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BASKETBALL
Sep 3, 2006

France protect lead to down Turkey

SAITAMA -- Even when knowing you won't be rewarded any medal, if you're a competitor you still put your full energy on the court.
BASKETBALL
Sep 3, 2006

Spain to face Greece without Gasol

SAITAMA -- Can Spain replace Pau Gasol's productivity?
JAPAN
Sep 3, 2006

Highest alert planned for N. Korea nuke test

The government is preparing to issue the highest level of alert required for a nuclear power plant accident abroad if North Korea undertakes an underground nuclear test, government sources said Saturday.
JAPAN
Sep 3, 2006

GSDF machinegun went off in Iraq

A machinegun mounted on a Ground Self-Defense Force vehicle went off accidentally in the southern Iraqi city of Samawah in May 2004, Defense Agency officials said Saturday.
JAPAN
Sep 3, 2006

Japan, U.S. to initiate treaty on pirated goods

Japan and the United States have agreed to get working on creating an international convention to prevent the spread of illegally copied products by holding a meeting with several interested countries this fall, government officials said Saturday.
JAPAN
Sep 3, 2006

Project-bidding scandal spreads in Fukushima

A supporter of Fukushima Gov. Eisaku Sato allegedly played a crucial role in rigging bids for prefectural projects, sources said Saturday.
JAPAN
Sep 3, 2006

Royal boy will put off succession crisis, not solve it

and Emperor Akihito (second from left) walk on a beach in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture, with Prince Akishino (third from left) and his family -- Princess Mako, Princess Kiko and Princess Kako (from left to right), in this file photo taken Aug. 4, 2004. KYODO PHOTO
JAPAN
Sep 3, 2006

Daiei may sell 39 outlets to cut debt

Daiei Inc. is contemplating selling 39 properties, including core branches, in a move that would generate proceeds of more than 80 billion yen as part of efforts to prune its debt, sources said Saturday.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Sep 3, 2006

Kids of former foreign players in Japan making news

Hard to believe that story about former major league outfielder Jesse Barfield being pushed down a flight of stairs by his 18-year-old son Jeremy.
LIFE / WEEK 3
Sep 3, 2006

An 'outsider' speaks out

Later this month, when Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi concludes what may have been Japan's most flamboyant premiership ever, pundits aplenty are sure to lavish his five-year term with glowing praise.
JAPAN
Sep 3, 2006

African trade promotion fair kicks off in Odaiba area

A trade fair featuring specialty products from 39 African nations opened Saturday in Tokyo's Odaiba waterfront district for a three-day run, with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi marking the event's start by encouraging African countries to achieve economic growth through trade.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Sep 3, 2006

Controversial tales of cats, Pluto and Britney's belly

Controversy No. 1: Cats are people, too
JAPAN
Sep 3, 2006

Widow cites reason for memo release

The widow of a former top aide to Emperor Hirohito said in a newspaper interview she decided to make public her husband's memorandum to tell the public that the Emperor was a talkative and humorous man.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Sep 3, 2006

NHK's "The 88 Temples of Shikoku: Pilgrimage for Beginners" and more

As the title indicates, Nihon TV's variety show "The Sekai Gyoten News" (Wednesday, 9 p.m.) looks at astonishing news stories from all over the world. This week's installment looks at a woman who lost an amazing 182 kg.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 3, 2006

Merkel's reforms drift toward dead end

MUNICH -- A year ago, Angela Merkel, Germany's charming new chancellor, was in the final phase of her election campaign. The incumbent, Gerhard Schroeder, lagged so far behind her Christian Democrats (CDU) in public opinion polls that she thought she would win a landslide victory and could therefore...
EDITORIALS
Sep 3, 2006

Lessons from a paper chase

by Oji Paper Co., Japan's largest paper producer, for Hokuetsu Paper Mills Ltd., the nation's sixth-largest paper maker, was Japan's first-ever hostile TOB mounted by a major company against a domestic rival. The bid eventually failed as Oji President Kazuhisa Shinoda admitted Aug. 29 that the deal was...
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Sep 3, 2006

Toeing the line may take a name-change for the LDP

It's September, and Japan is in the grips of selection fever. This month Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi steps down, and the ever-ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) will choose a new president. To all intents and purposes, due to the party's parliamentary dominance, selection of an LDP leader is...
JAPAN
Sep 3, 2006

Yoshinoya to have a 'gyudon' day

Yoshinoya D&C Co. will resume sales of "gyudon" beef-on-rice dishes for the first time in 19 months -- for one day only -- around Sept. 18, company sources said Saturday.
JAPAN
Sep 3, 2006

Crime victims may get voice in parole decisions

The Justice Ministry plans to launch a system in October 2007 that would allow crime victims to express their opinion on whether the perpetrators should be released on parole, government sources said Saturday.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Sep 3, 2006

Japanese beauty doesn't come easily

BEAUTY UP: Exploring Contemporary Japanese Body Aesthetics, by Laura Miller. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2006, 256 pp., $21.95 (paper). Beauty is big business. In Japan there are more people working in the beauty business than there are in wedding and funeral services, auto repair and software...
BASKETBALL
Sep 2, 2006

Challenge sets tone for Greece

SAITAMA -- There was a seminal moment in Greece's victory over the United States in their semifinal game at the FIBA World Championship that would have defied belief in years past.

Longform

Figure skater Akiko Suzuki was once told her ideal weight should be 47 kilograms, a number she now admits she “naively believed.” This led to her have a relationship with food that resulted in her suffering from anorexia.
The silent battle Japanese athletes fight with weight