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EDITORIALS
May 26, 2004

A good start for Mr. Chen

Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian has passed the first test of his new administration. His inauguration speech was conciliatory in tone, reaching out to the millions of Taiwanese who voted against him and to the mainland by pledging not to take action that would increase tensions between the governments...
JAPAN
May 26, 2004

Ruling bloc, DPJ forge amendment on bill to bar North Korean ships

The ruling coalition and the Democratic Party of Japan agreed Tuesday on an amendment to a bill designed to bar North Korean ships from entering Japanese ports.
BUSINESS
May 26, 2004

Softbank pursues Japan Telecom

Softbank Corp. is negotiating with U.S. investment fund Ripplewood Holdings LLC to turn Japan Telecom Co. into its subsidiary, sources close to the talks said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
May 26, 2004

Japan Post reports 2003 net profit

Japan Post said Tuesday it posted a consolidated net profit of 2.3 trillion yen for its mail delivery, postal savings and "kampo" life insurance businesses for fiscal 2003.
BUSINESS
May 26, 2004

DoCoMo shifts strategy from investment to tech ties

NTT DoCoMo Inc. will shift its global strategy in the mobile phone business from capital investment to technological tieups, after suffering huge losses on its investments in overseas mobile phone operators, NTT Corp. President Norio Wada said Monday.
JAPAN
May 26, 2004

80% of single mothers have trouble making ends meet

The average household income for families with single mothers is about 40 percent that of households with two parents and eight out of 10 single mothers say they have trouble making ends meet, according to a government report released Tuesday.
JAPAN
May 26, 2004

Scientist growing corneas from lab dish

Cornea transplants can give sight back to the blind, but they are notoriously tricky: Sutures can cause swelling. The body can reject the tissue. Each transplant requires a large mass of cells taken from a healthy eye.
BUSINESS
May 26, 2004

Aozora Bank's net profit expanded 39.3% in fiscal 2003

Aozora Bank said Tuesday it posted a net profit of 31.9 billion yen in fiscal 2003, up 39.3 percent from the previous year.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
May 26, 2004

A hard man-woman is good to find

Casting is all in "Hedwig and the Angry Inch," but here all's very well indeed.
BUSINESS
May 26, 2004

EU objects to Sony-BMG music merger

The European Commission has sent a statement to the music units of Japan's Sony Corp. and Germany's Bertelsmann AG, objecting to a proposed merger between the two units, a Sony official said Tuesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 26, 2004

Japanese interest in abduction issue led North Korea to isolate Hasuike

Repatriated abductee Kaoru Hasuike said Tuesday he was isolated from the rest of North Korean society during the late 1990s, when Pyongyang's abduction of Japanese nationals became a hot topic in Japan.
BUSINESS
May 26, 2004

NCB execs face 4 billion yen bill for issuing doomed loans

The Tokyo District Court on Tuesday ordered 10 former executives of collapsed Nippon Credit Bank to pay 4 billion yen in damages to Resolution and Collection Corp. for causing heavy loan losses to NCB.
JAPAN
May 26, 2004

Ministry releases work-related illness data

A total of 312 people became eligible for workers' compensation due to brain and heart illnesses induced by excessive work in fiscal 2003, according to labor ministry statistics released Tuesday.
JAPAN
May 26, 2004

GSDF troops may join Iraq multinational force: Kawaguchi

Japanese troops may under certain conditions participate in a multinational force to be formed to keep order in Iraq based on a new U.N. resolution, Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi said Tuesday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 26, 2004

The hits that the house band built

Standing in the Shadows of Motown Rating: * * * 1/2 (out of 5) Director: Paul Justman Running time: 108 minutes Language: English Currently showing [See Japan Times movie listings] Musicians are always getting screwed. If it isn't their record label cheating them out of royalties, the...
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 26, 2004

Forum highlights human-trafficking menace in EU

The May 1 expansion of the European Union was hailed as an economic boost for Europe, yet there is a dark side to this story.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 26, 2004

Self-improvement in the sugar cane

Shinkokyu no Hitsuyo Rating: * * * 1/2 (out of 5) Director: Tetsuo Shinohara Running time: 123 minutes Language: Japanese Opens May 29 [See Japan Times movie listings] Getting away from it all means different things to different people, doesn't it? Your dream vacation may be a hammock...
JAPAN
May 26, 2004

Muslim clerics want more troops in Samawah

A key religious figure from the southern Iraqi city of Samawah asked Japan on Tuesday to send more troops to facilitate the city's rehabilitation.
JAPAN
May 26, 2004

Lawyers, welfare experts to open private shelter for troubled youths

Lawyers and child welfare experts will open a private temporary shelter for about five teenagers on June 1 in Tokyo -- the first facility of its kind in Japan.
BUSINESS
May 26, 2004

UFJ, Merrill Lynch to buy loans

UFJ Bank said Tuesday it and the Merrill Lynch group will create a fund of up to 100 billion yen to purchase loans to ailing small and midsize enterprises.
BUSINESS
May 26, 2004

Toyota remains top income earner

Toyota Motor Corp. declared the highest amount of corporate income to tax authorities in calendar 2003, holding the top spot for the fourth consecutive year, credit research agency Teikoku Databank Ltd. said in a report released Tuesday.
JAPAN
May 26, 2004

Jenkins issue treaty-bound

Tokyo would probably be treaty-bound to hand over Charles Robert Jenkins, an alleged U.S. Army deserter and husband of a Japanese repatriated abductee, to the United States if he comes to Japan and Washington demands his extradition, the top government spokesman said Tuesday.
JAPAN
May 26, 2004

80% of single mothers have trouble making ends meet

The average household income for families with single mothers is about 40 percent that of households with two parents and eight out of 10 single mothers say they have trouble making ends meet, according to a government report released Tuesday.
JAPAN
May 26, 2004

U.N. asks Tokyo for Iraq maternal medical care funds

The head of the United Nations Population Fund expressed hope Tuesday that Japan will provide funds for the agency's project to improve maternal medical care in Iraq, where the situation has been deteriorating under the U.S.-led occupation.
JAPAN
May 26, 2004

Scientist growing corneas from lab dish

Cornea transplants can give sight back to the blind, but they are notoriously tricky: Sutures can cause swelling. The body can reject the tissue. Each transplant requires a large mass of cells taken from a healthy eye.
COMMENTARY
May 26, 2004

What of Afghan POWs?

ISLAMABAD -- Startling revelations of the treatment of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. troops in Iraq comes as a powerful reminder of the plight of prisoners of war in U.S. custody in other trouble spots, most notably Afghanistan. Indeed, the moral authority of the world's so-called lone superpower has declined...

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