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Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 6, 2003

Condo owners lose appeal against state-offered discounts for unsold flats

The Tokyo High Court on Wednesday upheld a lower court ruling rejecting compensation demands from purchasers of condominiums sold by the former Housing and Urban Development Corp., which later subjected unsold units to heavy discounts.
JAPAN
Nov 5, 2003

SDF death payment in Iraq to go as high as 100 million yen

The next of kin of any Self-Defense Force member who dies in the line of duty in Iraq will receive up to 100 million yen in condolence money, a senior Defense Agency official said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Nov 5, 2003

Chamber chief wins Zaikai Prize

Nobuo Yamaguchi, chairman of the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, on Tuesday received the annual Zaikai Prize, awarded by the publisher of the business magazine Zaikai.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 5, 2003

Battle for power waged on voters' screens

The leader of the Democratic Party of Japan is fleetingly portrayed in a recent TV commercial as the stern-faced chairman of a fictitious Cabinet meeting, the scene accompanied by upbeat rock music.
BASEBALL / MLB
Nov 2, 2003

Giants interested in acquiring Tuffy

The Yomiuri Giants are looking to acquire Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes outfielder Tuffy Rhodes after the slugger hit a snag in negotiations for a multiyear contract with his present club, baseball sources said Saturday.
JAPAN
Nov 2, 2003

Is media scrabbling for scoops or scraps?

Since late July, when a special law allowing the dispatch of the Self-Defense Forces to Iraq was enacted, the Japanese media has engaged in a fierce battle to report when, where and how many personnel will be sent to the war-ravaged country.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Nov 2, 2003

On TV, what you get is not what you want

Last weekend, former Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka, prior to her official announcement to stand as a candidate in the upcoming House of Representatives election, held a press conference; or, more exactly, two press conferences -- one for the national newspapers and one for the TV networks. No magazines...
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 30, 2003

Style trumps substance in Bangkok

BANGKOK -- The appearance of the 21 leaders of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in their handmade shiny silk shirts said a lot about this year's summit in Bangkok -- style over substance.
COMMENTARY
Oct 29, 2003

Democracy for whom?

WASHINGTON -- Although the Bush administration won formal U.N. recognition for its rule in Iraq, that diplomatic victory is likely to yield few allied troops for occupation duty. In fact, even Turkey, which agreed to dispatch 10,000 soldiers after Washington's approval of $8.5 billion in loans, is now...
BUSINESS
Oct 29, 2003

Matsushita Electric group net profit rises 31.5%

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. said Tuesday its group net profit for the fiscal first half grew 31.5 percent from a year earlier to 23.15 billion yen on the back of restructuring effects and strong sales of digital home products.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Oct 28, 2003

Skin care, leases and illegal tax

Skin problems NWW asks "where can I find an English-speaking dermatologist or specialist clinic in Tokyo area?"
JAPAN
Oct 27, 2003

Nakasone reportedly ready to bow out

It appeared almost certain Sunday night that former Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone will not run in the upcoming general election and will retire from politics, according to sources close to his support group.
JAPAN
Oct 27, 2003

Convenience-store drug sales facing a tough time

A Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry committee is having a tough time choosing over-the-counter medicines that can be sold in convenience stores in the face of opposition to deregulation.
COMMENTARY
Oct 27, 2003

Resuscitating Japanese labor

Following a protracted economic slowdown, the labor movement in Japan is in the doldrums. The unionization rate has fallen to about 20 percent due to stepped-up corporate restructuring and widespread worker distrust of unions. The nation's top labor federation, the Japanese Trade Union Confederation,...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Oct 26, 2003

Writer behind the writer

As a reporter in Tokyo in the late '60s, what was your professional interest in Yukio Mishima?
Japan Times
JAPAN / PARTY LINE
Oct 25, 2003

NCP has grand policy designs but LDP poll support falls shy

The New Conservative Party says the core policy issues in the Nov. 9 general election are boosting national security, revising the Constitution and reviving the economy, but its own tallest order will be getting its few members voted in.
BUSINESS
Oct 25, 2003

Group discusses regional economies

The government on Friday held the first meeting of a special task force charged with revitalizing regional economies.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 25, 2003

Redesigned 1,000 yen bills roll off presses

Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki announced Friday the start of printing of redesigned 1,000 yen bills, which will go into circulation in July.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 24, 2003

Antinuke regime crumbling

Speaking on the opening day of the U.N. General Assembly's disarmament committee on Oct. 6, Ambassador Sergio Querioz Duarte of Brazil noted that "to attain a nuclear-weapon-free world, it is vital to prevent nuclear proliferation, and at the same time, it is imperative to promote nuclear disarmament."...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Oct 23, 2003

Freshwater pearl mussel

* Japanese name: Kawashinjukai * Scientific name:Margaritifera laevis * Description: Mussels are bivalves: mollusks that have their body contained between two shells. Young freshwater pearl mussels often have yellowish-brown shells, which become green-tinged and darker as they mature. This animal grows...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 22, 2003

Outside watchdog needed to monitor prisons: U.N. expert

An independent entity comprising nongovernmental organizations and experts is needed to monitor human rights conditions in prisons, according to Dr. Ole Rasmussen of the United Nations Committee Against Torture.
COMMENTARY
Oct 20, 2003

Pension plans on life-support

LONDON -- A flood of articles in the European media recently has warned about the growing problem of paying pensions as the populations of European countries age and birthrates decline. For Japan, this problem looks especially acute.
COMMUNITY
Oct 19, 2003

Labor pains

On a recent Saturday, some 80 delegates from the National Union of General Workers, Tokyo South, trudged through cold rain to gather at a conference hall near Mount Fuji for their annual meeting. Greetings were kept brief and to the point. After all, with the sour economy putting such pressure on unions,...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Oct 19, 2003

Tigers players hope to win one for the skipper

I knew I was on my way to a special Japan Series Saturday when several people on my jam-packed Japan Airlines flight were wearing Hanshin Tigers jerseys. There was one Hiyama 24, a couple of Imaoka 7s and several Igawa 29s.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 18, 2003

Gifu gives Big Apple taste of local legend

If you mention the name Furuta Oribe, most Japanese will probably give you a blank stare.
BUSINESS
Oct 18, 2003

Naigai to reduce workforce by 7%

Apparel maker Naigai Co. said Friday it will cut 50 jobs, or about 7 percent of its workforce, through early retirement by the end of this year as part of a new three-year restructuring program.
JAPAN
Oct 17, 2003

Japan eyes World Heritage listing for Shiretoko Peninsula

The Environment Ministry decided Thursday to recommend the Shiretoko Peninsula in Hokkaido for the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) World Heritage List of 2004.

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years