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JAPAN
Sep 7, 2005

Plutonium from spent fuel at 43 tons

Japan's stockpile of plutonium extracted and separated from spent nuclear fuel increased to 43.1 tons as of the end of 2004, up 2.5 tons from the previous year, the government reported to the Atomic Energy Commission on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Sep 7, 2005

ASDF F-15s collide, land safely

Two F-15 fighter jets of the Air Self-Defense Force collided over water northwest of Hokkaido on Tuesday morning and made safe emergency landings, ASDF officials said.
JAPAN
Sep 7, 2005

NGO relief team Houston-bound

A team from a nongovernment organization for disaster relief was to leave Wednesday for Houston to help people who survived Hurricane Katrina.
BUSINESS
Sep 7, 2005

Longer delay seen for postal privatization

Even if the ruling coalition wins the upcoming general election and the postal privatization bills are reintroduced to the Diet and enacted, the government may delay the launch of the actual reforms by up to a year, sources said Tuesday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / NEW ART SEEN
Sep 7, 2005

'Palookaville' gets gallery treatment

I was chatting with old friends in Toronto last week, and our conversation came round to the subject of Japanese manga. I made clear my reservations regarding the popularity of pulp manga in Japan, and bemoaned the fact that many manga artists have even had gallery shows here.
EDITORIALS
Sep 7, 2005

Katrina's grim reminder

Sadly, we are accustomed to the regular occurrence of natural disasters. It seems as if every few months a storm, flood, tsunami or earthquake devastates a country, exacts a frightening toll, and reminds us that we remain susceptible to the forces of the physical world. In the perennial struggle between...
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 7, 2005

Koizumi's bare-knuckle power play may soon haunt him

Sunday's election for the Lower House stands out as abnormal, but not because of its abruptness. Many surprise elections have been held before. On March 14, 1953, for instance, then Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida, who was president of the Liberal Party, dissolved the Lower House following the passage...
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Sep 6, 2005

CL eyes playoff system for 2007

The members of the Central League executive committee agreed Monday to consider introducing a playoff system for the first time in league history in 2007.
JAPAN
Sep 6, 2005

Ishihara turns to Taipei as Beijing exits forum

Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara will visit Taiwan on Tuesday to discuss ways to run a forum for major Asian cities, following the recent withdrawal of Beijing from the network, Tokyo Metropolitan Government officials said.
JAPAN
Sep 6, 2005

Attack evacuation plans go high-tech

The government plans to develop a computer system that can immediately calculate appropriate public evacuation plans in the event of a nuclear, biological or chemical attack, or an attack on a nuclear or petroleum facility, according to official sources.
JAPAN
Sep 6, 2005

Tea ceremony master to the U.N.

The Foreign Ministry on Monday appointed Sen Genshitsu, a prominent tea ceremony master, as goodwill ambassador to the United Nations in a bid to raise Japan's domestic and international profile.
JAPAN
Sep 6, 2005

JCP wants united front on postal bills

The Japanese Communist Party plans to call on other parties to join hands to scrap the postal privatization bills that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi aims to resubmit to the Diet after Sunday's general election, JCP chief Kasuo Shii said Monday.
JAPAN
Sep 6, 2005

Kobe group to send aid to Katrina victims

The Asia-Africa Cooperation Environment Center started packing rescue supplies Monday in Kobe in an effort to help survivors of Hurricane Katrina in the U.S.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Sep 6, 2005

NPB urged to decide on WBC

Major League Baseball urged Japanese baseball officials Monday to clarify the country's participation in next spring's World Baseball Classic as early as possible.
JAPAN
Sep 6, 2005

Radiotherapy reaction method found

Researchers at the National Institute of Radiological Sciences have developed a method to predict how prone a cancer patient may be to radiation side effects based on minor genetic differences, possibly paving the way for customized radiation treatment, a senior researcher in the project said Monday....
JAPAN
Sep 6, 2005

Global warming ups downpours, draughts

The number of days when it either rains heavily or not at all in Japan has increased during the past 100 years, while the number of moderately rainy days has decreased, according to the Meteorological Research Institute.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 6, 2005

The Japan-China-U.S. club

Since the beginning of the year, relations between the United States and China have become sharply strained while those between Japan and China have markedly deteriorated -- as if East Asia were headed for a new Cold War. In these circumstances it seems fitting to discuss how to build security mechanisms...
BUSINESS
Sep 6, 2005

Minimum for oil reserves to be cut in line with IEA

Japan will cut its mandatory minimum for oil reserves held by refiners and other private-sector oil firms in a concerted action by the International Energy Agency, a senior government official said Monday.
JAPAN
Sep 6, 2005

Rubik's Cube fills niche hands-off computer can't

The three-dimensional puzzle Rubik's Cube that was explosively popular in the early 1980s is staging a big comeback.
EDITORIALS
Sep 6, 2005

Democracy test for Mr. Mubarak

Egyptian voters will choose their next president Wednesday from among 10 candidates running in that country's first-ever multicandidate presidential election. There are no candidates powerful enough to challenge incumbent President Hosni Mubarak, however, and it seems certain he will win a fifth term....
BUSINESS
Sep 6, 2005

Fast Retail to pay big to put Uniqlo on world fashion stage

Fast Retailing Co., which runs the Uniqlo casual clothing chain, said Monday it will spend up to 400 billion yen over the next three years to acquire apparel businesses as part of an overall plan to evolve into a global powerhouse.
BUSINESS
Sep 6, 2005

PC gadget offers TV from overseas

Sony Corp. said Monday it will release a new device Oct. 1 that lets computer users watch Japanese television programs while abroad through the Internet.
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.

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