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SOCCER / J. League
Feb 21, 2002

Yanagisawa wins press award

Kashima Antlers and Japan striker Atsushi Yanagisawa was named the 2001 "Footballer of the Year" on Wednesday in a poll of Japanese soccer writers.
JAPAN
Feb 21, 2002

Lifetime employee laments end to her dream of promotion

Setsuko Tanao, an employee at Nomura Securities Co., has fought for gender equality in the workplace since joining the firm's Osaka branch as a high school graduate in 1961.
COMMENTARY / WASHINGTON UPDATE
Feb 21, 2002

Silver lining in Enron scandal: campaign finance reform

WASHINGTON -- It may look like Enron Corp. is the only game in town, but that would be far from the truth. A lot is going on these days, although Enron certainly has taken a big chunk of the capital's attention. There are hearings galore and press conferences in between. To what end? Good question. This...
JAPAN
Feb 21, 2002

Find something worth saying, then build skills: translator

Natsuko Toda, a leading writer of Japanese subtitles for English-language movies, said Wednesday that Japanese people should learn how to be more expressive in their own language before worrying about learning English.
JAPAN
Feb 21, 2002

Minister proposes 1.3% discount for doctor visits

Chikara Sakaguchi, minister of health, labor and welfare, on Wednesday formally proposed that doctor consultation fees and the cost of prescription drugs should be reduced by an average of 1.3 percent.
BUSINESS
Feb 21, 2002

Asahi Breweries rides 'happoshu' wave into the black

Leading Japanese brewer Asahi Breweries Ltd. said Wednesday it posted a net profit of 13.62 billion yen in its business year to Dec. 31, helped partly by its entry into the "happoshu" market last February.
BUSINESS
Feb 21, 2002

Fujitsu, French firm announce 3G deal

Fujitsu Ltd. and French telecommunications firm Sagem SA agreed Tuesday to jointly develop basic technologies for third-generation cell phones.
BUSINESS
Feb 21, 2002

No public funds for holders of bogus Chogin deposits

Financial Services Minister Hakuo Yanagisawa has pledged to refuse to use public funds to pay off any holders of bogus deposit accounts at Chogin credit unions with alleged financial ties with North Korea.
JAPAN
Feb 21, 2002

Online music trade riles labels

The battle between online music-swapping service providers and the Japanese music industry is intensifying, with the industry vowing to crack down on what it calls illegal sharing of digital copies of music.
BUSINESS
Feb 21, 2002

BOJ chief tells Koizumi to spur bank injections

Bank of Japan Gov. Masaru Hayami has advised Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to funnel public funds into banks' depleted capital accounts to stabilize the banking system, government officials said Wednesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 21, 2002

Nomura Securities loses discrimination lawsuit

Nomura Securities Co. was ordered Wednesday by the Tokyo District Court to pay 56 million yen in consolation money to 12 female employees for the mental pain inflicted by the securities firm's discriminatory employment system.
SOCCER / J. League
Feb 21, 2002

JFA takes steps to professionalize referees

The Japan Football Association on Tuesday announced it will introduce a new "Special Referee" system starting this coming season, and has said it has appointed Toru Kamikawa and Masayoshi Okada as the first "SR" refs, in the first step toward professionalizing its referees.
JAPAN
Feb 21, 2002

Team discusses fuel-cell promotion

Vice ministers from three government ministries on Wednesday held their first meeting on promoting fuel cell technology in Japan.
JAPAN
Feb 21, 2002

Flu warnings cover 46 prefectures

Warnings of possible influenza outbreaks have been issued to all but one prefecture nationwide, a center on infectious diseases said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Feb 21, 2002

Wire making firms promise unions to avoid staff cuts

The management of Furukawa Electric Co., Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd. and four other leading electric wire makers promised in recent negotiations with their labor unions that they would make "utmost efforts" to avoid job cuts, union officials said Wednesday.
BUSINESS / ON THE FRONT LINE
Feb 21, 2002

Recovery to ease yen-selling

Caught between fears of a domestic crisis in March and expectations of government measures to fight deflation, the dollar-yen rate has remained stuck in a relatively narrow range between 131 yen and 135 yen in recent weeks.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 21, 2002

Chino cements image as ADB's best chief ever

MANILA It was the most important night of the year. As "Show 2001" got off to a start, the hall was packed to standing room only, and talented employees -- mostly Filipinos -- strutted their stuff in aid of local charities.
BUSINESS
Feb 21, 2002

Honda chairman to head car industry association

Yoshihide Munekuni, chairman of Honda Motor Co., is expected to become the head of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association Inc. in May, industry sources said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Feb 21, 2002

Tepco may muscle in on Tohoku power turf

Tokyo Electric Power Co. may submit bids for three electricity retailing contracts in the Tohoku region, threatening to muscle in on Tohoku Electric Power Co.'s territory, industry sources said Wednesday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / INTERNATIONAL RATIONALE
Feb 21, 2002

Japanese companies begin to build their brands

In October 1999, Nissan Motor Co. chief Carlos Ghosn said he planned to boost Nissan's brand power as part of a turnaround plan for the then ailing automaker. Many Nissan workers were initially confused.
BUSINESS
Feb 21, 2002

TSE aiming to be listed in 2005

The Tokyo Stock Exchange aims to list itself in the 2005 business year by improving its profitability during a midterm management program from 2002 to 2004.
BUSINESS
Feb 21, 2002

Noevir to sell cosmetic goods online

Cosmetics maker Noevir Co. said Wednesday it will begin selling products over the Internet in April.
BUSINESS
Feb 21, 2002

Matsushita managers to learn sales

OSAKA -- Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. will send midlevel managers to large-scale household appliance retailers for about a month this spring to give them firsthand experience with sales of the company's product range, company officials said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Feb 21, 2002

Man held over fake job certificates

A man was issued an arrest warrant Wednesday on suspicion of registering a fictitious company in order to sell fake job certificates to immigrants.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Feb 21, 2002

Denizens of the deep that take your breath away

Almost exactly a year ago, I was introduced to scuba diving and the astonishing submarine sights of corals, colorful fish, sea lions, flightless cormorants and even penguins.

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past