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JAPAN
Oct 10, 2003

Redress unlikely for residents poisoned by WWII arms

A senior Environment Ministry official indicated Thursday it is unlikely that Ibaraki Prefecture residents who fell ill after drinking well water apparently contaminated by chemical weapons abandoned at the end of World War II would receive any redress.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / VINELAND
Oct 10, 2003

Sherry lovers lap up the soul of Spain

Sherry. The mere mention of the word is enough to conjure up images of debauched grandmothers singing from the kitchen, "One for the cook, one for the pot." But as we recently discovered, sherry can be quite a sophisticated drink, with styles ranging from bone-dry aperitif wines to thick, nectar-of-the-gods,...
JAPAN
Oct 9, 2003

Pesky spammers sneer at the law

The arrest of a man accused of sending millions of ads for an Internet site is raising questions about the legal boundaries of spam e-mail, which Japan's bombarded public has dubbed "nuisance mail."
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 9, 2003

Kamakura Period scroll, 1607 book found in Kanda store

A study by the Cultural Affairs Agency has confirmed that a book on Christianity and a scroll section depicting an ox that were found at a used books store in Tokyo's Kanda district are cultural assets of national importance.
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Oct 9, 2003

Incoming rookies James, Anthony already make an impression on Artest

NEW YORK -- Infamous for his demonic defense and alarming genuineness, Ron Artest recently evaluated the NBA's two newest compulsive scorers after confronting the incoming rookies in Magic Johnson's summer all-star game.
JAPAN
Oct 9, 2003

Ex-envoy spills beans on slush fund, Iraq war

The Foreign Ministry funnels 2 billion yen a year into a discretionary fund handled by the Cabinet Secretariat, it was alleged Wednesday.
JAPAN
Oct 9, 2003

Latest mad cow find puts 604 cattle into quarantine

Japan has quarantined 604 cows to prevent the spread of mad cow disease after authorities found a 23-month-old bull with a possible new strain of the illness, a farm ministry official said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Oct 9, 2003

80% eye elder-care help

Eighty percent of Japanese hope to receive publicly funded services such as part-time home helpers when they get old, according to a recent government survey.
BUSINESS
Oct 9, 2003

Private-sector machinery orders decline 4.3%

Japan's core private-sector machinery orders fell a seasonally adjusted 4.3 percent in August from July, indicating that a recovery in capital spending may lose momentum in the months ahead, according to government data released Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Oct 9, 2003

Tokyo, banks settle tax row out of court

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government and 15 major banks said Wednesday they have settled their dispute over Tokyo's bank tax.
JAPAN
Oct 9, 2003

Takashi Murakami's works to come as candy freebies

Miniaturized modern works of art are now free -- with the purchase of two pieces of chewing gum for 350 yen.
BUSINESS
Oct 9, 2003

Hino to launch eco-friendly truck

Hino Motors Ltd. said Wednesday it will debut an environmentally friendly heavy-duty truck on the domestic market on Nov. 4.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 9, 2003

Regional economies earn upgrade

The Finance Ministry on Wednesday upgraded its quarterly assessment of regional economies for the first time in a year, noting sporadic signs of recovery in production backed by exports of digital gadgets and cars.
COMMENTARY
Oct 9, 2003

Small states seek bigger say

LONDON -- The meeting of European Union member states in Rome to begin discussing a possible new constitution has opened on a discordant note. The smaller countries of Europe do not like the way things are going. The worries are not just those of "the usual suspects" -- the British, Danes and Swedes....
EDITORIALS
Oct 9, 2003

The first tripartite declaration

In their first-ever joint declaration, the leaders of Japan, China and South Korea on Tuesday pledged to promote security dialogue to maintain peace and stability in all of East Asia. The statement, signed on the sidelines of ASEAN summit talks in Bali, Indonesia, also calls for trilateral cooperation...
BUSINESS
Oct 9, 2003

Japan ready to meddle in market

Japan remains ready to intervene in the currency market, the government said Wednesday as the yen surged to three-year highs against the dollar.
CULTURE / Books / THE BOOK REPORT
Oct 9, 2003

Does ' baka explosion' indicate identity crisis brewing in Japan?

Japan has been witnessing something of a baka explosion recently. Whether or not the actual number of idiots or incidents of idiotic behavior are on the increase or not, there is certainly a sharp rise in the public irritability index, a lowering of the threshold at which people call others "baka."
BUSINESS
Oct 9, 2003

Nichirei execs docked in shrimp flap

Frozen-food processor Nichirei Corp. said Wednesday it will cut the salaries of its president and other senior officials for three months in a punitive move over imported frozen shrimp that contained banned antibiotics.
COMMENTARY / WASHINGTON UPDATE
Oct 9, 2003

Primaries and polls

WASHINGTON -- Here we are less than four months away from the actual start of the 2004 presidential race. Delegates will begin to be selected in late January. The preliminary season is in its final stage. The third quarter of 2003 proved to be reasonably decisive for the Democrats.
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Oct 9, 2003

The roots of national security grow under our very feet

For many policymakers, the concept of national security now simply means possessing the capacity for overwhelming destruction. Armchair warriors find such thinking reassuringly straightforward and comforting, a neat and tidy corollary of "Might makes right." It is also pure fantasy.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 9, 2003

Charming the IMF in Dubai

HONG KONG -- James Wolfensohn, the president of the World Bank, made the most powerful speech of his career at the annual meetings of the World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund in Dubai last month. It was full of sharp sound bites driving toward a vital central theme that Wolfensohn enunciated...

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