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Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 10, 2004

Schroeder, Koizumi agree to back each other's UNSC candidacy bid

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder agreed Thursday to support each other's candidacies for permanent membership in the United Nations Security Council.
JAPAN
Dec 10, 2004

State names hospitals in blood scandal

The health ministry on Thursday disclosed the names of 6,916 hospitals and 17 medical suppliers believed to have stocked a hepatitis C-tainted blood product that caused one of the largest medical disasters in Japan's postwar history.
BUSINESS
Dec 10, 2004

Resona wants 10% of branch chiefs to be female so bank can stand out

Resona Holdings Inc. wants to increase the number of female branch managers to 10 percent of its total number, Resona Chairman Eiji Hosoya said in a recent interview.
BUSINESS
Dec 10, 2004

Current account surplus up for 16th month in row

Japan's current account surplus grew 7.4 percent in October from a year earlier to 1.34 trillion yen for the 16th straight month of increase, due to an all-time-high in exports for the reporting month, the Finance Ministry said Thursday.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Dec 10, 2004

Getting holy in Wakayama

Since ancient times, pilgrims have ventured into heavily forested mountains in Wakayama Prefecture to visit Koyasan, the headquarters of the Shingon sect of esoteric Buddhism. This is regarded as one of the most sacred places in Japan, lying in an alpine basin at an altitude of about 800 meters, and...
BUSINESS
Dec 10, 2004

Firms seen more tolerant of strong yen

Japanese companies remain generally unfazed by continued rises in the yen against the dollar, according to analysts.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / VINELAND
Dec 10, 2004

Six sure-fire gift ideas for fellow wine-lovers

There appears to be an entire cottage industry dedicated to making the kind of wine-themed gifts that imbibers everywhere are hoping not to receive this season -- our favorite of which is the doormat which says, "We love good wine. Did you bring any?"
JAPAN
Dec 9, 2004

Princess turns 41; seen on the mend

Crown Princess Masako marked her 41st birthday Thursday by continuing to show signs of recuperating from a stress-induced illness and raising prospects that she might resume some official duties for New Year's.
JAPAN
Dec 9, 2004

State looks to photograph, fingerprint all foreign arrivals

A government task force has drafted an antiterrorism plan that includes fingerprinting and photographing all foreign visitors upon entry into Japan, government sources said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Dec 9, 2004

Kanzaki tells Koizumi to take Yasukuni protests seriously

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi should take seriously the protests by Chinese leaders over his repeated visits to Yasukuni Shrine and deal with the issue accordingly, New Komeito leader Takenori Kanzaki said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Dec 9, 2004

NPA report lists the usual suspects: Islamic terrorists, Aum, Pyongyang

International terrorist organizations run by Islamic extremists are expected to continue carrying out attacks worldwide, and the possibility of Japan becoming a target cannot be ruled out, the National Police Agency reckoned in an annual report on security released this week.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Dec 9, 2004

Long-tailed tit

* Japanese name: Enaga * Scientific name: Aegithalos caudatus * Description:The long-tailed tit is a small, fluffy, pinkish bird; it would be the Bridget Jones of the bird world if only it were better fed. The flanks and shoulders are pink-brown; the eyes red; the wings black; and the tail, which is...
BASEBALL / MLB
Dec 9, 2004

Ichiro shows a different side in reflecting on record season

SEATTLE -- Despite being known for his philosophical character and often cryptic baseball language, Ichiro Suzuki showed a bit of his human side in reflecting on his successful pursuit of an 84-year-old major league record.
JAPAN
Dec 9, 2004

Revamped H-IIA a go for launch with satellite

Japan plans to resume the use of its domestically made H-IIA rocket around February and launch a new multifunctional transport satellite, the first H-IIA mission since the previous launch ended in failure in November last year, government officials said Wednesday.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / ON THE BOOK TRAIL
Dec 9, 2004

"Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell," "ABC T-Rex"

"Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell," Susanna Clarke, Bloomsbury; 2004; 782 pp.
JAPAN
Dec 9, 2004

Reluctant teachers: 'Why should English be studied?'

With the possibility of English lessons spreading into all the nation's schools, elementary school teachers are being forced to study the language -- and some are struggling.
BUSINESS
Dec 9, 2004

IRCJ to close 53 Daiei outlets, ask creditors to help retailer

The Industrial Revitalization Corp. of Japan, which has been asked rehabilitate Daiei Inc., plans to close 53 of the money-losing supermarket chain's 263 outlets across Japan, sources familiar with the plan said Wednesday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Dec 9, 2004

Sasaki's deal with BayStars is the richest ever in NPB

Yokohama BayStars closer Kazuhiro Sasaki confirmed the terms of his final contract year with the Yokohama BayStars on Wednesday and revealed that he earned 650 million yen in the 2004 season, making him the highest-paid Japanese ballplayer in history.
BUSINESS
Dec 9, 2004

Vodafone Japan chief vows to catch up

Vodafone's Japanese unit is aiming to become the country's second-largest mobile phone carrier, the mobile giant's new president said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Dec 9, 2004

GDP revised downward to annual 0.2%

The economy grew an annualized 0.2 percent in the July-September quarter, not the 0.3 percent stated in the preliminary report last month, the government said Wednesday after tweaking the nation's gross domestic product under a new calculation method.
EDITORIALS
Dec 9, 2004

Closing the curtain on a hard life

Mr. Charles Jenkins on Tuesday arrived in Sado, Niigata Prefecture, together with his wife Ms. Hitomi Soga, a former abductee to North Korea, and their two daughters after serving a short sentence for desertion from the U.S. Army. Sado is Ms. Soga's hometown. Procedures for Mr. Jenkins' dishonorable...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 9, 2004

Remains not those of Yokota

The remains North Korea gave Japanese officials last month are not those of Japanese abductee Megumi Yokota as Pyongyang had claimed, government officials said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Dec 9, 2004

Tokyo lodges complaint over China ship in EEZ

Tokyo has lodged a protest with Beijing against unannounced research activities being carried out by a Chinese ship in Japan's exclusive economic zone around Okinotorishima Island, the nation's southernmost territory, officials in Tokyo said Wednesday.

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