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JAPAN
Jan 19, 2001

KSD-tainted Koyama cozy with firms

Takao Koyama, the arrested House of Councilors member mired in the KSD bribery scandal, posed questions in parliamentary panels designed to increase state aid to scaffolding firms that later set up an association chaired by an official from a KSD-linked organization, sources familiar with the case said...
JAPAN
Jan 19, 2001

Probed diplomat deposited 350 million yen

A senior Foreign Ministry diplomat suspected of embezzling public funds between 1993 and 1998 had opened seven personal accounts at three major banks since 1993, in which a total of 350 million yen was once deposited, sources close to the case alleged.
COMMENTARY
Jan 19, 2001

Mori's fate hangs on Upper House election

Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori will face a moment of truth in the Upper House election scheduled for July. Results of the election could cause serious political turmoil.
JAPAN
Jan 19, 2001

Cellphone-cited accidents halved

A ban on the use of mobile phones while driving, which came into effect in 1999, has led to a reduction of more than 50 percent in cellphone-related traffic accidents, the National Police Agency said Thursday.
BUSINESS
Jan 19, 2001

Steelmakers to cut exports to Asia region

The head of the Japan Iron and Steel Federation on Thursday said Japanese steelmakers will sharply cut exports to Asia in the January-March quarter, admitting that their export drive has been pushing down steel prices in Asia.
SOCCER / World cup
Jan 19, 2001

JFA names Confederations Cup venues

Niigata, Kashima and Yokohama were named Thursday as venues for Japan's portion of FIFA's Confederations Cup, which will run from May 30 to June 10.
JAPAN
Jan 19, 2001

Mori asks panel to plan five-year science policy

Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori asked an advisory panel Thursday to draw up a comprehensive science and technology strategy for the nation by the end of March.
BASEBALL / MLB
Jan 19, 2001

BayStars veteran Komada calls it a career

Veteran Yokohama BayStars infielder Norihiro Komada said Thursday he is retiring from baseball after being released by the Central League club this offseason.
BUSINESS
Jan 19, 2001

GM increases equity stake in Suzuki to 20.1%

The General Motors Corp. group has acquired a combined 20.1 percent equity stake in Suzuki Motor Corp., Japan's top maker of minivehicles, Suzuki Motor said Thursday.
JAPAN
Jan 19, 2001

Opposition calls for public works projects to be cut

Four opposition parties made an unprecedented decision Thursday to jointly submit a motion in the next Diet session to demand the government reduce public works projects planned in the budget for fiscal 2001, opposition officials said.
COMMENTARY
Jan 19, 2001

EU overlooking a vital ally in Turkey

LONDON -- The Turkish "problem" is looming ever larger in European affairs.
BUSINESS
Jan 19, 2001

Japan tries to get economic ball rolling without U.S.

Japan is taking its first specific initiative in getting a still embryonic -- but potentially gargantuan -- economic forum of East Asian and Latin American countries grow smoothly.
CULTURE / Music / PLAY BUTTON
Jan 19, 2001

An 'islander' finds poetry in the soundtrack of life

Mention the word "art" to the average Japanese pop musician and the response is likely to be a roll of the eyes, a sharp intake of breath and a lot of mumbling.
BUSINESS
Jan 19, 2001

DoCoMo announces moves in Europe

Cellular giant NTT DoCoMo announced Thursday two separate deals to expand its presence in Europe, agreeing with local carriers to launch Internet services similar to DoCoMo's i-mode on smart cellular phones in the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and Italy.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jan 19, 2001

Understanding the power of evil

Hamlet's views on man are well known: "What a piece of work is a man! How noble in reason! how infinite in faculty! In form and moving how express and admirable! In action how like an angel! In apprehension how like a god! The beauty of the world!" (II-ii, 315-20)
JAPAN
Jan 18, 2001

Norway's whale move reduces waste

Norway's decision on Tuesday to lift a ban on whale meat exports paves the way for the efficient use of whale meat, a Japanese government official said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Jan 18, 2001

Firms unite on Net voice access

IBM Japan Ltd., Oki Electric Industry Co. and Hitachi Ltd. plan to set up in April a Japanese unit of the VoiceXML Forum, an international group that promotes open standards on voice access technologies for the Internet, company officials said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jan 18, 2001

Minister talks of cleaner society

Environment Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi said Wednesday that the newly created Environment Ministry will have to "battle and evolve" to push its agenda, and outlined a few areas slated for special attention in 2001.
JAPAN
Jan 18, 2001

Blackmailed bank exec held for embezzlement

A 39-year-old ex-employee of Tokyo Sowa Bank has been arrested for allegedly embezzling customers' deposits under threat of blackmail, police sources said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Jan 18, 2001

Zeria testing HIV drug in U.S.

Zeria Pharmaceutical Co. said Wednesday it has started clinical tests in the United States of a drug to combat the human immunodeficiency virus, following approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
JAPAN
Jan 18, 2001

Tormented Afghan woman seeks aid for refugees

A woman from Afghanistan who was forced to take refuge in Pakistan to escape from the violence of armed Islamic fundamentalists has visited Japan to tell of the torment she experienced.
JAPAN
Jan 18, 2001

Dog-maiming case goes to court

OSAKA -- Police turned over to prosecutors Wednesday their case against a 63-year-old man arrested for allegedly cutting off a puppy's leg in order to scam money for the dog's operation.
BUSINESS
Jan 18, 2001

Toyobo shifts focus

Major spinning firm Toyobo Co. will shift the emphasis of its business from traditional mainstay textile products to more profitable nontextile areas such as chemicals and biotechnology-related products, according to company officials.

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