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MORE SPORTS
Aug 23, 2005

Takahashi to run in Tokyo marathon

Sydney Olympic champion Naoko Takahashi will return to a competitive marathon race in Tokyo in November after an injury-caused two-year absence, her management office said Monday.
EDITORIALS
Aug 23, 2005

A blow to peace in Sri Lanka

The recent assassination of Mr. Lakshman Kadirgamar, foreign minister of Sri Lanka, is a blow to the fragile peace process in that country. Hard fought negotiations have yielded a tenuous ceasefire, yet a peace agreement remains beyond reach. Antagonism between ethnic groups has been matched by equally...
JAPAN
Aug 23, 2005

Bird flu detected at Ibaraki farm

Authorities have detected an outbreak of bird flu at a poultry farm in Ibaraki Prefecture, the agriculture ministry said Monday.
JAPAN
Aug 23, 2005

Japan Highway fires vice president

Japan Highway Public Corp. said Monday it has dismissed Vice President Michio Uchida for alleged involvement in rigging bids for bridge projects.
JAPAN
Aug 23, 2005

Phone bills, drop in adult smoking help teens quit

The percentage of junior high and high school students who smoke dropped sharply in fiscal 2004, apparently due to a decline in adult smokers and expensive cell phone bills, a health ministry research team said Monday.
JAPAN
Aug 23, 2005

Ishihara to produce movie on kamikaze

Toei Co. will begin shooting a film next year on the lives of young kamikaze suicide pilots in World War II with Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara as the executive producer and scriptwriter, the film producer said Monday.
BUSINESS
Aug 23, 2005

Square Enix ready to acquire Taito

In the latest move amid industrywide reorganization, Square Enix Co., the maker of the Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy video games, announced Monday it will acquire smaller rival Taito Corp. for 67 billion yen.
JAPAN / POLL SHOWDOWN
Aug 23, 2005

Rebels who don't quit LDP face penalties

All of the Liberal Democratic Party members who voted against Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's postal privatization bills in the House of Representatives should leave the party when running in the Sept. 11 general election, LDP Secretary General Tsutomu Takebe said Monday.
BUSINESS
Aug 23, 2005

Global beer production rises 4.4%

Worldwide production of beer totaled some 154.75 million kiloliters in 2004, up 4.4 percent over the previous year for the 20th consecutive yearly rise, with China retaining its position as the biggest brewing nation for the third year in a row, Kirin Brewery Co. said Monday.
JAPAN
Aug 23, 2005

Low level of asbestos exposure proved fatal

Blue asbestos fibers identical to that lining the walls of a stationery shop were found in the lungs of its former manager, who died of an asbestos-linked illness after working there for more than 30 years, it was learned Monday.
BUSINESS
Aug 23, 2005

What's next? 'Warm Biz'

Japan will kick off the "Warm Biz" campaign Oct. 1, an autumn-winter version of the "Cool Biz" campaign held this summer, to promote energy conservation by encouraging business people to wear extra layers of clothing and help reduce the use of heaters, the Environment Ministry announced Monday.
BUSINESS
Aug 23, 2005

Pokka to go private via exec buyout

Soft drink maker Pokka Corp. said Monday it plans to turn itself into an unlisted company through a management buyout so it can implement longer-term strategies for raising its corporate value.
BUSINESS / INDUSTRY TRENDS
Aug 23, 2005

DVD gives lesser players chance to shake up camcorder market

A major shift in recording media from tape to disc is taking place in the camcorder market, with manufacturers rapidly expanding their DVD-compatible model lineups.
JAPAN
Aug 23, 2005

Wu, Sasae to discuss North Korea

Wu Dawei, China's chief delegate to the six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear ambitions, will discuss the issue with chief Japanese delegate Kenichiro Sasae on Wednesday in Tokyo, Foreign Ministry officials said Monday.
JAPAN
Aug 23, 2005

NTT tests fiber-optic link with U.S. for fetal therapy

Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. succeeded in a test use of its 2.4-gigabit-per-second fiber-optic line for long-distance fetal diagnosis and therapy by linking medical specialists in Tokyo and San Francisco, according to NTT officials.
COMMENTARY
Aug 23, 2005

LDP again at the crossroads

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi views the forthcoming general election, set for Sept. 11, as a national referendum on his top-priority plan to privatize the postal system. "I would like to ask the people whether they are for or against postal privatization," he told a nationally televised press conference,...
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Aug 23, 2005

Old clothes and capsule delight

Waste not, want not Elizabeth in Kyoto Prefecture is leaving Japan in a month's time, having spent two years here.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Aug 23, 2005

Press freedom

Earlier this year, journalists from the Okinawa Times and the Ryukyu Shimpo were stunned to learn that they would not be allowed to cover the return of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit from Iraq.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Aug 23, 2005

What will you do if or when the 'big one' hits?

Paul Jones Golfer, 33 Run! With the work I do, I'm not usually near any buildings. I just tend to look up, always worried about what's going to come down on me. I'd still be trying to run somewhere.
BUSINESS
Aug 23, 2005

Beef hits highest price since '03

The retail price of beef is at its highest level since the first case of mad cow disease in the United States was discovered in December 2003, the farm ministry said Monday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 23, 2005

Chiba man couldn't settle for just piece of pi

Akira Haraguchi says he was never a genius in school. But at 59, the Chiba man recited pi -- the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter -- from memory to 83,431 decimal places.
JAPAN
Aug 23, 2005

Welfare trumps posts as candidates' main concern

Most of the declared candidates running in the Sept. 11 general election say social welfare reform should be the policy priority after the poll, according to a Kyodo News survey released Monday.

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