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LIFE / Lifestyle / MATTER OF COURSE
Nov 16, 2001

Sewing and cookery aren't just for the girls

On a recent observation day at the Japanese public elementary school that my children attend, I wandered into unfamiliar territory. I saw a mother entering a classroom I had never noticed. I followed her in and got quite a surprise.
JAPAN
Nov 16, 2001

NPA instructs local cops not to get trigger-happy

The National Police Agency has instructed prefectural police nationwide in charge of training and education to ensure their officers do not overuse their service revolvers.
BUSINESS
Nov 16, 2001

Koizumi gives WTO accord his blessing

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Thursday welcomed the previous day's accord by World Trade Organization trade ministers to launch new multilateral trade negotiations.
EDITORIALS
Nov 15, 2001

Australia opts for stability

Australian voters opted for stability and continuity last weekend when they gave Prime Minister John Howard a third term in office. Although the margin of victory was greater than expected, Mr. Howard's Liberal-National coalition government only picked up a few seats in Parliament. Moreover, the policies...
BUSINESS
Nov 15, 2001

Ichiro helps Sky Perfect cut losses

Sky Perfect Communications Inc., operator of the Sky PerfecTV digital broadcasting service, said Wednesday it incurred a consolidated net loss of 4.64 billion yen in the first half of this business year, compared with a loss of 15.89 billion yen a year earlier.
JAPAN
Nov 15, 2001

Expatriates in Japan uneasy over Northern Alliance advance

Many Afghans residing in Japan distrust the Northern Alliance and do not support its recent seizure of Kabul.
BUSINESS
Nov 15, 2001

Japan ranks low in productivity

Japan ranked 19th in terms of productivity in 1999 among the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's 28 industrialized members, up only one place from the previous year, a think tank said Wednesday.
JAPAN / INTERNATIONAL RATIONALE
Nov 15, 2001

Automakers steering toward financial markets

As the nation's banking sector continues to struggle with bad debts and falling stock prices, major automakers from Japan, Europe and the United States are seeking to expand the scale and scope of their financial businesses here.
BUSINESS
Nov 15, 2001

MMC logs first-half loss, optimistic for end of year

Mitsubishi Motors Corp. said Wednesday it suffered 31.49 billion yen in consolidated net losses in the first half of the business year, but predicted it will break even for the full year through March 31.
BUSINESS
Nov 15, 2001

Current account surplus falls 23.5% in first half to 5.2 trillion yen

The nation's current account surplus during the first half of fiscal 2001 declined 23.5 percent from a year earlier to 5.19 trillion yen, marking the second consecutive fall in the broadest measure of trade, the Finance Ministry said Wednesday in a preliminary report.
BUSINESS
Nov 15, 2001

Casio Computer to delete 3,000 jobs

Casio Computer Co. said Wednesday it will chop 3,000 jobs, about 17 percent of its group workforce, by March, after falling into the red in the first half of the business year.
BUSINESS
Nov 15, 2001

Cabinet Office says economy going down

The government on Wednesday downgraded its diagnosis of the Japanese economy's health for the seventh time this year, as the effects of the September terrorist attacks in the United States began to be felt.
JAPAN
Nov 15, 2001

University probes accident at cosmic ray laboratory

The University of Tokyo is conducting an investigation into a major accident that occurred Monday at its Super-Kamiokande cosmic ray research facility in Gifu Prefecture, where the groundbreaking discovery that neutrinos have mass was made in 1998.
COMMENTARY
Nov 15, 2001

Legacy of 'jihad' may linger

ISLAMABAD -- Chants of "jihad" (holy war) have repeatedly resonated on the streets of Pakistan in the weeks following Washington's decision to launch military attacks on Afghanistan.
BUSINESS
Nov 15, 2001

Trader Mitsui's profits slip 2.7%

Mitsui & Co. said Wednesday its consolidated net profit in the business first half fell 2.7 percent from a year earlier to 23.42 billion yen on slumping sales of petroleum, gases and chemicals.
BUSINESS
Nov 15, 2001

Bankruptcies hit postbubble high

The nation's prolonged recession forced more small and midsize firms into bankruptcy in October, with the number of failures surging 11.7 percent from a year earlier to 1,911, the worst since the nation's asset-inflated bubble economy burst a decade ago, a credit research firm said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Nov 15, 2001

Miyazaki film sets new box-office record

Innovative animation director Hayao Miyazaki has set a new Japanese box-office record with his latest film "Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi" ("Spirited Away"), according to film distributor Toho Co.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 15, 2001

State, drug firms held partially liable for CJD

The Tokyo and Otsu district courts have said that the government and two pharmaceutical companies are partially responsible for the spread of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease and have urged that settlements be reached in damages suits, lawyers for the plaintiffs said Wednesday.
COMMENTARY
Nov 15, 2001

The dilemma at Doha: balancing security and commerce

HONOLULU -- Terrorism is very much on the minds of trade ministers meeting since the weekend in Doha, Qatar, to discuss a new round of global trade talks. Some are worried about personal safety: Many received security briefings from their national intelligence services on the possibility of a terror...
BUSINESS
Nov 15, 2001

Ichiro helps Sky Perfect cut losses

Sky Perfect Communications Inc., operator of the Sky PerfecTV digital broadcasting service, said Wednesday it incurred a consolidated net loss of 4.64 billion yen in the first half of this business year, compared with a loss of 15.89 billion yen a year earlier.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 15, 2001

Japan makes pitch for Afghan peace role

The United States has high expectations of Japan's role in the reconstruction of Afghanistan after Taliban rule ends, and Tokyo should engage in the peace process from an early stage, former Japanese Ambassador to the U.S. Shunji Yanai said.
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Nov 15, 2001

All together now, come on feel the noise

Having spent the last few years attending rugby games in Japan and noting how much the Japan Rugby Union, and the game's players and followers, need to learn from their counterparts overseas, I decided a change was as good as a rest.
BUSINESS
Nov 15, 2001

Hankyu Stores profits soar 1,042%

Hankyu Department Stores Inc. said Wednesday its consolidated net profit in the first half to Sept. 30 rose 1,042.2 percent to 1.59 billion yen due to large-scale cost cutting.
BUSINESS
Nov 15, 2001

State mortgage provider may be scrapped: Koizumi

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi expressed willingness Wednesday to disband the Government Housing Loan Corp., the state-run provider of low-interest mortgages, instead of seeking its privatization.

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