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JAPAN
Nov 7, 2002

Imperial Couple visit orphanage

Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko visited an orphanage Wednesday in Oiso, Kanagawa Prefecture, that was established in 1948 for children whose mothers were Japanese and fathers were U.S. servicemen.
BUSINESS
Nov 7, 2002

Sumitomo Forestry eyes Dominance

Sumitomo Forestry Co. said Wednesday its two subsidiaries in Australia will acquire Dominance Industries Pty Ltd., a fiberboard manufacturer in Australia.
BUSINESS
Nov 7, 2002

Overseas jobless rates 'intolerable'

Hiroshi Okuda, chairman of the Japan Business Federation (Nippon Keidanren), said Wednesday that Japanese people cannot tolerate unemployment levels as high as those in other nations.
JAPAN
Nov 7, 2002

Prison sought for defense official in bribery trial

Prosecutors on Wednesday demanded a six-year prison term for a former Defense Agency official indicted on charges of breach of trust and bribery in connection with equipment deliveries to the agency's procurement office in the mid-1990s.
BUSINESS
Nov 7, 2002

China tells WTO of Japan steel curbs

China has told the World Trade Organization it will officially implement emergency tariffs to curb steel imports from Japan beginning Nov. 20, Japanese trade officials said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Nov 7, 2002

Oriental Land reaps bounty from DisneySea

Oriental Land Co., the operator of Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea, said Wednesday its group net profit in the first half through Sept. 30 surged 386.6 percent to 9.19 billion yen from a year earlier, thanks mainly to the popularity of DisneySea.
EDITORIALS
Nov 7, 2002

Report lacks post-reform visions

'N o Reform, No Growth: Part Two" is the title of the government's economic and fiscal report released Tuesday. A sequel to last year's report with the same title, this year's adds up to a reaffirmation of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's structural reform agenda. That is encouraging, yet people are...
COMMENTARY
Nov 7, 2002

How safe is nuclear energy?

Recent scandals regarding Tokyo Electric Power Co. safety inspection procedures have added a new sense of urgency to a long-standing question: "Are nuclear power reactors throughout East Asia being operated safely?"
BUSINESS
Nov 7, 2002

JT's first-half profit expands 46.1%

Japan Tobacco Inc. said Wednesday its fiscal-half group net profit grew 46.1 percent from a year earlier to 52.06 billion yen, thanks to cost cuts and brisk overseas sales of higher-end cigarettes.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT
Nov 7, 2002

Distant decimations

Due to the volcanic eruption at the beginning of July 2000, it's been a fairly long time since I experienced a normal Miyakejima summer. Miyakejima, my island home for many years before that, was beautiful in summer, with lush green forests, numerous birds and the deep, blue ocean all around.
BASEBALL / MLB
Nov 7, 2002

PL to continue Monday nighters

The Pacific League announced Wednesday it will hold games on Mondays in the 2003 season for the third straight year with Opening Day set for March 28, the same day as the Central League season openers.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Nov 7, 2002

A venerable flash in the pan

Among Japan's amazing diversity of plants that can overwhelm a visitor from overseas, there are (thankfully) some familiar forms. Astonishingly, given the literally hundreds of thousands of plant species on Earth, some here will be familiar whether you hail from North or South America, from Europe, Africa,...
JAPAN
Nov 7, 2002

15 firms control Hanshin Expressway bids: police

OSAKA -- Fifteen firms effectively control the repair and maintenance work for Hanshin Expressway Public Corp., even after public bidding was introduced in fiscal 2001 in a bid to end collusion, police sources said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Nov 7, 2002

Iraq factors block Powell visit plans

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell has canceled a planned visit to Japan next week over developments related to Iraq, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Nov 7, 2002

Court approves Air Do rehab plan

The Tokyo District Court on Wednesday approved a rehabilitation plan for failed Air Do, now in the process of court-mandated restructuring under the civil rehabilitation law.
BUSINESS
Nov 7, 2002

Nissin to buy into Snow Brand unit

Snow Brand Milk Products Co. said Wednesday it will sell part of its interest in distribution unit Yukijirushi Access Inc. to Nissin Food Products Co.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 7, 2002

Shocking raids open new era in Australia

SYDNEY -- In dawn raids across Australia, gun-toting security police bashed down doors, questioned Indonesian residents, then carted off private papers to check for suspected terrorist activities. Surely this is Hollywood? No, it's "she'll be right, mate" Australia.
BUSINESS
Nov 7, 2002

Monthly household spending sees biggest jump since 1997

Household spending rose 5.4 percent in September from a year earlier, marking the biggest increase since a 5.8 percent gain in March 1997, when consumers were stocking up on goods ahead of a consumption tax hike, the government said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Nov 7, 2002

FSA team's talks could be disclosed

Financial Services Minister Heizo Takenaka hinted Wednesday that in the future, he may publicize talks by a project team set up within his agency to discuss speeding up the disposal of bad loans.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / NAME OF THE GAME
Nov 7, 2002

PlayStation stays ahead of the pack

When it comes to video games, Sony is the company that does no wrong.
JAPAN
Nov 7, 2002

'Muneo House' bid-riggers get suspended terms

Two construction company employees were handed suspended prison terms after being found guilty Wednesday of interfering in the bidding process for a government-funded building on Kunashiri Island connected to scandal-tainted former lawmaker Muneo Suzuki.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK
Nov 7, 2002

Bear facts about honey traps

Twenty years ago, in arguments with officials of the Forestry Agency, which was clear-cutting great swaths of old mixed forest and selling off much of the timber to be turned into wood chips, I tried to stress the individual value of various trees. In those days, a 150- to 200-year-old horse chestnut...
JAPAN
Nov 7, 2002

Intruder who threatened maid avoids prison

A 66-year-old man was handed a suspended one-year prison term Wednesday for entering the home of former Yomiuri Giants manager Shigeo Nagashima and threatening a maid with a knife.
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Nov 7, 2002

Say 'baaa' if you're glad to be gay

When domestic rams eschew female sheep, and instead hang around in the corner of the field with other rams, rubbing each other up, necking and even mounting each other, what is going on? Lord Alfred Douglas, Oscar Wilde's lover, coined the phrase "The love that dare not speak its name," in his poem "Two...
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
Nov 7, 2002

Zico reveals his plans for Japanese team

In an exclusive interview with The Japan Times, Brazilian soccer legend and newly appointed Japan national team coach Zico aired his views on his philosophy and plans for the future of Japanese soccer.

Longform

Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.
With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear