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COMMENTARY
Jul 27, 2004

DPJ's fortunes are rising

In the July 11 Upper House election, the opposition Democratic Party of Japan made dramatic gains, winning more seats than the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (50-49). The DPJ also surpassed the LDP in the proportional representation bloc of November's general election. With the two parties dominating...
JAPAN
Jul 27, 2004

Iraqi judoka arrives for Olympic warmup

An Iraqi judoka who will represent his country in the Athens Olympics next month began two weeks of training in Tokyo on Monday.
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
Jul 26, 2004

Separate but equal acts of reconciliation

NEW YORK -- In "My Life" (Knopf, 2004), former U.S. President Bill Clinton writes: "Elizabeth Eckford, who at 15 was deeply seared emotionally by vicious harassment as she walked alone through an angry mob, was reconciled with Hazel Massery, one of the girls who had taunted her 40 years earlier."
Japan Times
Features
Jul 25, 2004

Brolly good notion out of the blue

One evening in March, Daryn Peterson was stretched out on his sofa at home. After a hard day's work, he was totally relaxed and just watching TV. Then, when the weather forecast came on, he sat up suddenly. It was as if lightning had struck his brain; an idea had suddenly flashed into his mind.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jul 25, 2004

Home is where the financial heartbreak is

If you have a dedicated telephone line, you probably receive calls from sales people pitching new condominiums or single-family homes in your area. The pitch always starts the same way: "Do you rent? Do you pay more than 100,000 yen a month? If you were paying that much a month for a mortgage, you could...
JAPAN
Jul 24, 2004

Bolton talks tough on North's ambitions

U.S. Undersecretary of State John Bolton reiterated Friday that North Korea must completely abandon its nuclear program, which he maintained is exclusively for military use.
JAPAN
Jul 24, 2004

Birthrate benefits future students

The nation's falling birthrate is good news for future university and junior college applicants but could spell disaster for some unpopular institutions, according to a report compiled by the Central Education Council.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 24, 2004

Jenkins' condition not serious; stress main cause for concern

Accused U.S. Army deserter Charles Jenkins' illness is not serious, but he will need to stay hospitalized due to severe stress, his doctor said Friday.
BUSINESS
Jul 24, 2004

Postal privatization may see end to guarantee on deposits

The government might strip Japan Post workers of their public-servant status and might end the guarantee on ordinary deposits in 2007, when postal service privatization is phased in, according to government sources.
JAPAN
Jul 23, 2004

Opposition to wage fresh war on pension reforms

Opposition parties have renewed their offensive against the recently enacted pension reform legislation, demanding Thursday that the government correct the 40 typographical and other minor errors in the package when the extra Diet session convenes at month's end.
JAPAN
Jul 22, 2004

Anger builds over EEZ violations

The government is planning to lodge a stronger protest with Beijing over the repeated presence of Chinese survey ships in Japan's exclusive economic zone, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Jul 22, 2004

GDP growth forecast revised sharply higher

The Cabinet Office on Wednesday revised upward its official economic growth forecast for fiscal 2004 to 3.5 percent in real terms from the initially projected 1.8 percent, citing strong private-sector demand and exports.
JAPAN
Jul 22, 2004

Japan in 'no rush' to resume normalization talks with North

Japan is in "no rush" to resume normalization talks with North Korea, even though the conditions for returning to the negotiating table have been met, government sources said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jul 21, 2004

Ishihara OKs return of Miyake Island evacuees

Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara gave approval Tuesday for evacuated residents of Miyake Island to return next February, ending an almost 4-year order barring them from their homes.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 21, 2004

New social insurance head appointed

Kiyoshi Murase, deputy president of Sompo Japan Insurance Inc., was appointed commissioner of the Social Insurance Agency on Tuesday, becoming the first appointee from a private firm to head the body affiliated with the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 21, 2004

Public fund-injection law to spur regional bank mergers

A newly enacted law allowing the government to inject public funds into regional financial institutions will probably encourage such bodies to merge, according to the commissioner of the Financial Services Agency.
BUSINESS
Jul 21, 2004

Japan might accept 'tiered formula' for WTO tariff cuts

Japan is inclined to accept a proposed "tiered formula" for reducing tariffs on agricultural products as part of global trade liberalization under the World Trade Organization, government officials and ruling-party lawmakers said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Jul 21, 2004

Toyota expects record global output this year

Toyota Motor Corp. said Tuesday it expects its group's global production for calendar 2004 to hit a record 7.54 million units 260,000 more than an earlier forecast thanks to brisk overseas sales.
JAPAN
Jul 18, 2004

Airlines offered to fly Soga family for 1 YEN

All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines initially offered to fly repatriated abductee Hitomi Soga and her family to Tokyo from Jakarta on a government-chartered flight for 1 yen, government officials said Saturday.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jul 18, 2004

If Japan does get Jenkins, will he really want to stay?

Ever on the lookout for sneaky connections, the media had characterized the July 9 reunion of Hitomi Soga and her family in Indonesia as being rushed through by the Liberal Democratic Party in time to help its election chances July 11. Some people even thought North Korea was in on it.
Japan Times
Features
Jul 18, 2004

Bygone botanists bring the past to life

Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 18, 2004

Dental donation scandal widens

Tamisuke Watanuki, a former speaker of the House of Representatives, has admitted to accepting a 5 million yen donation from the scandal-tainted Japan Dental Association, his office said Saturday.
JAPAN
Jul 17, 2004

Miyake returnees to go at own risk

Miyake islanders should be responsible for their own safety if they decide to return to their island, whose volcano remains active, Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara said Friday.
BUSINESS
Jul 17, 2004

Health chief cool to ending blanket BSE tests of beef

Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Chikara Sakaguchi voiced caution Friday about a possible end to blanket tests for mad cow disease in Japan, saying a policy change of this kind needs to be based on scientific grounds.
JAPAN
Jul 17, 2004

Pension bills littered with errors

The government acknowledged Friday that pension reform legislation enacted by the Diet last month contained as many as 40 technical flaws, and reprimanded bureaucrats in connection with the fiasco.
JAPAN
Jul 17, 2004

Jenkins should confess, plea-bargain: Baker

U.S. Ambassador to Japan Howard Baker suggested to senior lawmakers of the ruling coalition Friday that Charles Jenkins, an alleged U.S. Army deserter to North Korea, should seek a plea bargain, officials said.
JAPAN
Jul 17, 2004

UFJ, MTFG agree to start merger talks

UFJ Holdings Inc. and Mitsubishi Tokyo Financial Group Inc. -- two of Japan's four major banking groups -- said Friday they have agreed to start merger talks, aiming to integrate their operations during the first half of fiscal 2005.
JAPAN
Jul 15, 2004

Mideast talks end with cry for help

Israeli and Palestinian representatives on Wednesday called on the international community to help them create peace in the Middle East, wrapping up a three-day confidence-building meeting on the Middle East hosted by the Foreign Ministry.
JAPAN
Jul 15, 2004

Struggling UFJ pursues merger deal with MTFG

Ailing UFJ Holdings Inc. on Wednesday asked rival Mitsubishi Tokyo Financial Group Inc. to merge with it in a deal that would create the world's biggest banking group, with 190 trillion yen in assets.

Longform

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