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JAPAN
Mar 23, 2004

Land prices off for 13th year but pace of decline is easing

Average land prices fell in the 2003 calendar year for the 13th straight year.
JAPAN
Mar 23, 2004

Instability hampers assistance, business

Whenever the government or Diet discusses the security situation in Iraq, it is usually related to the safety of the Ground Self-Defense Force troops deployed to the southern Iraqi city of Samawah.
JAPAN
Mar 23, 2004

Foreign reporters mixed on Tokyo's new Mideast role

The Ground Self-Defense Force dispatch to Iraq has been viewed overseas by some as a significant political move by Japan to boost the role of its military on the international stage.
BUSINESS
Mar 23, 2004

Electricity, gas firms vie for slice of energy market

Amid stagnant growth in household energy consumption caused by the prolonged recession, the electricity and gas industries are locked in fierce competition for sale of safe, cheap energy to homes.
BUSINESS
Mar 23, 2004

Woman to take Cabinet Office post

The government has unofficially named former university professor Hiroko Ota as a senior economic official at the Cabinet Office in charge of analyzing Japan's economic health, officials said Monday.
BUSINESS
Mar 23, 2004

Sky Perfect takes hit on TSE debut

Shares of Sky Perfect Communications Inc., which debuted Monday on the main section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, ended the day lower than the last day of trading on the Mothers market for startup companies, apparently on profit-taking.
MORE SPORTS
Mar 23, 2004

Boat license classes on offer

The Tokyo Sail and Power Squadron is currently offering preparatory classes in English for people seeking to obtain a Class II boat license, which allows for operation of vessels of up to five tons equipped with engines within 5 km of Japan's shores.
COMMENTARY
Mar 23, 2004

A decade of empty slogans

For all the shouting from the rooftops, political reform in Japan has made little headway. The latest reminder is the arrest of Kanju Sato, a former Lower House veteran of the opposition Democratic Party of Japan, on charges of embezzling the salary of a state-paid secretary.
JAPAN
Mar 23, 2004

Dud Molotov cocktails lobbed at U.S. Embassy

Five aluminum bottles strapped with fireworks and apparently filled with kerosene were thrown into the U.S. Embassy compound in Minato Ward, Tokyo, early Saturday, but they did not explode, police said.
BUSINESS
Mar 23, 2004

JR East Suica card now used for shopping, dining

Holders of the latest version of East Japan Railway Co.'s Suica electronic train fare cards can now use them for shopping and dining at JR stations.
EDITORIALS
Mar 23, 2004

Kosovo in flames, again

The outbreak of violence in Kosovo is a sad reminder of the unfinished business in southeast Europe. The war on terrorism and the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq have overshadowed the continuing struggle to build an enduring and stable peace in the war-torn province of Yugoslavia. The North Atlantic...
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Mar 23, 2004

Taste: the final frontier

Now that Japanese food is like, totally in all over the globe, chances are that you (a Westerner) will not be grossed out by the smell of roasting sanma or the sight of dried eel kidney floating in clear soup.
BUSINESS
Mar 23, 2004

Mitsubishi Fuso's recall likely to include city buses

The imminent recall of large vehicles by Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corp. is likely to include city buses excluded from its initial recall plan.
BUSINESS
Mar 23, 2004

Beef retail price hits record high

The retail price of beef hit a record 689 yen per 100 grams in the business week through last Friday as consumers increasingly turned to domestic produce in the wake of the import ban on U.S. beef, the farm ministry said Monday.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Mar 23, 2004

More big sizes and outdoor pursuits

Big sizes So many of you responded to the reader looking for larger sized clothes. Here are some more tips.
JAPAN
Mar 23, 2004

Pension role model a shirker herself

While reproaching the nation's youth last year in a government-sponsored TV commercial for not paying into the financially pinched mandatory National Pension System, popular actress Makiko Esumi was keeping her own dark secret.
JAPAN / TALKING SHOP
Mar 22, 2004

When words fail, American logistics expert talks bottom line

How do you break the news to a warehouse manager or a trucking company boss that they are about to lose their biggest client?
EDITORIALS
Mar 22, 2004

BOJ Governor Fukui's first year

On Saturday Mr. Toshihiko Fukui completed his first year as governor of the Bank of Japan. His policy so far has followed basically the same line as that of his predecessor, Mr. Masaru Hayami. Still, he has made a difference in style: He has acted swiftly, and sometimes boldly, under his own initiative,...
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Mar 22, 2004

Japanese monetary authorities must take the risk of making sense

Japanese monetary authorities have been trying to keep the yen-dollar exchange rate above 105, and even to push it to 110. While their actions, of course, affect the sentiments of currency exchange dealers, we should realize that exchange rate fluctuations are determined not just by economic factors,...
MORE SPORTS
Mar 22, 2004

Toshiba tops Kobe to capture JRF Championship

Sir Clive Woodward famously said during England's successful Rugby World Cup campaign, "We're not here to be Torville and Dean, we're here to win."

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