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BUSINESS
Nov 2, 2004

Asian-African trade conference kicks off

An international conference hosted by Japan and the United Nations to help expand exports from Africa to Asia for the sustainable growth of African economies got under way Monday in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Nov 1, 2004

Opposition demands SDF pullout from Iraq

Opposition parties demanded Sunday that the government withdraw the Self-Defense Forces from Iraq after a 24-year-old Japanese traveler who had been abducted by militants was found beheaded.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 1, 2004

Kanzaki gets new term at New Komeito helm

New Komeito, the junior but pivotal member of the ruling coalition, re-elected Takenori Kanzaki as its leader at a party convention Sunday in Tokyo.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Oct 31, 2004

Papa's parenting barriers begin to fall

As well as the ever-present danger of cars speeding around narrow roads and the hassle of lugging strollers up and down staircases, parents in Japan with babies in tow have long had to struggle with public restrooms the size of telephone booths.
JAPAN
Oct 31, 2004

U.S. troops here turning out in droves to vote

From the flight deck of the USS Kitty Hawk to the barracks of Camp Zama, this week's U.S. presidential election has a special resonance for America's troops abroad.
JAPAN
Oct 30, 2004

Hosoda scrambles to defend Emperor's comment

Emperor Akihito did not violate the Constitution when he said teachers and students should not be forced to sing the national anthem and pay homage to the flag, the top government spokesman said Friday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Oct 30, 2004

SRC and Edwin Cayce seek to relieve stress

Chris Earnshaw speaks with so much passion -- such an enthusiasm for life -- that it is hard to believe that 12 years ago he was a quivering wreck. "I fell apart, losing my job (as general manager of a bank), my family and home, in rapid succession."
BUSINESS
Oct 30, 2004

U.S. beef trade conspiracy denied

The agreement between Japan and the United States on American beef imports was not timed to be be concluded just before the U.S. presidential election, a U.S. source said Friday.
OLYMPICS
Oct 29, 2004

Olympic coaching staff released

Baseball officials released the coaching staff of the national team for the Athens Olympics from their duties Thursday, including manager Shigeo Nagashima and head coach Kiyoshi Nakahata. Nagashima remains as chief technical director with the possibility that he may skipper the national team again in...
JAPAN
Oct 29, 2004

Family make last-ditch bid for Koda's life ahead of deadline

The mother and elder brother of Shosei Koda, a Japanese traveler being held captive in Iraq, came to Tokyo on Thursday evening to meet with foreign media and government officials ahead of the 48-hour deadline placed on Koda's life.
BUSINESS
Oct 29, 2004

Deadly quakes unlikely to devastate insurers

The deadly earthquakes in Niigata Prefecture caused catastrophic landslides and destroyed buildings, but they will not cause much damage to nonlife insurance firms because their high reserves and the state's financial safety net will protect them, according to insurance specialists.
JAPAN
Oct 29, 2004

Emperor does not support compulsory anthem policy

Emperor Akihito said Thursday that he prefers teachers and students not be forced to sing the "Kimigayo" national anthem and pay respect to the Hinomaru national at school ceremonies.
OLYMPICS
Oct 28, 2004

Tsutsumi steps down from JOC

Former Seibu Lions owner Yoshiaki Tsutsumi has stepped down from his post as the honorary president of the Japanese Olympic Committee, JOC chairman Tsunekazu Takeda said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Oct 28, 2004

Dental body tied to Ishihara faction

The scandal-tainted Japan Dental Association gave 10 million yen in political donations last December to a Liberal Democratic Party chapter headed by former transport minister Nobuteru Ishihara, according to the 2003 political funds report released Wednesday by the Tokyo election board.
BUSINESS
Oct 28, 2004

Sharp net profit soars 41% on LCD TV, phone sales

Sharp Corp. said Wednesday its first-half net profit soared 41 percent to a record 39.32 billion yen, powered by strong sales of liquid crystal display TVs and cell-phone handsets.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 28, 2004

Dragons' ace Kawakami snares Central League MVP award

Chunichi Dragons right-hander Kenshin Kawakami and Fukuoka Daiei Hawks infielder Nobuhiko Matsunaka were named the Most Valuable Players of the 2004 season on Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Oct 28, 2004

Sony PSP to cost surprising 20,790 yen, hit shelves Dec. 12

Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. said Wednesday it will release its PlayStation Portable game console in Japan on Dec. 12 at a price of 20,790 yen, surprising many who had expected it to cost far more.
BUSINESS
Oct 28, 2004

Nonlife insurers hit hard by typhoons

Nonlife insurance firms are expected to withdraw a record amount of catastrophe loss reserves this year due to the record number of typhoons that have hit Japan, industry officials said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Oct 27, 2004

WFP better able to monitor food aid in North

The executive director of the World Food Program said Tuesday in Tokyo that while some restrictions remain, his organization has become slightly freer to monitor the distribution of food aid in North Korea.
BUSINESS
Oct 27, 2004

Softbank to acquire C&W IDC

Softbank Corp. said Tuesday it will acquire Cable & Wireless IDC Inc., a Japanese unit of British telecommunications firm Cable & Wireless PLC, for 12.3 billion yen.
JAPAN
Oct 27, 2004

Importing abortion drug to be banned

The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry will ban individuals from importing an abortion drug without a doctor's prescription.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 26, 2004

Resona hopes ATM placements lift profit

Banking group Resona Holdings Inc., currently under rehabilitation, has begun setting up automated teller machines in unconventional places to boost profit.
JAPAN
Oct 26, 2004

Mission in Iraq won't be affected by rocket: Hosoda

Japan does not plan to withdraw or scale down its contingent of troops in southern Iraq after a rocket was fired into its base there, a top official said Monday.
BUSINESS
Oct 25, 2004

New bank notes could draw underground cash into the light

When the Bank of Japan puts new bank notes into circulation next month, it could draw out cash hoarded away in the country's underground economy and into investments like gold and real estate.
EDITORIALS
Oct 25, 2004

Subsidy reforms under siege

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's initiative to give local governments more fiscal freedom is meeting stiff resistance from within his own administration. He wants to achieve his goal by cutting state subsidies. To make up for subsidy cuts, the central government needs to shift more of its tax-collecting...
COMMENTARY
Oct 25, 2004

China reconstructs past to chart future

NEW DELHI -- How folklore guides Chinese foreign-policy interests was brought out by Beijing's recent spat with South Korea over the ancient kingdom of Koguryo, which was founded in the Tongge River basin of northern Korea and, at its height, included much of Manchuria.
JAPAN
Oct 24, 2004

Series of powerful quakes rock Niigata

A series of powerful earthquakes, with the first one measuring a preliminary magnitude of 6.8, rocked northwestern Japan in quick succession Saturday evening, leaving at least five people dead, several others missing and more than 500 injured in Niigata Prefecture.

Longform

Members of the nonprofit group Japan Youth Memorial Association search for the remains of dead soldiers in a cave in Okinawa Prefecture in February.
The long search for Japan’s lost soldiers