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BUSINESS
Jul 12, 2006

Odor recorder may bring smells online

People stopping to smell the roses can now take that sweet fragrance home with them or even send it to a friend far away -- thanks to a new Japanese gadget that records and replicates odors.
JAPAN
Jul 12, 2006

Company can keep selling cheap classic films: court

The Tokyo District Court on Tuesday rejected a request by a U.S. movie company to suspend sales of low-priced DVDs of old movie classics like "Roman Holiday," which was released in 1953, on grounds that they violate copyrights.
JAPAN
Jul 12, 2006

LDP declares Sept. 20 presidential poll

Koichi Kato, a former secretary general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, expressed hope Monday that former Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda runs in the LDP presidential election in September. "I think Fukuda's role is very big," Kato said in a speech in Shizuoka, touching on the LDP presidential...
BUSINESS
Jul 12, 2006

Resona open to capital ties with brokerages, others

The Resona banking group is thinking of pursuing capital tieups with brokerages or other companies to improve services for listed firms and other corporate borrowers, Resona Holdings Inc. President Hiroyuki Mizuta said in a recent interview.
BUSINESS
Jul 12, 2006

Chubu Electric cuts profit estimate

Chubu Electric Power Co. said Tuesday it has lowered its pretax profit projection for fiscal 2006 by 100 billion yen due to losses stemming from an accident last month at its Hamaoka nuclear power plant in Shizuoka Prefecture.
JAPAN
Jul 12, 2006

Mizutani gave millions to North-linked NGO

." In spring 2003, the secretary general introduced the ex-chairman to a man identified as a member of a North Korean panel on foreign economic cooperation, the sources said.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 12, 2006

Yosano, Tanigaki continue to jawbone BOJ on interest rates

Economic and Fiscal Policy Minister Kaoru Yosano on Tuesday urged the Bank of Japan to look carefully at the global market and U.S. economy when discussing this week whether to scrap the "zero-interest-rate" policy, while Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki said he did not want the BOJ to raise the rate....
JAPAN
Jul 12, 2006

Art award system faces change

The government will revise the selection system of its annual art prizes after the revocation last month of the 2006 award to painter Yoshihiko Wada, whose works were found to be plagiarisms, education minister Kenji Kosaka said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Jul 12, 2006

Apple Japan marketing guru quits

Apple Computer Inc. Vice President of Marketing Yoshiaki Sakito, one of the company's top Japan executives, has stepped down, the company said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Jul 12, 2006

Cell phone makers vow to unify jacks, chargers

Trade groups representing mobile communications providers and cell phone makers have informed the government they plan to develop common specifications for cell phone jacks and battery charger plugs around 2010, when fourth-generation handsets are expected to become commonplace, ministry officials said...
BUSINESS
Jul 12, 2006

SNC bid for Skylark ends successfully

A special purpose company set up to carry out a management buyout of Skylark Co. has successfully completed a tender offer, moving the restaurant chain toward delisting from the Tokyo Stock Exchange, Skylark said Tuesday.
SOCCER / World cup
Jul 11, 2006

Lippi salutes players

BERLIN -- Marcello Lippi is no stranger to success, but winning soccer's biggest prize topped all his previous triumphs, the Italian coach said Sunday.
SOCCER / World cup
Jul 11, 2006

Domenech won't condemn Zidane

French coach Raymond Domenech defended Zinedine Zidane and accused Italy of provocation after his captain was sent off in the World Cup final on Sunday night.
SOCCER / World cup
Jul 11, 2006

Italy beats France, wins 4th World Cup

BERLIN -- Italy beat France 5-3 on penalties to win the World Cup final on Sunday night after Zinedine Zidane was sensationally sent off in his last game.
JAPAN
Jul 11, 2006

Abe boosts lead among public as next prime minister

Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe has widened his lead over former top government spokesman Yasuo Fukuda as the voters' preferred candidate to succeed Junichiro Koizumi as prime minister, according to a Kyodo News survey.
JAPAN
Jul 11, 2006

Man arrested over garden cesspool

A 57-year-old man was arrested Monday for allegedly burying human excrement in his Tokyo garden and creating a stench.
JAPAN
Jul 11, 2006

Mizutani in 2 billion yen tax dodge

Mizutani Kensetsu Co., an engineering company suspected of tax evasion, is believed to have hidden some 2 billion yen in income in the two business years to the end of August 2004, sources said Monday.
JAPAN
Jul 11, 2006

Porn 'anime' boasts big U.S. beachhead

recognizable among anime fans worldwide. Hentai is now used overseas to describe anime with strong sexual content. While Mandarake capitalizes on the kinky boom, other retailers are reluctant to export such products.
JAPAN
Jul 11, 2006

India rapped for test-firing a long-range missile

Japan notified India on Monday it was disappointed over the test-firing of a long-range missile the day before while calling on the nuclear power to support global efforts to deal with North Korea.
JAPAN
Jul 11, 2006

Suspicious liquids found in restrooms, train cars

A plastic bottle containing a suspicious liquid found over the weekend on the Yurikamome Line in Tokyo was the latest in a series of such incidents, police said Monday.
JAPAN
Jul 11, 2006

Hill wants unity on North's missile tests

To ratchet up the pressure on North Korea and to underscore cooperation between Tokyo and Washington, the chief U.S. negotiator on North Korean issues agreed Monday with Foreign Minister Taro Aso on the need for the international community to unequivocally condemn Pyongyang's ballistic missile tests....
JAPAN
Jul 11, 2006

Diet member dorms to be razed, sites sold

Two public dormitories for House of Representatives members on prime land in Tokyo will be demolished under Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's drive to dispose of government assets for fiscal reconstruction.

Longform

Mamoru Iwai, stationmaster of Keisei Ueno Station, says that, other than earthquake-proofing, the former Hakubutsukan-Dobutsuen (Museum-Zoo) Station has remained untouched.
Inside Tokyo's 'phantom' stations — and the stories they tell