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BUSINESS
Jul 14, 2004

Postal privatization talks to resume next week

Economic and Fiscal Policy Minister Heizo Takenaka said Tuesday the government will resume postal privatization discussions next week and draw up a final report on the issue in September.
BUSINESS
Jul 14, 2004

Record 74% of Japan manufacturers see profits in China

A record 74.4 percent of China-based Japanese manufacturers responding to a poll posted operating profits in 2003, the Japan External Trade Organization said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jul 14, 2004

Koizumi to meet Roh on South Korean island of Cheju

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will visit South Korea's resort island of Cheju next week to meet with South Korean President Roh Moo Hyun, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Jul 14, 2004

METI to guarantee loans to MMC units

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said Tuesday it will support cash-strapped affiliates of scandal-hit Mitsubishi Motors Corp. by offering them guarantees to receive more loans.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 14, 2004

Ultraeasy monetary policy to stay despite steady growth

The nation's recent steady economic growth will not immediately lead to a tighter monetary grip by the Bank of Japan due to the inherent time lag between a recovery and a turnaround in deflation, BOJ Gov. Toshihiko Fukui said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Jul 14, 2004

Cabinet Office says recovery 'solid' for first time since 1997

The government on Tuesday upgraded its assessment of Japan's economy for the first time in six months, using the strongest words to describe an improvement in personal spending since the burst of the asset-inflated bubble economy in the early 1990s.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 14, 2004

Winning over Hong Kong

SINGAPORE -- After Hong Kongers somberly commemorated the 15th anniversary of Tiananmen on June 5, they jolted China's central government by organizing, like last year, another massive July 1 demonstration, setting the stage for another big political standoff with Beijing ahead of the September Legislative...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / NEW ART SEEN
Jul 14, 2004

Down by the river

Tucked behind a gas station on a side street out near the Sumida River, a 12-minute walk from the nearest subway station, the Shinkawa Building is not the easiest place to find on Tokyo's art map. But the nondescript two-story structure is a worthwhile visit for anyone interested in Japanese contemporary...
EDITORIALS
Jul 13, 2004

A message for Mr. Koizumi

Voters gave a cold shoulder to the governing Liberal Democratic Party and a big boost to the opposition Democratic Party of Japan in Sunday's triennial Upper House election, which was contested mainly over pension reform and Self-Defense Forces participation in the multinational force in Iraq. With the...
OLYMPICS
Jul 13, 2004

Yuka Murofushi named to team

Yuka Murofushi, who set a national record in women's hammer throw last month, was one of six Japanese newly named to the Athens Olympics squad by the Japan Association of Athletics Federation on Monday.
JAPAN
Jul 13, 2004

Tottori corners vote disparity market

While Kotaro Tamura of the Liberal Democratic Party needed only 151,000 votes Sunday to secure his House of Councilors seat in Tottori Prefecture, independent Kiyomi Tsujimoto garnered roughly 718,000 votes in Osaka Prefecture but found herself a loser.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Jul 13, 2004

What kinds of things do you splurge on?

Seda Ergene Consultant, 26 Traveling, these days. On flights and food, because I love pushing the boundaries and going out of my safety zone, seeing and experiencing different cultures and different places.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Jul 13, 2004

Adoption and no-charge credit cards

Adopting Dave and his Japanese wife want to adopt a baby.
JAPAN
Jul 13, 2004

Worker wins 50,000 yen over passive smoke

In the nation's first such ruling, the Tokyo District Court on Monday awarded 50,000 yen in damages to a municipal employee who was a victim of passive smoking in the workplace.
BASEBALL / MLB
Jul 13, 2004

Godzilla cracks home run No. 17

NEW YORK -- Hideki Matsui delivered a solo homer into the center field stands to highlight a 3-for-4, two RBI day as the New York Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 10-3 Sunday in the final game before the All-Star break.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Jul 13, 2004

The big squeeze

The news from Japan these days is untypically sunny. The economy is performing at its sharpest clip for 13 years, investment and profits are up and analysts are gingerly forecasting a sustained recovery.
BUSINESS
Jul 13, 2004

KDDI unveils video game cell phones

KDDI Corp. unveiled Monday three third-generation handsets on which users can play video games such as "Final Fantasy" and "Dragon Quest."
BUSINESS
Jul 13, 2004

New PlayStation due this fiscal year

Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. said Monday it will launch the next-generation PlayStation video game console by the end of the current fiscal year.
JAPAN
Jul 13, 2004

Constitutional revisionists see gain

Diet forces vowing to keep the Constitution intact lost further ground in the House of Councilors election, as the Japanese Communist Party suffered a major setback and the tiny Social Democratic Party barely hung on, according to final results released Monday.
BUSINESS
Jul 13, 2004

MMC's used vehicle sales off 4.8%

Sales of used vehicles by Mitsubishi Motors Corp. and Mitsubishi Fuso Truck & Bus Corp. in the first half of this year fell 4.8 percent from a year earlier to a combined 199,795 units, the Japan Automobile Dealers Association said Monday.
JAPAN
Jul 13, 2004

Mitsubishi Fuso tries to clean up its act

Mitsubishi Fuso Truck & Bus Corp. said Monday it will sack a senior quality control manager responsible for making a false report last week on defects found in clutch housings.
BUSINESS
Jul 13, 2004

Takenaka rapped despite topping proportional list

Although Economic and Fiscal Policy Minister Heizo Takenaka garnered the most proportional representation votes on his party's ticket in Sunday's Upper House election, analysts on Monday called his performance modest and said it might cloud the outlook for Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's economic...
JAPAN
Jul 13, 2004

LDP setback could deal a blow to Koizumi's diplomacy efforts

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's diplomatic policies on Iraq and North Korea could take a knock due to the setback experienced by his dominant Liberal Democratic Party in Sunday's House of Councilors election.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 13, 2004

EU leaders face voters' wrath

LONDON -- George Orwell once called soccer a substitute for war. Looking at the recently finished European Championship held in Lisbon, one might well call it a political metaphor. What happened on the pitch during the monthlong tournament was an uncanny reflection of what is happening on a wider and...
BUSINESS
Jul 13, 2004

Tokyo food price gap shrank in '03

Gaps in retail food prices between Tokyo and New York, Paris and London shrank last year, according to survey results released Monday by the government.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 13, 2004

Coalition opts to keep Koizumi

Hours after the Liberal Democratic Party fell shy of its 51-seat target in Sunday's House of Councilors election, leaders of the ruling bloc confirmed Monday they would stay the course under Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.

Longform

Figure skater Akiko Suzuki was once told her ideal weight should be 47 kilograms, a number she now admits she “naively believed.” This led to her have a relationship with food that resulted in her suffering from anorexia.
The silent battle Japanese athletes fight with weight