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JAPAN
Jun 15, 2001

Economy downgraded for fifth month

The economy is deteriorating and may be slipping into recession due to sluggish personal consumption and business investment, the government said Thursday, downgrading its assessment for the fifth straight month.
BUSINESS
Jun 15, 2001

Man-on-the-street economic outlook takes a downturn

The outlook for workers employed in jobs that are sensitive to business cycles worsened in May for the first time in four months, according to a government survey released Thursday.
JAPAN
Jun 15, 2001

Law revised to prevent minors from using phone dating clubs

In a bid to crack down on child prostitution, the Diet on Thursday passed a bill revising a law controlling the sex industry to prohibit people under 18 from using telephone dating clubs.
BASEBALL / MLB
Jun 15, 2001

Tigers drop Dragons 9-0

Shinjiro Hiyama cracked two homer runs and drove in four as the Hanshin Tigers blanked the slumping Chunichi Dragons 9-0 Thursday at the Osaka Dome.
JAPAN
Jun 15, 2001

Education key to Uzbekistan's future

Alisher Shaykhov, outgoing Uzbekistan ambassador to Japan, expressed gratitude Thursday for Japan's contribution to educational development in the Central Asian republic, which has been striving for economic reform since it became independent in 1991, following the Shaykhovbreak up of the Soviet Union....
SOCCER / THE BALD TRUTH
Jun 15, 2001

Japan owes Troussier a 'Merci'

Poor South Korea. Get blitzed 5-0 by France in the Confederations Cup opener, making Japan feel a whole lot better about life after Philippe Troussier's boys lost by the same score in Paris on March 25. Go out of the tournament on goal difference, while Japan finish top of Group B following wins over...
COMMUNITY
Jun 15, 2001

You're not leaving the table till you finish those vegetables

Some nights, I drift off to sleep feeling as smug as if I'd just outwitted the devil. My husband has clued in to my little G spot of contentment, so when he wants to get on my good side, he knows to whisper: "Rio ate lots of vegetables today."
BUSINESS
Jun 15, 2001

Nomura to set up 401(k)-style pension

Nomura Securities Co. will withdraw from the securities industry's employee pension fund and use the money it saves to set up a 401(k)-style pension plan, company officials said Thursday.
MORE SPORTS
Jun 15, 2001

Venus, Capriati to play in Tokyo

Staff writer This year's Toyota Princess Cup tennis tournament will feature stars of the past and present, organizers announced Thursday in Tokyo. American Venus Williams is expected to make her debut in Japan, along with sister Serena who is the defending champion.
BUSINESS
Jun 15, 2001

Downward pressures on euro buoy yen

The euro remains under pressure, reflecting a shift in sentiment about the outlook for the euro-zone economy.
JAPAN
Jun 15, 2001

Hibakusha ruling to be appealed

The government will appeal a court ruling ordering the state to pay medical allowances to a Korean atomic bomb survivor who lives outside Japan, according to government sources.
BUSINESS
Jun 15, 2001

Corporate bankruptcies continue to rise

The number of corporate bankruptcies rose 12.8 percent in May from a year earlier to 1,724, increasing for the second consecutive month, a private research institute said Thursday.
BUSINESS
Jun 15, 2001

Keidanren backs Koizumi's reform initiatives

The Japan Federation of Economic Organizations (Keidanren) pledged its "full support" Thursday for Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's structural reform initiatives, even if such steps bring a negative impact on the economy.
JAPAN
Jun 15, 2001

Nation scrambles to catch up in online education

In a belated attempt to get up to speed in the field of e-learning, Japan's educational institutes and companies are scrambling to offer online education programs and cash in on the burgeoning field.
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Jun 15, 2001

Hummingbird hawkmoth

* Japanese name: Oosukashiba * Scientific name: Cephonodes hylas * Description: These moths are sometimes mistaken for hummingbirds, because they fly just like them. But they are in fact insects -- day-flying moths. The thorax and abdomen of this species are bright green, with red, black and yellow...
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 15, 2001

Korean summit fails to meet expectations

SEOUL -- Under normal circumstances, the meaning of a great event should become clearer in retrospect than in prospect. Yet on the first anniversary of last year's Korean summit, confusion rather than clarity reigns. In a sense, a year is too short a time to know if real change has occurred, setting...
BUSINESS
Jun 15, 2001

Foreign banks' edge to slip: expert

The lead held by foreign banks over their Japanese counterparts in areas such as derivatives trading will probably erode in five to 10 years, Brian Metcalfe, a professor at Brock University Business School, said Thursday.
BUSINESS
Jun 15, 2001

BOJ opposes easing monetary policy

Bank of Japan Gov. Masaru Hayami on Thursday brushed off political calls for the central bank to relax its monetary policy further in the face of an ailing economy.
JAPAN
Jun 15, 2001

Party members to visit Seoul, China

The secretaries general of the three ruling coalition parties will begin a four-day trip to China and South Korea on July 8, party members said Thursday.
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM MOSCOW
Jun 15, 2001

Bush and Putin square off

On Saturday, U.S. President George W. Bush is meeting his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in Ljubljana, Slovenia in what will be the first Russo-American summit of the 21st century. The issue that will dominate the talks is clear: Bush's grandiose plan for national missile defense. Like chess champs...
EDITORIALS
Jun 14, 2001

Long-term gain worth the pain

Japan's gross domestic product in the first quarter of the year dropped 0.2 percent from the previous quarter, or 0.8 percent at the annualized rate, according to figures released Monday by the Cabinet Office. Economic indicators since April also show the economy is decelerating. Mr. Heizo Takenaka,...
JAPAN
Jun 14, 2001

Cambodia to get $560 million

Donor nations concluded a two-day conference on aid to Cambodia in Tokyo on Wednesday with combined pledges of $560 million, conference officials said.
JAPAN
Jun 14, 2001

Drunk driver jailed for fatal crash

The Utsunomiya District Court sentenced a truck driver to 31/2 years in prison Wednesday for killing a 19-year-old caregiver when he crashed into her car while driving under the influence of alcohol last July.
JAPAN
Jun 14, 2001

Cuba envoy fund misuse to be probed

Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka indicated Wednesday she will thoroughly investigate reports that a former ambassador to Cuba diverted taxpayer money for private purposes.
JAPAN
Jun 14, 2001

Launch date for spy satellites delayed until July 2003

The government decided Wednesday to postpone the launch of two of four domestically developed reconnaissance satellites by five months until July 2003, due to delays in parts procurement.
BUSINESS
Jun 14, 2001

Yamasaki to ask BOJ for even easier money

Taku Yamasaki, secretary general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said Wednesday he will ask Bank of Japan Gov. Masaru Hayami to ease monetary policy further to prevent the economy from decelerating.
BUSINESS
Jun 14, 2001

Margin buying keeps rising

The balance of shares bought on credit rose for the fifth straight week last week, although the pace of increase slowed visibly.
BUSINESS
Jun 14, 2001

Amazon Japan adds video tapes, CDs, DVDs

The Japanese unit of Amazon.com announced Wednesday its expansion to sell compact discs, digital versatile discs and video tapes, but said there was no sign of the company making a profit yet.

Longform

Koichi Tagawa’s diary entry from Aug. 9, 1945, describes the day of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki.
The horrors of Nagasaki, in first person