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JAPAN
Nov 24, 2001

Gangsters arrested over loan-sharking

OSAKA -- The 62-year-old head of a group affiliated with a major crime syndicate and three other senior members of the gang were arrested Friday on suspicion of usury, police said.
JAPAN
Nov 24, 2001

Tottori mountain-top restrooms get 70 million yen upgrade

YONAGO, Tottori Pref. -- Weary climbers will be able to relieve themselves in style after local authorities shelled out some 70 million yen for two environment-friendly toilets on a mountain top.
EDITORIALS
Nov 23, 2001

Another U.S. role in Afghanistan

The Taliban regime has collapsed. The citizens of Kabul apparently welcomed the incoming Northern Alliance troops and feted their "liberation" from five years of oppression.
JAPAN
Nov 23, 2001

Blueprint on public corporations agreed upon by coalition leaders

Leaders of the ruling coalition on Thursday approved Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's blueprint to abolish or privatize seven major government-backed corporations.
BUSINESS
Nov 23, 2001

UFJ writeoffs will balloon to 2 trillion yen

UFJ Holdings Inc. said Thursday its member banks' total bad-loan writeoffs will balloon sixfold from original estimates to an unprecedented 2 trillion yen for the full business year ending March 31, on the back of likely failures among major borrowers.
JAPAN
Nov 23, 2001

Obituary: Kazuo Majima

Kazuo Majima, an Upper House lawmaker from the Liberal Democratic Party, died of a heart attack Thursday morning at a hospital in Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture, his family said. He was 69.
JAPAN
Nov 23, 2001

Colleges for teachers face drastic cuts

An education ministry panel recommended Thursday that the number of government-run teachers' universities and education departments at other schools should be cut in half.
JAPAN
Nov 23, 2001

Koizumi turns blind eye to reform of farm sector

When he roared into office in April, the maverick Junichiro Koizumi vowed to die hard in a fight against old guard forces within his own Liberal Democratic Party. His proclaimed mission was clear: to turn around the decade-long economic slump in the medium and long terms through "bold structural reforms...
BUSINESS
Nov 23, 2001

Consolidated tax system put off for one year

Finance Minister Masajuro Shiokawa said Thursday that a proposed consolidated taxation system for companies will be delayed by one year, indicating its introduction would radically cut tax revenue.
JAPAN
Nov 23, 2001

Volunteer architects build school in north Nepal village

OSAKA -- The Asian Architecture Friendship, an Osaka-based group of volunteers, is helping to build a school in a mountain village in northern Nepal, a project official said.
JAPAN
Nov 23, 2001

Poll reveals disaffected youth chase good times, shun work

Young people in Japan are more interested in having a good time than in seeking a better society, according to a government survey released Thursday. They are also overwhelmingly dissatisfied with Japanese society and have little interest in making a contribution to it.
JAPAN
Nov 23, 2001

Plans call for construction of cow crematoriums

The government is drafting plans for the construction of eight state-of-the-art incinerators to burn cow carcasses and parts that may transmit mad cow disease, government sources said Thursday.
BUSINESS
Nov 23, 2001

Ministers defend budget-finance plan

Several Cabinet ministers on Thursday defended a plan to use funds from the sale of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. shares to finance a 2.5 trillion yen second supplementary budget for fiscal 2001.
JAPAN
Nov 23, 2001

Jichiro chapters stop paying dues to headquarters

At least 10 prefectural chapters of Jichiro, the nationwide union of local government employees, have stopped paying membership dues to protest allegations of shady financial dealings at the head office.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 23, 2001

Over 5,000 suspect cows to be destroyed

The farm ministry said Thursday that all cows nationwide that have been fed meat-and-bone meal and other suspected sources of mad cow disease will be disposed of, after the nation's second case of the brain-wasting illness was confirmed Wednesday in Hokkaido, ministry officials said.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 23, 2001

Juvenile correction system feeling strain

Teenagers in uniform tank tops and shorts, their hair all cropped in the same manner, march in lines at an athletic field. It looks like a military boot camp, but in actuality is an athletic festival at a juvenile reformatory in Hachioji, western Tokyo.
BASEBALL / MLB
Nov 23, 2001

Maeda leaves Dragons for Giants

The Yomiuri Giants announced Thursday the acquisition of free agent Yukinaga Maeda, signing the southpaw to a four-year contract worth an estimated 500 million yen with performance-tied incentives.
BUSINESS
Nov 23, 2001

Sumitomo Mitsui companies to enhance alliance

Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. and three insurers with ties to the Sumitomo Mitsui group said Thursday they will bolster those ties to enhance their ability to develop innovative insurance policies and boost marketing cooperation amid the harsh business environment.
BUSINESS
Nov 23, 2001

NTT reports 262 billion yen net loss for '01 first half

The Nippon Telegraph and Telephone group reported its first interim net loss Thursday, brought on by special losses of 762.4 billion yen incurred by failed investments in overseas carriers.
JAPAN
Nov 23, 2001

Government to seek swift CJD settlement

Health minister Chikara Sakaguchi said Thursday the government will try to reach a quick settlement in two damages suits over Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease contracted from transplants of infected dura mater imported from Germany.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 23, 2001

Public gets first glimpse of rare Aye-aye lemurs

Tokyo's Ueno Zoo on Thursday showed off to the public for the first time a pair of endangered Aye-aye lemurs, imported from Madagascar, zoo officials said.
LIFE / Lifestyle / LEARNING BY HEART
Nov 23, 2001

Pioneer still speaking up and acting out

Almost 20 years ago, Teri Suzanne stood in front of a packed audience in Tokyo at the Association of English Teachers of Children, and unveiled her "English in Action" method with what was then a radical declaration: "I know that young children have the capacity to learn multiple languages by connecting...
JAPAN
Nov 23, 2001

Blueprint on public corporations agreed upon by coalition leaders

Leaders of the ruling coalition on Thursday approved Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's blueprint to abolish or privatize seven major government-backed corporations.
BUSINESS
Nov 23, 2001

UFJ writeoffs will balloon to 2 trillion yen

UFJ Holdings Inc. said Thursday its member banks' total bad-loan writeoffs will balloon sixfold from original estimates to an unprecedented 2 trillion yen for the full business year ending March 31, on the back of likely failures among major borrowers.
BUSINESS
Nov 23, 2001

China-Japan trade discussions fail once again

Japan and China, in their government-level meeting, failed again Thursday to settle a trade row over Japan's emergency import curbs, according to officials from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
JAPAN
Nov 23, 2001

Obituary: Kazuo Majima

Kazuo Majima, an Upper House lawmaker from the Liberal Democratic Party, died of a heart attack Thursday morning at a hospital in Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture, his family said. He was 69.
JAPAN
Nov 23, 2001

Colleges for teachers face drastic cuts

An education ministry panel recommended Thursday that the number of government-run teachers' universities and education departments at other schools should be cut in half.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji