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Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 6, 2005

Postal plan no cure for spiraling debt, critic says

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's plan to privatize the giant postal system will not resolve Japan's ballooning fiscal debt, which is hampering plans to create a smaller government, according to outspoken critic Yasuyo Yamazaki.
JAPAN
Sep 6, 2005

Funds sought for Okinotori facility

The Japan Coast Guard is seeking 33.7 million yen to build the first lighthouse on Okinotori Island, Japan's southernmost point, for completion in February 2007, officials said Monday.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Sep 6, 2005

The empire strikes back

Venerated by militarists and marinated in over a century of militarism and war, Yasukuni Shrine may well be Japan's least friendly venue for a demonstration by pacifists.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 6, 2005

Takashimaya to sell diamond for 1.9 billion yen

Takashimaya Co. said Monday it will sell a 66-carat diamond for 1.895 billion yen -- the most expensive jewelry it has ever handled -- at its Nihonbashi department store in Chuo Ward, Tokyo.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Sep 6, 2005

Smoking, Japanese and clothes

Still smoking Bruce is being pestered by a friend back home who wants him to find a "heavy duty" pocket ashtray.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 6, 2005

Small shops wake up and smell the coffee to fend off big chains

As self-service coffee shop chains saturate the market, their small-scale, often pricey predecessors are feeling the squeeze, and those in Tokyo and Osaka are struggling to survive by focusing on their uniqueness.
BUSINESS
Sep 6, 2005

Insurer errors may top 100,000

Sompo Japan Insurance Inc., one of Japan's six biggest nonlife insurers, said Monday it failed to make payouts totaling 920 million yen in 27,296 cases between July 2002 and last June.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Sep 6, 2005

What would you do if you were Prime Minister of Japan?

Edwin Webb English teacher, 24 There's too much money being spent in the outer prefectures on concrete. I would focus on promoting tourism. I've seen too many natural features defaced with concrete.
BUSINESS
Sep 6, 2005

Capital spending surges 7.3%

Companies' capital spending grew 7.3 percent from a year earlier in the April-June period on an all-industry basis for the ninth straight quarter of expansion, the Finance Ministry reported Monday.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Sep 5, 2005

Hawks' Arakaki whiffs 14 Lions

Right-handed pitcher Nagisa Arakaki struck out 14 batters Sunday as the Pacific League-leading Softbank Hawks blanked the Seibu Lions 2-0.
MORE SPORTS
Sep 5, 2005

Ozeki Kaio suffers injury blow

Kaio's preparations for the upcoming Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament suffered a setback Sunday after the ozeki pulled a hamstring in his right leg during a practice bout.
JAPAN
Sep 5, 2005

NPA official held over loan scam

An engineer at the National Police Agency and another man were arrested Sunday on suspicion of forging documents to borrow money.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 5, 2005

Crucial time for U.S.-China-Japan ties

SINGAPORE -- This week will be crucial for the U.S.-China-Japan relationship as U.S. President George W. Bush and Chinese President Hu Jintao begin their summit in Washington on Wednesday, five days ahead of a key general election for Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, Bush's closest ally in...
COMMENTARY
Sep 5, 2005

A historic scramble to rule

The Sept. 11 Lower House election will test Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's politics, giving voters a chance to choose the nation's leadership between the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the opposition Democratic Party of Japan.
EDITORIALS
Sep 5, 2005

A child-rearing environment

Policy proposals for creating an economic and social environment conducive to childbearing and child-rearing should be an important issue for voters to consider in next Sunday's Lower House election. An accelerating decline in the birthrate, followed eventually by a smaller labor force, will have a great...
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 5, 2005

Rich-poor divide poses unrelenting threat

NEW YORK -- According to the just released U.N. report "The Inequality Predicament," increasing poverty and the growing gap between the rich and poor will be major threats to developing coun- tries' peace and stability. The report, prepared by the United Nations' Economic and Social Affairs Department,...
JAPAN
Sep 5, 2005

LDP leading in polls with a week to go

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party is likely to win a majority Sept. 11, while the Democratic Party of Japan may not end up with the 175 seats it held when the House of Representatives was dissolved, a Kyodo News survey shows.
JAPAN
Sep 5, 2005

Koizumi remains firm on visiting Yasukuni

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi indicated his firm determination Sunday to continue his controversial annual visits to Yasukuni Shrine.

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