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JAPAN
Mar 2, 2001

Yen boost to Koseki project tied to Kamei

The government boosted subsidies to the Institute of Technologists by 2 billion yen after Liberal Democratic Party policy chief Shizuka Kamei demanded the increase, sources said Thursday.
JAPAN
Mar 2, 2001

Murakami arrested over bribes

Prosecutors on Thursday arrested Masakuni Murakami, a powerful member of the LDP who quit the party last week in the midst of an ongoing scandal, for allegedly accepting bribes from mutual aid foundation KSD.
JAPAN
Mar 2, 2001

Researcher publishes third study on toilets

OSAKA -- A 53-year-old civil servant in Osaka Prefecture who has been researching the history of toilets in Japan for more than 30 years has published his latest findings in what he calls "The Journal of Toilet Culture."
JAPAN
Mar 2, 2001

Unlicensed nurses under scrutiny in obstetrics

More than 10 percent of students completing mid-career courses at nursing schools operated by the Japan Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists between 1990 and 1999 were unlicensed nurses and midwives, according to a government survey.
JAPAN
Mar 2, 2001

Antigraft law takes effect despite criticism of loopholes

An antigraft law that bars politicians and their secretaries from accepting money or goods in exchange for influencing local and central government officials took effect Thursday, despite criticism that it is full of loopholes.
JAPAN
Mar 2, 2001

Nikkei average plunges to lowest close in 15 years

The Nikkei Stock Average plummeted Thursday to close at its lowest level in more than 15 years.
CULTURE / Film
Mar 2, 2001

Dogmatic 'King Lear' stranded in the dunes

The Dogma '95 film movement, started by a group of Danish filmmakers, is a short-list of 10 rules known as the "vow of chastity" -- a pledge to eschew action, sets, props, soundtracks, lighting, stable camerawork, genre conventions and directorial credit. Like many a radical movement, it is entirely...
JAPAN
Mar 2, 2001

Deep-sea water targeted for next big health fad

Salt water deep in the sea and beyond the reach of sunlight is attracting the attention of local government officials, fishermen and businesspeople who see seawater products as a promising new business.
JAPAN
Mar 2, 2001

Land expropriation procedures to be simplified

The Land Ministry on Thursday finalized a bill on land expropriation procedures for public construction projects by eliminating legal loopholes that could have been used by opponents as a means of resistance.
MORE SPORTS
Mar 2, 2001

Marathon champion set to profit

Kyodo News Sydney Olympic gold medalist Naoko Takahashi appears set to join the ranks of other prominent figures who have attained fame and fortune after becoming champions in major sporting events.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 2, 2001

Fear, obsession hold back Japan-China ties

In recent years, Japan-China relations have been marked by almost incessant friction over issues ranging from historical questions to more mundane problems.
JAPAN
Mar 2, 2001

GEOS affiliates fined for hiding 280 million yen

Around 20 companies affiliated with English-language school operator GEOS Corp. failed to declare some 280 million yen in income in the five years to March 2000, industry sources said Thursday.
JAPAN
Mar 2, 2001

Just 12 officials say colleague in funds scandal provided gifts

Only 12 of the nearly 600 Foreign Ministry officials investigated for their connections with a former ministry official involved in an embezzlement scandal admitted receiving gifts from him or being entertained by him, all describing them as "modest."
JAPAN
Mar 2, 2001

Koga says Isahaya project should end

Makoto Koga, secretary general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, on Thursday said a state-run land reclamation project in Isahaya Bay, Nagasaki Prefecture, should be halted so the cause of the poor seaweed crop in the area can be investigated.
CULTURE / Music / PLAY BUTTON
Mar 2, 2001

Dub Squad takes a journey into time

Dub is easily identified but difficult to define. Is it a style, a genre, or an approach to sound?
JAPAN
Mar 2, 2001

Agency calls for more talks on U.S. missile shield plan

A Defense Agency research institute report released Thursday calls for consultations between the United States and China over the proposed deployment of a U.S. national missile defense system, warning that it may prompt China to increase its intercontinental ballistic missile capability.
JAPAN
Mar 2, 2001

Earth Summit has to keep up with times

Globalization and scientific advances are reshaping the debate over environment and development policy and will merit attention at next year's Rio Plus 10 Earth Summit, according to a senior World Bank official.
JAPAN
Mar 2, 2001

Mori quote seen as hint he is ready to quit

Speculation in political circles that Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori will soon resign was rife Thursday as the embattled leader promised to make a "sensible decision" about his future amid a series of scandals that have rocked his administration.
CULTURE / Books
Mar 2, 2001

Ex-OL, self-described everyman take Naoki prize

The winners of the Naoki literary prize for the second half of 2000 have been announced. This time, both winners -- "Planaria" by Yamamoto Fumio and "Vitamin F" by Shigematsu Kiyoshi -- are short-story collections, as were three of the other four short-listed works.
BUSINESS
Mar 2, 2001

Coca-Cola West moves in on Mikasa

Coca-Cola West Japan Co. on Thursday purchased a 30.8 percent stake in Mikasa Coca-Cola Bottling Co. and plans to increase its stake to 51 percent through a tender.
BUSINESS
Mar 2, 2001

Nasdaq Japan passes record share volume

Trading volume on Nasdaq Japan, the domestic version of the technology-laden U.S. Nasdaq market, topped 10 million shares in February for the first time since its launch in June, the Osaka Securities Exchange said Thursday.
EDITORIALS
Mar 1, 2001

Truth of scandal remains buried

There is always something very frustrating about Diet questioning of legislators involved in corruption scandals. So it was with Monday's inquiry of Mr. Fukushiro Nukaga, former economics minister, at a Lower House Council on Political Ethics. As expected, Mr. Nukaga, a Liberal Democrat, denied allegations...

Longform

A sinkhole in Yashio, which emerged in January, was triggered by a ruptured, aging sewer pipe. Authorities worry that similar sections of infrastructure across the country are also at risk of corrosion.
That sinking feeling: Japan’s aging sewers are an infrastructure time bomb