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CULTURE / Stage
Dec 3, 2000

Noh, kyogen workshop in Yokohama

Yokohama Noh Theater will hold an introductory workshop on Japan's classical stage forms, noh and kyogen, for foreign residents Dec. 16.
JAPAN
Dec 3, 2000

50% tax cut on green cars sought

The Transport Ministry, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry and the Environment Agency have drawn up the final draft of a radical plan that calls for a maximum 50 percent cut in local car tax on environmentally friendly vehicles, government sources said Saturday.
CULTURE / Art
Dec 3, 2000

The cutting edge of sound and vision

For some, myself included, the U.K. Sound Design exhibition, held Nov. 23-27 at the Ground in Harajuku, was a stroll down memory lane. Organized by the British Council in Japan, the show assembled record sleeves from seminal British designers of the last 30 years. Seeing many old records that had made...
JAPAN
Dec 3, 2000

Envoys plan for easing of Iraq sanctions

In preparation for the partial lifting of sanctions against Iraq, Japan has dispatched two members of staff from the Japanese Embassy in Amman to its equivalent premises in Baghdad, government sources said Saturday.
BUSINESS
Dec 2, 2000

ODA gives way to domestic political pressure

The government may be succumbing to strong domestic political pressure to make Draconian cuts in Japanese official development assistance. If you want evidence, keep a close watch on an upcoming gathering of Vietnam's aid donors.
BUSINESS
Dec 2, 2000

Mitsubishi boosts midcareer hiring

Mitsubishi Corp. said Friday it will start its first-ever large-scale midcareer recruitment campaign to inject new talent into its information technology sector.
BUSINESS
Dec 2, 2000

Sogo sale attracts hordes of shoppers

OSAKA -- The department store chain Sogo Co. began clearance sales Friday at its Osaka flagship store and eight outlets earmarked for closure later this month.
JAPAN
Dec 2, 2000

Public-sector efficiency plan OK'd

The Cabinet on Friday approved an action plan to streamline and increase efficiency in the public sector and promote deregulation for implementation through 2005 following the reorganization in January of central government ministries and agencies, officials said.
EDITORIALS
Dec 2, 2000

Mr. Barak's bold gamble

One odd fact has hung over the violence that has descended upon the Middle East: The current Israeli government is more committed to a peaceful settlement than any that might replace it. Prime Minister Ehud Barak genuinely wants to make peace. The question is whether the Israeli people are behind him....
JAPAN
Dec 2, 2000

UA accident laid to crew miscommunication

Poor communication between crew members triggered panic aboard a United Airlines jumbo jet involved in an accident in 1998 at Narita airport that injured 24 people, according to a Transport Ministry report released Friday.
BUSINESS
Dec 2, 2000

Three insurers report mixed fortunes

Chiyoda Fire & Marine Insurance Co. fell into the red in the first half of fiscal 2000 on a consolidated basis, while Dai-Tokyo Fire & Marine Insurance Co. and Nisshin Fire & Marine Insurance Co. posted profits, according to their earnings results released Friday.
SOCCER / J. League
Dec 2, 2000

Marinos seek key to unlock Antlers

J. League first-stage champions the Yokohama F. Marinos and second-stage winners the Kashima Antlers will face off today in the first leg of the J. League Championship final at Yokohama International Stadium. The second leg is slated for Dec. 9 at Tokyo's National Stadium.
JAPAN
Dec 2, 2000

Shigenobu served fresh warrant over passports

Japanese Red Army leader Fusako Shigenobu was served a fresh arrest warrant Friday on suspicion of using forged passports to travel between Japan and China and other countries, police said.
JAPAN
Dec 2, 2000

Japan pledges $4.3 million in emergency aid to Yugoslavia

Japan decided Friday to provide $4.3 million in emergency aid to Yugoslavia to help the country purchase fertilizer for its wheat crop, the Foreign Ministry said.
BUSINESS
Dec 2, 2000

Economic gap widening: consumers

Japanese consumers believe that improvements in their daily lives over the past year has been slower than that of overall economic activity in Japan, according to a survey released Friday by the Bank of Japan.
JAPAN
Dec 2, 2000

Easier entry to Japan urged for participants in big events

An advisory panel to the Transport Ministry on Friday urged the government to introduce a "preclearance" system for customs, immigration and quarantine procedures for foreign participants in major international events, such as the planned soccer World Cup in 2002.
JAPAN
Dec 2, 2000

New animal protection law to target pet abuse

A revised law on the protection and control of animals went into effect on Friday. The law calls for harsher penalties for people who harm or abandon animals and imposes tougher controls on the pet industry.
BUSINESS
Dec 2, 2000

FRC eyes failed Chogin credit unions

The Financial Reconstruction Commission is considering sending administrators to 13 failed Chogin credit unions affiliated with the pro-Pyongyang General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryun), FRC chief Hideyuki Aizawa said Friday.
BUSINESS
Dec 2, 2000

NCB sees two key balances move back into the black

Releasing its first financial results since its sale on Sept. 1 to an investment consortium led by Softbank Corp., Nippon Credit Bank said Friday its operating and pretax balances moved back into the black in the first half of fiscal 2000.
JAPAN
Dec 2, 2000

Bill foot-dragging belies pluralist goal

The postponement of debate on a bill that would grant limited suffrage to foreigners until next year at the earliest has prompted long-term foreign residents of Japan to question whether the nation is serious about embracing the foreign population.
BUSINESS
Dec 2, 2000

BOJ pushing 2,000 yen notes

Tellers at the Bank of Japan and its 33 branch offices will change money into 2,000 yen bills from Monday to encourage use of the neglected notes, officials said Friday.
JAPAN
Dec 2, 2000

Ailing Air Do flies in face of airlines' smoking ban

Hokkaido International Airlines Co. (Air Do) introduced smokers' seats Friday on its Sapporo-Tokyo route to attract smoking passengers in an effort to improve its financial situation, airline officials said.
JAPAN
Dec 2, 2000

HIV-positive lawmaker fights battle against discrimination

When he tested positive for HIV 13 years ago, Satoru Ienishi could not imagine becoming a father -- let alone living long enough to hold his healthy, smiling baby girl.
JAPAN
Dec 2, 2000

No dispute over interpretation of 1956 pact: Kono

Japan believes its interpretation of a 1956 joint declaration with the then Soviet Union that stipulates two of the four disputed islands off Hokkaido be returned to Japan after a peace treaty is signed is the same as Russia's, Foreign Minister Yohei Kono said Friday.
JAPAN
Dec 2, 2000

Sides reach settlement over air pollution suit

OSAKA -- An out-of-court settlement was reached Friday in a 12-year air pollution suit filed against the state and an expressway operator by residents of Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture, who claim they or deceased family members developed asthma and other illnesses due to harmful substances released by motor...
BUSINESS
Dec 2, 2000

Jobless rate unchanged at 4.7%

Japan's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate stood at 4.7 percent in October, unchanged from September, although the number of jobholders increased for the first time in 33 months from a year earlier, the Management and Coordination Agency said Friday.
BUSINESS
Dec 2, 2000

Osaka bourse launches OptiMark online trading system

OSAKA -- The Osaka Securities Exchange launched the OptiMark electronic trading system for institutional investors Friday morning, with an inaugural ceremony attended by top OSE officials.

Longform

Japan's growing ranks of centenarians are redefining what it means to live in a super-aging society.
What comes after 100?