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JAPAN
Jan 19, 2001

Probed diplomat deposited 350 million yen

A senior Foreign Ministry diplomat suspected of embezzling public funds between 1993 and 1998 had opened seven personal accounts at three major banks since 1993, in which a total of 350 million yen was once deposited, sources close to the case alleged.
BASEBALL / MLB
Jan 19, 2001

BayStars veteran Komada calls it a career

Veteran Yokohama BayStars infielder Norihiro Komada said Thursday he is retiring from baseball after being released by the Central League club this offseason.
BUSINESS
Jan 19, 2001

DoCoMo announces moves in Europe

Cellular giant NTT DoCoMo announced Thursday two separate deals to expand its presence in Europe, agreeing with local carriers to launch Internet services similar to DoCoMo's i-mode on smart cellular phones in the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and Italy.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jan 19, 2001

Understanding the power of evil

Hamlet's views on man are well known: "What a piece of work is a man! How noble in reason! how infinite in faculty! In form and moving how express and admirable! In action how like an angel! In apprehension how like a god! The beauty of the world!" (II-ii, 315-20)
JAPAN
Jan 18, 2001

Norway's whale move reduces waste

Norway's decision on Tuesday to lift a ban on whale meat exports paves the way for the efficient use of whale meat, a Japanese government official said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jan 18, 2001

Blackmailed bank exec held for embezzlement

A 39-year-old ex-employee of Tokyo Sowa Bank has been arrested for allegedly embezzling customers' deposits under threat of blackmail, police sources said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jan 18, 2001

Tormented Afghan woman seeks aid for refugees

A woman from Afghanistan who was forced to take refuge in Pakistan to escape from the violence of armed Islamic fundamentalists has visited Japan to tell of the torment she experienced.
BUSINESS
Jan 18, 2001

Toyobo shifts focus

Major spinning firm Toyobo Co. will shift the emphasis of its business from traditional mainstay textile products to more profitable nontextile areas such as chemicals and biotechnology-related products, according to company officials.
BUSINESS
Jan 18, 2001

Amway Japan chief looks to raise firm's public profile, sales

In an effort to combat a decline in sales amid stagnant consumer spending, Amway Japan Ltd. President Stephen A. Robbins is determined to raise the direct selling firm's public profile by forming alliances with major Japanese companies.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 18, 2001

Bush brings opportunity to bolster Japan-U.S. ties

Now that U.S. President-elect George W. Bush has named his Cabinet and his inauguration is only days away, it might be useful to contemplate how Japan-U.S. relations may be affected and what might be done to strengthen this very important strategic alliance.
BUSINESS
Jan 18, 2001

Daiei chief tenders early resignation

Struggling supermarket-chain operator Daiei Inc. said Wednesday that former President Tadasu Toba, who was demoted to director in October over his alleged involvement in shady stock deals, will step down Monday -- earlier than planned.
EDITORIALS
Jan 18, 2001

Corruption tests Beijing's courage

Chinese efforts to clean up the economy have claimed more victims. This week, two high-ranking officials of the State Power Corporation were arrested for taking bribes; more arrests are expected. They are the latest offenders caught in the campaign to root out corruption. The program is absolutely necessary...
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Jan 18, 2001

Olympic hero Spitz still making waves at 50

LONDON -- Mark Spitz is widely regarded as the greatest Olympian of all time. The American swimmer captured seven gold medals at the 1972 Munich Games -- still the most ever by an athlete at one Olympics -- and broke world-record times in all seven events. Throw in the two golds, a silver and a bronze...
JAPAN
Jan 18, 2001

Kobe remembers '95 quake, but focus shifts to moving on

KOBE -- This city marked the sixth anniversary of the earthquake that resulted in the loss of 6,432 lives with prayers and remembrance services Wednesday, but also with a sense that the temblor is fading into history and that the recovery is almost complete.
BUSINESS
Jan 18, 2001

Daiichi Mutual administrators pull plug

The administrators of failed Daiichi Mutual Fire & Marine Insurance Co. on Wednesday said they have terminated an eight-month search for a white knight.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jan 18, 2001

Meet your future friend, Mr. Roboto

One of the formative experiences of my childhood was the New York World's Fair of 1962-63, where America's great and beneficent corporations introduced consumers to the future. The memory that sticks with me most is of Bell Telephone's "picture phone," which we were told would be widely in use by the...
JAPAN
Jan 18, 2001

Opposition demands KSD probe

The Democratic Party of Japan and three other opposition parties on Wednesday asked the House of Representatives to facilitate an investigation of bribery allegations involving the Budget Committee and scandal-hit mutual aid foundation KSD and to summon three lawmakers to give sworn testimony.
JAPAN
Jan 18, 2001

Seirai, Horie win Akutagawa Prize

Yuichi Seirai and Toshiyuki Horie were chosen Tuesday evening as winners of the 124th Akutagawa Prize, one of Japan's most prestigious literary prizes, while the Naoki Prize for popular fiction went to Kiyoshi Shigematsu and Fumio Yamamoto.
EDITORIALS
Jan 17, 2001

Alarming fall in the market

The slowing of the U.S. economy and concerns about a possible free fall on Wall Street, combined with the dimming prospects for Japan's economy, last week sent share prices in Tokyo plummeting to alarming levels. On Thursday, the benchmark Nikkei index plunged to 13,201, its lowest since October 1998....
BUSINESS
Jan 17, 2001

Panel to consider further reform of city gas market

An advisory panel will be established later this month to examine further deregulation of the city gas market, Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Takeo Hiranuma said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jan 17, 2001

Snow blankets Japan Sea area

Heavy snow caused by a cold air mass continued to fall Tuesday, mainly in areas along the Sea of Japan coast, disrupting rail, road and air traffic.
BUSINESS
Jan 17, 2001

Machinery orders fell in November

Core machinery orders to Japanese manufacturers slipped 2.9 percent in November from the preceding month to 1.06 trillion yen after adjustment for seasonal factors, the Cabinet Office said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jan 17, 2001

IT helping doctors keep tabs on asthma patients

Leaps in information technology are making it possible for doctors and nurses to use telephone lines and mobile phones to monitor the condition of asthma patients in their homes.
BUSINESS
Jan 17, 2001

Cabinet against using public funds to prop stocks

There was widespread opposition Tuesday in Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori's Cabinet to the idea of using public funds to prop up the faltering stock market.
JAPAN
Jan 17, 2001

Upper House member Koyama arrested in KSD bribe scandal

House of Councilors Takao Koyama was arrested Tuesday by the Tokyo District Public Prosecutor's Office on suspicion of accepting a 20 million yen bribe in 1996 from KSD, an insurance foundation under the purview of the former Labor Ministry.

Longform

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
Rethinking that second drink: Japan’s Gen Z gets ‘sober curious’