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JAPAN
Sep 5, 2003

Imperial credit union exec arrested

A former employee of the now defunct credit union for the Imperial Household Agency was arrested Thursday on suspicion of embezzling 7 million yen.
JAPAN
Sep 5, 2003

Criminal complaint filed against NGO

The Foreign Ministry filed a criminal complaint Thursday against a nongovernmental organization helping China with reforestation and a former president of the group for alleged fraud, sources said.
BUSINESS
Sep 5, 2003

Shiokawa has gallbladder malady

Finance Minister Masajuro Shiokawa has been diagnosed as having acute gallbladder inflammation caused by gallstones, ministry officials said Thursday.
JAPAN / AFTER 2 1/2 YEARS
Sep 5, 2003

Koizumi support of U.S. a double-edged sword?

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi was offered two scripts by the Foreign Ministry ahead of the March invasion of Iraq by the United States.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 5, 2003

Miyake evacuees sold short by government

Having spent three years away from their homes, many Miyake Island residents forced to evacuate due to volcanic eruptions in 2000 are suffering amid a lack of financial support from the government.
BUSINESS
Sep 5, 2003

Japan steps in to prop up dollar

The government and the Bank of Japan intervened in the currency market Thursday to stem the yen's appreciation vs. the dollar, currency traders said.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Sep 5, 2003

The little town with a big name

You've hauled your bags off the conveyor belt onto the cart, you've skulked through Customs and you're staring blankly at an electronic board, trying to fathom which Limousine Bus is going where. You've heard that there is another Narita apart from this one dedicated to air travel, but somehow you've...
BUSINESS
Sep 5, 2003

Business sentiment shows improvement

Rising stock prices and brighter economic indicators at home and abroad boosted business confidence at large Japanese companies in the July-September period, according to a Finance Ministry survey released Thursday.
COMMENTARY
Sep 5, 2003

N. Korea digs a deeper hole

HONOLULU -- Someone needs to remind North Korea about the "first rule of holes" -- namely, when you find yourself in one, stop digging!
EDITORIALS
Sep 4, 2003

Window dressing in Yangon

Nothing quickens the blood of political analysts like leadership changes in reclusive and secretive governments. The shuffle in the upper ranks of Myanmar's governing junta is no exception. The big question is the effect the changes will have on the fate of Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi, the imprisoned Nobel...
JAPAN
Sep 4, 2003

Man held for throwing woman onto tracks

A 50-year-old man recently discharged from a mental hospital has been arrested for allegedly killing a 72-year-old woman by throwing her off a platform and onto the tracks at JR Ueno Station in Tokyo, police officials said Wednesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 4, 2003

Demand rises for goods from legally logged trees

The popularity of products made from trees certified as having been legally logged is spreading in Japan as consumers become more environmentally aware.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 4, 2003

Kamei aims to unseat Koizumi

Former LDP policy chief Shizuka Kamei officially declared Wednesday that he will run in the Sept. 20 party presidential election, seeking to unseat Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.
JAPAN
Sep 4, 2003

Low-alcohol brew making comeback

Not long ago, Hoppy was a drink associated with working-class, middle-aged men in the older neighborhoods of Tokyo.
JAPAN
Sep 4, 2003

Koizumi has polyp removed from colon

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi underwent endoscopic surgery Wednesday after doctors found a polyp in his colon during a regular health checkup, the prime minister's office announced.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK
Sep 4, 2003

About the bears and the bees

This story is really about honey, a spoonful of which I have in my morning tea. Without it the day just doesn't seem to go right. Together with my old friend Mr. Shimada, I've been producing the finest honey for the last 20-odd years. However, first I have to tell you about my lovely "false acacia" trees....
JAPAN
Sep 4, 2003

Death row inmate who sought retrial dies

An 86-year-old death row inmate who had been appealing for a retrial for decades died early Wednesday at the Tokyo Detention House, officials said.
BUSINESS
Sep 4, 2003

Governors pursue hard line in WTO agriculture talks

Governors from five farming prefectures are asking the national government to oppose a proposal to cut tariffs on agricultural products and raise import quotas in ongoing World Trade Organization negotiations.
JAPAN
Sep 4, 2003

Kan looks to downsize Diet, narrow single-seat vote disparity

Naoto Kan, president of the opposition Democratic Party of Japan, unveiled Wednesday a set of political reforms that includes downsizing the Diet and narrowing the disparity in vote value for single-seat constituencies.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 4, 2003

Time for creative diplomacy

SEOUL -- British statesman Winston Churchill once remarked, "It's better to jaw-jaw than to war-war." In effect, the United States and North Korea have been doing both. Their war of words continued at the six-nation talks in Beijing last week, held in check only by multiparty diplomacy.
BUSINESS
Sep 4, 2003

Sony goes tiny with video camera

Inc. said Wednesday it will put the world's smallest and lightest video camera on the domestic market Oct. 18. The 1.07 megapixel DCR-IP1K video camera measures 39 mm in width, 91mm in height and 69mm in length and weighs 230 grams, excluding the battery, said the marketing unit of Sony Corp.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / ON THE BOOK TRAIL
Sep 4, 2003

On the book trail

A Single Shard, by LINDA SUE PARK, Clarion Books; 2002; 160 pp. If recent children's books are any indication, we might be led to believe that boy-wizards who fight evil and that children lucky enough to embark on wild adventures exist only in Britain or the United States. In fact, why does almost every...

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