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JAPAN
Dec 20, 2001

Armenia chief condemns terrorism

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and visiting Armenian President Robert Kocharian on Wednesday jointly condemned the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States and stressed the need to strengthen international cooperation "in combating terrorism at all levels."
BUSINESS
Dec 20, 2001

Fujisawa, Dutch firm enter tieup

OSAKA -- Fujisawa Pharmaceutical Co. said Wednesday it has signed a licensing agreement with Dutch medical technology group Jomed NV in the field of medical equipment for treating cardiac disease.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 20, 2001

Scale of Sept. 11 determines type of trial

SEOUL -- While Afghanistan has historically been referred to as the great game among the Great Powers vying for political supremacy in central Asia, a great debate has emerged in the United States over whether the terrorists responsible for the attacks against the World Trade Center and the Pentagon...
JAPAN
Dec 20, 2001

High court reverses ruling that freed Afghan refugees

The Tokyo High Court on Wednesday overturned a lower court ruling that resulted in the release of five Afghans detained by immigration authorities while applying for refugee status.
BUSINESS
Dec 20, 2001

Sanyo to introduce work-share system

OSAKA -- Sanyo Electric Co. plans to introduce a work-sharing system in April in the first such move by a major consumer electronics maker in Japan, company officials said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Dec 20, 2001

Japan's food self-sufficiency remains unchanged at 40%

The nation's ability to feed itself remained at 40 percent on a calorie basis in fiscal 2000, the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry said Wednesday.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 20, 2001

War 'back home' divides Jordan's Chechen community

ZARQA, Jordan -- When the wounded Chechen fighters arrived in Jordan in 1994, everything changed for Younis Ashab.
BUSINESS
Dec 20, 2001

Zero growth in GDP forecast for fiscal '02

The government on Wednesday adopted an official projection of zero economic growth in real terms for fiscal 2002, turning in its lowest-ever fiscal year growth target.
BUSINESS
Dec 20, 2001

China puts forth new proposal regarding trade rift

Japan and China failed to reach a breakthrough at vice-ministerial talks Wednesday on the trade row stemming from Japanese import curbs on three farm products, but agreed to resume talks.
JAPAN
Dec 20, 2001

Kin of missing slam Pyongyang move

OSAKA -- The families of 10 people who Tokyo believes were abducted by North Korean agents in the 1970s and 1980s were outraged at Pyongyang's announcement this week that it was suspending an investigation into the case.
BUSINESS
Dec 20, 2001

BOJ to further ease its monetary policy

The Bank of Japan decided Wednesday to further ease its ultra-loose monetary policy, despite its past assertions that the move will do little to allay fundamental fears about the economy.
JAPAN
Dec 20, 2001

State budget for 2002 unveiled

Finance Minister Masajuro Shiokawa unveiled Wednesday the outline of the ministry's draft general account budget for fiscal 2002, worth 81.23 trillion yen.
BUSINESS
Dec 20, 2001

Japanese Enron units go under

Enron Japan Corp. and three other local group companies of failed U.S. energy giant Enron Corp. have been declared bankrupt by the Tokyo District Court, a private credit-research agency said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Dec 20, 2001

Atomic bomb survivors seek official recognition

Atomic bomb survivors may file several lawsuits nationwide demanding that the government recognize their bomb-related illnesses and pay them special medical allowances, according to sources familiar with the case.
EDITORIALS
Dec 20, 2001

The danger next door

While the world's attention has been focused on the war in Afghanistan, tensions between India and Pakistan have been slowly building. A series of terrorist attacks on India has raised the specter of war once again between these two South Asian nations. Given the dangers involved -- both countries have...
BUSINESS / ON THE FRONT LINE
Dec 20, 2001

Does a 'sell Japan' scenario loom again?

Investors have opted for electric machinery and auto shares in recent days, counting on the positive effects of a weak yen.
JAPAN
Dec 20, 2001

Professor suspended for harassment

A professor at the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology in Fuchu has been suspended for three months for sexually harassing two female students, officials said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Dec 20, 2001

Mitsui to boost foundation funds

Mitsui Mutual Life Insurance Co. is moving to beef up its foundation funds by around 100 billion yen to improve its credibility, industry sources said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Dec 20, 2001

British reporter held in hit-and-run

A British journalist employed by the London-based Financial Times was arrested over an alleged hit-and-run incident in Tokyo's Nagata-cho district early Wednesday, police said.
BUSINESS
Dec 20, 2001

Ogi, Ishihara OK Haneda runway

Transport minister Chikage Ogi and Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara agreed Wednesday on a draft proposal to build another runway for Tokyo's Haneda airport, ministry officials said.
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Dec 20, 2001

Extra-terrestrial squid seen in the abyss

The world's largest ecosystem? Not the Amazon rain forest, nor the Great Barrier Reef. It is the abyss.
BUSINESS
Dec 20, 2001

Wary foreign investors shunning Indonesia

JAKARTA -- Foreign investment in Indonesia has been locked in a downward spiral. Despite optimism at the appointment of the current government, the country has barely been able to attract capital from outside. The terror attack against the United Stated on Sept. 11 only partly explains the negative sentiment....
ENVIRONMENT
Dec 20, 2001

Concern over threat to rare blue corals

Ancient and complex, the rare blue coral reef of Shiraho, Ishigaki Island -- part of the Ryukyu island chain, Japan's southernmost -- is one of the world's biggest and perhaps oldest blue coral reefs. Though only 3 km long, it contains at least two-thirds the number of species of Australia's 2,000-km...
MORE SPORTS
Dec 20, 2001

Challengers win Tokyo Super Bowl

Former XFL player Shinzo Yamada returned an interception 17 yards for the winning touchdown with 2:20 remaining in the fourth quarter as the Asahi Beverage Challengers beat the Matsushita Denko Impulse 14-7 in the Tokyo Super Bowl, the X League's championship game, on Tuesday at the Tokyo Dome.
JAPAN
Dec 20, 2001

War memorial panel holds first talks

A 10-member advisory panel set up to discuss an alternative way to pay tribute to Japan's war dead held its inaugural meeting Wednesday, agreeing to draw up a report in a year.

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