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JAPAN
Apr 12, 2006

106 defense officials got 'amakudari' jobs in 2005

A total of 106 former senior defense officials landed private-sector jobs in 2005, all within two years after retiring, according to an annual Defense Agency tally released Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Apr 12, 2006

METI puts competitive small manufacturers in limelight

The government Tuesday released its first list of small and medium-size manufacturers that are competitive in the domestic and global markets due to their technological prowess.
BUSINESS
Apr 12, 2006

GM selling Isuzu stake to trading companies, bank

Cash-strapped General Motors Corp. is selling the shares it holds in truck maker Isuzu to two Japanese trading companies and a bank for about $300 million to fund its turnaround in North America, the U.S. automaker said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Apr 12, 2006

FamilyMart's net rose 12% in '05

Convenience store chain FamilyMart Co. said Tuesday its consolidated net profit jumped 12.5 percent to 14.20 billion yen in the year that ended in February on 9.3 percent sales growth to 276.44 billion yen.
Japan Times
SUMO / SUMO SCRIBBLINGS
Apr 12, 2006

Promotions, trips and an NHK departure

With memories of the Osaka Haru Basho starting to fade, a lot of sumo fans will be looking to May 7th and the first day of the Natsu Basho in Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan.
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Apr 12, 2006

Poor health may be no-laughing matter

Some people complain that Japanese people don't laugh enough, that Japanese society today is too strait-laced.
BUSINESS
Apr 12, 2006

Japan tells China to change 'unfair' trade practices

Japan urged China on Tuesday to alter trade practices that it considers unfair, such as imposing tariffs on auto parts that are as high as those on assembled cars, and expanding its list of hazardous chemicals on short notice to effectively block exports of items that contain them.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Apr 12, 2006

Peacock butterfly

* Japanese name: Kujaku-cho * Scientific name: Inachis io geisha * Description: Instantly recognizable, with its chocolate-brown body, striking red wings and eye spots, the peacock is in the Nymphalid family of butterflies. In members of this family, the front pair of legs are reduced and useless for...
JAPAN
Apr 12, 2006

JAL, Skymark presidents give unsworn Diet testimony

have to secure robust profit." The Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry launched a special inspection into Skymark in March after it was found to have flown a plane nine months past its repair deadline.
BUSINESS
Apr 12, 2006

BOJ maintains zero interest rate money stance

The Bank of Japan kept monetary policy unchanged after a two-day Policy Board meeting ended Tuesday, effectively leaving interest rates at zero.
MORE SPORTS
Apr 11, 2006

Japanese sports officials to step up anti-doping controls

Japanese sports officials intend to conduct random out-of-competition drug tests at the annual National Sports Festival in their stepped-up efforts to fight doping, sources familiar with the move said Monday.
SUMO
Apr 11, 2006

Taiwan training tour set for Aug.

The Japan Sumo Association finalized plans Monday for a five-day training tour of Taiwan in August.
JAPAN
Apr 11, 2006

Over 4 million foreign tourists visited last year

The number of foreign tourists visiting Japan hit a record 4.37 million in 2005, up 13.8 percent from the previous year and surpassing 4 million for the first time, a government-affiliated organization said Monday.
JAPAN
Apr 11, 2006

Youths get a say in governance with mock mayoral vote

A 14-year-old boy voted in front of a railway station on a rainy Sunday in February in a mock mayoral election in Tokyo's Machida city organized by the Junior Chamber of Commerce.
JAPAN
Apr 11, 2006

City mergers seen tailing off as the initial excitement fades

The number of villages, towns and cities has fallen by 40 percent to 1,820 in the seven years since the so-called Heisei Era annexation was begun in 1999 as a means of strengthening local governments.
JAPAN
Apr 11, 2006

Koike in hospital for another week

Environment Minister Yuriko Koike, suffering acute pneumonia, will remain hospitalized at least through this week, a ministry official said Monday.

Longform

Once smoky, male-dominated spaces, today's net cafes, like Kaikatsu Club, are working to make their operations more attractive to women customers.
The second life of Japan's net cafes