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LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jul 10, 2003

Let's all open a window and see what happens

I'm depressed. And hyperventilating. This is because I just came back from visiting my cousin and his wife in their new Tokyo manshon (condo) that boasts among other things, a fully automatic kuchoki (air adjustor) that comes with a year's free supply of shinsenna sanso (fresh oxygen).
EDITORIALS
Jul 10, 2003

Wrong light at the end of the tunnel

Stock prices and long-term interest rates in Japan have climbed rapidly of late. On Monday, the Nikkei index hit a 10-month high of 9,795 points while yields on 10-year benchmark government bonds topped 1 percent, more than double the level of a month earlier. That is good news if it signals an upturn...
BUSINESS
Jul 10, 2003

Shiokawa, Fukui unworried by interest-rate hike

Finance Minister Masajuro Shiokawa and Bank of Japan Gov. Toshihiko Fukui have agreed not to worry over the recent rise in long-term interest rates.
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Jul 10, 2003

Sifting through the goo

It's been hailed as the first major scientific breakthrough of the 21st century, but in his recent book, "Prey," Michael Crichton envisioned it taking over the world.
JAPAN
Jul 10, 2003

Firms required to have child-care facilities

The Diet, in a bid to encourage working women to have children, enacted legislation Wednesday requiring employers to provide child-care facilities and programs.
BUSINESS
Jul 10, 2003

Business services see mixed results

Sales for half of the nation's six key business service industries declined in May from a year earlier, while those for the other three increased or remained the same.
JAPAN
Jul 10, 2003

Dylan may have lifted lyrics from Japan book

A Japanese writer says he was flattered to learn that passages from one of his books apparently found their way into Bob Dylan's lyrics.
BUSINESS
Jul 10, 2003

Mitsubishi Electric to slash costs

Mitsubishi Electric Corp. said Wednesday it plans to cut its procurement costs by 300 billion yen by the end of March 2005, mainly through increased purchases of parts from Chinese manufacturers.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT
Jul 10, 2003

One man's battle against mighty Monsanto

"Once you put a genetically modified organism into the environment, there's no bringing it back," farmer Percy Schmeiser told a 180-member audience last week at NPO Plaza in Osaka. Invited by organic farming co-ops and various civic groups from across the country, the 72-year-old native of Saskatchewan,...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 10, 2003

FedEx first to use fuel-cell car commercially

U.S. courier Federal Express Corp. on Wednesday became the first company in the world to use a fuel-cell vehicle commercially by deploying a pollution-free auto for deliveries, company officials said.
BUSINESS
Jul 10, 2003

Jobholders fall for first time on record: ministry

The number of jobholders has fallen by 3 percent over a five-year period, marking the first decrease on record, according to a government report released Wednesday.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / ON THE BOOK TRAIL
Jul 10, 2003

"Big George and the Seventh Knight," "Bang on the Door Animals"

"Big George and the Seventh Knight," Eric Pringle, Bloomsbury; 2002; 200 pp.
BUSINESS
Jul 10, 2003

Hitachi, Sony tie up in data backup

Hitachi Ltd. and Sony Corp. said Wednesday they have agreed to cooperate in the data backup solution business in Japan.
MORE SPORTS
Jul 10, 2003

Roddick, Sugiyama headed for Tokyo

World No. 6 Andy Roddick of the United States will make his first trip to Japan as a pro tennis player when he takes part in the AIG Japan Open Tennis Championships from Sept. 29 to Oct. 5 at Tokyo's Ariake Tennis Forest Park, organizers announced Wednesday.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / NAME OF THE GAME
Jul 10, 2003

Dracula's open house

When you think of James Bond movies, gadgets and martinis come to mind. When you go to a "Matrix" movie, you expect a mixture of multiple realities and dark glasses. When video game players hear the name "Castlevania," they expect a castle, armies of ghouls and a hero with a whip.
JAPAN
Jul 9, 2003

Minister to pitch Tepco reactor to local holdouts

Takeo Hiranuma, economy, trade and industry chief, will visit Niigata Prefecture on Wednesday to try to gain local government approval to restart a nuclear reactor.
BASEBALL / MLB
Jul 9, 2003

Arias rips two homers, Tigers whip Carp

George Arias blasted a pair of two run home runs and drove in five runs while Kei Igawa (11-3) picked up his ninth straight win, leading the Hanshin Tigers to an 8-4 victory over the Hiroshima Carp Tuesday at Muscat Stadium in Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture, the birth place of Hanshin manager Senichi...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 9, 2003

Japan to see first big effort to train helper dogs

The National Mutual Insurance Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives (Zenkyoren) will provide assistance for training dogs to help people with disabilities, federation officials said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jul 9, 2003

Mergers to halve municipalities to 1,700

The total number of cities, towns and villages in Japan is expected to be almost halved to about 1,700 as a result of moves by municipalities to merge by March 2005, when a special law promoting mergers expires, according to a recent Kyodo News survey.
EDITORIALS
Jul 9, 2003

A more flexible litigation system

Japan's system of administrative litigation -- which allows citizens to file complaints against actions taken by the central and local governments -- leaves much to be desired. Statistics show that 15 percent of complainants are rejected for lack of qualifications and other reasons, and that only 13...
JAPAN
Jul 9, 2003

Brain region size, PTSD are linked, researchers say

University of Tokyo scientists have found a link between posttraumatic stress disorder among survivors of the 1995 Tokyo subway sarin attack and the size of the area of the brain that regulates emotion, the National Academy of Sciences said Tuesday.

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