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BUSINESS
Jan 28, 2004

FSA to launch probe into major bank loans

The Financial Services Agency will conduct special inspections of major banks to assess their loans to big borrowers, Financial Services Minister Heizo Takenaka said Tuesday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / NEW ART SEEN
Jan 28, 2004

A love/hate relationship set in concrete

In the classic 1971 British action film "Get Carter," Michael Caine plays a small-time criminal who avenges the death of his brother by tossing one of the gangsters responsible (played by Brian Mosely) off the top of a multistory car park in the gritty northeast England town of Gateshead. From what I...
BUSINESS
Jan 28, 2004

U.S. recruiting firm to enter Japan

Fuji Staff Inc., a midsize manpower agency, said Tuesday it has agreed on a business tieup with Management Recruiters International Inc. of the U.S.
JAPAN
Jan 28, 2004

Families of slain diplomats to receive special pensions

The government will provide special pensions to the families of the two diplomats assassinated in Iraq in November while en route to a conference on reconstruction work, according to government sources.
JAPAN
Jan 28, 2004

Net denizens debate conflict prevention

An ongoing nine-day online symposium on conflict prevention has generated a number of Internet-based discussions among participants from more than 35 countries.
BUSINESS
Jan 28, 2004

Regional economies earn second straight upgrade

The Finance Ministry on Tuesday upgraded its quarterly assessment of the nation's regional economies for the second time in a row.
JAPAN
Jan 28, 2004

Arthritis drug tied to five deaths

Five patients who used Aventis Pharma Ltd.'s Arava rheumatoid arthritis drug have died of pneumonia over the past four months since the drug was launched in Japan, the pharmaceutical company said Tuesday.
CULTURE / Music
Jan 28, 2004

A new home for TSO

The Tokyo Symphony Orchestra is moving to a new home -- in Kawasaki. On Jan. 20, the government of Kawasaki City, which is adjacent to Tokyo across the Tama River, unveiled a new symphony hall designed by Matsuda-Hirata Design Office. The hall will not only serve as the orchestra's base, but also stage...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jan 28, 2004

Nothing lost in Johnnys R+J translation

Since Shakespeare got through the notoriously long wait for foreigners at Japanese immigration and started to settle down and assimilate the local culture, what sort of changes have been wrought on him by his extended sojourn on these shores?
BUSINESS
Jan 28, 2004

DoCoMo open on AT&T Wireless

NTT DoCoMo Inc. said Tuesday it has kept open its option to take over AT&T Wireless Services Inc., the third-largest mobile phone service provider in the United States.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 28, 2004

Troubles cast a shadow on EU future

LONDON -- Europe's currency has never been stronger. The European Union has been portrayed as a "post modern" association of states that have moved beyond the use of force to a more rational organization of their relations. Though still hobbled by inflexibilities, its economies are forecast to show stronger...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 28, 2004

Play democracy for me

Kono yo no Soto E Rating: * * * (out of 5) Director: Junji Sakamoto Running time: 123 minutes Language: Japanese Opens Feb. 7 [See Japan Times movie listings] Movies, producer Naoya Narita once told me, are news. The problem is, real world news moves fast -- and films often have a hard...
EDITORIALS
Jan 27, 2004

Defuse the debt bomb

Japan's public debt continues to swell ominously, yet there is no reassuring long-term scenario for deficit reduction. The government's latest medium-term outlook for economic and fiscal reform amounts to a tacit admission that the balanced budget is, at best, a distant goal.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 27, 2004

Koizumi OKs dispatch of main GSDF unit

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi gave the final go-ahead Monday for the main contingent of Ground Self-Defense Force troops to be deployed to Iraq.
JAPAN
Jan 27, 2004

File taxes, apply for passports over the Net

A public service will begin Thursday allowing people to file tax returns and apply for passports over the Internet.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 27, 2004

Hybrid car parks itself, within limits

Your hands don't even need to be touching the steering wheel for it to start spinning back and forth aggressively, all by itself -- slowly guiding the car into the parking spot.
JAPAN
Jan 27, 2004

Boys allegedly forced man to drown

Two 16-year-old youths were arrested Monday on suspicion of murdering a homeless man in June by forcing him to jump into a Tokyo river and drown, police said.
BASEBALL / MLB
Jan 27, 2004

Valentine arrives back in Japan

Chiba Lotte Marines manager Bobby Valentine, who guided the New York Mets to the World Series in 2000, on Monday arrived in Japan to return to the baseball scene here for the first time in nine years for his second campaign with the Pacific League club.
JAPAN
Jan 27, 2004

Middle-aged are filling temp agency labor niche

Although the employment situation remains severe for older job seekers in search of full-time work, temporary employment services for the middle-aged are attracting increasing attention.
MORE SPORTS
Jan 27, 2004

Marathon qualifying races announced

The Japan Association of Athletics Federations on Monday announced the four men's races and three women's races that will be qualifiers for the 2005 World Athletics Championships in Helsinki.
JAPAN
Jan 27, 2004

Truck delivery comes under fatal attack

A truck hauling a mobile home that was to be used by the Ground Self-Defense Force advance team in Iraq came under attack Sunday in the town of Ramadi, some 100 km west of Baghdad, and the Jordanian driver of the vehicle was killed, the Defense Agency announced Monday.
JAPAN
Jan 27, 2004

Protests over homeless shelter in vain: mayor

Kawasaki Mayor Takao Abe declared Monday that the city is committed to building a short-term shelter for homeless people despite opposition from local residents.
SOCCER / J. League
Jan 27, 2004

Marinos pair picked

Yokohama F. Marinos players Ahn Jung Hwan and Yoo Sang Chul have been named to the South Korean national team for the first-round opener of the Asian qualifying tournament for the 2006 World Cup, the Korean Football Association said Monday.

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