Search - 2002

 
 
JAPAN
May 21, 2004

Harassment of Korean residents may come up in Koizumi-Kim talks

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi might express concern over the harassment of Korean residents in Japan that followed North Korea's admission in 2002 that it had abducted Japanese nationals in the 1970s and 1980s, government sources said Thursday.
JAPAN
May 21, 2004

Al-Qaeda operative used car-dealer cover to launder cash

A senior al-Qaeda operative who hid out in the city of Niigata for more than a year may have been laundering money while in Japan, police sources said Thursday.
JAPAN
May 21, 2004

Harassment of Korean residents may come up in Koizumi-Kim talks

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi might express concern over the harassment of Korean residents in Japan that followed North Korea's admission in 2002 that it had abducted Japanese nationals in the 1970s and 1980s, government sources said Thursday.
JAPAN
May 19, 2004

Japan's greenhouse gas emissions up 2% in '02; first rise in two years

The nation's emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases linked to global warming increased 2.2 percent in fiscal 2002 from the previous year, marking the first rise in two years, the government said Tuesday.
JAPAN
May 19, 2004

Japan's greenhouse gas emissions up 2% in '02; first rise in two years

The nation's emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases linked to global warming increased 2.2 percent in fiscal 2002 from the previous year, marking the first rise in two years, the government said Tuesday.
JAPAN
May 18, 2004

Nukes, abductions progress key

Japan will not resume normalization talks with North Korea unless there is progress on the abduction issue as well as Pyongyang's suspected nuclear weapons program, the top government spokesman said Monday.
JAPAN
Apr 20, 2004

Rightist admits harassing Chongryun

An ultra-rightist pleaded guilty Monday to being involved in six acts of intimidation targeting North Korea-related organizations and other entities in 2002 and 2003.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Apr 16, 2004

Return of Keane to Irish team stirs mixed emotions

LONDON -- Roy Keane's comeback with the Republic of Ireland was as messy as the confirmation of his international football retirement 14 months ago.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 2, 2004

Railways venture down new income track

In a bid to expand their revenue sources, major railways are rushing to open a diverse range of shops and restaurants inside urban stations.
Japan Times
Features
Feb 29, 2004

Creature comforts fuel business boom

The growing popularity in Japan of dogs as pets has turned its pet industry into a lucrative market in which suppliers and sellers are eagerly competing to offer products and services from the pet's cradle to its grave.
Japan Times
Features
Feb 29, 2004

Pooch paradise

A dog's life in Japan can be about as close to canine heaven on earth as it gets.
COMMENTARY
Feb 24, 2004

Abductions can't be buried

During the government-to-government talks in Pyongyang on Feb. 11-13, Japan and North Korea went no further than stating their respective positions on the abduction and nuclear issues. They did agree to continue negotiations.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 19, 2004

Housing corporations in deflation funk

An increasing number of local public housing corporations are on the brink of insolvency due to declining land prices, threatening to deal a serious blow to already fragile regional economies.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 28, 2004

Child abuse breeds excuses, finger-pointing

School officials only reported the "possibility of abuse" and failed to take further action, the local child consultation center did not take the alert seriously and believed the case was one of truancy, while neighbors tuned out what they suspected was happening.
JAPAN
Jan 19, 2004

Pyongyang trip yields no progress on abduction issue

Japan and North Korea remained at odds over the abductions issue when a group of Japanese diplomats visited Pyongyang last week for the first official contact between the two countries in several months, the Foreign Ministry says.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT
Jan 15, 2004

'Miyake man' leaves a legacy of inspiration

Last week, the environmental community lost a beacon of wisdom and inspiration, a gentle and passionate man who dedicated his career to raising awareness of the oceans' unique ecosystems and Japan's in particular. On Friday, at the age of 74, Jack Thomson Moyer is believed to have taken his own life,...
BUSINESS
Dec 26, 2003

National wealth down to 2.79 quadrillion yen

Japan's national wealth, or net assets, at the end of 2002 shrank by 3.4 percent from a year earlier to 2.79 quadrillion yen, marking the fifth consecutive year of decline, the Cabinet Office said Thursday in a report for fiscal 2002.
JAPAN
Dec 24, 2003

Political entities' fundraising powers on wane

The amount of funds raised by political entities in 2002 fell 11 percent from the previous year to 287.9 billion yen, according to a Kyodo News tally released Tuesday.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Dec 9, 2003

Burden of proof impossible to bear

It may not have been exactly what the government has in mind by the cliche "international cooperation," but dozens of ordinary Japanese folk recently gave up a precious Sunday to help out foreigners in trouble.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 22, 2003

Nagoya Prison guards face damages suit

Three former inmates of Nagoya Prison and the family of a dead prisoner jointly filed a civil suit Friday, demanding a total of 233.5 million yen from the state and 12 prison guards over alleged assaults.
JAPAN
Oct 31, 2003

Voters put Tanaka, Kato scandals behind

As Makiko Tanaka and Koichi Kato try to stage their political comebacks, voters in their districts appear to have dismissed the money scandals that forced them out of the Diet and instead believe they can change politics for the better.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 23, 2003

Ford sees Mazda as key to energizing worldwide operations

MAKUHARI, Chiba Pref. -- Ford Motor Co., which has suffered losses the past two years, said Wednesday it will take advantage of its Japanese partner, Mazda Motor Corp., to bolster its global presence.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Oct 7, 2003

Time to come clean on foreign crime wave

For those who read and watch the Japanese press, these are scary times. Foreign crime is allegedly on the rise, members of the new Koizumi Cabinet are making clear policy statements against it, and the National Police Agency is ready for a new push.
JAPAN
Oct 2, 2003

Abused by prison guards, ex-con still haunted by trauma

A 31-year-old former Nagoya Prison inmate who was allegedly abused by guards last year during his incarceration says he still suffers physical aftereffects as well as trauma from the violence.
JAPAN
Sep 27, 2003

Foreigners blamed for crime woes

Japanese police have blamed deteriorating public security in the country on foreigners, despite figures showing that 96 percent of the nation's crimes are committed by Japanese.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Sep 14, 2003

The money hole

Kumiko Morita looked down at her cell phone as it began to ring. With reluctance she picked it up and answered it. After listening to the caller, she began to speak -- not in her usual soft-spoken way, but in a loud, forceful voice.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / INTERNATIONAL RATIONALE
Aug 15, 2003

Manufacturers shifting output abroad to compete -- at a cost

Honda makes cars in Thailand and imports them to Japan. Toyota produces pickup trucks in South Africa and Argentina.

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami