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BUSINESS
Oct 30, 2001

Industrial output declined record 12.7% in September

Industrial output for September declined a record 12.7 percent from a year earlier and fell 2.9 percent from the previous month for the first decline in two months, according to a preliminary report released Monday by the industry ministry.
JAPAN
Oct 30, 2001

Obituaries: Yu Fujiwara / Yoritsune Matsudaira

Yu Fujiwara, a ceramic artist specializing in Bizen stoneware, died Monday morning at an Okayama hospital, his family said. Fujiwara, who had been awarded the status of living national treasure, was 69.
BUSINESS
Oct 30, 2001

Mitsubishi upgrades profit forecast

Mitsubishi Corp. said Monday it will log net profits of 42 billion yen in its consolidated earnings report for the April-September first half, up from the 30 billion yen it cited in its initial forecast in May.
Events
Oct 30, 2001

House of noble poets displays treasures from ancient Japan

KYOTO -- Tucked away near the southeast corner of Doshisha University in Kyoto is the last surviving house of Japanese nobility. Home to the Reizei family, it is now occupied by 54-year-old Kimiko Reizei and her husband, Tamehito, head of Tamao Kai, a school that teaches traditional "waka" poetry.
JAPAN
Oct 30, 2001

Nuisance emergency caller arrested

A 62-year-old Tokyo man has been arrested on suspicion of making more than 1,200 nuisance calls to the police emergency number over a four-month period, the Metropolitan Police Department said Monday.
JAPAN
Oct 30, 2001

Adult smoking rate drops for sixth consecutive year

The smoking rate among Japanese adults dropped to a record low of 32.7 percent in May, down 0.2 percentage point from a year earlier for a sixth consecutive year of decline, according to a recent report by Japan Tobacco Inc.
BUSINESS
Oct 30, 2001

Auto output drops 2.8%

Auto production for the first half of the business year fell 2.8 percent to 4.8 million units over the same period last year, the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association said Monday.
JAPAN
Oct 30, 2001

Two people die, five hurt in Kabukicho massage parlor fire

Two people were killed and five others, including a firefighter, were injured in a Monday morning blaze in the Kabukicho entertainment district of Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo, the Tokyo Fire Department said.
BUSINESS
Oct 30, 2001

Hikari Tsushin falls 56 billion yen into red

Cellular phone subscription agent Hikari Tsushin Inc. said Monday its group fell into the red during the business year that ended Aug. 31, posting net losses of 56.35 billion yen.
Events
Oct 30, 2001

Scare stops Kobe beef in its tracks

KOBE -- It's a warm, sunny day at the Okaba cattle ranch in Kobe's Kita Ward.
JAPAN
Oct 30, 2001

Envoy seeks release of Taliban captive

Japanese Ambassador to Pakistan Sadaaki Numata on Monday asked Afghanistan's Taliban authorities to secure the safety of a Japanese national detained in Jalalabad and asked for his swift release, the Foreign Ministry said.
SUMO
Oct 30, 2001

Kotomitsuki returns as sekiwake

Kotomitsuki, winner of last month's autumn tourney, returns to sumo's third-highest rank of sekiwake for the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament, according to rankings released Monday by the Japan Sumo Association.
JAPAN
Oct 30, 2001

Rice growers set to harvest 2001 bumper crop

The 2001 rice crop will be "fairly good," with the harvest index standing at 103 against the base of 100 for an average year, the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry has announced.
JAPAN
Oct 30, 2001

School loans soar to kids orphaned by fathers

The number of youths receiving student loans for their high school studies because their fathers committed suicide has increased rapidly in recent years amid the economic downturn, a Tokyo-based private scholarship group said.
JAPAN
Oct 30, 2001

SDF antiterrorism bill wins quick Diet passage

An antiterrorism bill allowing the Self-Defense Forces to lend an unprecedented level of support to U.S.-led forces overseas cleared the Diet on Monday.
LIFE / Travel / NATURE TRAVEL
Oct 30, 2001

The holiday that never began . . .

Romania has more brown bears per square kilometer than any other country in the world. Unspoiled forest covers 80 percent of the Carpathian mountains. Transylvania is home to thousands of wolves and 30 percent of Europe's lynx population. Wild boar, chamois, eagles and red deer abound.
LIFE / Travel
Oct 30, 2001

Where conflict meets contemplation

There is much to be said for Japan's provincial towns. As they rarely host more than a trickle of visitors, the spoils from tourism are never quite enough to disfigure them or completely vulgarize their heritage.
SOCCER / THE BALD TRUTH
Oct 30, 2001

Nakata not doing the business for Parma

Hidetoshi Nakata is in serious danger of turning into the "Plonker of Parma." Or worse still, the Japanese Nigel Clough.
BUSINESS
Oct 30, 2001

BOJ foresees 2001 contraction

Amid growing uncertainty about the future of the global economy, the Bank of Japan on Monday forecast that Japan's economy will show contraction for fiscal 2001 and that any recovery in 2002 will be slight.
JAPAN
Oct 29, 2001

Miyagi, Shiga await results of by-elections

Vote-counting began in Miyagi and Shiga prefectures Sunday evening after by-elections were held to fill two vacant spots in the 480-seat House of Representatives.
JAPAN
Oct 29, 2001

DPJ to back expansion of PKO law

The Democratic Party of Japan will agree to lift the freeze on Japanese participation in U.N. peacekeeping operations and relax conditions for use of weapons by Self-Defense Forces personnel when the ruling coalition decides to review the PKO law, DPJ sources said Sunday.
BUSINESS
Oct 29, 2001

Companies recall beef-related products

About 160 Japanese companies have recalled more than 1,500 products made from cow parts as a precaution against mad cow disease, a government survey shows.
JAPAN
Oct 29, 2001

Mori leaves for India to rally antiterror support

Former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori departed Sunday morning for a three-day trip to India to discuss antiterrorism efforts as a special envoy of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.
LIFE
Oct 29, 2001

A 'Stich in time saves nine

Riding defensively minimizes the chance of a motorcycle accident but unfortunately sometimes a get-off can't be avoided. That's when good riding gear can make the difference between a trip to the hospital or just a few aches.
JAPAN
Oct 29, 2001

Postal unit fined for not declaring income

An affiliate of the Postal Services Agency failed to declare about 120 million yen in income over a three-year period up to March this year, informed sources said.

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