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JAPAN
Apr 6, 2004

Changes to U.S. passport procedures

The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo now requires people to apply in person for a U.S. passport.
OLYMPICS
Apr 6, 2004

JOC gives Okamoto the green light

said Monday it has agreed to send taekwondo fighter Yoriko Okamoto to the Athens Olympics despite an internal feud in the Japan Taekwondo Federation (JTF) having yet to be resolved. The 32-year-old Okamoto will be allowed to apply for the Summer Games as an independent competitor, and thus will not...
JAPAN
Apr 6, 2004

Confab delegates seek peace in Balkans

Five western Balkan countries, Japan, the European Union and other parties reaffirmed Monday their commitment to consolidating peace and stability in the western Balkans as they wrapped up a one-day ministerial conference in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Apr 6, 2004

Fukuda dismisses unofficial talks with North

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda played down Monday the significance of unofficial talks between two Liberal Democratic Party members and North Korea last week, saying it will not affect official negotiations over Pyongyang's abductions of Japanese.
JAPAN
Apr 6, 2004

Japan waives certain entry-visa fees

Japan decided Monday to waive short-stay visa fees for some students from China and Southeast Asian countries in an effort to promote youth exchanges, the Foreign Ministry said.
BUSINESS
Apr 6, 2004

Kobe Steel supplying Rolls-Royce

Kobe Steel Ltd. said Monday it has begun supplying titanium to Rolls-Royce PLC of Britain for use in the engine of the Airbus A380 -- the world's biggest passenger plane, which is due to enter commercial service in 2006.
JAPAN
Apr 6, 2004

Crown Princess extends rest period

Crown Princess Masako will extend her stay at a vacation home in Nagano Prefecture where she has been resting since late last month for health reasons, it was revealed Monday.
BUSINESS
Apr 6, 2004

Prices of domestic beef decline first time in three weeks

Retail prices of beef fell in the week that ended Friday for the first decline in three weeks.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Apr 6, 2004

Singers, antiques and racism

Singing hope K.M. is a 23-year-old singer from Sweden with some 8 years performing experience who would love to sing at jazz clubs, corporate events and private paries. "How can I get in touch with the right people?"
JAPAN
Apr 6, 2004

Teachers file appeals over anthem

Seventy-five teachers filed appeals with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's personnel commission Monday to nullify punishment the board of education meted out on them last week for refusing to stand and sing the national anthem at commencements.
JAPAN
Apr 6, 2004

Officials target trafficking of women

Government officials held their first meeting Monday to reinforce cooperation to prevent cases of women from abroad being trafficked into Japan and forced to work in the sex industry.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 6, 2004

Slain diplomats' car points to drive-by

The bullets fired at a Toyota Land Cruiser carrying two Japanese diplomats ambushed in Iraq last November were shot from a height of about 1 meter and a distance of no more than 4 meters, the Metropolitan Police Department said Monday.
BUSINESS
Apr 6, 2004

Nissan to raise stakes in Thai joint ventures

Nissan Motor Co. said Monday it will raise its stakes in two Thai joint ventures to 75 percent from 25 percent to expand its operations in the growing Southeast Asian market.
JAPAN
Apr 6, 2004

Japanese living abroad in record high numbers

A record 911,062 Japanese were living overseas on a long-term basis as of Oct. 1, up 4.5 percent from the previous high posted a year earlier, a senior Foreign Ministry official said Monday.
BUSINESS
Apr 6, 2004

Japan may air chip gripes at WTO if it is barred from U.S.-China talks

Japan may file a complaint with the World Trade Organization if China refuses to allow it to join China-U.S. talks on a trade dispute over semiconductor products, a senior trade ministry official said Monday.
EDITORIALS
Apr 6, 2004

NATO expands, Russia worries

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization took another step forward in its post-Cold War evolution last week when it officially inducted seven new members. While there were celebrations in NATO capitals, political leaders in Moscow voiced concern about a move that brings the organization to Russia's borders....
BUSINESS
Apr 6, 2004

Asian trio embark on quest to lead in cutting-edge tech

Japan, China and South Korea will work together to develop cutting-edge technologies, including fourth-generation mobile phones, digital broadcasting, computer security and open-source software, a Japanese official said Monday.
BUSINESS
Apr 6, 2004

Thailand FTA talks slated this week

Japan and Thailand will hold their second round of intergovernmental talks later this week in Tokyo on creating a bilateral free-trade agreement, the Foreign Ministry said Monday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 6, 2004

Fukuda set for longevity record

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda on Tuesday will tie the record as the longest-serving official to work as a prime minister's right-hand man.
JAPAN
Apr 6, 2004

U.S. wants access to SDF radar data

The United States wants Japan to either provide full access to radar data collected by the Self-Defense Forces or allow the U.S. military to build a radar station in Japan as part of information-sharing for missile defense, a senior Defense Agency official said Monday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Apr 6, 2004

Would you turn in one of your fellow expatriates?

Jessica Millstone Tech consultant, 32 For me it would be cheating me out of a great apartment, like if I finally found one and somebody came in with more money, then I would rat them out.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Apr 6, 2004

Otaku proud of it

I wouldn't be offended if someone called me an otaku," says Koichi Nakayasu, ". . . because I am."
BUSINESS
Apr 6, 2004

McDonald's customers overcharged

McDonald's Co. (Japan) said Monday that some of its outlets subjected consumers to double the correct level of consumption tax on Thursday after failing to modify their cash registers following the introduction of a new pricing system.
COMMENTARY
Apr 6, 2004

Japan-America's worldview

HONOLULU -- There's every reason to celebrate as the United States and Japan commemorate 150 years of diplomatic relations this year. The bilateral relationship is the best ever, surpassing even the Golden Age of the "Ron-Yasu" years (1982-87). Credit a decade of preparation, hardworking bureaucracies...
EDITORIALS
Apr 5, 2004

Reducing violence against women

A special research group on violence against women, set up by the government's Council for Gender Equality, has compiled a report calling for further countermeasures, including tougher penalties, to deter rape and other sex crimes, which are on the increase. The report calls for a partial revision of...
JAPAN
Apr 5, 2004

Group slams two LDP officials for secret meeting with North Koreans

A group concerned with the abduction of Japanese by North Korea blasted two senior members of the Liberal Democratic Party on Sunday for secretly making contact with Pyongyang officials.

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