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JAPAN
Dec 30, 2003

Two SDF planes will transport aid to quake-hit Iran

The government decided Monday to dispatch two C-130 planes to transport relief supplies to Iran's southeastern region devastated by a powerful earthquake, officials said.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 30, 2003

Helper-dog law opening doors, minds

Dozens of new laws and amendments take effect in Japan every year, but only a few open up new worlds for people.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 30, 2003

Tokyo hopes Pyongyang, like Libya, eases nuclear posturing

Security issues concerning North Korea, including its nuclear arms program, will remain at the top of Japan's diplomatic agenda in 2004, with Tokyo hoping to see substantial progress following Libya's recent renunciation of weapons of mass destruction.
BUSINESS
Dec 30, 2003

Bankrupt companies failed to disclose risk information

Seven of the 14 listed companies that have gone bust since April did so without previously disclosing information about their business risks, such as excessive debts and huge operating losses, according to a survey conducted by Kyodo News.
JAPAN
Dec 30, 2003

Kin of late exec collared over tax evasion

The family of the late Tsutomu Nagasaka, chairman of the home remodeling group Koizumi, hid about 1 billion yen worth of his assets and evaded inheritance tax in 2001, sources said Monday.
BUSINESS
Dec 30, 2003

Sharp to boost liquid crystal panel output

Sharp Corp. plans to expand its production of large liquid crystal panels at a new facility in Kameyama, Mie Prefecture, after the plant starts up in January, a company spokesman said Monday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 30, 2003

Mobile commerce market taking off

Taking the 15-minute walk from her home to her office in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo, every morning, Noriko Kato, 29, looks at the tiny screen on her DoCoMo 505i mobile phone to check her e-mail and sometimes access her favorite shopping site, run by Netprice Ltd.
BUSINESS
Dec 30, 2003

Contractor Nakano seals bank deal

Nakano Corp. said Monday it has struck a deal with Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi and Mitsubishi Trust & Banking Corp., under which the two banks will provide 13.3 billion yen in financial assistance to the midsize construction company.
JAPAN
Dec 30, 2003

Meiji Shrine girds for turnout of 3.5 million

Even by Tokyo standards, it's a mob scene. Over a span of just three days, roughly 3.5 million people will crowd onto the gravel-covered paths of Meiji Shrine and inch their way toward the altar to toss coins, offer prayers and buy charms in a tradition repeated across Japan every New Year's.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Dec 30, 2003

Truth gets trampled by good stories

And why did the cops take 1,772 calls before deciding that someone was pulling their chain? We don't know. And we don't know why, or even if, the following people did these strange things, but heaven forbid we'd let the truth stand in the way of a good story.
BUSINESS
Dec 30, 2003

Chip-making equipment orders up

Orders for Japanese-made semiconductor manufacturing equipment rose 2.7-fold in November from a year earlier to 151.1 billion yen, the Semiconductor Equipment Association of Japan said Monday.
BUSINESS
Dec 30, 2003

Koizumi's key 2004 worries: U.S. economy, yen, pensions

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is facing a number of challenges as he struggles to put the fledgling economic recovery on a more solid footing in 2004.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 30, 2003

Japan set to waive most of Iraq's debt, Koizumi tells U.S.

In a significant policy shift, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi signaled Monday that Japan is prepared to waive a "vast majority" of Iraq's foreign debt.
JAPAN
Dec 30, 2003

Revised law would ban use of cell phones while driving

The National Police Agency is planning to carry out a major revision of the Road Traffic Law next year, including banning the use of mobile phones while driving and outsourcing parking enforcement, according to an NPA draft proposal made available recently.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / A GAIJIN'S TALE
Dec 30, 2003

Postal service

Customer service in Japan never fails to amaze. The scene is Hiroshima Central Post Office.
BUSINESS
Dec 30, 2003

Swiss Re poised to operate in Japan

Swiss Reinsurance Co. said Monday it has been granted a license by the Financial Services Agency to open a branch in Japan.
BUSINESS
Dec 30, 2003

DoCoMo to sponsor F-1 racing team

NTT DoCoMo Inc. has agreed to be a sponsor for the Renault Formula One auto racing team, looking to promote its i-mode Internet-accessible mobile phone service in the world market, company officials said Monday.
JAPAN
Dec 30, 2003

Tumor-causing illness imperils turtles

Members of a Japan-based group working to protect sea turtles warned Monday that a serious tumor-causing illness is apparently spreading among the reptiles, with three cases having been identified in Japan since last summer.
COMMENTARY
Dec 30, 2003

Loose threads of democracy

MANILA -- After analyzing the transition of some 30 countries from nondemocratic to democratic systems in the late 20th century, Samuel Huntington wrote "The Third Wave." Asia had emerged as a significant player in the tide of global democratization that began with the overthrow of the military dictatorship...
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 30, 2003

China, like Japan, using wrong antidote

GUATEMALA CITY -- Just when it seems that China was escaping the economic disasters typical of the bad old days of communism, it is succumbing to the theories of warmed-over Keynesianism. Beijing is giving up class struggle and central planning for discredited tools designed to manage aggregate demand....
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Dec 30, 2003

What are your New Year's resolutions for 2004?

Bronwyn Edwards Student, 30
JAPAN
Dec 29, 2003

Baker arrives to ask for Iraq debt relief

James Baker, U.S. President George W. Bush's special envoy, arrived Sunday in Tokyo to ask for Japan's cooperation in reducing Iraq's foreign debt.

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