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JAPAN
Apr 5, 2003

SARS carriers to be quarantined

A health ministry council decided Friday that individuals diagnosed with severe acute respiratory syndrome will be forcibly hospitalized -- even if they refuse to seek treatment.
BUSINESS
Apr 2, 2003

Fujitsu, AMD to meld flash-memory divisions

Fujitsu Ltd. and U.S. chip maker Advanced Micro Devices Inc. have agreed to integrate their flash-memory operations under a joint venture to create the world's second-largest manufacturer of such devices.
BUSINESS
Apr 2, 2003

National tax revenues tumble 5.9%

With deflation undermining corporate profits, national tax revenues in February fell 5.9 percent from a year earlier, marking the 18th consecutive month of decline.
JAPAN
Mar 29, 2003

Miyagi Prefecture is No. 1 in disclosing information

Miyagi Prefecture is the most open and willing prefecture to disclose information to the public, a position it has held for five consecutive years, according to a recent study by a citizens' ombudsman association.
BUSINESS
Mar 26, 2003

Supermarket sales continue to fall

Supermarkets sales fell 1.4 percent in February from a year earlier on a same-store basis to 1.042 trillion yen, down for the eighth straight month, the Japan Chain Stores Association said Tuesday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Mar 23, 2003

Comic culture is serious business

Can anyone be in this country a week and not notice manga -- Japan's unique contribution to comics?
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 18, 2003

Energy deal will fuel East Timor's growth

SYDNEY -- Southeast Asia's newest and poorest nation has done an oil deal that should bankroll its way to real independence.
MORE SPORTS
Mar 11, 2003

Noguchi tops list for marathon in Paris

Osaka women's marathon champion Mizuki Noguchi and nine others will compete at the Paris World Championships in August, the Japan Association of Athletics Federations (JAAF) said Monday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Mar 9, 2003

The total cafe lifestyle

Options for a place to sit down with a nice cup of coffee or tea have expanded in Japan in recent years, but the favored haunts of the young and trendy are neither cozy kissaten nor chain outlets such as Starbucks and Tully's. They're cafes.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / THE WAY OF WASHOKU
Mar 7, 2003

Savor slow food in a fast-food world

There are not enough purists left in the food world. In the West, and no less here in the East, food is gradually moving toward the indistinguishable middle. The globally homogenized products of contemporary fashion, music, art and architecture can be created and received interchangeably in most of the...
Japan Times
SUMO
Mar 7, 2003

Takanohana getting grip on life off the dohyo

Recently retired yokozuna Takanohana was the idol of the sumo world during the 1990s and his departure from the sport earlier this year leaves many wondering how it will carry on.
BUSINESS
Mar 4, 2003

Nissan hopes to boost dealer profits with tailor-made insurance policies

Nissan Motor Co. has taken the unusual step of agreeing to have its affiliated car dealers sell auto insurance provided exclusively by Sompo Japan Insurance Inc. and Millea Holdings Inc., according to company sources.
BUSINESS
Mar 4, 2003

Tax revenue down for 17th month

National tax revenue fell in January from a year earlier for the 17th consecutive month amid the prolonged economic slump, the Finance Ministry said Monday.
COMMENTARY
Feb 26, 2003

Trans-Atlantic arrogance defeats unity

LONDON -- One of the most depressing features of the past few weeks has been the arrogance displayed by political leaders. With some leaders, power goes to their heads. They are surrounded by sycophantic underlings and protected by posses of security guards. The media are bludgeoned by press offices...
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Feb 24, 2003

Like real reforms, banking crisis this spring unlikely to materialize

Each spring in recent years, people have started talking about a financial crisis in Japan as the month of March draws near. In about five weeks, most Japanese firms will be closing their books for fiscal 2002, and I would like to discuss this year's situation from several perspectives.
JAPAN
Feb 19, 2003

Symposium eyes more help for hard-hit Japanese-Brazilians

The government must do more to protect Japanese-Brazilian workers who have been severely affected by the protracted recession, Japanese and Brazilian scholars said at a symposium held Tuesday in Tokyo.
BUSINESS
Feb 19, 2003

ISPs see a drop in number of dial-up subscribers

Most of Japan's major Internet service providers are starting to see a leveling off in the growth in the number of subscribers to their services.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 18, 2003

Income tax season gets under way

The period for filing income tax began Monday with 524 local tax offices accepting returns for 2002.
BUSINESS
Feb 14, 2003

MMC pursues performance-linked wages

The union and management of Mitsubishi Motors Corp. have agreed to replace the seniority-based wage structure with a performance-based system, sources close to the talks said Thursday.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / THE WAY OF WASHOKU
Jan 31, 2003

Rice works well as a finale or as the main event

When dining at a fine Japanese restaurant, after the raw, fried, vinegared, steamed and simmered courses, if you still have room, the final savory course of rice — gohanmono — appears. It might also be called o-shokuji, or simply meshi, the colloquial word for rice.
JAPAN
Jan 31, 2003

Spy masters regular fixtures on North Korean ferry to Japan

The North Korean ship Man Gyong Bong-92, believed to be a key conduit for Pyongyang espionage activities, carried a political officer known as a "second captain" to deliver clandestine orders when the vessel called at Japan, sources said Thursday.
BUSINESS
Jan 30, 2003

Newly unemployed may get break

The national government will instruct local governments to reduce or eliminate public health premiums of people who have lost their jobs, labor minister Chikara Sakaguchi said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jan 30, 2003

Escapee from North Korea stirs refugee debate anew

The high-profile case of a Japanese woman who returned to Japan on Wednesday after fleeing North Korea has rekindled debate over the government's lack of adequate support measures for others in similar circumstances, as well as its reluctance to accept refugees.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT
Jan 30, 2003

Asia's last emperors of its wetland wilds

CHENGDU, China -- Though surprisingly not Japan's national bird, which oddly is the pheasant, the red-crowned crane, also known as the Japanese crane, has long been close to the Japanese heart. In China, too, it occupies a special place, along with the pine and turtle, as a symbol of luck and longevity,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / NEW ART SEEN
Jan 29, 2003

A true master of the art of making photographs

I remember once playing a little mind game with Tokyo-based photographer Torin Boyd. We were sitting in a Kabukicho bar, looking through his portfolio. Every time I said something about "taking pictures," in his response he substituted the verb "make" for the verb "take," as in "I made this picture last...
JAPAN
Jan 24, 2003

Noncapsule stimulant seizures fall, Ecstasy hauls rise: ministry report

Japanese customs last year seized a smaller amount of stimulants and other illegal drugs that were smuggled into Japan but impounded a record amount of banned substances packaged in capsules, the Finance Ministry said in a report Thursday.
JAPAN
Jan 23, 2003

Diet leagues serving vested interests

There are 727 lawmakers in the Diet, with 480 in the House of Representatives and 247 in the House of Councilors. Yet the number of Diet groups -- not political parties -- is said to be more than 1,000 and growing.
JAPAN
Jan 14, 2003

23% of young want to be office workers

The prolonged recession is apparently motivating young adults to pursue job stability, with the largest group in a recent online poll saying that "office worker" would be their ideal job.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji