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BUSINESS
Jun 29, 2001

Panel proposes using LNG over coal at power plants to reduce emissions

Liquefied natural gas should be used in preference to coal at power plants in order to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, an advisory panel to the industry minister recommended Thursday in a report on the nation's long-term energy policy.
JAPAN
Jun 29, 2001

Illegal dumping of appliances rises

Unlawful dumping of home appliances targeted by a recent recycling law marked a year-on-year rise during April and May in about 53 percent of the 272 municipalities who had comparable figures from the previous year, according to an Environment Ministry survey released Thursday.
JAPAN
Jun 29, 2001

Bill promoting helper dogs slated for Diet debate in fall

A nonpartisan lawmaker group plans to submit a bill to foster helper dogs as well as other bills to revise a basic law on disabled people and related laws to the extraordinary Diet session scheduled for the fall.
JAPAN
Jun 29, 2001

Coming out at the workplace the next big challenge for gays

During a party celebrating his election to a Tokyo ward assembly in April 1999, the candidate was being congratulated by supporters, as were his parents, who were hailed as the biggest contributors to the successful campaign.
BUSINESS
Jun 29, 2001

Global sales, restructuring fuel Nissan's revival

Two of the mostly eagerly awaited financial reports this year were those of Nissan Motor Co. and Snow Brand Milk Products Co.
JAPAN
Jun 29, 2001

F-4 jets to stay on alert despite unarmed guns

The Defense Agency has no plan to replace Air Self-Defense Force F-4 fighters on standby against possible airspace violations, even though their 20mm cannons are empty after a jet accidentally strafed a city in Hokkaido earlier this week, agency Vice Minister Ken Sato said Thursday.
JAPAN
Jun 29, 2001

Summit eyed as launchpad for fresh ties

With Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's first summit with U.S. President George W. Bush to be held Saturday outside Washington D.C., Japan hopes to set in motion full-scale efforts to build fresh ties under the new U.S. administration.
BUSINESS
Jun 29, 2001

Bad-loan disposal urged over profits

How many bad loans did banks write off in fiscal 2000? How many years will it take for banks to dispose of all their bad loans?
BUSINESS
Jun 29, 2001

IBJ disbandment to follow Mizuho bank consolidation

Industrial Bank of Japan, now a unit of the Mizuho Financial Group, will be disbanded when Mizuho consolidates its banking business on April 1, sources close to the group said.
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Jun 29, 2001

Far East tree frog

* Japanese name:Nihon amagaeru * Scientific name:Hyla japonica * Description: These small, green frogs grow up to 5 cm long. They have discs for toes and a brown stripe running down each side of the body starting from the nostrils.
COMMUNITY / PARENT TRIP
Jun 29, 2001

They'll thank you for it someday

"I want my child to have the advantages I never had when I was a kid." When it comes to cliches uttered by doting parents, that's one of the all-time classics. I never thought I'd find myself saying it, but as I keep finding out, parenthood is full of such ironic twists. In my case, the "advantage" in...
BUSINESS
Jun 29, 2001

General contractors see profits rise while cutting interest-bearing debts

General contractors recently released their much anticipated fiscal 2000 financial statements. These companies are widely believed to be among the firms most negatively affected by the prolonged economic slowdown, which is marked by falling real estate prices.
BUSINESS
Jun 28, 2001

Daiei touts start of sundries corners

Ailing supermarket operator Daiei Inc. said Wednesday it will introduce drugstore-style "D.Fit" corners later this month to sell daily necessities at some of its existing retail outlets.
BUSINESS
Jun 28, 2001

Firms must pick and choose when pursuing western ways

As Japanese firms seek to adopt more elements of western-style business management practices and ideas, pressure appears to be mounting on corporate executives to increase shareholder value.
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Jun 28, 2001

Tuffy enjoying a hair-raising season

It's Opening Day 1994 at venerable Wrigley Field in Chicago. You're playing for the hometown Cubs and facing Dwight Gooden of the New York Mets, one of the premier power pitchers in Major League Baseball. By the end of the day, you'll have have homered in your first three at-bats of the season and added...
JAPAN
Jun 28, 2001

Female 'rakugo' narrator packs bags to spread mirth on Korean Peninsula

"Rakugo" comic storyteller Kikuchiyo Kokontei hopes to spend this summer breaking down cultural barriers on both sides of the Korean Peninsula.
BUSINESS
Jun 28, 2001

Brave new e-world needs to review basics

David Grigsby, a professor at Clemson University in South Carolina, recalls how just a few years ago newspapers blared: "Forget what you know about business. This is a new world, an e-world. You have to relearn everything."
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Jun 28, 2001

George W. stepping on toes to dance with special interests

U.S. President George W. Bush is not the beau of the ball among scientists these days. "On both missile defense and the greenhouse effect," Dr. Hugh Gusterson of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology tells the New York Times, there is "substantial [scientific] consensus against the White House."...
COMMENTARY
Jun 28, 2001

The right to collective defense

WASHINGTON -- Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is scheduled to meet U.S. President George W. Bush June 30 at the presidential retreat at Camp David, Maryland. Most likely Koizumi will receive an enthusiastic welcome amid expectations that Japan will change.
BUSINESS
Jun 28, 2001

Report says Osaka firms need stronger green policies

OSAKA -- Osaka firms are making progress in introducing environmentally friendly policies but need to do more, especially in helping smaller firms meet international standards, according to a white paper on the Osaka economy released Wednesday.
SOCCER / J. League
Jun 28, 2001

'Pixy' plans to lead Yugoslavia in Kirin Cup

Dragan "Pixy" Stojkovic will make an appearance in front of his Japanese fans when the Nagoya Grampus Eight star suits up for Yugoslavia on Thursday night against Paraguay in the opening match of the Kirin Cup at Tokyo's National Stadium.
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Jun 28, 2001

Unraveling the nature of the beast

Nurture got a poke in the eye from nature last week, with the publication of a wide-ranging study of identical and fraternal twins that showed differences in certain attitudes are partly due to genetic factors.
EDITORIALS
Jun 27, 2001

The government must share the pain

The Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy, an advisory panel to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, last week announced a set of policy guidelines aimed at reviving Japan's moribund economy. The comprehensive program, titled "Basic Policies Concerning Economic and Fiscal Management and Structural Reform,"...

Longform

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