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JAPAN
Jan 7, 2004

Record 89 million turn out at shrines

An estimated record 88.89 million people visited Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples during the first three days of the new year, 2.67 million more than last year, the National Police Agency said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jan 7, 2004

Man arrested in store blackmail case

A 62-year-old man was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of attempting to blackmail major discount store chain Don Quijote Co. last year.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 7, 2004

Fukuda cool on specter of secular alternative to Yasukuni

It is premature for the government to establish a secular memorial as an alternative to Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine, which honors the nation's war dead, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said Tuesday.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jan 7, 2004

Yankees tickets and the foreign player 'scrap heap'

Happy New Year, and expect announcement real soon of details concerning the New York Yankees-Tampa Bay Devil Rays American League openers at Tokyo Dome on March 30-31. You know, who will be the sponsor? How much will the ticket prices be? Stuff like that.
JAPAN
Jan 7, 2004

LDP platform includes revising Constitution

The 2004 policy platform of the Liberal Democratic Party advocates drafting a revised Constitution before the party's 50th anniversary in November 2005, LDP sources said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Jan 7, 2004

Nakagawa to urge Washington to bolster U.S. beef safety

Trade chief Shoichi Nakagawa indicated Tuesday he will call on the United States during his upcoming visit to Washington to take steps to ensure the safety of American beef following the discovery of the first case of mad cow disease in the U.S.
BUSINESS
Jan 7, 2004

Japan Telecom lines up new boss

Fixed-line carrier Japan Telecom Co. plans to appoint Hideki Kurashige, a former vice president of IBM Japan Ltd., as its new president, industry sources said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Jan 7, 2004

Fretful truck makers facing industry shakeup

Consolidation moves may rock the nation's truck industry due to flagging demand, with some of the four major truck makers envisioning greater investment by foreign automakers.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 7, 2004

Workplace nurseries finding fledgling footing

Decor fit for a trendy beauty salon. A breathtaking view of autumn leaves in a sprawling city park.
JAPAN
Jan 7, 2004

Advance Iraq unit set; may go in mid-January

The government plans to send 30 Ground Self-Defense Force members and eight light-armored vehicles to Iraq later this month to assess local security before the dispatch of the main GSDF troop contingent, officials said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Jan 7, 2004

Tanigaki promises to fight 'speculative' ascent of yen

Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki on Tuesday called the surge of the yen against the dollar "speculative" and vowed to fight excessive fluctuations in the currency market.
BUSINESS
Jan 7, 2004

Tanigaki eyes private-sector experts

Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki said Tuesday his ministry is considering appointing seven to eight private-sector experts as councilors to help keep the ministry in touch with economic activities.
COMMENTARY / WASHINGTON UPDATE
Jan 7, 2004

Dean shows green is still king in American politics

WASHINGTON -- Things look a little rosier in the U.S. economy at the moment, with the stock market roaring at last. You may remember that 2002 was the worst year for the stock market for 25 years. The Dow closed in 2002 at 8,341.63, down 16.8 percent. In 2003 it closed at 10,453.92, the highest in almost...
BUSINESS
Jan 7, 2004

Business leaders upbeat over 2004 economic prospects

Business leaders celebrated the new year Tuesday by voicing optimism about the economic recovery.
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM MOSCOW
Jan 7, 2004

Putin's plan takes aim at democracy

MOSCOW -- 2004 is a leap year. Merely an astronomical convenience in most countries, in Russia a leap year has been traditionally regarded as a bad year, potentially charged with calamities. Ironically enough, none of the country's worst years was a leap year: neither 1917, when the Communists took power,...
JAPAN
Jan 6, 2004

Obituary: Tomokazu Sakamoto

Tomokazu Sakamoto, former chairman of NHK, died Wednesday of liver failure, NHK said Monday. He was 86.
JAPAN
Jan 6, 2004

Fallout over Yasukuni continues

South Korean Ambassador to Japan Cho Se Hyung voiced further anger Monday over the visit paid by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to Yasukuni Shrine on New Year's Day.
EDITORIALS
Jan 6, 2004

Danger signs in Serbia

It would be easy to dismiss the results of last week's poll in Serbia as "a protest vote." The strong showing of hardline nationalists certainly reflects the country's economic difficulties and the humiliations that have followed the war-crimes trials of former leaders. The problem is the nationalists...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 6, 2004

Sumo ranks' crime patrols also good PR

The night echoes with the heavy footsteps of sumo wrestlers, moving slowly and casting sharp glances, but their opponents this time will not stand before them under the bright lights of the elevated clay "dohyo" ring.

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