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JAPAN
Nov 2, 2001

Koizumi warms to debt concession plan

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Thursday reacted positively to Pakistan's request to reschedule its debts to Tokyo, and Finance Ministry officials later indicated that Japan will discuss the matter with other creditors to Pakistan.
JAPAN
Nov 2, 2001

Diet committee OKs antihooligan bill

The House of Councilors Committee on Judicial Affairs passed a bill Thursday allowing immigration authorities to bar soccer hooligans and antiglobalization activists from entering Japan for the 2002 World Cup soccer finals.
BUSINESS
Nov 2, 2001

Dollar, yen both beset by negative factors

The dollar remains sensitive to ups and downs in New York share prices.
JAPAN
Nov 2, 2001

Asia powers look to new trade forum

Japan, China and South Korea will inaugurate a high-level economic dialogue forum to spur trade and investment and forge close economic relations.
COMMENTARY
Nov 2, 2001

Removing blinkers on trade

LONDON -- The tragic events of Sept. 11 have exacerbated the economic position of every country. New stimulus measures have been instituted in the United States and interest rates have been cut elsewhere. But these are not enough to put growth back on track. An expansion in world trade would bring major...
BUSINESS
Nov 2, 2001

FSA tells Nippon Life to stop slurring rivals to sell policies

The Financial Services Agency on Thursday ordered Nippon Life Insurance Co. to change its sales practices after finding that the company slanders competitors to encourage individuals to switch firms.
BUSINESS
Nov 2, 2001

Law aims at privatizing JR units

The Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry announced Thursday it will introduce new legislation to fully privatize East Japan Railway Co., Central Japan Railway Co. (JR Tokai) and West Japan Railway Co. on Dec. 1.
BUSINESS
Nov 2, 2001

Tax man sees revenues slump

Tax revenue in September fell 5.8 percent from a year earlier to 2.31 trillion yen, the Finance Ministry said Thursday.
JAPAN
Nov 2, 2001

Travel down after terror attacks

The number of overseas travelers visiting Japan in September fell around 8.9 percent from a year ago to 346,000, due to the impact of the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States, a government-affiliated body said Thursday.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 2, 2001

U.S. courts move forward on POW claims

A ruling by a California judge late last month is a major defeat for U.S. State Department and Japanese government officials who argued that former American POW slave laborers cannot sue Japanese firms for compensation because of the 1951 Peace Treaty, and a major victory for the ex-POWs and their growing...
BUSINESS
Nov 2, 2001

Metro government panel set to assess banks' management

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government will set up a third-party panel to scrutinize the management of banks that hold local government funds, metro government officials said Thursday.
BUSINESS
Nov 2, 2001

Ford, Bridgestone consider thaw

Japanese tire maker Bridgestone Corp. and U.S. automaker Ford Motor Co. will probably open talks by the end of the year to mend soured ties stemming from wrangling over tire recalls, sources close to Bridgestone said Thursday.
JAPAN
Nov 2, 2001

Tokyo, Tehran to stay in touch on antiterror drive

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Seyyed Kamal Kharrazi, visiting foreign minister of Iran, said Thursday that Tokyo and Tehran will maintain close contact while supporting the international fight against terrorism.
LIFE / Lifestyle / JET STREAM
Nov 2, 2001

Serbian tennis ace giving it his best shot

It was gunfire that Nikola Stula thought he heard the first night he arrived in Gifu.
BUSINESS
Nov 2, 2001

Bank shareholding bill clears hurdle

The House of Representatives approved at a plenary session Thursday a bill aimed at limiting Japanese banks' shareholdings and creating a stock-buying body designed to absorb a portion of such holdings.
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Nov 2, 2001

Asian ladybug

* Japanese Name: Namitento* Scientific name: Harmonia axyridis
JAPAN
Nov 2, 2001

'Unconstitutional' shrine visit provokes barrage of lawsuits

OSAKA -- More than 900 people filed three separate lawsuits Thursday against Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, claiming his Aug. 13 visit to Yasukuni Shrine was unconstitutional.
LIFE / Lifestyle / MATTER OF COURSE
Nov 2, 2001

No fundraisers or bake sales? Sign me up!

I agreed to serve on the PTA of the Japanese elementary school my children attend, but on one condition: that I didn't have to do any fundraising.
BUSINESS
Nov 2, 2001

BOJ's Sept. 18 vote to ease monetary policy passed 8-1

The Bank of Japan decided by an 8-1 vote to ease monetary policy at its policy board meeting on Sept. 18, according to minutes of the meeting released Thursday.
EDITORIALS
Nov 1, 2001

Bad omen for nuclear disarmament

Washington's defense policy appears to be undergoing significant change as America wages a two-front war on terrorism at home and abroad. The missile defense plan, designed to intercept ballistic missiles from "rogue states," is gaining political support in the current extraordinary situation. There...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 1, 2001

Cote d'Ivoire envoy petitions for aid

The new ambassador of Cote d'Ivoire emphasized on Wednesday the importance of private-sector investment from Japan in helping the development of his country.
BUSINESS
Nov 1, 2001

Nomura posts 90% dive in profits for first half

Nomura Holdings Inc. on Wednesday said profits dived 90.4 percent during the first six months of the fiscal year, with slumping stock prices eating away at commission revenues.
BUSINESS
Nov 1, 2001

More corporate bankruptcies in store, S&P says

The corporate sector is likely to see a growing number of bankruptcies and other forms of default, according to a Standard & Poor's Corp. report released Wednesday.
JAPAN
Nov 1, 2001

Kagoshima, nearby islands feel 5.4 quake

An earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 5.4 jolted southwestern Japan on Wednesday morning, the Meteorological Agency said.
JAPAN
Nov 1, 2001

Young adults avoid JICA in wake of Sept. 11 attacks

Applications for Japan's version of the Peace Corps are running at extremely low levels due to security concerns raised by the Sept. 11 terror attacks, according to the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

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