Minister Daizo Nozawa and immigration-related authorities, it was learned Thursday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 24, 2003

Single-seat constituencies offer refuge for LDP elders who refuse to retire

Former Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone, 84, is battling hard to defy attempts by the Liberal Democratic Party leadership to block his planned run in the upcoming general election.

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past