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JAPAN
Nov 19, 2005

2,252 suits filed against usurious consumer lenders

are crying because they cannot pay the money," he said. "But I want people to know there are interest charges they don't need to pay, and there is a way to get that money back. . . . I hope these lawsuits will help (borrowers) rebuild their lives." Attorney Kenji Utsunomiya told the media the suits...
BUSINESS
Nov 19, 2005

State special accounts: Why they face scrutiny

A subcommittee of the Finance Ministry's Fiscal System Council recommended Friday that the 31 special accounts in the government's budget be streamlined by absorption into the general account, privatization, or management by independent administrative institutions.
JAPAN
Nov 19, 2005

Old-timer Kitty Hawk carries on

ABOARD THE USS KITTY HAWK -- With a deafening roar, a U.S. Navy F/A-18 approached the USS Kitty Hawk, but failing to hook one of the four trap wires, the fighter had to go around and try to land again.
BUSINESS
Nov 19, 2005

BOJ on same page with ruling bloc, Fukui assures

The Bank of Japan's goal is to sustain economic growth, just like the politicians who are decrying any suggested attempt by the central bank to end its ultraloose monetary policy, BOJ Gov. Toshihiko Fukui said Friday.
BUSINESS
Nov 19, 2005

Meiji Yasuda execs take pay cuts for skimping on claims

Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co. on Friday announced disciplinary actions against incoming top executives and other employees over the company's failure to pay insurance benefits to legitimate claimants, bringing the number of employees punished over the practice to 90.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 19, 2005

Red ink spurs retreat at Sanyo

Sanyo Electric Co. said Friday it will make drastic cutbacks in its semiconductor, home appliance and audio visual businesses, aiming to become a leaner organization in fewer fields.
JAPAN
Nov 19, 2005

Roh raps Koizumi anew on Yasukuni

and South Korean President Roh Moo Hyun meet Friday in Pusan, South Korea, at the APEC leaders' summit.
BUSINESS
Nov 19, 2005

Government may privatize DBJ

The government may privatize the Development Bank of Japan as part of an attempt to reorganize eight governmental financial institutions, government officials have said.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Nov 19, 2005

Renuka Chowdhury

"Democracy gives opportunities," said Renuka Chowdhury. "There I was, a married woman, expecting my second child. I became active in politics, and have now been a member of Parliament for 20 years. I got onto a roller coaster, full of thrills and ups and downs. Sometimes it allows you no control."
BUSINESS
Nov 19, 2005

Special account budgets' overhaul urged

An advisory panel urged the government Friday to overhaul and streamline its 31 special budgetary accounts -- known to be a swamp of wasteful spending -- to help save money and rebuild the debt-ridden public finances.
COMMENTARY
Nov 19, 2005

Hail parliamentary democracy

LONDON -- The British House of Commons' Nov. 9 rejection by 31 votes of the government's proposal that terrorist suspects could be held without trial for up to 90 days was a salutary reminder to Prime Minister Tony Blair that Parliament is not a rubber stamp organization even if he can normally command...
JAPAN
Nov 19, 2005

IC tags eyed to curb accidents involving kids

NTT Data Corp., Nissan Motor Co. and three other companies have developed a safety system using a wireless integrated circuit tag to help prevent traffic accidents involving children.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Nov 19, 2005

Autumn colors: purple, pink

It is said that on Shiraishi Island we don't have much "koyo," or autumn colors. But this is always said by people who don't know the island very well, and who only see the pine trees and evergreens that make up 98 percent of the vegetation on the island.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Nov 19, 2005

Pan-Asianism central to exile activist's ideology

Author, artist, thorn in the flesh of America's political right and confirmed pan-Asianist M.T. Karthik is taking time to return to his roots in Madras. Preparing to make the first of several trips to India, he will then move on to Portugal before returning to Japan, where he is in self-imposed exile...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 19, 2005

Certifier hoodwinked on quake-proofing

A Tokyo-based company that state-certifies construction applications said Friday it noticed no problems during its examination of faked applications by a Chiba-based architectural firm.
JAPAN
Nov 19, 2005

Top court rejects wartime rape suit

The Supreme Court on Friday rejected an appeal by a group of Chinese women seeking damages from the government for having been repeatedly raped by Imperial army soldiers during Japan's wartime occupation of China.
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Nov 18, 2005

Valentine's success this season an achievement for the ages

Against all the odds he got the job done and he did it his way.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Nov 18, 2005

Left-hander Noguchi joins Giants

Free agent left-hander Shigeki Noguchi signed a two-year contract worth an estimated 200 million yen with the Yomiuri Giants on Thursday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 18, 2005

Kids around world chat in pictures

Children who speak different languages can be friends if they can find a way to communicate.
JAPAN
Nov 18, 2005

Topix tops 1,500 for first time since 2000

Tokyo shares rose across the board Thursday on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, buoyed by bargain-hunting and the dollar's strength against the, yen sending the Topix index to its first close above 1,500 in more than five years.
JAPAN
Nov 18, 2005

Jinbo-cho sellers share book info database

Jinbo-cho, Japan's mecca for book lovers, is undergoing a quiet transformation that will change the way people browse for books.
JAPAN
Nov 18, 2005

TBS expected to reject merger with Rakuten

Tokyo Broadcasting System Inc., a TV and radio broadcaster, will reject a proposal by Rakuten Inc. to integrate their managements under a holding company, sources have said.

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’