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JAPAN
Jun 6, 2001

Doubt cast over Tanaka's pending U.S. trip

Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka's reported criticism of a U.S. missile defense plan makes her planned visit to the U.S. unlikely, government sources said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Jun 6, 2001

Key gauge stuck below boom-bust line

A key gauge measuring the state of the economy stood at 14.3 percent in April, remaining below the boom-or-bust line of 50 percent for the third straight month, the Cabinet Office said Tuesday in a preliminary report.
JAPAN
Jun 6, 2001

Mitsui O.S.K. fined 480 million yen for tax discrepancy

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd. has been ordered to pay 480 million yen in taxes and penalties for failing to declare more than 800 million yen in taxable expense accounts, industry sources said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jun 6, 2001

Japan, officially, still vague on Bush's missile defense plan

Reported critical remarks by Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka on a proposed U.S. missile defense system may be problematic as they apparently contravene Japan's noncommittal position on the issue. Although Japan has engaged in joint technical research with the United States on the Theater Missile Defense...
JAPAN
Jun 6, 2001

Sri Lanka envoy woos smaller firms for investment

With the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic relationship between Japan and Sri Lanka approaching next year, the new ambassador to Japan hopes to further strengthen bilateral ties, particularly in business.
BUSINESS
Jun 6, 2001

Household spending falls for first time in three months

Average household spending fell a real 4.6 percent in April from a year earlier to 318,015 yen, the first decline in three months, the government said in a preliminary report released Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jun 6, 2001

War victims to speak out against contentious history text

About 40 people, including war victims, from several parts of Asia will speak against a recently approved Japanese history textbook at a two-day meeting in Tokyo starting Sunday.
JAPAN
Jun 6, 2001

Nippon Paint finds pollutants at Osaka plant

OSAKA — Nippon Paint Co. said Tuesday it has detected seven contaminants in soil and groundwater at its production facility in Kita Ward, Osaka, that exceed government limits.
BUSINESS
Jun 6, 2001

Canada business chief proposes free-trade deal

The head of a Canadian big-business group proposed Tuesday that Japan and Canada push preparations for a free-trade agreement so the two nations can drop trade barriers and secure a freer flow of commerce.
EDITORIALS
Jun 6, 2001

A fresh start for Peruvian politics

Peru's political drift ended with the victory of Mr. Alejandro Toledo in the runoff presidential election on Sunday. Mr. Toledo, an economist and the son of a poor mountain sheepherder, won 53 percent of the vote to defeat former president Alan Garcia who got 47 percent.
BUSINESS
Jun 6, 2001

Nomura to leave securities industry's pension fund

Nomura Securities Co. plans to withdraw from the securities industry's employees' pension fund as early as this month in order to save contributions and use them for its plan to create a U.S. 401(k)-style pension plan, company officials said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jun 6, 2001

Falling land prices lure crowds back to Tokyo

Falling land prices in central Tokyo's Chiyoda, Chuo and Minato wards encouraged more people to live in the heart of the capital this year, the land ministry said in a report released Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Jun 6, 2001

Collection firms set to get tougher

The House of Representatives approved an amendment at a plenary session Tuesday to give more scope to loan-collection companies.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 6, 2001

Does Bush's Spanish presage a bilingual America?

In his efforts to reach out to the American Hispanic community, former Republican leader Newt Gingrich sent out a greeting in Spanish to mark Cinco de Mayo, Mexico's Independence Day. The message came from "El Hablador de la Casa," which Gingrich's staff thought meant "Speaker of the House," but in fact...
JAPAN
Jun 6, 2001

Robbing of pork barrel has LDP squealing

When Hiroshi Kato, president of Chiba University of Commerce, stepped into a Tokyo hotel room one day in the early 1980s, he soon realized he had violated a political taboo.
JAPAN
Jun 6, 2001

Tanaka reportedly hinted Japan should reconsider U.S. alliance

Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka, already under fire for making controversial remarks about the U.S. missile defense plan, has insinuated that Japan needs to depart from its decades-old security alliance with the United States, government sources said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Jun 6, 2001

Hazama's 8.2 billion yen share issue set for June 27

Hazama Corp. said Tuesday it will issue 8.2 billion yen in new shares June 27 and allocate them to 194 companies and individuals that have ties with the struggling construction firm.
JAPAN
Jun 6, 2001

Scholars devise method to confirm date of stone tools

OSAKA — A group of scholars in western Japan said Tuesday they have devised a method to assess the age of unearthed stone tools by examining the degree of weathering on their surface.
SOCCER / J. League
Jun 6, 2001

Perryman to assist Nishino at Reysol

Former Shimizu S-Pulse manager Steve Perryman has been hired as Kashiwa Reysol's first-team coach to assist Akira Nishino, the club announced on Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Jun 6, 2001

Panel drops securities tax as a tool

A government tax panel agreed Tuesday that it would not use securities taxes as a tool to stimulate stock prices, the head of the panel said.
JAPAN
Jun 6, 2001

Ministry to mull trimming of public works

In a bid to push forward Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's fiscal structural reform initiatives, the Finance Ministry will consider scaling down the government's long-term basic plan on public works projects, Finance Minister Masajuro Shiokawa said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jun 6, 2001

Accredited online university offers access to higher education

For those who have been prevented from pursuing higher education courses by financial, geographical or time factors, the Internet may indeed be a blessing.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jun 6, 2001

Power surge in the Pacific League

Instead of playing up the Monday night games innovation (which it really is not doing anyway), the Pacific League should exploit the sudden increase in home-run power this season. Either they've juiced the ball or the guys are taking some go-go juice (just kidding), and Seibu Lions slugger Alex Cabrera...
JAPAN
Jun 6, 2001

Koizumi, Fox agree to study trade pact

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and visiting Mexican President Vicente Fox agreed Tuesday to set up a study group to examine the possibility of a free-trade agreement between the two countries.
CULTURE / Film
Jun 6, 2001

Now you see her, but know you don't

Malena Rating: * * * * Director: Giuseppe Tornatore Running time: 92 minutes Language: Italian/EnglishOpens June 9 These days, we've become used to women in cinema meeting certain standards. They should be visually stunning, but they must also be brave, self-assertive, sometimes violent, smart and...
CULTURE / Film
Jun 6, 2001

The toughest journey for Japan's toughest guy

Hotaru Rating: * * * 1/2 Director: Yasuo Furuhata Running time: 114 minutes Language: JapaneseNow showing at Toei Marunouchi and other theaters National cinemas from Hollywood to Bollywood have their icons -- veteran actors who have become box-office powerhouses less for their performances than...
JAPAN
Jun 6, 2001

Jetliner lands safely after gear fails to lock

A Northwest Airlines jetliner made an emergency landing at Tokyo's international airport after one of its landing gears failed to deploy Tuesday, airport officials said.
CULTURE / Music
Jun 6, 2001

Music for the masses

Lord knows, it ain't easy Call it the Happy Meal effect, but what used to be considered "bonus" is now taken for granted. The multiple-stage gimmick offers more of a festival atmosphere, but if you go for the music you will eventually have to choose, and sometimes it ain't easy.
CULTURE / Art
Jun 6, 2001

Diva serves up rare delights

A one-time teen model turned cyberdiva cum wannabe guru, she is no less than Japan's most celebrated artistic export, represented by the finest galleries in New York and Paris.

Longform

Construction equipment sits idle in a park near Shiba Toshogu shrine in Tokyo's Minato Ward. While Japan has a history of treating its trees with reverence, green coverage is said to be lacking in most of the major cities.
Do Japan's trees no longer occupy the sacred space they used to?