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JAPAN
May 1, 2004

Hatoyama, others in DPJ didn't pay pension premiums

Yukio Hatoyama, former president of the Democratic Party of Japan, and three other DPJ lawmakers have admitted they failed to pay into the national pension program during certain periods.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
May 1, 2004

Lenne Hardt

More than one organization for which she works calls Lenne Hardt "the best female narrator in Tokyo." She is much in demand by entertainment agents who regard her as being unique locally for her range of voices, knowledge of the industry, consummate professionalism and fluency in English and Japanese....
JAPAN
May 1, 2004

Listed companies replacing regular staff with part-timers

Listed firms cut the number of employees on their regular payrolls by an annual 3.4 percent on average during the three-year period through fiscal 2003, according to a Cabinet Office survey.
JAPAN
May 1, 2004

Bunkyo may admit guru's child

A private university in Tokyo that rejected the enrollment of a daughter of Aum Shinrikyo founder Shoko Asahara is now discussing ways in which it may accept her, it was learned Friday.
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
May 1, 2004

Hall of Famer Yardley engaged in different kind of battle

NEW YORK -- Contrary to conventional conviction, George Yardley's induction into Springfield's Hall of Fame in '96, leading the NBA in scoring (27.8) and becoming the league's first player to amass 2,000 points in a (72-game) season (Wilt doubled that output four years later) did not compare with his...
BUSINESS
May 1, 2004

Cost cuts push ANA back into black

All Nippon Airways Co. said Friday it returned to the black for the first time in three years in fiscal 2003 due to rigorous cost-cutting that offset the negative effects of the Iraq war and severe acute respiratory syndrome.
COMMENTARY
May 1, 2004

Shelve NYSE derivative plan

LOS ANGELES -- Deliberately injecting a new dollop of uncertainty into the already-shaky international financial system has got to be the white-collar dysfunctional equivalent of dropping a pair of terrorism car bombs on the steps of some nation's central bank.
JAPAN
May 1, 2004

UNESCO heritage bid challenged over gender bias

The government's bid to have a sacred area in western Japan registered as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site is being challenged by those who claim it reinforces gender discrimination.
JAPAN
May 1, 2004

Runway intruder reveals Haneda security flaws

An incident involving a carjacker who intruded into the grounds of Tokyo's Haneda airport Wednesday and drove around the runways for half an hour has revealed communication problems between airport police and the airport operators.
BUSINESS
May 1, 2004

Retailers seek to placate tax-wary consumers

Retailers are looking for ways to ease consumer discontent over perceived price rises following a tax rule change that took effect April 1.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 1, 2004

Freed hostage pair face press, speak of their ordeal in Iraq

Two of the five Japanese civilians taken hostage in Iraq and freed unharmed last month faced reporters Friday in Tokyo to talk for the first time about their captivity.
COMMENTARY / World
May 1, 2004

China lacks sincerity in seeking apologies

GUATEMALA CITY -- It is a constant refrain of officials in Beijing that no other country should interfere with its internal affairs or even pass comment on events that occur inside China. However, this insistence on "noninterference" only works one way since Chinese officials often venture opinions on...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
May 1, 2004

The well-heeled, gut-knotting yacht life

I wanted to sail through the Seto Inland Sea as my great-grandfather had done 100 years ago on a U.S. Navy ship. He had kept a diary of his experiences, and I yearned to be a modern great-grandfather like him. I started near the Kii Channel, where he would have entered Osaka Bay, located at 33 degrees...
JAPAN
Apr 30, 2004

Jets keep landing as carjacker chased by cops drives onto Haneda runways

Despite bolstered security, a man was able to commandeer three vehicles Wednesday night at Tokyo's Haneda airport and drive onto the runways with police in pursuit before he came to a stop and jumped into Tokyo Bay and subsequently drowned.
EDITORIALS
Apr 30, 2004

The return of SARS

China has reported several cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome, SARS, one year after declaring victory over the disease. The news comes on the heels of a new study that suggests that SARS might spread through the air. Troubling though these developments are, in some ways they are encouraging....
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 30, 2004

Kimono makes comeback -- in used form

Every once in a while, 27-year-old Junko Nagumo and five companions visit boutiques in upmarket Tokyo districts such as Omotesando and Ginza -- not to buy trendy fashion items but to find inexpensive used kimono.
JAPAN
Apr 30, 2004

Women edge men in Japanese fun gauge

Japan may still be a man's world, but women are -- finally -- starting to have more fun.
JAPAN
Apr 30, 2004

Musicians back eco-friendly projects

A bank set up by three Japanese musicians to finance environmental-protection projects will start accepting applications for loans throughout May.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 30, 2004

Rengo roasts May Day guest Kan

More than 100,000 people joined nationwide May Day rallies Thursday to voice opposition to government-sponsored legislation to reform the pension system, and at one key event, top opposition party leader Naoto Kan, a guest speaker, drew flak for failing to pay his required premiums.
MORE SPORTS
Apr 30, 2004

Jones to definitely miss Osaka

Triple Olympic champion Marion Jones will not be competing at the IAAF Japan Grand Prix next month. She and 100-meter record holder Tim Montgomery were reported to have pulled out of the meet on May 8 in Osaka.

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