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BUSINESS
Aug 30, 2002

Softbank sells off stakes in Yahoo!, UTStarcom

Internet business investor Softbank Corp. said Thursday it has sold a part of its stake in Internet portal Yahoo! Inc. and wireless equipment maker UTStarcom Inc., both of the United States, to reduce its interest-bearing liabilities and expand its broadband operations.
BASEBALL / MLB
Aug 29, 2002

Red hot Swallows close gap on Giants

The Yakult Swallows are starting to look like birds of prey.
JAPAN
Aug 29, 2002

Mitsui workers suspected of bribing foreign official

Employees of trading house Mitsui & Co. are being questioned on suspicion that they bribed a Mongolian government official last year to secure an order for a power project financed by the Japanese government, informed sources said Wednesday.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Aug 29, 2002

Clearing the air, resurrecting cash and finding a pet

Clearing the air With summer winding down, and in readiness for new seasonal beginnings, time to clean the slate.
BUSINESS
Aug 29, 2002

Fitch leaves ratings of 10 major Japanese banks unchanged

Fitch Ratings said Tuesday it has left unchanged the credit ratings of 10 Japanese banks, including a holding company, in anticipation that the Japanese government will extend support if needed.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 29, 2002

Toyota's G-Book to provide drivers with interactive info

Toyota Motor Corp. said Wednesday that it will introduce a new membership-based information network service called G-Book this fall, enabling drivers to receive a wide range of interactive information services via wireless communication terminals mounted in their vehicles.
JAPAN
Aug 28, 2002

Persian-language court interpreter lives life on a tightrope

Keiko Kawashima's job as a Persian-language court interpreter sometimes requires her to respond to calls in the middle of the night.
BUSINESS
Aug 28, 2002

Duel between gas, electric appliance makers heats up

A race pitting electric appliance makers against gas appliance makers is quietly heating up in Japanese kitchens.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Aug 28, 2002

Guided by Voices: "Universal Truths and Cycles"

Hype moves in mysterious ways. Take the band Guided by Voices, for example. Although frothy fanatics such as myself have been touting GBV as the best rock 'n' roll band on the planet for years, our claims were often met with little more than a shrug. Therefore, please ignore the smug look on my face...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Aug 28, 2002

Ninagawa gives his best -- all over again

People always comment on Shakespeare's incredible productivity, but director Yukio Ninagawa surely deserves to be right up there with him -- at least in terms of hard work.
BUSINESS
Aug 28, 2002

Postal panel narrows options

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's private advisory panel on postal services agreed Tuesday to propose three options for privatizing the services in its final report to be compiled in early September.
BUSINESS
Aug 27, 2002

GDP report expected to show 0.2% growth

Government reports this week are expected to show Japan's economy expanded slightly in second quarter and pulled out of recession, thanks to growing exports, according to a survey released Monday by Bloomberg News.
MORE SPORTS
Aug 26, 2002

Goode performance lifts Sarries over Suntory

An impressive performance from new fly-half Andy Goode helped English Premiership side Saracens beat Suntory Goliath 61-42 at a hot and muggy National Stadium on Sunday night.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / BEST BAR NONE
Aug 25, 2002

Far from the tanning crowd

The beaches between Zushi and Enoshima were buzzing with activity as my friends and I sped southbound along the strip. They were not only crowded with sunbathers, but also choked with oversize beach bars, lined up cheek to jowl along the foreshore. Some of these bars are extravagant multistory structures...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Aug 25, 2002

Buying into the idea of saving the planet

It may not be intentional, but the new batch of ads by the Tokyo Electric Power Co. could be seen as taking advantage of the United Nations World Summit on Sustainable Development, which opens in Johannesburg on Monday. In each TV spot, following energy-saving advice related to the use of air conditioners,...
BUSINESS
Aug 24, 2002

Nippon Electric Glass in CRT move

Nippon Electric Glass Co. said Friday it has established a new subsidiary in China to expand its output of glass bulbs for cathode-ray tubes.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 23, 2002

'Politically motivated' arrests slammed

The head of the public security department of the Osaka High Public Prosecutor's Office was arrested April 23 for allegedly being entertained to the tune of 280,000 yen by mobsters in return for providing internal information.
JAPAN
Aug 23, 2002

Panel seeks 'review' of new roads

A key government panel discussing the privatization of tollways agreed Thursday to urge the government to "immediately review" the implementation of all ongoing expressway construction work.
BUSINESS
Aug 22, 2002

Daiei unit gives up rights to Kanagawa monorail

Struggling retail giant Daiei Inc. said Wednesday its wholly owned unit has abandoned its rights to a closed monorail line in Kanagawa Prefecture that has not operated for 35 years.
BUSINESS
Aug 22, 2002

Fusion eyes new IP phone service

Telecommunications operator Fusion Communications Corp. plans to begin a new Internet protocol-based telephone service that will minimize the use of switching equipment used by Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp., company officials said Wednesday.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / NAME OF THE GAME
Aug 22, 2002

When violence isn't enough

You know how moths like to fly into lights and fires, or how whales beach themselves. How about lemmings . . . those adorable creatures that follow each other off cliffs? You wouldn't think the American video game industry would fall into that category, but it's looking that way.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 21, 2002

Light My Fire festival to heat things up

Relaxing in a conference room crowded with shelves of CDs and a couple dozen bottles of Belgian beer, Shohachiro Haga recently explained how he chose the four acts for the Light My Fire world music festival. A middle-aged man wearing an enviably broken-in polo shirt, Haga says, "We can find the roots...
JAPAN
Aug 20, 2002

Two dead in suspected murder-arson

The charred corpses of two men, both with knife wounds, were found Monday morning after a fire broke out in a building in Minato Ward, Tokyo, leading police to investigate the case as a possible murder-arson.
MORE SPORTS
Aug 19, 2002

Yasuda returns to cheer on 49ers

No Japanese has ever played in the NFL.
Japan Times
JAPAN / WEEKEND WISDOM
Aug 18, 2002

Veteran voyeur gives the skinny on Hibiya Park lovebirds

In Tokyo's Hibiya Park, just by the Hibiya gate entrance, couples can often be seen laying claim to benches surrounding a large fountain.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 18, 2002

Living Dead returns with 'group gestalt'

Bob Weir says he can use some serious beach time. The former Grateful Dead guitarist and vocalist is taking a breather a short while after bounding off stage following a well-received set by his band RatDog at last weekend's Mount Fuji Jazz Festival.

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