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JAPAN
Jul 27, 2002

Sakura Bank fundraising for Koizumi scrutinized

Senior officials of the former Sakura Bank collected donations from firms the bank was lending to for Junichiro Koizumi before he became prime minister, informed sources said Friday.
JAPAN
Jul 27, 2002

Toxin imperils Iran pistachio imports

Health minister Chikara Sakaguchi said Friday that imports of Iranian pistachio nuts may be outlawed because they contain a carcinogenic toxin.
BUSINESS
Jul 27, 2002

8.7 trillion yen in 'zaito' funds not used by recipients

As much as 8.7 trillion yen of the government's fiscal investment and loan program, or 26.7 percent of the initial budget of 32.55 trillion yen, was left unused in fiscal 2001, according to a report released Friday by the Finance Ministry.
JAPAN
Jul 27, 2002

Secondhand smoke affects 62% of pregnancies

About 62 percent of pregnant women in Japan face pregnancy complications and other health risks from inhaling secondary smoke from their partners' cigarettes, a survey by a government-affiliated health institution showed Friday.
BUSINESS
Jul 27, 2002

Spending by wage earners up 3.4%

Spending by wage-earning households rose an inflation-adjusted 3.4 percent in June from the year before, the government said Friday.
JAPAN
Jul 27, 2002

USJ faces second round of water tests

OSAKA -- Osaka municipal authorities on Friday conducted a second inspection of the Universal Studios Japan movie theme park over the use of untreated industrial water in a drinking fountain, health officials said Friday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Jul 27, 2002

David Blume

The British Chamber of Commerce in Japan has been a vital link in the Anglo-Japanese business partnership for over 50 years. The partnership continues to expand, in new directions and in offering more opportunities. It is an important network, into which the chamber provides informed access.
COMMUNITY
Jul 27, 2002

Creating a museum as a sacred, powerful place

Asked what it is like to be a goddess, Hiroko Koyama laughs. Of course she's not really a goddess, she says, "but if some of our congregation believe me and my mother to be so blessed, well, there's not much we can do about it."
BUSINESS
Jul 27, 2002

Panel recommends minimum wage be left the same in '02

The minimum wage should be left intact in fiscal 2002, an advisory panel to the labor minister proposed Friday.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jul 27, 2002

Do you speak like (pause) a teeeacherr?

Australian researchers have discerned that we use three different voices: one when talking with other adults, one with elongated vowels for talking to babies, and a high-pitched voice for talking to pets.
JAPAN
Jul 26, 2002

Takuma conceived of massacre in 1984

OSAKA -- Mamoru Takuma, who stands accused of fatally stabbing eight schoolchildren in June 2001, told the Osaka District Court on Thursday that he came up with the idea of committing a massacre when he was arrested for rape in 1984.
JAPAN
Jul 26, 2002

Mother held in daughter's strangulation, refrigeration

Police arrested a 49-year-old woman Thursday on suspicion of strangling her 14-year-old daughter at home in Tokyo and keeping the body in a closet and a refrigerator for two weeks.
BUSINESS
Jul 26, 2002

NEC, Fujitsu report defective PCs

NEC Corp. and Fujitsu Ltd. are voluntarily repairing and exchanging parts in certain models of their personal computers that may be defective, officials of the two computer makers said.
BUSINESS
Jul 26, 2002

Koizumi set to issue financial stability directive

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi indicated Thursday he will instruct his Cabinet ministers to step up measures to stabilize the financial system and reassure bankers before the imposition of a cap on all bank deposit guarantees in April.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / JET STREAM
Jul 26, 2002

Breaking down people's mental barriers

Joannah Peterson was a bright, attractive, typical 14-year-old when the accident occurred. In the car with her were her older brother and a cousin. Both escaped with minor injuries, but for Peterson, the story was different.
JAPAN
Jul 26, 2002

Law enacted to ensure safety of nation's blood products

A law requiring the state to ensure safe, domestically produced supplies of blood products was enacted Thursday following approval by the House of Representatives.
JAPAN
Jul 26, 2002

Move to slash foreign aid sparks strong opposition

A government advisory panel submitted to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Thursday a final report on official development assistance policy criticizing the administration's moves to slash ODA spending under its reform drive.
JAPAN
Jul 26, 2002

Rainy season ends two days early

The nation's rainy season is over for the year, now that it has ended in the northern part of the Tohoku region, the Meteorological Agency said Thursday.
BUSINESS
Jul 26, 2002

Ministry hints it may sue Moody's over bond rating

The Finance Ministry has hinted it may seek compensation for any damage caused by the downgrading of Japan's credit rating by U.S.-based Moody's Investors Service Inc.
JAPAN
Jul 26, 2002

Theme park faces inspection

OSAKA -- Osaka municipal authorities will inspect Universal Studios Japan, possibly Friday, in connection with the theme park's admission that one of its drinking fountains was dispensing unsterilized water meant for industrial purposes.
COMMENTARY
Jul 25, 2002

Home of the brave, land of the snitches

WASHINGTON -- Washington "will do everything conceivable, everything humanly and technologically possible to preserve our way of life and our citizens," says Tom Ridge, director of the U.S. Office of Homeland Security. Unfortunately, the Bush administration seems ready to threaten our way of life in...
JAPAN
Jul 25, 2002

Suzuki tied to illegal payments to cover bureaucrat's meal bills

The office of indicted lawmaker Muneo Suzuki illegally paid the restaurant bills of a former Foreign Ministry bureaucrat -- who is also under arrest -- by disguising them as political activity expenses at Suzuki's political fund management organization, sources said Wednesday.

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