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COMMENTARY / World
Feb 15, 2003

Few hawks in Southeast Asia

SINGAPORE -- As the world awaits the outcome of another report by United Nations weapons inspectors in Iraq, and perhaps a second resolution (following U.N. Security Council Resolution 1441), war drums are beating ever louder in the United States, Britain and some allied nations.
BUSINESS
Feb 15, 2003

Japanese unit of McDonald's logs huge loss

Ltd. said Friday it posted a group net loss of 2.34 billion yen for the business year through December, sinking into the red for the first time in nearly three decades under the heavy cost of store closures. The firm also said outlet openings will be reduced to 75 from 117 in 2002, leading to the first-ever...
JAPAN
Feb 15, 2003

Osaka to build world's largest planetarium theater screen

OSAKA -- The city of Osaka has unveiled a plan to build the world's largest "all-sky" screen at the Osaka Science Museum's planetarium theater to project celestial movements and simulate space travel.
SOCCER / J. League
Feb 15, 2003

Four teams to battle for Mazda Cup

Who will become the first champion as the No. 1 club in the East Asia?
JAPAN / PREFECTURAL FARE
Feb 15, 2003

Taste, color of Tokushima arrive in Tokyo

One weekday afternoon in January, an elderly woman dropped by Tokushima Ai-ai Plaza in Tokyo's Minato Ward just to pick up a package of boiled and dried baby sardines and fish paste.
JAPAN
Feb 15, 2003

Communist chief draws veil on long Diet career

Tetsuzo Fuwa, chairman of the Japanese Communist Party's Central Committee, said Friday he will not run in the next general election of the House of Representatives, bringing an end to a Diet career that has spanned more than three decades.
JAPAN
Feb 15, 2003

33% of high school grads fail to find job

One in three high school students looking to start work in April had failed to find a job as of Dec. 31, suggesting this is the toughest job market ever faced by graduating students, according to a survey released Friday by the education ministry.
JAPAN
Feb 15, 2003

Will they go to Japan?

The government said Friday it does not believe a reported U.S. plan to reduce the American military presence in South Korea will immediately mean soldiers there will be posted to Japan, but it wants Washington to provide more details.
EDITORIALS
Feb 14, 2003

Japan's role in solving Iraq issue

How should Japan deal with the Iraq crisis? The question is gaining urgency as the United States gears up for a military campaign. Yet the government has so far given only vague answers, though the ambiguity is not difficult to understand. During a Diet debate on Wednesday, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi...
JAPAN
Feb 14, 2003

Future of Kansai airports mulled in big meeting

OSAKA -- Local government and business leaders in the Kansai region met Thursday with senior transport ministry officials to discuss the future of the area's three airports.
COMMENTARY
Feb 14, 2003

Blair makes a case for war

LONDON -- British Prime Minister Tony Blair recognizes he has a tough task ahead to persuade Britons to support war on Iraq. In a Feb. 6 television program, he demonstrated that the case against Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is a strong one and emphasized the dangers of allowing the Iraqi dictator to...
JAPAN
Feb 14, 2003

Former minister halfway to prison

Former Construction Minister Kishiro Nakamura was turned over Thursday to the Tokyo Detention House in line with the Supreme Court's dismissal of his final appeal against a bribery conviction.
JAPAN
Feb 14, 2003

Promotion of nuclear power should be national policy: LDP

A Liberal Democratic Party policymaking panel agreed Thursday that the government should promote nuclear power as a national policy.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 14, 2003

Loan sharks feasting on ballooning number of people deep in debt

With the economy in the doldrums for years and unemployment at a record high, Japanese are racking up debts, falling prey to loan sharks and declaring bankruptcy by the thousands.
MORE SPORTS
Feb 14, 2003

Pavlicevic named Japan coach

The Japan Basketball Association said Wednesday it has hired Zeljko Pavlicevic of Croatia as the new manager for the men's national team on a four-year deal.
JAPAN
Feb 14, 2003

Japan NGO demands Beijing release 120 North Korean refugees, supporters

A Japanese nongovernmental organization helping North Koreans who have fled to China demanded Thursday that Beijing release at least 120 refugees and their supporters allegedly detained since October.
BUSINESS
Feb 14, 2003

Tokyo new condo supply slips 2.8%

The number of new condominiums put on sale in the Tokyo metropolitan area in January fell 2.8 percent from a year before to 3,327 units, the Real Estate Economic Institute said Thursday.
JAPAN
Feb 14, 2003

Osaka unveils slimmer draft budget

OSAKA -- The city of Osaka unveiled on Thursday a belt-tightening 1.78 trillion yen draft budget for fiscal 2003 featuring cuts in subsidies, public projects and personnel outlays.
BUSINESS
Feb 14, 2003

MMC pursues performance-linked wages

The union and management of Mitsubishi Motors Corp. have agreed to replace the seniority-based wage structure with a performance-based system, sources close to the talks said Thursday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 14, 2003

Japan urged to take lead in easing of drug patents

As host of an informal ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organization, Japan should take the initiative in easing rules on pharmaceutical patents so developing countries can have better access to desperately needed drugs, according to Dr. Tatsuo Hayashi, president of Africa-Japan Forum.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 14, 2003

Farm chief nixes WTO proposal

Farm minister Tadamori Oshima on Thursday rejected a WTO panel chief's proposal that would cut import tariffs on farm produce by up to 45 percent.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / VINELAND
Feb 14, 2003

A 'petite' varietal that punches above its weight

We were recently guests at a food and wine pairing session run by renegade chef Eric Gower (his second cookbook, "The Breakaway Japanese Kitchen," will be released this fall by Kodansha International). One wine on the table that stood out above all the rest was a 1997 Arciero Petite Sirah from California....
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Feb 14, 2003

Newcastle hoping lighting strikes twice in Champions League

LONDON -- If a week is a long time in politics, two months is an eternity in the Champions League which resumes after its winter hibernation next Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Feb 14, 2003

Hitachi, Oracle to reinforce ties

Hitachi Ltd. and U.S. software company Oracle Corp. said Thursday they will reinforce their cooperation in the field of storage solutions.

Longform

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
Rethinking that second drink: Japan’s Gen Z gets ‘sober curious’