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BUSINESS
Apr 12, 2002

Zoellick proposes WTO ministerial talks

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick told Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi on Thursday that a four-way ministerial meeting should be held next month in Paris under the World Trade Organization, according to a ministry official.
BUSINESS
Apr 12, 2002

Nissan plans full lineup for customers in China

Nissan Motor Co. plans to launch almost its entire lineup of passenger cars in China, expecting the country to grow into a huge auto market, according to Nissan President Carlos Ghosn.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Apr 12, 2002

Humpback whale

* Japanese name: Zatokujira * Scientific name: Megaptera novaeangliae * Description: Measuring 12-14 meters, weighing 25-30 tons and with flippers up to 5.5 meters long, the humpback whale is unmistakable. It is black, with white patches on the flippers, which may also be encrusted with barnacles....
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 12, 2002

Comet discoverer Hyakutake dies

Yuji Hyakutake, an amateur Japanese astronomer known for his discovery of a comet in 1996 that was later dubbed Comet Hyakutake, died Wednesday evening, his family said Thursday. He was 51.
BUSINESS / ON THE FRONT LINE
Apr 12, 2002

State must act before market backs banks

Special bank inspections have found that the disposal of soured loans made headway toward the close of fiscal 2001.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / JET STREAM
Apr 12, 2002

The man who gave the JET program liftoff

The JET program marks its 15th anniversary this year. Today the country's largest teacher-exchange program, it all started from the simple dream of a young British banker called Nicolas Maclean.
JAPAN
Apr 12, 2002

Top court rejects wine poisoner's sixth appeal

The Supreme Court has turned down a 76-year-old death row inmate's sixth appeal for a retrial in a 1961 wine-poisoning case in which five people were killed.
BASEBALL / MLB
Apr 12, 2002

Giants survive on Petagine's error

In the 12th and final frame of the game, Yakult first baseman Roberto Petagine errored Akira Eto's grounder in a one-out, bases-loaded situation, allowing Yomiuri to escape with a 5-4 "sayonara" win over the Swallows at the Tokyo Dome on Thursday.
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM MOSCOW
Apr 11, 2002

Russia's Mideast conundrum

MOSCOW -- The current crisis in the Middle East is a conundrum for Moscow. Russia's involvement in the area has traditionally been painful and controversial, heavily loaded with historical associations, cultural stereotypes and racial prejudice. Rarely did Russian diplomacy score a success there, while...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 11, 2002

Vested-interest policymakers irked over report that pulls few punches

Lawmakers within the ruling coalition were left aghast by a scathing report submitted last week by a panel investigating the government's handling of mad cow disease.
BUSINESS
Apr 11, 2002

Government sees economy approaching bottom

The economy is showing increasing signs of bottoming out, the government said Wednesday, upgrading its assessment for the second straight month.
COMMENTARY / WASHINGTON UPDATE
Apr 11, 2002

Campaign finance reform passes -- for the moment

WASHINGTON -- President George W. Bush put the final touches on campaign finance reform for this year by recently signing the McCain-Feingold-Shays-Meehan Bill into law in the Oval Office before flying off for a series of fund raising events for Republican candidates.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 11, 2002

Threat of new Iraqi war has neighboring Turkey on edge

ANKARA -- At his shop in the ancient citadel of this busy capital city, Satilimish Sutchuoglu and three fellow carpet sellers gather to drink tea and trade forecasts of economic doom.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 11, 2002

Nissan enters domestic minicar market

Nissan Motor Co. on Wednesday made its first foray into the minivehicle sector by launching its first domestic minicar model.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / INTERNATIONAL RATIONALE
Apr 11, 2002

Domestic, foreign insurers engaged in turf war

The deregulation of Japan's insurance sector last year has set domestic and foreign-affiliated companies squarely against each other in the cancer and medical insurance battlefield.
JAPAN
Apr 11, 2002

Man sentenced to 15 years for random murder

OSAKA -- A 25-year-old man was sentenced Wednesday to 15 years in prison for the random slaying of a corporate executive in March 2000.
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Apr 11, 2002

Queen of the underworld

One of the most unusual, bizarre-looking and fascinating animals known to science is found in the arid earth of sub-Saharan Africa. It lives in subterranean colonies, with a single breeding queen. It has a worker caste that takes care of the young animals and soldiers that defend the colony: It is "eusocial"...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Apr 11, 2002

NGOs and odd bedfellows point the way

Back in the 1960s, plastics were the future. As a result, a significant part of that future will be spent cleaning up after the past. So here is a tip for those of you making plans to help save the Earth: Consider a career in environmental economics. And if you're already working as an environmentalist,...
LIFE / Digital / NAME OF THE GAME
Apr 11, 2002

Heroes for the hardcore

America's comic book industry, a shrinking business to be sure, may be taking cues from Japan's popular manga.
JAPAN
Apr 11, 2002

Insurer offers marrow donor leave

Sony Life Insurance Co. has become the first life insurer in the nation to establish a system offering special holidays for employees donating bone marrow, officials of the firm said Wednesday.
LIFE / Digital
Apr 11, 2002

End the wait, get really connected

The waiting is over, at least for Internet users tired of herky-jerky Web video, all-night downloads, and pay-by-the-minute dialup access. Broadband has arrived in Japan, and in cities like Tokyo and Osaka we probably enjoy the best, least expensive high-speed Internet access in the world.
SOCCER / World cup
Apr 10, 2002

Hooliganism won't disappear without a fight

Hooliganism won't disappear without a fight
JAPAN
Apr 10, 2002

Man killed in front of school

A 40-year-old unemployed man beat another man to death with an iron bar Tuesday morning on a street outside a school in Adachi Ward, Tokyo, as students were arriving for classes, police said.
JAPAN
Apr 10, 2002

'Satoyama' key to preservation of rural settlements

The Environment Ministry said Tuesday it will use the term "satoyama" to explain a new biodiversity policy aimed at preserving areas in which residents have coexisted harmoniously with nature.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 10, 2002

Africa aid forum searches for solutions

In an attempt to find solutions to Africa's persistent poverty and low economic growth, regional leaders and experts recently met in Tokyo to discuss ways to remedy the continent of its problematic governments.
JAPAN
Apr 10, 2002

World Cup travel fares discounted for foreigners

The transport ministry on Tuesday unveiled special transportation discounts for overseas tourists during the World Cup soccer championships, which start May 31.

Longform

Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.
With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear