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JAPAN
Apr 29, 2005

Japan, EU to pressure China at summit

Leaders from Japan and the European Union plan to call on China to develop as "a responsible and constructive global partner" during their summit next week, according to a draft summit statement obtained by Kyodo News.
JAPAN
Apr 29, 2005

DPJ's Konno submits resignation

Democratic Party of Japan lawmaker Azuma Konno submitted a letter of resignation to House of Representatives Speaker Yohei Kono on Thursday, a day after the Sendai High Court invalidated his victory in the 2003 general election.
EDITORIALS
Apr 29, 2005

Learn from the train tragedy

Monday's railway accident in Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture, was the worst since Japanese National Railways was privatized in 1987. A packed seven-car commuter train jumped the tracks at a sharp curve and the front car slammed into the parking floor of a nearby apartment building, killing more than 100...
JAPAN
Apr 29, 2005

Teikoku Oil seeks rights to test-drill in disputed seas

A Japanese oil company on Thursday requested test-drilling rights in the East China Sea, in disputed waters just a few kilometers from where China is preparing full-scale drilling.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Apr 29, 2005

Reliving the good life in the country

Visitors to Japan often go into a form of shock not long after they arrive. It is not the different language, cuisine, or social customs that are the cause, but, rather, the realization that Japanese cities are vast, crowded, hyper-modern jungles of humanity where life seems to be constantly on warp...
JAPAN
Apr 29, 2005

Hill won't give Pyongyang deadline

The chief U.S. negotiator on North Korean nuclear issues said in Tokyo on Thursday that Washington will not impose a deadline on Pyongyang to return to the six-party talks.
BUSINESS
Apr 29, 2005

Golden Week may add 200 billion yen to GDP

This year's Golden Week holidays from Friday to the first week of May will likely add 200 billion yen to the nominal gross domestic product by fueling expenditures, according to a private think tank.
BUSINESS
Apr 29, 2005

ANA doubles profit on back of strong international demand

All Nippon Airways Co.'s group operating profit more than doubled from the previous year to 77.7 billion yen in fiscal 2004 led by strong demand for international flights and rigorous cost-reduction efforts, the carrier said Thursday.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 29, 2005

Enhancing U.N. legitimacy

Many commentators have noted that the timing and intensity of the recent surge in anti-Japan protests in China may be due in part to Tokyo's push for permanent membership of the U.N. Security Council. At the same time, during a highly successful and very visible visit to India, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao...
JAPAN
Apr 29, 2005

Abe, central figure in HIV-tainted blood products scandal, dies

Hemophilia expert Takeshi Abe, who was facing an appeals trial over his acquittal in a professional negligence case, died of heart failure Monday evening at a Tokyo hospital, his family said. He was 88.
BUSINESS
Apr 29, 2005

Electronics makers lost billions on price falls in '04

Major electronics makers lost hundreds of billions of yen in potential profits due to rapidly falling prices in fiscal 2004, and they expect the trend to continue in the current fiscal year.
JAPAN
Apr 29, 2005

Kyoto Protocol emissions steps adopted by state

Japan adopted a set of measures Thursday to cut emissions of greenhouse gases in a bid to fulfill its obligations under the Kyoto Protocol, government officials said.
JAPAN
Apr 29, 2005

No deal made on Yasukuni visits: Nakasone

Former Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone on Thursday denied claims that China and Japan had concluded an informal agreement in 1985 that top Japanese government leaders would not visit Yasukuni Shrine.
BUSINESS
Apr 29, 2005

Mazda posts 35% jump in net profit

Mazda Motor Corp. saw group net profit jump 35 percent from a year earlier to a record 45.8 billion yen, while operating profit rose 18 percent to an all-time high of 82.9 billion yen in fiscal 2004, company officials said Thursday.
BUSINESS
Apr 29, 2005

Dismay for MHI; joy for Kawasaki

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. and Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. released contrasting profit results for fiscal 2004 on Thursday, with the former suffering a dive in group net profit and the latter posting a sizable increase.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Apr 29, 2005

Shopping for the little bookworms

It's bedtime and you're keen for the little ones to get off to sleep so you can return to that DVD you left on pause. For their story, you try winging it again with a Japanese picture book, but the version you concoct this time is different to what you told them before. Pointing out that you've got the...
BUSINESS
Apr 29, 2005

BOJ projecting change in easy monetary policy

The Bank of Japan said Thursday that easing anxiety over the country's financial stability has increased the likelihood that its ultra-loose monetary policy will change.
JAPAN
Apr 29, 2005

Cooked books seen at 29 police forces

The National Police Agency has discovered accounting irregularities tied to investigative expenses at 29 prefectural police forces, agency officials said Thursday.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Apr 28, 2005

Angry Tuffy lashes out at 'lousy' Giants teammates

Yomiuri Giants outfielder Tuffy Rhodes is tired of losing, and has some harsh words for his teammates.
SOCCER / World cup
Apr 28, 2005

Mixed news from Japan's overseas stars

Hamburg SV striker Naohiro Takahara and Feyenoord midfielder Shinji Ono are expected to join the national squad prior to Japan's Kirin Cup match against the United Arab Emirates, Japan Football Association President Saburo Kawabuchi said Tuesday.
SOCCER / J. League
Apr 28, 2005

Kashiwa bans 11 fans from soccer matches

J. League club Kashiwa Reysol has indefinitely banned 11 soccer fans for their part in a scuffle after Saturday's home game against Nagoya Grampus Eight.
COMMENTARY
Apr 28, 2005

New biotech miracles won't come cheap

WASHINGTON -- The California biotechnology industry recently gathered for its annual CALBIO conference. Participants were excited at the prospect of developing new medical miracles. But the potential of government interference hung over the proceedings like dark clouds on the horizon.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 28, 2005

Has China learned a lesson?

It is naturally welcome that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi of Japan and President Hu Jintao of China reaffirmed in Jakarta that friendly Japan-China relations are desirable not only for the two countries but also for Asia at large. It is beyond doubt that good Japan-China relations promote peace and...
JAPAN
Apr 28, 2005

61% support making change to Constitution: poll

Sixty-one percent of people responding to a Kyodo News survey said they support the idea of revising the Constitution, according to results released Wednesday.

Longform

Figure skater Akiko Suzuki was once told her ideal weight should be 47 kilograms, a number she now admits she “naively believed.” This led to her have a relationship with food that resulted in her suffering from anorexia.
The silent battle Japanese athletes fight with weight