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Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 5, 2008

Back-seat riders to be bound by seat-belt law

Back-seat passengers will have to buckle up just like those up front when a new seat-belt law takes effect on June 1, although penalties will only be handed out for violations on expressways.
EDITORIALS
Apr 5, 2008

Compromise needed on gasoline tax

Because the Diet failed to enact the fiscal 2008 tax-code bill on and before March 31, gasoline prices automatically went down April 1 as the period for the "temporarily" raised gasoline tax rate expired. The bill, in part, maintains the surcharges for the gasoline and other road-related taxes. The Upper...
BUSINESS
Apr 5, 2008

G7 to remain vigilant but not support dollar: Sakakibara

The Group of Seven nations will probably maintain their vigilance on currencies next week without committing themselves to supporting the dollar, said Eisuke Sakakibara, Japan's former top currency-policy official.
EDITORIALS
Apr 5, 2008

Army's role in Okinawa mass suicides

The Osaka District Court on March 28 rejected a damages suit against author Kenzaburo Oe and Iwanami Shoten Publishers that was filed by a former garrison commander on Zamami Island, Okinawa Prefecture, and a brother of another commander on Tokashiki Island, who said the Nobel-Prize winning author's...
JAPAN
Apr 5, 2008

Komura, Seoul's Yu meet to pave way for Lee visit

North Korea should make a complete, clear declaration of all its nuclear programs, as promised in the six-party negotiations, the foreign ministers of Japan and South Korea said Friday in Tokyo.
COMMENTARY
Apr 4, 2008

The power of Vietnam's feminine side

HO CHI MINH CITY — Powerful women seem to be appearing frequently in Asian news these days. Recent headlines have trumpeted the continued defiance of Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi while mourning the assassination of the Pakistani heir-apparent Benazir Bhutto.
SOCCER
Apr 4, 2008

Fenerbahce surprises Chelsea

LONDON (AP) Deivid de Souza scored a late goal Wednesday to give Fenerbahce a 2-1 upset over Chelsea, and Liverpool got a crucial away goal in its 1-1 draw at Arsenal in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals.
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Apr 4, 2008

Evessa, 89ers set for clash in Osaka

Ladies and gentlemen, give the schedule-makers a round of applause.
BASEBALL / HIT AND RUN
Apr 4, 2008

NPB moving to dissuade 'major' moves

Nippon Professional Baseball earlier this week announced that it will present a proposal to the players' association aimed at shortening the free-agency period to seven years for players drafted out of college and the industrial leagues and eight years for players drafted out of high school beginning...
JAPAN
Apr 4, 2008

Police arrest U.S. sailor in cabby slaying

A U.S. Navy seaman was handed over to the Kanagawa Prefectural Police and subsequently arrested Thursday in connection with the robbery-murder of a taxi driver last month in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / ASIAN ECONOMY SYMPOSIUM
Apr 4, 2008

Consumer mind-set key to success of China's green policies

China has set ambitious goals to deal with its energy and environmental problems, but the challenge lies in their implementation, and that will require not just government policy decisions but changes in consumer awareness and behavior, said Zha Daojiong, a professor at Peking University's School of...
EDITORIALS
Apr 4, 2008

Downtrend in business sentiment

Japan's longest postwar economic expansion, which started in February 2002, appears headed toward a critical stage. The Bank of Japan's Tankan survey shows that business sentiment among companies has deteriorated because of the yen's steep rise against the dollar, stock price declines and high oil prices....
BUSINESS
Apr 4, 2008

LDP studying creation of sovereign wealth fund

Looking to earn better returns on Japan's massive foreign reserves, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party began studying in February the idea of creating a sovereign wealth fund, or a state-controlled investment fund, that would trade in more aggressive vehicles such as stocks and properties.

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