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JAPAN
Dec 19, 2003

Savings for 82.1 trillion yen budget eyed

Cabinet ministers agreed Thursday on key spending cuts for the next fiscal year, paving the way for the Finance Ministry to release its blueprint for the fiscal 2004 budget.
JAPAN
Dec 19, 2003

Smaller yearend shrine turnout expected

Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples are expected to draw fewer visitors during the upcoming New Year's holidays than they did in 2003, the National Police Agency said Thursday.
JAPAN
Dec 19, 2003

Koizumi OKs SDF deployment plan

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Thursday approved a deployment plan for Ground Self-Defense Force troops bound for Iraq.
BUSINESS
Dec 19, 2003

Ministry to boost intervention funds

The Finance Ministry is set to boost its war chest for currency market intervention in fiscal 2004 by 40 trillion yen, a move that would bring the total for such use to 140 trillion yen, ministry sources said Thursday.
BUSINESS
Dec 19, 2003

Schools to see Windows source code

Microsoft Co. said Thursday it will make the source code for its Windows operating systems open to researchers involved in an Internet project involving six Japanese universities.
EDITORIALS
Dec 19, 2003

Juggling act obscures real threat

The two ruling parties, the Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito, earlier this week agreed on plans to shore up the faltering pension system for private-sector employees. The package calls for painful adjustments beginning in fiscal 2004: higher premium rates and lower benefit levels. What is missing...
BUSINESS
Dec 19, 2003

Sky Perfect to acquire Plat One

Sky Perfect Communications Inc., operator of the Sky PerfecTV digital satellite broadcasting service, said Thursday it will acquire smaller rival Plat One Corp. through a share swap on March 1.
JAPAN
Dec 19, 2003

Dominican Republic emigrant aid eyed

Senior Vice Foreign Minister Masatoshi Abe indicated Thursday that the government may need to provide assistance for Japanese who emigrated to the Dominican Republic in the 1950s under a government program.
JAPAN
Dec 19, 2003

Emergency call-capable IP phones eyed

The National Police Agency has begun researching technology that will enable people to make emergency calls by dialing 110 on Internet protocol telephones, NPA officials said Thursday.
BUSINESS
Dec 19, 2003

December's assessment of economy echoes November's

The government left its assessment of the economy in December unchanged from November, with rises in exports and falls in bankruptcies offset by a deterioration in the employment situation.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 19, 2003

High court backs elevated Odakyu line

Tokyo residents seeking to block Odakyu Electric Railway Co.'s construction of a 6.5-km elevated section of track saw the Tokyo High Court on Thursday overturn a lower court ruling that sided with them.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Dec 19, 2003

F.A. ruling on Ferdinand certain to make some unhappy

LONDON -- Eric Cantona's record ban of eight months is unlikely to be beaten, but sometime Friday a Football Association disciplinary commission will decide whether Rio Ferdinand is guilty of "the failure or refusal to submit to drug testing as required by a competent official."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 19, 2003

Candy firms jump on CD bandwagon

Giveaways attached to packets of candies and chocolate are nothing new in Japan. Recently these omake have commonly taken the form of wonderfully detailed little toys and figurines in themed, collectable sets such as animals, anime characters, dinosaurs, birds, cars or motorbikes.
JAPAN
Dec 19, 2003

63% of pollees fear terrorists will target Japan

Sixty-three percent of Japanese are afraid of terrorism at home and 80 percent believe the chances of a terrorist attack are increasing, according to a National Police Agency poll released Thursday.
CULTURE / Music
Dec 19, 2003

In praise of a 'brilliant idea'

Even a cursory check of convenience store shelves these days shows how the omake giveaways that makers once offered as lures to buy certain candies have now become the main selling points themselves. After all, how many people would pay 300 yen just for the two almond chocolates in a packet of "Time...
BUSINESS
Dec 19, 2003

Toyota aiming to sell 7 million vehicles

The Toyota group aims to sell a total of 7.08 million vehicles in calendar 2004, up 4 percent over projected sales of 6.78 million units for this year.
JAPAN
Dec 19, 2003

Arms exports to U.S. to get nod

Japan is considering a partial lifting of its ban on arms exports so it can sell weapons parts to the United States as it prepares for joint development of a missile-defense system, government officials said Thursday.
JAPAN
Dec 19, 2003

Eel importer sentenced in ODA scam

The former president of an eel importer was sentenced to 4 1/2 years in prison Thursday for swindling a government-affiliated aid body out of 1 billion yen in official development assistance funds for an eel-raising project in China.
BUSINESS
Dec 19, 2003

3G phones to boast music, animation

Animation attachments for e-mail, complex role-playing video games and Hollywood film cuts as screen savers will be some of the features offered in new third-generation cell phones from Japan's top mobile carrier.
SUMO
Dec 19, 2003

Fujinishiki dies of kidney failure

Former komusubi Fujinishiki, also known as sumo elder Takasago, died of kidney failure Wednesday evening, his family said Thursday. He was 66.
BUSINESS
Dec 19, 2003

Sony's Qrio robot learns how to jog

Sony Corp.'s child-size walking robot already knows a few hip dance steps and can kick a miniature soccer ball.
COMMENTARY
Dec 19, 2003

Bush rightly responded to Chen's tactics

SINGAPORE -- U.S. President George W. Bush got it just about right last week when he publicly criticized Taiwan's leader during Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's visit to Washington. Accusations from "friends of Taiwan's democracy" notwithstanding, Bush was not kowtowing to China; he was merely expressing...
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 19, 2003

Canberra's silly season of politics

SYDNEY -- Midsummer madness is already upon us. Australians can always tell when the silly season strikes by the antics of Canberra politicians. This time it's come early -- and they're playing their games with comic vengeance.
BASEBALL / MLB
Dec 19, 2003

Tuffy set to sign with Giants

Former Kintetsu Buffaloes slugger Tuffy Rhodes has agreed to sign with the Yomiuri Giants, officials of the Central League team said Thursday.

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