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JAPAN
Aug 29, 2001

Kawakami to replace JICA head Saito

Veteran diplomat Takao Kawakami will replace Kunihiko Saito as head of the Japan International Cooperation Agency, Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Aug 29, 2001

Pressure on reforms likely as bleeding starts

The nation's unemployment rate, which hit an all-time high of 5 percent in July, may present the greatest threat to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's reforms, begging the question, "Is reform worth the pain?"
CULTURE / Art
Aug 29, 2001

Prints to restore blocked vision

An exhibition of woodblock prints by Seiichi Suzuki is on show until Sept. 10 at Za Gallery Bunkyo in Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo.
JAPAN
Aug 29, 2001

Kyoto postmaster also taken into custody

OSAKA -- Yet another former senior official at the Kinki Postal Administration Office has been arrested on suspicion of using his position to urge postmasters to support the campaign of newly elected House of Councilors lawmaker Kenji Koso, police said.
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Aug 29, 2001

Sizzla: 'Black History'

This, I believe, is Sizzla's 16th album since his 1995 debut, although forgive me if I've missed one or two in my calculation, as we're talking about a reggae artist so prolific that, this year alone, we're looking at the possibility of four new albums.
JAPAN
Aug 29, 2001

Ogi told to submit privatization plans

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Tuesday ordered transport minister Chikage Ogi to submit her ministry's draft plans for privatizing six controversial state-backed corporations.
BUSINESS
Aug 29, 2001

Shiokawa tries to talk yen down

Finance Minister Masajuro Shiokawa told a regular news conference Tuesday he hopes to see the yen weaken against the dollar.
EDITORIALS
Aug 28, 2001

The world without the Soviet Union

Ten years ago this month, the Soviet Union collapsed in one final, drunken spasm. After decades of fear, the Soviet threat vanished with the proverbial whimper when Communist hardliners launched a last desperate coup attempt to bring then Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev back into line. They failed,...
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 28, 2001

Trends in life learning for senior citizens

CHIANG MAI, Thailand -- So much talk about globalization issues nowadays overshadows a couple of other equally important current developments: the longer life span of individuals and their wish to lead a meaningful period of time as silver-haired "senior citizens."
JAPAN
Aug 28, 2001

State to finance NGOs' participation in conflict-prevention activities abroad

In a bid to raise its low profile in international peacekeeping efforts, Japan is embarking on a significant financial-assistance program for domestic nongovernmental organizations participating in overseas conflict-prevention activities.
BUSINESS
Aug 28, 2001

Mitsui, Sumitomo to merge fertilizer sales subsidiaries

Mitsui & Co. and Sumitomo Corp. plan to streamline their operations by merging their wholly owned fertilizer sales subsidiaries by around April, officials of the two trading companies said Monday.
JAPAN
Aug 28, 2001

Infrastructure spending key to town mergers

The government plans to emphasize social infrastructure investment as part of a comprehensive plan to support mergers of cities, towns and villages, according to a draft plan obtained by Kyodo News.
JAPAN
Aug 28, 2001

Toshiba to eliminate 17,000 jobs

Toshiba Corp. announced Monday it will slash 17,000 jobs in Japan -- 12 percent of its domestic workforce -- by the end of March 2004 amid the worldwide slump in the information technology sector.
SOCCER / J. League / ON THE BALL
Aug 28, 2001

J. League bosses don't always get enough support from front office

Before the start of the J. League Division One second stage earlier this month, four clubs -- the Yokohama F. Marinos, Kashiwa Reysol, Nagoya Grampus Eight and Tokyo Verdy 1969 -- changed their managers. Last week Cerezo Osaka also changed its boss with the departure of Hiroshi Soejima and the arrival...
JAPAN
Aug 28, 2001

Investigators search home of slain policeman's assailant

Investigators Monday searched the home of a man who fatally stabbed a police officer in Setagaya Ward on Sunday before dying of a gunshot wound suffered in the struggle, Metropolitan Police Department sources said.
BUSINESS
Aug 28, 2001

Automakers' sales results split for July

Toyota Motor Corp., Nissan Motor Co. and Honda Motor Co. saw domestic sales rise in July, while sales for Mitsubishi Motors Corp. and Mazda Motor Corp. fell, according to data released by the companies Monday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Aug 28, 2001

Lions top BlueWave 7-3

Kazuhiro Wada went 2-for-2, including a two-run homer in the second inning, and drove home three runs as the Seibu Lions handed Orix its seventh straight loss by beating the BlueWave 7-3 at the Seibu Dome on Monday.
JAPAN
Aug 28, 2001

Ikeda Elementary reopens in wake of June slayings

IKEDA, Osaka Pref. -- Eighty days after the massacre of eight children at Osaka Kyoiku University Ikeda Elementary School, the school reopened Monday at a new temporary structure with several new features designed to ensure the safety of its approximately 680 students.
JAPAN
Aug 28, 2001

70 billion yen sought to launch spy satellites

The government is seeking 70.7 billion yen from the fiscal 2002 state budget to launch its first spy satellites, government officials said Monday.
LIFE / Travel
Aug 28, 2001

Whither the mighty Mekong?

"The boat moves off, the river banks remain." -- Old Khmer proverb
JAPAN
Aug 28, 2001

Judge walks after paying minors for sex

The Tokyo District Court sentenced Tokyo High Court Judge Yasuhiro Muraki to a suspended two-year prison term Monday for paying for sex with three girls ranging in age from 14 to 16.
BUSINESS
Aug 28, 2001

Firms urged to lower boundaries to shares

The Tokyo Stock Exchange will urge its listed companies to make available to investors shares for less than 500,000 yen, TSE officials said Monday.
BUSINESS
Aug 28, 2001

Omron cuts back group profit forecasts for fiscal 2001

Omron Corp., a maker of automated control equipment, said Monday it has cut earnings forecasts for fiscal 2001, trimming group net profit by 42.3 percent for the full year and by 66.7 percent for the first half from earlier projections in May.
BUSINESS / TAKING STOCK
Aug 28, 2001

Market may yet escape U.S. slowdown

Tokyo stocks are threatening to take the key Nikkei average into a range between 10,000 and 11,000.
BUSINESS
Aug 28, 2001

Rengo calls on Koizumi to curb job losses

The nation's largest labor organization called on Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Monday to help stave off joblessness via a special law and a supplementary budget for fiscal 2001.

Longform

"Shake hands with Lima-chan," a statue that shares the name of the Peruvian capital looks in the direction of Peru, where a sister statue, "Sakura-chan," is located. Erected in Yokohama's Rinko Park in 1999, it commemorates Peruvian-Japanese friendship.
The journey of Peru’s Nikkei: Finding identity in Japan