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JAPAN
Apr 20, 2004

Average value of assets held by Lower House members falls

The average value of assets held by 478 House of Representatives lawmakers elected last November stands at 51.6 million yen, excluding stocks, according to a Kyodo News survey released Monday.
JAPAN
Apr 20, 2004

Death sentence upheld for killer who stole 32 million yen

The Supreme Court on Monday upheld the death sentence imposed on a 35-year-old Malaysian man convicted of killing three people and injuring another during robberies in four prefectures in Japan in 1993.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 20, 2004

Cost, language barrier still keeping tourists away

Independent tourists pride themselves on being able to plot out and partake in adventures of their own design -- rising to challenges known and unknown.
JAPAN
Apr 20, 2004

DPJ agrees to end Diet boycott

The ruling coalition and the Democratic Party of Japan agreed to normalize Diet business Monday, paving the way for the House of Representatives to hold a special debate Tuesday on a bribery scandal involving the Japan Dental Association.
BUSINESS
Apr 20, 2004

Overall beef prices off third week

Retail prices of domestic and imported beef fell in the week that ended last Friday for the third straight week, the farm ministry said Monday.
BUSINESS
Apr 20, 2004

401(k)-style pensions on the rise

More than 2,300 companies in Japan have introduced 401(k)-style pension plans, marking a 1.6-fold increase over the past six months, according to government data released Monday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Apr 20, 2004

The green machine

Throughout the first half of the 20th century, "Nakano spy school" turned out thousands of spies, propaganda chiefs and commandos to serve in the furthest corners of Asia during the Pacific War.
JAPAN
Apr 20, 2004

Industry wants reactor-check intervals extended

The power utility industry will urge the government to extend the interval between regular checkups of nuclear reactors by up to five months to raise their operation rates and competitiveness against low-cost new suppliers, industry sources said Monday.
BUSINESS
Apr 20, 2004

45% of engineers feeling less motivated: poll

Forty-five percent of engineers who responded to a survey said they feel less motivated in their work than three years ago.
BUSINESS
Apr 20, 2004

Postal privatization team named

The government unveiled a lineup Monday of key members of a preparatory office in charge of privatizing Japan's postal services, naming Financial Services Agency Commissioner Shokichi Takagi as one of two deputy heads.
JAPAN
Apr 20, 2004

Top court to nix state appeal of lung disease ruling

A court ruling ordering the government to compensate former coal miners for pneumoconiosis is expected to be upheld April 27 because the Supreme Court decided Monday to hand down its ruling then without holding any hearings.
JAPAN
Apr 20, 2004

Switch to daylight-saving said to reduce accidents, crime

Annual traffic accidents can be reduced by about 1.1 percent if Japan adopts daylight-saving time, according to projections released Monday by the Japan Productivity Center for Socioeconomic Development.
EDITORIALS
Apr 20, 2004

Remembering Saint-Exupery

Which is better: a mystery or a clue? Absence or a relic? Proponents of both sides had plenty to say this month after French researchers discovered part of the answer to a puzzle that's endured nearly 60 years: Whatever happened to Antoine de Saint-Exupery?
BUSINESS
Apr 20, 2004

Groups agree on e-commerce standardization

A nonprofit body hoping to create a standardized base for electronic commerce transactions in East Asia said Monday it has signed an agreement with a state-run Chinese organization for joint research and development activities.
BUSINESS
Apr 20, 2004

Fukui optimistic over Japanese economy

Bank of Japan Gov. Toshihiko Fukui voiced optimism Monday over the Japanese economy, citing a series of recovery signs.
COMMENTARY
Apr 20, 2004

Campaigns fail education role

MANILA -- Ideally, an electoral campaign in a democracy offers the voter the chance to study the available alternatives before deciding which options are most compatible with his or her individual preferences. In this sense, electoral campaigns should be exercises in political education.
BUSINESS
Apr 20, 2004

Kanebo to probe alleged illegalities

Kanebo Ltd. said Monday it has formed an investigative panel -- led by legal experts -- to probe alleged illegalities in the company's past accounting practices and business transactions.
COMMENTARY
Apr 20, 2004

Clash of ideas behind violence

LONDON -- Behind all the horrors and bloodshed of Iraq lies a clash of ideas. In the words of one mujahedin leader when asked to explain his hatred of America: "We do not want their capitalism. We do not want communism. We have our own ideas about how we want our country to be run in a Muslim way."
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Apr 20, 2004

Turning attention to summer

Gearing up It seems that some of you are turning your minds to the great outdoors and getting in shape for summertime.
JAPAN
Apr 20, 2004

Rightist admits harassing Chongryun

An ultra-rightist pleaded guilty Monday to being involved in six acts of intimidation targeting North Korea-related organizations and other entities in 2002 and 2003.
COMMENTARY
Apr 20, 2004

Hong Kong protesters roll up their sleeves

HONG KONG -- The April 11 protest against Beijing's decision to interpret the Basic Law's provisions in a way that makes it impossible for the Special Administrative Region, or SAR, to initiate moves toward universal suffrage marks the first large protest against the central government since the handover...
BUSINESS
Apr 20, 2004

Dentsu upgrades earnings outlook

Dentsu Inc., Japan's biggest advertising agency, said Monday it has revised its earnings outlook for the just-ended business year upward as a pickup in economic activity has prompted companies to increase advertising activities.
JAPAN / TALKING SHOP
Apr 19, 2004

Samsung exec taps Japan insights to cut through the verbiage

Kim Jong Shin learned Japanese while hauling fish to market part time, stewing in hot springs and touring 350 historical sites in all 47 prefectures.

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