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COMMENTARY
Jul 20, 2006

Japan's anti-North Korea complex

Japan's fevered reaction to North Korea's recent missile tests should not surprise. It is yet another example of the emotional way that an otherwise admirable nation finds it hard to separate causes from effects.
BUSINESS
Jul 20, 2006

JAL, ANA seek 7,700 yen fall special

The two largest domestic airlines have upped their competition by both filing for government approval to offer one-way fares of 7,700 yen on their principal domestic flights for five days starting on Oct. 1.
CULTURE / Music
Jul 20, 2006

Senegal is calling

Time and again Western journalists ask superstar Senegalese pop singer Youssou N'Dour, arguably the most successful African musician in history, the same question: Why, despite selling hundreds of thousands of records in the West and collaborating with artists such as Peter Gabriel, Sting, Wyclef Jean...
JAPAN
Jul 20, 2006

December to see TOEIC speaking, writing tests

Responding to growing demand for tools to assess English speaking and writing abilities, U.S.-based Education Testing Service said it will launch speaking and writing sections of the Test of English for International Communication here in December.
BASKETBALL
Jul 19, 2006

b-j league releases schedule

The bj-league announced the game schedule for the 2006-07 regular season on Tuesday. The season will tip off Nov. 4 with a Saitama Broncos-Toyama Grouses game at Tokorozawa Municipal Gymnasium, Saitama Prefecture and a Tokyo Apache-Osaka Evessa contest at Ariake Colosseum. The regular season concludes...
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Jul 19, 2006

Oh has successful surgery

Softbank Hawks manager Sadaharu Oh has undergone a successful operation to remove his stomach after he was diagnosed with the early stages of stomach cancer, Keio University professor Masaki Kitajima said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jul 19, 2006

Toyota recalls 268,000 cars over faulty engine

Toyota Motor Corp. said Tuesday it is recalling 268,000 vehicles in Japan over a faulty engine, the latest in a string of recalls rasing doubts over whether the automaker can maintain quality standards amid booming sales.
JAPAN
Jul 19, 2006

Japan eyes more North Korea sanctions

The government is considering imposing additional sanctions on North Korea, including banning the transfer of financial assets and stricter export controls, Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jul 19, 2006

Yamasaki urges better China ties

Taku Yamasaki, former vice president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, stressed the need Tuesday for improved ties with China.
JAPAN
Jul 19, 2006

LDP sees bureaucratic white paper glut

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party has begun studying how to restructure the annual issuance of government white papers, both to cut costs and to reduce the work of bureaucrats, but how much of a reduction can be made is uncertain as bureaucrats themselves are cool to the idea.
JAPAN
Jul 19, 2006

GSDF troops enjoyed Japanese rice, cup noodles sent over to Samawah

Throughout their 2 1/2-year mission in Iraq that concluded Monday, Ground Self-Defense Force troops survived mostly on food transported from Japan, including 420 tons of rice, logistics officers said.
JAPAN
Jul 19, 2006

Japanese win gold at global math contest

Two Japanese high school students have won gold medals at this year's International Mathematical Olympiad in Slovenia, while four other Japanese contestants took silver and bronze, education ministry officials said Tuesday.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 19, 2006

Bombings demonstrate what Bombay is made of

MADRAS, India -- A day after maximum terror struck India's financial capital, Bombay, the city of 17 million people was back on its feet. Even London took four days after last July's explosions to get over the shock and trauma.
JAPAN
Jul 19, 2006

Obituary: Naotaka Makino

Naotaka Makino, a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame and credited with reforming high school baseball, died Tuesday of pancreatic cancer at a hospital in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, his family said. He was 95.
EDITORIALS
Jul 19, 2006

Hope of the marketplace

The Bank of Japan's lifting of its zero-interest rate policy last week represents an end to an extraordinary policy that continued for five years and four months. With its decision, which marks a step toward normalization of the nation's monetary policy, the central bank has signaled that the Japanese...
BUSINESS
Jul 19, 2006

Corporate bankruptcies down 6%

Corporate bankruptcies decreased 6.3 percent on year to 744 cases in June, a private credit research agency said Tuesday.
COMMENTARY
Jul 19, 2006

Cultural diplomacy in the Middle East

Political and economic stability in the Middle East is vital to ensure Japan's energy security and to reduce risks in the global economic system. In the interests of this region's mid- and long-term political stability, it is clearly desirable for "democratization" in the region to take root deeply and...
BUSINESS
Jul 19, 2006

Matsushita ready for Russia output

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. said Tuesday it will start making liquid crystal display TVs in Russia from September in a bid to gain access to the emerging market.
BUSINESS
Jul 19, 2006

Interest rates rise at major banks

Major banks raised their ordinary deposit rates from a record-low 0.001 percent Tuesday for the first hike in six years, in response to the Bank of Japan's decision last Friday to scrap its "zero-interest-rate" policy.
JAPAN
Jul 19, 2006

Stricter visa rules eyed for foreigners of Japanese descent

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party's special committee on foreign workers proposed Tuesday that the government set stricter regulations for foreign nationals of Japanese descent when they renew their visas.
BUSINESS
Jul 19, 2006

Deflation's end seen; BOJ urged to be prudent

The government said in its annual report on the economy Tuesday that the end of deflation is in sight and pressured the Bank of Japan to carry out future interest rate rises in a wise manner.

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