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JAPAN
Jan 19, 2001

Bureaucratic reform date set

Basic reform principles for Japan's civil service and special public corporations will be drafted by June, Ryutaro Hashimoto, minister in charge of administrative reforms, said Thursday.
JAPAN
Jan 19, 2001

End of line looms for word processor machines

The supply of specialized Japanese-language word processor machines will likely dry up in the near future, as more and more consumers move over to personal computers.
BUSINESS
Jan 19, 2001

Matsushita to sell BS digital TV with hard disk

OSAKA -- Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. said Thursday it will put on sale March 20 the industry's first broadcast satellite-capable digital television set having a built-in hard-disk video recorder.
BUSINESS
Jan 19, 2001

Early trends, inaction may favor weak yen

There is a virtual consensus in the marketplace that the yen will soon hit 120 to the dollar and eventually 125 later in the year.
CULTURE / Film
Jan 19, 2001

Pleasure, pain and Arizona

January is an absolutely dire month for films, and this year's lingering holiday blockbuster constipation is even worse than usual. The pickings are slim, but you could try "Phatman: Theory of the Leisure Class," which is a rare film indeed -- an American indie flick that is opening in Japan but not...
JAPAN
Jan 19, 2001

Li Peng to visit Japan as early as April

China's No. 2 man Li Peng may visit Japan in the spring as part of bilateral efforts to secure medium- and long-term stability in the often prickly relations between the two nations, informed sources said Thursday.
BUSINESS
Jan 19, 2001

Skynet seeks Tokyo-Miyazaki flights

MIYAZAKI -- Skynet Asia Airways, a small airline based in Miyazaki, plans to apply to the government by September for approval to open a route between Tokyo and Miyazaki, airline officials said Thursday.
BUSINESS
Jan 19, 2001

Snow Brand to tie up with Itochu, Yayoi

Snow Brand Milk Products Co. said Thursday that it will strengthen its competitive edge in the frozen food business by joining hands with Itochu Corp. and its affiliate, Yayoi Foods Co.
JAPAN
Jan 19, 2001

Firms demand English speakers

Kyodo News Service Keizo Mori is one of many old-style Japanese corporate warriors trying to keep up in an internationalized work environment where mastering English has become key to climbing the promotion ladder.
JAPAN
Jan 19, 2001

KSD-tainted Koyama cozy with firms

Takao Koyama, the arrested House of Councilors member mired in the KSD bribery scandal, posed questions in parliamentary panels designed to increase state aid to scaffolding firms that later set up an association chaired by an official from a KSD-linked organization, sources familiar with the case said...
JAPAN
Jan 19, 2001

Probed diplomat deposited 350 million yen

A senior Foreign Ministry diplomat suspected of embezzling public funds between 1993 and 1998 had opened seven personal accounts at three major banks since 1993, in which a total of 350 million yen was once deposited, sources close to the case alleged.
COMMENTARY
Jan 19, 2001

Mori's fate hangs on Upper House election

Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori will face a moment of truth in the Upper House election scheduled for July. Results of the election could cause serious political turmoil.
JAPAN
Jan 19, 2001

Cellphone-cited accidents halved

A ban on the use of mobile phones while driving, which came into effect in 1999, has led to a reduction of more than 50 percent in cellphone-related traffic accidents, the National Police Agency said Thursday.
BUSINESS
Jan 19, 2001

Steelmakers to cut exports to Asia region

The head of the Japan Iron and Steel Federation on Thursday said Japanese steelmakers will sharply cut exports to Asia in the January-March quarter, admitting that their export drive has been pushing down steel prices in Asia.
SOCCER / World cup
Jan 19, 2001

JFA names Confederations Cup venues

Niigata, Kashima and Yokohama were named Thursday as venues for Japan's portion of FIFA's Confederations Cup, which will run from May 30 to June 10.
JAPAN
Jan 19, 2001

Mori asks panel to plan five-year science policy

Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori asked an advisory panel Thursday to draw up a comprehensive science and technology strategy for the nation by the end of March.
BASEBALL / MLB
Jan 19, 2001

BayStars veteran Komada calls it a career

Veteran Yokohama BayStars infielder Norihiro Komada said Thursday he is retiring from baseball after being released by the Central League club this offseason.
BUSINESS
Jan 19, 2001

GM increases equity stake in Suzuki to 20.1%

The General Motors Corp. group has acquired a combined 20.1 percent equity stake in Suzuki Motor Corp., Japan's top maker of minivehicles, Suzuki Motor said Thursday.
JAPAN
Jan 19, 2001

Opposition calls for public works projects to be cut

Four opposition parties made an unprecedented decision Thursday to jointly submit a motion in the next Diet session to demand the government reduce public works projects planned in the budget for fiscal 2001, opposition officials said.
COMMENTARY
Jan 19, 2001

EU overlooking a vital ally in Turkey

LONDON -- The Turkish "problem" is looming ever larger in European affairs.
BUSINESS
Jan 19, 2001

Japan tries to get economic ball rolling without U.S.

Japan is taking its first specific initiative in getting a still embryonic -- but potentially gargantuan -- economic forum of East Asian and Latin American countries grow smoothly.
CULTURE / Music / PLAY BUTTON
Jan 19, 2001

An 'islander' finds poetry in the soundtrack of life

Mention the word "art" to the average Japanese pop musician and the response is likely to be a roll of the eyes, a sharp intake of breath and a lot of mumbling.
BUSINESS
Jan 19, 2001

DoCoMo announces moves in Europe

Cellular giant NTT DoCoMo announced Thursday two separate deals to expand its presence in Europe, agreeing with local carriers to launch Internet services similar to DoCoMo's i-mode on smart cellular phones in the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and Italy.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jan 19, 2001

Understanding the power of evil

Hamlet's views on man are well known: "What a piece of work is a man! How noble in reason! how infinite in faculty! In form and moving how express and admirable! In action how like an angel! In apprehension how like a god! The beauty of the world!" (II-ii, 315-20)
JAPAN
Jan 18, 2001

Norway's whale move reduces waste

Norway's decision on Tuesday to lift a ban on whale meat exports paves the way for the efficient use of whale meat, a Japanese government official said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Jan 18, 2001

Firms unite on Net voice access

IBM Japan Ltd., Oki Electric Industry Co. and Hitachi Ltd. plan to set up in April a Japanese unit of the VoiceXML Forum, an international group that promotes open standards on voice access technologies for the Internet, company officials said Wednesday.

Longform

Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.
With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear