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BUSINESS / ON THE FRONT LINE
Aug 1, 2002

Dollar selloff takes breather

The dollar, on the sell side for 3 1/2 months, sank to the 115 yen level a fortnight ago and hit parity with the euro.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Aug 1, 2002

Support groups for foreign spouses and kimono essentials

Since it's too hot to hang around chatting, let's plunge straight in.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Aug 1, 2002

Isles trampled in white elephant stampede

Japan's islands have long been a source of tearful TV documentaries that focus on aging populations and families abandoned by children who have left for the cities.
ENVIRONMENT
Aug 1, 2002

Tokyo's paradise isle under threat

Mikura Island in the Izu Islands south of Tokyo is a spectacular natural paradise known the world over for its community of bottlenose dolphins, estimated to be almost as numerous as the island's 240 inhabitants.
JAPAN
Aug 1, 2002

Koizumi censure motion voted down

The House of Councilors voted down a nonbinding censure motion against Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Wednesday during the final throes of the six-month Diet session that ended later in the day.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 1, 2002

Trendsetters ditch beach-girl look

The Japanese beauty industry has yet again been thrown into turmoil, with many young, trendy women abandoning the tanned beach-girl image in favor of the porcelain look.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 1, 2002

Exec admits paying off officials

The founder of a Tokyo consulting firm pleaded guilty Wednesday to paying 13.34 million yen in bribes to a Tokushima governor and two Ibaraki mayors between 1997 and 2000 for information or favors related to local public works projects.
COMMUNITY
Aug 1, 2002

TV news move boosts campaign to secure international channel

On July 25th, in a stunning about face, News Corporation announced the continued broadcast of the 24-hour news channel, Foxnews.
LIFE / Digital / NAME OF THE GAME
Aug 1, 2002

Prepare to enter the real pod race

In "Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace," little Anakin Skywalker, a preteen slave on Tatooine, entered a futuristic sport called pod racing.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 1, 2002

U.N. official seeks debt forgiveness, more aid for poorest African nations

While Japan is striving to reduce its official development assistance budget, it should channel more aid resources toward least developed countries in Africa, according to a high-ranking U.N. official.
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Aug 1, 2002

The extinction of bad memories

"In spite of severe headache, vomiting and disorder of micturition, he remained on duty for more than two months. He then collapsed altogether after a very trying experience, in which he had gone out to seek a fellow officer and had found his body blown to pieces, with head and limbs lying separated...
BUSINESS
Aug 1, 2002

Nationwide housing starts post rise for second month in row

Housing starts in June rose 0.3 percent from a year earlier to 101,502 units across the country, up for the second consecutive month, the government said Wednesday.
COMMENTARY
Jul 31, 2002

The U.S.-Japan management roundabout

What goes round, comes round. In the 1950s and '60s, U.S. experts warned Japanese businessmen that they had to get rid of their feudalistic management systems if they were to go ahead.
JAPAN
Jul 31, 2002

Half of jobless receiving no aid

An average of 3.74 million people were out of work in April and May, and 1.9 million of them had no source of income, according to a government report released Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jul 31, 2002

Panel calls for universities to be involved in foreign aid

A government panel proposed Tuesday the creation of a government-run institution to involve universities in international development assistance projects.
JAPAN
Jul 31, 2002

Emergency defense legislation believed too vague

Political dynamics aside, even some Defense Agency officials admit the emergency-contingency bills the ruling coalition plans to carry over to the next Diet session were flawed from the start.
JAPAN
Jul 31, 2002

Whistle-blower files not guilty plea

OSAKA -- A former senior prosecutor who blew the whistle on alleged corruption among fellow prosecutors pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to charges of taking bribes and abusing his authority.
EDITORIALS
Jul 31, 2002

Defense bills need thorough review

As the regular Diet session draws to a close, several key bills remain on the table. Among these are three defense bills designed to deal with a direct attack on Japan, real or perceived. The proposed legislation, however, is flawed in so many ways -- including the lack of provisions for civilian protection...
BUSINESS
Jul 31, 2002

U.S. plunge nearing an end?

Triggered by repeated corporate accounting scandals, the plunge in the U.S. stock market and the steep decline of the dollar have continued over the past two to three months.
BUSINESS
Jul 31, 2002

Sumitomo Mitsui plans to establish holding company

Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. announced Tuesday it will set up a financial holding company in early December and place itself and three affiliates under the company's umbrella to increase group flexibility and efficiency.
BUSINESS
Jul 31, 2002

As plasma-display TVs come down in price, sales go up

After an inauspicious debut just a few years ago, plasma-display TVs have become one of the hottest home appliances around.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jul 31, 2002

Will Ham hire foreign skipper in Sapporo?

Nikkan Sports newspaper, in its July 24 edition, ran a story speculating who would be the manager of the Nippon Ham Fighters when the team moves to Sapporo in 2004. The headline read, "Oya ka? Gaikokujin ka?" meaning it could be former Yokohama BayStars manager and Yakult Swallows catcher Akihiko Oya...
BUSINESS
Jul 31, 2002

Sharp bucks trend with plan to hire 130 midcareer staff

Sharp Corp. will hire 130 midcareer workers this year, despite a general trend among consumer electronics companies to downsize amid stagnation in the information technology sector, company officials said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Jul 31, 2002

Nissan launches new model of Fairlady Z sports car

In the latest attempt to revive its name, Nissan Motor Co. on Tuesday launched the new version of its flagship Fairlady Z sports car -- two years after production of the vehicle was terminated.
BUSINESS
Jul 31, 2002

Fukuda says no plans yet for extra fiscal 2002 budget

The government has no plans at present to draft a supplementary budget for fiscal 2002, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jul 31, 2002

Cabinet no-confidence motion rejected

On the eve of the end of the current Diet session, the House of Representatives on Tuesday voted down the first no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's Cabinet.
JAPAN
Jul 31, 2002

Street performers audition for metropolitan licenses

Street performers auditioned Tuesday in front of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building in Shinjuku to receive local government licenses to perform in public places.

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