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JAPAN
Feb 8, 2004

More Japanese finding wedded bliss with foreigners

Marriages between Japanese and foreign nationals now account for around 5 percent of all marriages in Japan, more than double the rate of the late 1980s, according to a recently published report by the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
JAPAN
Feb 8, 2004

Japan could ease U.S. beef import ban

The current ban on beef imports from the United States following the discovery of a cow with mad cow disease late last year may be partially lifted, it was learned Saturday.
COMMENTARY
Feb 8, 2004

Politicians born of the media

MANILA -- The media has become a decisive factor in electoral politics in democracies throughout the world. I would even argue that it is impossible to find a democratic country today in which a candidate could win a majority without using the media. Whenever political parties or candidates campaign,...
JAPAN
Feb 7, 2004

Panel targets terror via 'e-passports'

An information technology task force proposed Friday that Japan introduce passports featuring a microchip by the end of fiscal 2005.
BASEBALL / MLB
Feb 7, 2004

Giants unveil Tuffy, Sikorski

Tuffy Rhodes put on his Yomiuri Giants uniform for the first time when he and Brian Sikorski were introduced as the Central League club's new off-season foreign acquisitions at a news conference Friday.
JAPAN
Feb 7, 2004

Takefuji drops lawsuits targeting magazine piece

Takefuji Corp. dropped its lawsuit against a freelance journalist and a major magazine publisher Friday, withdrawing its demand for 200 million yen in damages over reporting of the company's alleged collusion with police.
JAPAN
Feb 7, 2004

Japan, Palestinian Authority to meet

Japan and the Palestinian Authority will meet Thursday in Tokyo to discuss the peace process in the Middle East.
JAPAN
Feb 7, 2004

Pilots, cabin crew at airlines seek shorter exposure to cosmic radiation

Pilots and cabin crews of Japanese airlines urged the government Friday to protect them from exposure to high-altitude cosmic radiation.
JAPAN
Feb 7, 2004

Ex-SDF man tried to sneak into agency

A former Self-Defense Forces member has been arrested for allegedly using a fake visitor's pass to enter the Defense Agency headquarters in Tokyo.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 7, 2004

Harajuku Segway stunt draws Tokyo cops' ire

Tokyo police turned over to prosecutors Friday their case against a businessman who asked an employee to ride a U.S.-made Segway scooter on a public street, allegedly in violation of the Road Traffic Law.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Feb 7, 2004

Kazuko Asakura

"Bar pianists are like public bathhouses, or shoeshine boys in the street. There are no jobs any more. Situations have changed, and it is shocking how much has disappeared," said Kazuko Asakura.
EDITORIALS
Feb 7, 2004

Pakistan and the nuclear bazaar

Pakistan has long argued that it had tight grip on the country's nuclear-weapons program. Despite mounting suspicions, Islamabad assured the world that neither it nor its scientists were involved in the proliferation of such weapons to other countries. In recent weeks, Pakistan has changed its tune....
JAPAN
Feb 7, 2004

Ski resorts hope discount programs will lure people back to the slopes

The ski industry, another victim of the nation's frigid financial state, is trying to get people back on the slopes.
BUSINESS
Feb 7, 2004

Japan Post eyes China offices to snap money-losing mail service

Japan Post plans to open liaison offices in Beijing and Shanghai in the fall, officials said Friday.
JAPAN
Feb 7, 2004

Southern Iraq isn't the only place in need of attention, aid group says

The Japanese media and public are focusing too much on the southern Iraqi city of Samawah where Ground Self-Defense Force troops are being deployed, a Japanese nongovernmental aid group said Friday.
JAPAN
Feb 7, 2004

90% of consumers worried about future food supply

About 90 percent of Japanese consumers are concerned about Japan's future food supply, according to a survey by the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry.
BUSINESS
Feb 7, 2004

Matsushita posts 70% growth in profit

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. said Friday its pretax profit for the October-December quarter jumped 70 percent, driven by robust sales of flat-screen TVs and DVD recorders.
BUSINESS
Feb 7, 2004

New metro bank to be profitable in third year: plan

The new bank planned by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government is expected to become profitable in its third year of operations, according to a master plan announced Friday.
JAPAN
Feb 7, 2004

Komura to head Japan-China league

Former Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura has become head of the parliamentarians league for Japan-China friendship, league members said.
BUSINESS
Feb 7, 2004

McDonald's set to snare Apple president

McDonald's Holdings Co. (Japan) is set to name Apple Japan Inc. President Eiko Harada as its chief executive officer.
COMMENTARY
Feb 7, 2004

Flu brings out worst in Asia

HONG KONG -- Amid the spread of bird flu, developing Asian nations face a challenge they are failing to meet, because a degree of modernity is required that they are unable to attain. On the one hand, Asia pursues the skyscrapers, the summit conferences, the high-tech industries seen as symbols of modernity....
BUSINESS
Feb 7, 2004

Mitsubishi, wholesalers turn up heat on food firms

Mitsubishi Corp. said Friday it and five food wholesalers will establish a joint venture this month to strengthen their bargaining power in dealing with food makers.
JAPAN
Feb 7, 2004

Croupier school anticipates legal casinos

The nation's first school for casino croupiers will open in Nakano Ward, Tokyo, in April as lawmakers and local governors push to legalize casinos in Japan.
BUSINESS
Feb 7, 2004

Airport issues unresolved as forum ends

KYOTO -- The Kansai region's top business leaders concluded their two-day annual Kansai Economic Seminar on Friday, calling for further regional cooperation aimed at attracting industries and promoting tourism and conventions.
JAPAN
Feb 7, 2004

Officials flee embassy amid terror fears

Officials at the Japanese Embassy in Baghdad have been evacuated from the compound to a separate site in the city amid fears of a terrorist attack, government sources said Friday.
JAPAN
Feb 7, 2004

Government taps Nobel laureate to head Okinawa graduate school

The government on Friday chose a British molecular biologist and Nobel laureate to head a new graduate school in natural sciences that will be set up in Okinawa.
BUSINESS
Feb 7, 2004

Foreign-exchange reserves hit record high

Japan's unprecedented spree of dollar-buying interventions pushed its foreign-exchange reserves to a record $741.25 billion as of the end of January.
BUSINESS
Feb 7, 2004

JAL sees earnings recover after Iraq war, SARS

Japan Airlines System Corp. said Friday it posted a net profit of 3.7 billion yen in the October-December quarter, as flights to the United States and Europe began to recover after the Iraq war and the SARS outbreak.

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