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JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Dec 21, 2000

Success of discount barns should come as no surprise

" 'Tis the season," and while many a crabby gaijin points out that Japan's decidedly commercial spin on Christmas excludes its religious meaning, shopping makes a lot of people happy, so why knock it?
JAPAN
Dec 21, 2000

Ministry proposes record-high defense budget

The Finance Ministry on Wednesday proposed a record-high defense budget of 4.955 trillion yen for fiscal 2001, which is a 0.4 percent rise over the initial budget for fiscal 2000, a ministry official said.
ENVIRONMENT
Dec 21, 2000

One tall organic latte, please

If you started your day with a cup of coffee, think about how you selected the beans for your brew. Perhaps they were on sale, or your favorite roast from Brazil or Colombia. Chances are, however, you didn't have the option of buying organically farmed coffee.
JAPAN
Dec 20, 2000

Product helps diabetics, but not here

Japanese businesses wanting to develop techniques for the regeneration of human tissue and commercialize their products are facing a major obstacle.
BUSINESS
Dec 20, 2000

Cerberus to waive most of credits owed by Dia

U.S. investment fund Cerberus Asia Capital Management LLC has agreed to waive claims on 17 billion yen of its 23 billion yen in credits to Dia Kensetsu Co., the nation's second-largest condominium builder, it was announced Tuesday.
JAPAN
Dec 20, 2000

Kono-Ivanov talks miss treaty deadline

Foreign Minister Yohei Kono said Tuesday he will visit Moscow for two days from Jan. 16 for peace treaty negotiations with his Russian counterpart, Igor Ivanov.
BASEBALL / MLB
Dec 20, 2000

Giants boost salary of infielder Nishi

The Japan Series champion Yomiuri Giants coughed up an extra 70 million yen Tuesday in order to re-sign infielder Toshihisa Nishi for next season, officials of the Central League club said.
JAPAN
Dec 20, 2000

Jazz singer's choir beats holiday blues

Like strangers, they eye each other cautiously at first -- perhaps even with a trace of suspicion. But the music begins, and instantly the room is transformed into a hall housing a choir of angels. A thunderous applause ensues, some tears fall -- and finally the smiles materialize.
JAPAN
Dec 20, 2000

Law puts brakes on Aum activities

Although a year-old law to regulate dangerous organizations has put the brakes on the activities of Aum Shinrikyo, the cult still poses a potential threat to the public, Justice Minister Masahiko Komura said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Dec 20, 2000

Government to study need for import curbs on farm goods

The government will launch an investigation into three farm products to determine whether import restriction measures are needed to protect domestic producers, it was announced Tuesday.
JAPAN
Dec 20, 2000

Soviets used POWs as pawns

During the 1955-56 negotiations on restoring Russo-Japanese relations, the Soviet Union used Japanese prisoners of war as "political hostages," according to Japanese diplomatic documents declassified Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Dec 20, 2000

Sumitomo Light ties with Kobe Steel

Sumitomo Light Metal Industries Ltd. and Kobe Steel Ltd. said Tuesday they have signed an agreement to form broad tieups in the aluminum extrusion business.
JAPAN
Dec 20, 2000

Nationwide network eyed to combat eating disorders

The Health and Welfare Ministry will set up a nationwide network of medical centers within three years to treat eating disorders such as anorexia and hyperorexia, ministry officials said.
SOCCER / J. League
Dec 20, 2000

Lopes joins FC Tokyo

Former Japan striker Wagner Lopes on Tuesday agreed to join FC Tokyo after two seasons at Nagoya Grampus Eight.
JAPAN
Dec 20, 2000

Kingpins accountable in mistaken gang hit

The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld a lower court ruling ordering the leaders of two gangster organizations in Okinawa Prefecture to pay roughly 57.5 million yen to the parents of a youth who was fatally shot in 1990 after being mistaken as a rival gangster.
JAPAN
Dec 20, 2000

Arson tops fire list for third year

Arson was the main cause of fires in 1999 for the third successive year, with 7,481 cases, according to an annual government white paper endorsed Tuesday by the Cabinet.
EDITORIALS
Dec 20, 2000

English for the 21st century

One thing that is almost certain not to change in the new century is Japan's long love-hate relationship with the English language. What might change is the degree of interest in learning English among younger Japanese, eager to tap the wealth of information available on the Internet. In fact, much about...
BUSINESS
Dec 20, 2000

Korean residents demand protection in wake of credit unions' insolvency

OSAKA -- Pro-Seoul Korean residents in Japan marched to the Finance Ministry's Kinki Finance Bureau in Osaka on Tuesday, seeking protection for customers of a credit union that was declared insolvent Saturday.
JAPAN
Dec 20, 2000

Outline of 82.7 trillion yen budget for 2001 unveiled by Miyazawa

Finance Minister Kiichi Miyazawa on Tuesday unveiled the outline of the ministry's 82.65 trillion yen draft general-account budget proposal for fiscal 2001.
LIFE / Digital / CYBERIA
Dec 20, 2000

Real democracy, anyone?

Have we learned our lesson in democracy? God forbid anyone should ever weasel out of voting again with the claim that their ballot doesn't count, that it doesn't make a difference. There is almost no way the margin in the U.S. vote could have been narrower, and with the divisions elsewhere in the country,...
JAPAN
Dec 20, 2000

Men attack bank vehicle, steal sacks

Three men attacked a bank van at around 5:20 p.m. Tuesday in Tokyo's Taito Ward, shooting and wounding a security guard, police said.
BUSINESS
Dec 20, 2000

Mitsubishi Motors to shut down major plant in Nagoya

Mitsubishi Motors Corp. plans to close one of its three main domestic car assembly plants during fiscal 2001, which begins next April, company sources said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Dec 20, 2000

Hope gleaned from 'tankan' doom, gloom

The Bank of Japan's latest quarterly survey of business sentiment has shed light on two important aspects of economic fundamentals.

Longform

In 2020, 38% of all households were single-person. That figure is projected to rise to 44.3% by 2050.
The rise of AI companionship in a lonely Japan