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EDITORIALS
Oct 2, 2003

Plenty of rice despite poor harvest

Low temperatures and a shortage of sunlight during the summer months have made it certain that this year's rice harvest will be the poorest in a decade. Yet, even with the lean harvest, there will be no problem on the supply side because the government's stock of rice is more than adequate.
BUSINESS
Oct 2, 2003

ANA hopes to slash employees' pay by 5%

All Nippon Airways Co. plans to reduce the salaries of all employees next spring by about 5 percent, sources close to the plan said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Oct 2, 2003

Cabinet joins clamor for greater interference in currency market

Cabinet ministers said Wednesday that Japan will remain ready to intervene in the foreign-exchange market to stem volatility, after the nation's monetary authorities stepped into the currency market Tuesday in New York to stem the yen's ascent.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Oct 2, 2003

When American values get a woman's mind cooking

My brother has plunged into this deep gloom. It's his girlfriend, naturally. He's taken to calling me three times a week, genuinely perplexed and begging me to tell him why the romance is gone. He's my brother and I love him, but honestly, like most Japanese men the guy does not have a clue. I can tell...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK
Oct 2, 2003

Blowing up the merits of charcoal

When I was 12, chemistry didn't interest me much until I found a battered old book in the school library that gave detailed instructions on the making of gunpowder. I still remember the recipe, which includes 75 percent potassium nitrate, otherwise known as saltpeter, and 10 percent charcoal.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 2, 2003

Few know but many fear where the U.S. 'road map' leads

BEIRUT -- By the summer of 2002, U.S. President George Bush had firmly set his new course: "regime change" and reform in the Muslim and Arab worlds, and, where necessary, American military intervention to achieve it.
COMMENTARY
Oct 2, 2003

Book fight turns up a Beijing weak spot

LOS ANGELES -- Love her or loathe her, Hillary Clinton is something else. In 1995, for instance, the then-first lady stood on a Beijing dais and delivered a tough speech that denounced violations of women's rights worldwide. With steely passion she said: "Human rights are women's rights."
MORE SPORTS
Oct 2, 2003

Day of mixed results for local stars at Japan Open

It was a mixed day for Japan's top players at the Japan Open in Ariake, Tokyo on Wednesday. In the men's draw, Takeo Suzuki advanced to the last 16, beating South Africa's Wayne Moodie 6-1, 7-6 (7-3) on the back of 12 aces while Gouichi Motomura went down 6-2, 7-6 (7-4) to Dane Kenneth Carlesen.
BUSINESS
Oct 2, 2003

Sakaguchi suggests consumption tax hike

Everyone knows it's coming, but nobody talks about it in public.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / ON THE BOOK TRAIL
Oct 2, 2003

"The House of Windjammer," "Boolar's Big Day Out"

"The House of Windjammer," V.A. Richardson, Bloomsbury; 2003; 349 pp. No matter where you grow up, whether it's in 21st-century Japan or in 17th-century Europe, some things never change. People everywhere, at every time, are at the mercy of larger forces -- political upheavals, market fluctuations,...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 1, 2003

New law requires recycling of PCs at consumers' expense

Starting Wednesday, new legislation takes effect that compels personal computer manufacturers to collect used PCs from households and recycle their parts, with consumers footing the bill. The following are basic facts about the recycling process:
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 1, 2003

Exhaust curbs to sting truck operators

Hideaki Tsuchiya's small trucking firm in Tokyo's Meguro Ward faced a major headache earlier this year: Five of his 20 trucks did not meet new exhaust regulations that take effect in the metropolis Wednesday.
JAPAN
Oct 1, 2003

Diplomat says antiwar stance led to his firing

A senior Japanese diplomat who left the Foreign Ministry on Aug. 29 is planning to challenge the ministry as he believes he was "virtually fired" due to his opposition to Japan supporting the U.S.-led war on Iraq, the ex-diplomat told Kyodo News in a recent interview.
JAPAN
Oct 1, 2003

Africa confab targets conflict prevention

How to prevent conflicts and bolster development in Africa were the focus of the second day of a major donor conference Tuesday that brings together 23 African heads of state and delegates from about 140 countries and international organizations.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Oct 1, 2003

Tigers' pennant forced Giants skipper to fall on his sword

That was a shocker. Talking here about the resignation of Yomiuri Giants manager Tatsunori Hara on Sept. 26. Sure, it had been rumored for days, but I for one did not expect it would really happen.
EDITORIALS
Oct 1, 2003

Brace for another round of SARS

Ever since severe acute respiratory syndrome was brought under control this summer, medical authorities have warned that another outbreak could occur in the fall. The world got its first fright last month with reports of occurrences in Singapore and Hong Kong. In fact, the Hong Kong case was not SARS;...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 1, 2003

Late to offer self-service, gas stations now struggle for profits

Naotake Bando likes the simplicity. The 61-year-old motorist, who recently pulled into a self-service gas station in Chofu, western Tokyo, said he prefers to fill up his car by himself.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Oct 1, 2003

Praise be! Hip-hop art gets religious

Picture a classic Byzantine icon of the crucified Christ. The savior's body, having been taken down from the cross, is surrounded by his grieving loved ones. Now imagine that scene in the 21st century. Replace the body of Jesus with that of slain gangsta rapper Tupac Shakur, laid out on a car hood, with...
JAPAN
Oct 1, 2003

Chongryun starts paying local taxes

The pro-Pyongyang General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryun) paid about 22 million yen in taxes Tuesday to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government following Gov. Shintaro Ishihara's decision to end the group's tax-exempt status.
JAPAN
Oct 1, 2003

Airlines gird for battle over Tokyo-Osaka route

With the JR Tokaido Shinkansen Line now stopping at Shinagawa, airlines are bracing for cutthroat competition with the speedy rail service between Tokyo and Osaka.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 1, 2003

U.S. mission remains on track in Iraq

WASHINGTON -- How can we really determine if the Iraq mission is going well? Pessimists worry about recent truck bombings and political assassinations, ongoing serious crime problems, sustained attacks against U.S. forces, and high unemployment together with slow progress at improving the Iraqi standard...
JAPAN
Oct 1, 2003

Man faces charge over 100 yen theft of old newspapers

Police have turned over to prosecutors their case against a 46-year-old man who allegedly stole 100 yen worth of old newspapers from a garbage collection site in Suginami Ward, Tokyo, it was learned Tuesday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Oct 1, 2003

Nagoya's new pretender to EL theater throne

Black lipstick, grommet belts and thrash metal music are an integral part of Rising Sun Theatre's debut production, William Shakespeare's "Macbeth." So are noh masks, hakama (trousers) and a huge Shinto torii.
JAPAN
Oct 1, 2003

Firms searched over bid-rigging allegations

The Fair Trade Commission on Tuesday searched the offices of major general contractors Kajima Corp., Shimizu Corp., Taisei Corp., Obayashi Corp. and Penta-Ocean Construction Co. in connection with suspected bid-rigging for public works projects in the city of Niigata.
BUSINESS
Oct 1, 2003

Business daily eyes rehabilitation

Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, a troubled business daily, said Tuesday it has agreed in principle to rehabilitate itself with financial assistance from Japanese investment fund MKS Partners Ltd.
JAPAN
Oct 1, 2003

Prima Meat case handed to prosecutors

Police on Tuesday handed prosecutors their case against Prima Meat Packers Ltd. and three of its executives, who allegedly misrepresented a product's ingredients in violation of food safety laws.

Longform

An illustration features the Japanese signs for "ganbare" (good luck) and the Deaflympics, which will be held between Nov. 15 and 26.
A century of Deaf sport finds its moment in Tokyo