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COMMENTARY
Aug 29, 2002

Taiwan ditching 'nice guy' diplomacy

Taiwanese Vice President Annette Lu was greeted triumphantly upon her return to Taiwan, but her trip to Indonesia yielded mixed results at best. Taiwan may well have raised expectations in Indonesia that it may not be able to fulfill. Moreover, China will now put renewed pressure on Southeast Asian countries...
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 29, 2002

Will Europe's left back a war on Iraq?

LONDON -- In the black and white world of U.S. President George W. Bush, the European left is as soft as Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is evil. And the White House seems to be as uninterested in persuading the left to back a war in Iraq as they are in negotiating with the Iraqi leader about readmitting...
EDITORIALS
Aug 29, 2002

Inching toward normalization talks

Japan and North Korea are moving toward resuming the long-stalled talks to normalize relations. Foreign ministry officials from the two nations met in Pyongyang for two days earlier this week and agreed to continue consultations to explore the possibilities for restarting the negotiations. Also, Prime...
JAPAN
Aug 29, 2002

GMOs in 30% of 'organic' soybean

The farm ministry said Wednesday that 25 out of 80 randomly selected tofu and "natto" soybean products sold under organic labels were found to contain genetically modified soybeans.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 29, 2002

Koizumi moves to temporary home during renovations

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi moved Wednesday to a temporary home in Shinagawa Ward, Tokyo, while he awaits the completion of renovation work on his official residence in Chiyoda Ward.
BASEBALL / MLB
Aug 29, 2002

Red hot Swallows close gap on Giants

The Yakult Swallows are starting to look like birds of prey.
JAPAN
Aug 29, 2002

NGO to fight Mali famine by planting new-type rice

A Tokyo-based nongovernmental organization will seek to counter famine in Mali by planting a new strain of rice in the northwestern Africa country, members of the organization said.
JAPAN
Aug 29, 2002

Coast guard to build beefed-up patrol vessels

The Japan Coast Guard plans to build 11 high-speed patrol vessels that authorities hope would give the force more muscle to hunt down unidentified ships operating off the nation's coasts, officials said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Aug 29, 2002

PCBs from military bases may be sent back to U.S.

The U.S. Department of Defense hopes to ship over 3,000 tons of materials containing polychlorinated biphenyls stored at military bases in Japan to the United States for recycling or disposal, officials at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo said Wednesday.
COMMUNITY
Aug 29, 2002

Telephone counselors sought

TOKYO ENGLISH LIFE LINE (TELL) is offering a training program for volunteer telephone counselors. TELL is a 365 days-a-year free counseling line for English speakers and has been serving the international community in Japan since 1973.
JAPAN
Aug 29, 2002

Mitsui workers suspected of bribing foreign official

Employees of trading house Mitsui & Co. are being questioned on suspicion that they bribed a Mongolian government official last year to secure an order for a power project financed by the Japanese government, informed sources said Wednesday.
MORE SPORTS
Aug 29, 2002

U.S. swimmers win four out of five finals

YOKOHAMA -- Sachiko Yamada had the home crowd screaming their lungs out. Same with Ian Thorpe, who proved he was fastest regardless of length.
JAPAN
Aug 29, 2002

Typhoon Rusa approaches Amami

Typhoon Rusa, the 15th typhoon of the season, is approaching the Okinawa and Amami regions, the Japan Meteorological Agency said Wednesday.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Aug 29, 2002

Prehistory still abounds in everyday life

In the course of a normal day, the word "fossil" may quite possibly never occur to you. Fossils are, however, crucial to many aspects of daily life.
JAPAN
Aug 29, 2002

IT-related sectors' CO 2 output may soar by 2010, report says

Carbon dioxide emitted by industries involved in information technology in Japan could log a three-fold increase in the 10 years from 2000 to 2010, according to a recent study.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Aug 29, 2002

Clearing the air, resurrecting cash and finding a pet

Clearing the air With summer winding down, and in readiness for new seasonal beginnings, time to clean the slate.
BUSINESS
Aug 29, 2002

Fitch leaves ratings of 10 major Japanese banks unchanged

Fitch Ratings said Tuesday it has left unchanged the credit ratings of 10 Japanese banks, including a holding company, in anticipation that the Japanese government will extend support if needed.
BUSINESS
Aug 29, 2002

Land ministry budget up 16%

The Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry said Wednesday it has requested a budget appropriation of 8.309 trillion yen for fiscal 2003, up 16 percent from its initial budget for the current fiscal year.
JAPAN
Aug 29, 2002

Ministry asks for 2.49 billion yen for English lessons

The Education Ministry on Wednesday submitted a 7.01 trillion yen budget request for fiscal 2003, up 6.7 percent from its initial fiscal 2002 budget and with a major increase in funds earmarked for English teaching, ministry officials said.
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Aug 29, 2002

Fruit bats boiled in milk may be tasty, but . . .

After World War II, the Pacific island of Guam was taken over by the United States military. In the years that followed, a mysterious, debilitating and incurable brain disease struck increasing numbers of the indigenous Chamorro people, hitting the men especially hard.
JAPAN
Aug 29, 2002

Ministry hopes to pay for babies

The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry plans to press for a 4.6 percent increase in its fiscal 2003 budget in order to introduce a 1.04 trillion yen incentive program to boost the nation's birthrate, officials said Wednesday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 29, 2002

Shangri-La banks on China's future

The growth potential of China's markets is well known, but if there is any concern, it's that growth may come too fast, according to Al Wymann, Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts group director of operations in China.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 29, 2002

Toyota's G-Book to provide drivers with interactive info

Toyota Motor Corp. said Wednesday that it will introduce a new membership-based information network service called G-Book this fall, enabling drivers to receive a wide range of interactive information services via wireless communication terminals mounted in their vehicles.

Longform

Figure skater Akiko Suzuki was once told her ideal weight should be 47 kilograms, a number she now admits she “naively believed.” This led to her have a relationship with food that resulted in her suffering from anorexia.
The silent battle Japanese athletes fight with weight