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JAPAN
Dec 15, 2001

Ishihara criticizes bright lights at air base

Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara on Friday criticized the U.S. military's Yokota Air Base for its nightly use of floodlights, which officials claim have damaged the crop of a local farmer.
JAPAN
Dec 15, 2001

Financial entities' overhaul may be shelved, Fukuda says

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda hinted Friday that the government could establish a panel to decide on reforms of state-backed financial entities, a decision that would effectively postpone a conclusion on the contentious issue.
BUSINESS
Dec 15, 2001

Government tax panel calls for overhaul of system

The government's tax panel Friday proposed an overhaul of the taxation system to deal with changes in the economy and called for the abolishment of special tax breaks meted out to individuals and corporations to avoid revenue shortfalls.
JAPAN
Dec 14, 2001

Foreign Ministry officials to give to charity

Five sub-ministerial political appointees within the Foreign Ministry will each donate one month's allowance money to worthy causes as a form of punishment over the latest scandal to hit the ministry, Senior Vice Foreign Minister Seiken Sugiura said Thursday.
JAPAN
Dec 14, 2001

Lift age for retirement, medical services: proposal

A government strategy drafted with Japan's graying society in mind proposes increasing the mandatory ages for retirement and eligibility for medical services, according to the draft outline obtained by Kyodo News.
BUSINESS
Dec 14, 2001

Japan to get Xbox console Feb. 22

The chief operating officer of Microsoft Corp. said Thursday that the Xbox game console will be launched in Japan on Feb. 22 as scheduled.
BUSINESS
Dec 13, 2001

Seiko unit to produce in Thailand

Seiko Corp. said Wednesday its wholly owned subsidiary Seiko Precision Inc. will shift domestic production of camera devices to Thailand to enhance its competitiveness.
BUSINESS
Dec 13, 2001

Hitachi, Corning in cable venture

Hitachi Cable Ltd. said Wednesday it has agreed with Corning Cable Systems LLC of the United States to set up a 50-50 joint venture next month for the manufacture of optical fiber cable in Japan.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 13, 2001

'Tankan' reveals sentiment falling but not as steeply

Business sentiment is continuing to fall at Japanese companies as they struggle against declining exports and prices amid the global economic slump, according to the Bank of Japan's latest "tankan" quarterly survey.
CULTURE / Art
Dec 12, 2001

The world according to Bucky

Naming himself "Guinea Pig B," Buckminster Fuller vowed that his whole life would be an experiment "to see what an unknown individual . . . might be able to do effectively on behalf of all mankind."
JAPAN
Dec 11, 2001

Ministry denies role in pro-MBM report

The farm ministry on Monday defended itself against allegations by a weekly magazine that it encouraged farmers to feed cattle with meat-and-bone meal in the mid-1990s.
ENVIRONMENT
Dec 9, 2001

The climes they are a-changin'

Smokers probably have something to teach us about why it's so hard to believe in global warming.
JAPAN
Dec 8, 2001

Chinese activist expresses delight at refugee status

A Chinese democracy activist who has been granted refugee status expressed his joy Friday at the Justice Ministry's decision, 11 years after he first applied following the Chinese government's crackdown on demonstrators in Beijing's Tiananmen Square in 1989.
BUSINESS
Dec 8, 2001

Growth forecast at minus 0.3%

The government is likely to set its official growth forecast for fiscal 2002 at minus 0.3 percent in the wake of news that the economy contracted a real 0.5 percent in the July-September quarter, government sources said Friday.
JAPAN
Dec 7, 2001

Aoki goes under with 522 billion yen in liabilities

The construction industry was dealt another blow on Thursday when general contractor Aoki Corp. effectively went bankrupt, filing for court protection from creditors under a civil rehabilitation law.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 6, 2001

Bookstores cashing in on royal birth

The birth of a girl to the Crown Prince and Crown Princess has led major bookstores in Tokyo to promote popular reading material relating to the Imperial family as well as books related to the new mother.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 6, 2001

Sachiyo Nomura arrested in tax probe

Sachiyo Nomura, the high-profile wife of Hanshin Tigers manager Katsuya Nomura, was arrested Wednesday for allegedly hiding roughly 570 million yen in income and evading 210 million yen in taxes.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 6, 2001

Egypt: a mirror of what is wrong with U.S.-Arab relations

CAIRO -- In a workshop in the Khan Khalil bazaar in the heart of medieval Cairo, Atef Hamid unwraps three beautifully crafted copper plates, each with designs taken from ancient and famous mosques, on which his grandfather has been laboring.
CULTURE / Film
Dec 5, 2001

Face to face with Imperial evil

Japanese Devils Rating: * * * * 1/2 Director: Minoru Matsui Running time:160 minutes Language: Japanese Now showing
JAPAN
Dec 5, 2001

Government to allow 11 refugees

Justice Minister Mayumi Moriyama said Tuesday that 11 applications for refugee status submitted by foreigners will shortly be accepted, bringing the total number of such accepted applications to 21 this year.
BUSINESS
Dec 5, 2001

Steel firms look to cut costs with tieup

Nippon Steel Corp. and Kobe Steel Ltd. said Tuesday they will enter a comprehensive tieup in steel production and distribution in a bid to reduce costs and improve their competitiveness.
BUSINESS / ON THE FRONT LINE
Dec 5, 2001

Stock rally may be corporate red herring

A stream of disappointing corporate profit reports has thus far failed to spur extensive selloffs on the Tokyo stock market.
BUSINESS
Dec 5, 2001

'Happoshu' hike opposed by Koizumi

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi voiced opposition Tuesday to a Finance Ministry proposal that the tax on low-malt "happoshu" beverages be increased.
JAPAN
Dec 3, 2001

Debate likely on Imperial succession rules

The birth of a baby girl to the Crown Prince and Princess on Saturday, the first in the couple's 8 1/2-year marriage, is likely to refuel debate within political circles over whether the Imperial House Law should be revised to allow the nation to have a reigning empress.
EDITORIALS
Dec 2, 2001

Birth of an Imperial princess

A new baby is always cause for rejoicing, but the birth of a child to the Crown Prince and Princess on Saturday comes as especially bright news at this somber time. In an instant, the symbolic value of the monarchy -- sometimes doubted or forgotten -- becomes clear again. For a brief, shining moment,...
COMMUNITY
Dec 2, 2001

Your click-and-go guide to the snow

Although 75 percent of Japan is mountainous, and there are 600 ski resorts nationwide, the process of arranging a ski holiday can often be full of trials and tribulations.

Longform

Figure skater Akiko Suzuki was once told her ideal weight should be 47 kilograms, a number she now admits she “naively believed.” This led to her have a relationship with food that resulted in her suffering from anorexia.
The silent battle Japanese athletes fight with weight