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COMMENTARY / World
Aug 10, 2006

Will polluters pay for climate change?

PRINCETON, New Jersey -- I am writing this in New York in early August, when the mayor declared a "heat emergency" to prevent widespread electricity outages from the expected high use of air conditioners. City employees could face criminal charges if they set their thermostats below 25.5 C. Nevertheless,...
BUSINESS
Aug 10, 2006

Gas prices hit 16-year high of 143.7 yen just before Bon

The nationwide average retail price of regular gasoline hit a 16-year high of 143.7 yen per liter Monday, officials at the Oil Information Center said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Aug 10, 2006

Artist finds lifework painting shutters along shopping streets

HANNO, Saitama Pref. -- Sadao Kiyota airbrushes colors on the shutters of the Tonki tofu kitchen, which is closed one recent Monday as are neighboring stores on the Hanno Ginza shopping street near Seibu Hanno Station in Saitama Prefecture.
JAPAN
Aug 10, 2006

Fujimoto seeks thalidomide approval

Fujimoto Pharmaceutical Corp. has filed an application with the health ministry to manufacture and sell thalidomide as an authorized medicine, more than 40 years after the drug was banned in Japan for causing severe birth defects, according to a company official.
SOCCER
Aug 9, 2006

Ulsan stomps Dalian to lift silverware

Lee Chun Soo played a starring role once again as Ulsan Hyundai thrashed Dalian Shide 4-0 to win the A3 Champions Cup at Tokyo's National Stadium on Tuesday evening.
JAPAN
Aug 9, 2006

Koizumi to offer grant in Mongolia

Tokyo will sign official documents to provide 350 million yen in grants to support 20 young Mongolian officials to study in Japan each year, the government has announced.
COMMENTARY
Aug 9, 2006

Beijing loath to cast the fate of elections in Hong Kong to the wind

HONG KONG -- With Hong Kong having entered its 10th year as a Chinese special administrative region, pressure is building on Beijing to honor its promise of allowing full democratization of this former British colony. Opinion surveys consistently show that the majority of Hong Kong residents want to...
JAPAN
Aug 9, 2006

Grew Foundation offers scholarships

The Grew Foundation, created in honor of the late U.S. Ambassador to Japan Joseph Grew, is offering scholarships to Japanese high school students aiming to study at U.S. colleges, the foundation said Monday.
BUSINESS
Aug 9, 2006

Japan to share expo-tise with China

The government will set up a panel of experts Wednesday to share its experience hosting the World Exposition last year in Aichi Prefecture with 2010 expo host China, the trade minister said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Aug 9, 2006

Wage freeze sought for civil servants

The National Personnel Authority said Tuesday the basic monthly pay and bonus levels for government workers should stay the same in fiscal 2006 because its newly altered survey shows there is almost no gap between public- and private-sector salaries.
JAPAN
Aug 9, 2006

Rocket lands near GSDF Golan unit

A rocket landed near the Ground Self-Defense Force camp in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights last Friday, forcing some 30 soldiers to evacuate to a bomb shelter, government sources said Tuesday.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Aug 9, 2006

Drone beetle Kanabun

* Scientific name: Rhomborrhina japonica * Description: Large, handsome and sturdy insects, drone beetles have distinctive antennae that end in a club that can be fanned out to form a leafy antenna with a large surface area -- the better to detect odors carried in the air. The beetles are around 4...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 9, 2006

Honda sets up U.S. unit for jet sales

Honda Motor Co. has set up a subsidiary in the United States to oversee the sales promotion, production and further development of its small jet, the automaker said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Aug 9, 2006

Kimura exec in fraud makes bail

A Kimura Construction Co. executive allegedly involved in the quake-resistance data fabrication scam was released Tuesday on 3.5 million yen bail.
JAPAN
Aug 9, 2006

4,600 attend Hashimoto's funeral

About 4,600 guests, including Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, fellow lawmakers and foreign dignitaries, gathered Tuesday to attend the funeral of former Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto at the Nippon Budokan hall in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo.
EDITORIALS
Aug 9, 2006

Congo goes to the polls

Hope is fading for the Democratic Republic of Congo. On July 30, the country held multiparty democratic elections for the first time in decades, raising hopes that a ballot might provide the foundation for peace and stability that the Congo has not known in its 46-year history. While that dream is not...
JAPAN
Aug 9, 2006

Koizumi welcomes Murai's election

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Tuesday congratulated Jin Murai on his election as Nagano governor.
JAPAN
Aug 9, 2006

1,900 pools are missing or have insecure intake grilles

The education minister said Tuesday public swimming pools may face on-site inspections after a survey found 1,900 of them nationwide have drain-related safety problems.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 9, 2006

Make better rural life a priority: Tanigaki

Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki promised Tuesday to place priority on revitalizing rural areas and creating a society where people who work hard can lead untroubled lives if he becomes prime minister by winning the Sept. 20 Liberal Democratic Party presidential election.
JAPAN
Aug 9, 2006

Center gives refugees reason for hope

has been commissioned by the government to provide followup (to refugees who have been recognized)," said Shin Ohara of RHQ. "I think all foreigners living in Japan face hurdles, but for refugees it is especially hard to be adopted into Japanese society for various reasons, including the language barrier." The...
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 9, 2006

CEOs give Koizumi mixed review

More than 40 percent of chief executive officers who responded to a Kyodo News poll think Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's administration should have done more to reform the social security system.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji