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BUSINESS
Apr 6, 2002

Koizumi assures OECD chief of reform

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Friday told the head of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development that Japan is determined to push through structural reforms, government officials said.
JAPAN
Apr 6, 2002

Computer glitches cripple transactions at Mizuho

Mizuho Financial Group, the world's largest banking group, confirmed Friday that it has a backlog of at least 2.5 million incomplete transactions due to computer system glitches.
JAPAN
Apr 6, 2002

Tokyo-Seoul history panel sets date for talks

A Japan-South Korea panel created to lay the groundwork for a planned joint history research committee will hold its first meeting April 15 in Tokyo, Foreign Ministry officials said Friday.
BUSINESS
Apr 6, 2002

Mining firms eye alliance on copper

Nippon Mining & Metals Co. and Mitsui Mining & Smelting Co. said Friday they will soon begin talks to fully integrate their copper operations by expanding their ongoing alliance to cover production.
EDITORIALS
Apr 6, 2002

Law for Okinawa's prosperity

Thirty years after its return to Japanese control in May 1972, Okinawa continues to struggle with its twin problems: the heavy presence of U.S. military bases and the relatively low level of industrial development. While the base problem is likely to persist for a long time to come, the drive for economic...
EDITORIALS
Apr 5, 2002

Secure food safety

Never before, perhaps, has a government advisory panel made such a scathing attack on public policy. The final report on bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE, popularly known as mad cow disease, submitted Tuesday by a 10-member investigative committee, points out that the government made a "grave...
BUSINESS
Apr 5, 2002

Mizuho delayed by problems during account settlements

Mizuho Bank clients were further inconvenienced Thursday by delays in its cash-transfer services related to account settlements for the 2001 business year, Mizuho officials said.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 5, 2002

Waseda community makes recycling pay

"Super Oyaji," also known as grocer Junichiro Yasui, has been gaining attention for his green streak -- and it has nothing to do with his produce section.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Apr 5, 2002

Oh, to die under a cherry-blossom tree in spring

It's over for Tokyo, that brief period in spring known as hanami no kisetsu (the season to sit under a cherry-blossom tree and eat and drink oneself into oblivion).
BUSINESS
Apr 5, 2002

Official hoping for U.S. compensation over steel curbs

A senior trade official voiced hope Thursday that the United States will shortly offer to compensate Japan for damage inflicted upon its steel industry in the wake of Washington's recent decision to impose import tariffs on a range of steel products.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Apr 5, 2002

Fruit fly

* Japanese name: Shojobae * Scientific name: Drosophila melanogaster * Description: This is a tiny (3-mm) fly, with red eyes and one pair of wings. It is almost too small to notice, yet the fruit fly is one of the world's most important organisms. Study of the fruit fly led directly to the science...
MORE SPORTS
Apr 4, 2002

Yamada swims to another record

Japanese distance swimmer Sachiko Yamada set a short-course national record in the women's 400-meter freestyle final at the national short-course championships Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Apr 4, 2002

China rife with opportunities: Li

The growing Chinese market presents huge investment opportunities for Japanese companies, Li Peng, chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress, said Wednesday in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Apr 4, 2002

Police spotters to ambush soccer hooligans at airports

Japanese police will team up with investigators from Britain and elsewhere at the nation's airports to prevent soccer hooligans from entering Japan for the World Cup finals, according to police sources.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Apr 4, 2002

'Park on a possum' is far easier said than done

Back in 1848, some bright spark had a "good" idea. Let's import common brush-tailed possums from Australia and fur-farm them in New Zealand, they thought. They followed up on that idea with action -- action that New Zealand's environment has been paying for ever since.
LIFE / Digital / NAME OF THE GAME
Apr 4, 2002

Better to skip this 'adventure' and just go to Osaka

You've probably already been inundated with news that Universal Studios opened a theme park last year in Osaka. If you have any interest in seeing that park, do not try to preview it with "Universal Studios Theme Park Adventure" (UA), a relatively new game for the Nintendo GameCube published by a company...
MORE SPORTS
Apr 3, 2002

Hagiwara sets record in backstroke

Versatile swimmer Tomoko Hagiwara set a national record in the women's 200-meter backstroke Monday when a handful of records fell on the opening day of the national short-course championships.
BUSINESS
Apr 3, 2002

Embarrassing ATM problem fixed: Mizuho

Mizuho Holdings Inc. said Tuesday that the embarrassing glitch that shut down its automatic teller machines the previous day has been fixed.
BUSINESS
Apr 3, 2002

Decision on towel import curbs delayed for second time

The government announced a decision Tuesday to extend by six months the April 15 deadline for an investigation to decide whether to invoke import curbs on towel and towel products from China and Vietnam.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 3, 2002

Slipknot unmasked!

For a big guy, the evil-looking Clown from the band Slipknot can move pretty fast. In a flash he leaps out of his seat, lunges at me with a stiletto blade and plunges it into my chest. "Nothing else means anything to me," he snarls, his face inches away from mine, his eyes burrowing to the back of my...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Apr 3, 2002

Reverend Horton Heat: 'Lucky 7'

Honky-tonks, hot rods and a half-dozen bottles of bourbon. Welcome to the wild and woolly world of the Reverend Horton Heat. It's been 10 years, four record labels and endless gallons of booze and premium unleaded since the good Reverend (aka Chris Heath) first introduced us to his blistering brand of...
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Apr 3, 2002

Jimi Tenor

If there's enough temporal distance between your music and that music's source influence, you may be mistaken for an original. Better yet, if you strip that influence to its basics, you can be labeled a purist. Sometimes this strategy backfires, and you get people like Tiny Tim, a minimalist throwback...
EDITORIALS
Apr 2, 2002

A completed life

Last Saturday saw the death of Britain's Queen Elizabeth, mother of the present monarch, Elizabeth II. The queen mother, or "queen mum," as she was affectionately known, was 101 years old and had been in poor health for several months. Although her role in public life -- like that of most members of...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 2, 2002

Nonsmokers little-served by air purifiers

Whether they are waiting to board a flight at Tokyo's Haneda airport or taking a break in the lobby of a government ministry in the Kasumigaseki district, smokers nowadays are often herded into areas with prominent air filtering devices.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 2, 2002

960,000 graduates enter workforce

An estimated 960,000 college and high school graduates entered the workforce on Monday, with firms and government offices nationwide holding ceremonies to welcome new hires amid a slumping domestic economy.
Japan Times
Events
Apr 2, 2002

Museum displays home articles of 'typical' family from Seoul

SUITA, Osaka Pref. -- South Korea may never have felt closer to Japan than it has this year. Not only are the two nations cohosting the World Cup later this year, but a three-day tour to Seoul nowadays costs less than 30,000 yen, and Korean food is popular across Japan.

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