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BUSINESS
Dec 7, 2005

Imported vehicle sales down 3.1%

Sales of imported vehicles, including those produced by Japanese manufacturers, fell 3.1 percent in November from a year earlier to 22,045 units, an industry body said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Dec 7, 2005

Matsushita apologizes for deadly heaters, offers partial refund

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. pledged Tuesday to prevent a recurrence of carbon monoxide poisoning caused by its defective kerosene heaters, which have claimed two lives and sickened eight others this year.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK
Dec 7, 2005

Creative destruction augurs well for woodland well-being

Coming into Tokyo earlier this year, a mountain lad like me might have thought the city was hosting a great convention of bank robbers. It seemed that half the population were masked and looking grim indeed. The problem, it seemed, was an allergy to the pollen from sugi (cryptomeria, or Japanese cedar)....
BUSINESS
Dec 7, 2005

Kao camp in lead for Kanebo: sources

The state-backed corporate bailout agency is close to picking Kao Corp. and three investment funds as the buyer of Kanebo Ltd. and Kanebo Cosmetics Inc. as it entered the final phase of selection proceedings, sources said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Dec 7, 2005

Cabinet approves '06 budget policy

The Cabinet endorsed a budget policy for fiscal 2006 Tuesday that aims to cut fresh issuance of government bonds to nearly 30.0 trillion yen from 34.4 trillion yen as requested by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.
MORE SPORTS
Dec 6, 2005

Katayama picks up MVP title

Shingo Katayama, who took the money rankings title for the second straight year, was named the Most Valuable Player by the Japan Golf Tour Organization on Monday.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Dec 6, 2005

Iriki steps up to the plate again

Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters right-hander Yusaku Iriki, who had hoped to make a switch to the major leagues via the so-called posting system, was released by the Pacific League club on Monday.
JAPAN
Dec 6, 2005

Severe weather disrupts transport in many areas

Snow and strong winds disrupted transportation networks in many parts of the country Monday, with the Meteorological Agency warning of more snow to come.
JAPAN
Dec 6, 2005

Restart of Mihama reactor OK'd

The No. 3 reactor of the Mihama nuclear power plant in Fukui Prefecture was cleared Monday to resume operations suspended since a fatal steam leak last year, the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said.
EDITORIALS
Dec 6, 2005

Peace between pace-setters

The takeover battle between Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) and Rakuten has ended in a draw of sorts -- for now at least. The two companies have buried the hatchet, so to speak, and have agreed to start talks on forming capital and business ties.
JAPAN
Dec 6, 2005

Yasukuni won't wash as diplomatic card, Koizumi says

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi toughened his diplomatic stance toward China and South Korea on Monday, saying the two countries are trying to use issues related to his visits to Yasukuni Shrine as "a diplomatic card" against Japan.
JAPAN
Dec 6, 2005

Jordanian king to visit Thursday

Jordanian King Abdullah will make a three-day official visit to Japan from Thursday, the Foreign Ministry said Monday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 6, 2005

Criminal case against Aneha gets firmed up

The infrastructure ministry filed criminal complaints with police Monday against architect Hidetsugu Aneha for falsifying quake-proofing data used in structural plans for several condominium complexes and hotels in violation of the Building Standard Law, ministry officials said.
JAPAN
Dec 6, 2005

Rakuten-TBS panel to start tieup talks this weekend

Rakuten Inc. and Tokyo Broadcasting System Inc. will launch a committee this weekend to consider tieups for combining broadcasting and Internet services, the first negotiations since Rakuten withdrew its management integration proposal last week, sources said Monday.
JAPAN
Dec 6, 2005

LDP, New Komeito agree to create Defense Ministry

The secretaries general and policy chiefs of New Komeito and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party officially agreed Monday to draft a bill to turn the Defense Agency into a ministry.
JAPAN
Dec 6, 2005

Al-Jaafari urges mission extension

Protesters threw stones at a convoy of Japanese troop vehicles Sunday in Iraq, breaking a mirror on one of the vehicles, officials of the Ground Self-Defense Force said. The incident took place in Rumaythah near the GSDF's camp in Samawah as about 40 demonstrators, some apparently armed, surrounded a...
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / ON THE BOOK TRAIL
Dec 6, 2005

"The Fish in Room 11," "In my World"

"The Fish in Room 11," Heather Dyer, Chicken House; 2005;160 pp.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Dec 6, 2005

Veteran lefty Kudo re-signs with Giants

Yomiuri Giants veteran lefty Kimiyasu Kudo re-signed with the Central League club on Monday for an unchanged estimated 290 million yen in annual salary.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 6, 2005

Bush should do the right thing, and quit

NEW YORK -- By August 2003, California Gov. Gray Davis' approval rating had plunged to 22 percent. Two months later, he lost a special recall election.
BUSINESS
Dec 6, 2005

Japan to keep releasing oil from reserves via IEA

Japan will continue to release oil reserves held by the private sector for the fourth straight month starting Tuesday running through Jan. 4 in a concerted action with the International Energy Agency.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Dec 6, 2005

Genki drinks riding high

People the world over are raising a toast to the growing mainstream acceptance of energy and functional drinks.
BUSINESS
Dec 6, 2005

Livedoor to join Nippon Keidanren

Internet venture Livedoor Co. has requested admission into the Japan Business Federation (Nippon Keidanren), the nation's most influential business lobby, federation officials said Monday.

Longform

Mamoru Iwai, stationmaster of Keisei Ueno Station, says that, other than earthquake-proofing, the former Hakubutsukan-Dobutsuen (Museum-Zoo) Station has remained untouched.
Inside Tokyo's 'phantom' stations — and the stories they tell