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JAPAN
Jan 18, 2006

Prison urged for Muraoka in JDA-LDP fund scandal

Prosecutors on Tuesday demanded one year behind bars for former senior lawmaker Kanezo Muraoka for his alleged involvement in concealing a 100 million yen political donation by a dentists' group.
JAPAN
Jan 18, 2006

Huser boss clams up before the Diet

Huser Ltd. President Susumu Ojima refused to answer most questions under oath Tuesday before a Diet committee in connection with the nationwide building safety scam in which his condominium development firm is a key player.
BUSINESS
Jan 18, 2006

Cold weather cools beer shipments

Shipments of beer and beerlike alcoholic beverages by the top five breweries fell 3.1 percent in 2005 for the first decline in two years due to the colder than usual winter, industry figures showed Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jan 18, 2006

Miracle fruit tablets can be bought online

Tablets made from miracle fruit, which makes sour food taste sweet, are now for sale on the Internet, the developer of the technology said.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Jan 18, 2006

Half-truths to the aid of conservation

Let's just imagine for a moment that you are a conservationist. You discover, or become aware of, the breeding location of a rare mammal or bird, or of a site where there is an endangered plant growing. What do you do?
BUSINESS
Jan 18, 2006

Ex-NEC exec to lead chip venture

A computer chip production company to be set up jointly by Hitachi Ltd., Toshiba Corp. and Renesas Technology Corp. will be headed by Hirokazu Hashimoto, a former vice president at NEC Electronics Corp., sources said Monday.
BUSINESS
Jan 18, 2006

Livedoor raid stirs up fear of Net stocks

The Nikkei stock average fell below the 16,000 line Tuesday as worried investors sold off Internet stocks amid the dust kicked up by prosecutors' search of Livedoor Co. over suspected securities law violations.
SUMO
Jan 17, 2006

Hokutoriki plows Aminishiki to win ninth

Surprise package Hokutoriki beat Aminishiki to emerge as the sole leader with a ninth victory while grand champion Asashoryu continued to circle like a shark at the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament on Monday.
MORE SPORTS
Jan 17, 2006

Koshi, Inada named to Turin team

The Japan Bobsleigh and Luge Federation on Monday named veteran skeleton athlete Kazuhiro Koshi and Masaru Inada to a 12-member team for the Winter Olympics, bringing the final number of Japan's Turin-bound athletes to 113.
MORE SPORTS
Jan 17, 2006

Kanazawa, Yoshida wrap up titles

Chinese-born table tennis players Saki Kanazawa and Kaii Yoshida won the singles titles at the national championships Sunday, while teenage star Ai Fukuhara was eliminated in the quarterfinals.
JAPAN
Jan 17, 2006

Ministry again orders JAL to improve safety

The transport ministry has ordered Japan Airlines to revise measures it came up with last April to prevent operational errors, following a string of mishaps since late last year, ministry sources said Monday.
JAPAN
Jan 17, 2006

1.34 billion yen embezzlement at Mizuho nets arrest

The Metropolitan Police Department arrested a former Mizuho Bank employee Monday on suspicion of embezzling 22 million yen from customers' savings accounts, part of 1.34 billion yen allegedly misappropriated by the suspect.
JAPAN
Jan 17, 2006

Internet drugstores want bill to limit online trade killed

Dozens of companies that specialize in selling pharmaceuticals over the Internet will ask the health ministry to scrap a bill that would limit such sales, some of the firms said Monday.
SOCCER / J. League
Jan 17, 2006

Japan midfielder Ono rejoins Reds

Japan midfielder Shinji Ono returned to Japan from the Netherlands on Monday to rejoin J. League first-division club Urawa Reds.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Jan 17, 2006

Hiroshima adds ex-Sox prospect

The Hiroshima Carp agreed Monday to a one-year deal with pitcher Felix Diaz, a Dominican right-hander who played for the Charlotte Knights, the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox, in 2005.
JAPAN
Jan 17, 2006

Cell phone, credit card linkup to exploit 60 trillion yen market

Using cell phones with credit card functions to make purchases is expected to be a big thing this year as major credit card firms scramble to get shops and stores to accept such payments.
BUSINESS
Jan 17, 2006

Nonresidents' net buying of stocks sets new record

Net purchases of Japanese stocks by nonresident investors hit a record high 12.624 trillion yen in 2005 as net buying exceeded 1 trillion yen for the sixth consecutive month in December, the Finance Ministry said Monday.
JAPAN
Jan 17, 2006

Yen drop kicks Japan out of top 10 in per capita GDP

Japan's per capita nominal gross domestic product was $35,922 in 2004, making it drop out of the top 10 among members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, according to a government report.
BUSINESS
Jan 17, 2006

Kao exec to head Kanebo Cosmetics

Kao Corp. said Monday that Toshio Takayama, president of Kao Hanbai Co., will become chairman of Kanebo Cosmetics Inc., which Kao is due to acquire from the Industrial Revitalization Corp. of Japan later this month.
BUSINESS
Jan 17, 2006

Kato named to take helm at Kirin

Kirin Brewery Co. said Monday that Kazuyasu Kato, current managing director in charge of sales and marketing, will replace Koichiro Aramaki as president of the country's second-largest beer brewer, pending shareholder approval in March.
JAPAN
Jan 17, 2006

Huser sold condos knowing their safety was in doubt

The president of Huser Ltd. admitted Monday that the condominium developer concluded sales contracts and handed over units even after being told in late October that the quake-resistance data for its buildings had been falsified, leaving their structural integrity in doubt.
EDITORIALS
Jan 17, 2006

Return to normal interest rates

For Japanese business people and policymakers, the biggest question of this year is whether Japan's economy will be able to rid itself of deflation. Asking the question itself is right. The problem is that many continue to overestimate the impact of deflation, real or perceived. The result is a gridlock...

Longform

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
Rethinking that second drink: Japan’s Gen Z gets ‘sober curious’