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Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Jul 3, 2003

Large field mouse

* Japanese name: Aka nezumi * Scientific name: Apodemus speciosus (large field mouse) * Description: These mice are 9-14 cm long, with hazel-brown fur on top, and a white throat and belly. They have large black eyes, a well-developed sense of smell and sensitive whiskers. Females have eight nipples....
Japan Times
JAPAN / IN WITH THE NEW
Jul 3, 2003

For security realists, Ishiba a breath of clear air

Since becoming Defense Agency chief, Shigeru Ishiba has not been shy about rocking the boat.
JAPAN
Jul 3, 2003

Japan eyes continental shelf mineral claim

Japan is planning a huge boost in research on rare undersea minerals around the country estimated to be worth trillions of yen, and wants U.N. approval for its claims on the continental shelf, government sources said.
JAPAN
Jul 3, 2003

Officials held over rigging Tokyo water meter bids

Four officials of four companies supplying water meters to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government were arrested Wednesday on suspicion of rigging bids, prosecutors said.
BUSINESS
Jul 3, 2003

June monetary base rises 20.3%

Japan's monetary base rose 20.3 percent in June from a year earlier to 102.76 trillion yen, up for the 29th straight month, the Bank of Japan said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Jul 3, 2003

Canon Inc. to spend more on R&D

Canon Inc. will spend more than 900 billion yen on research and development through 2005, up by more than 30 percent from the previous three-year period, with the focus on cutting-edge technologies, company officials said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jul 3, 2003

Japan, U.S. begin discussions on SOFA

Japan and the United States on Wednesday began negotiations over the conditions under which American servicemen suspected of crimes in this country are questioned by Japanese authorities before indictment.
BUSINESS
Jul 3, 2003

Nikkei ends at 9-month high of 9,592

Tokyo's Nikkei stock index posted its largest gain this year and ended at a new nine-month high Wednesday.
MORE SPORTS
Jul 3, 2003

Yu Terauchi to sit out event

Diver Yu Terauchi will not compete at the upcoming World Championships in Barcelona, Spain, the Japan Swimming Federation said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jul 3, 2003

JCP to reinforce old ban on members' drinking

Stung by a humiliating sexual harassment scandal that led to the resignation of a top executive, the Japanese Communist Party said Wednesday it would reinforce an internal rule to prevent further trouble from its members.
BUSINESS
Jul 3, 2003

Haneda becoming a more international gateway

A record 132 international chartered flights will be operated to and from Tokyo's Haneda airport in August, according to data released Wednesday by the airport authority.
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Jul 3, 2003

When males lead to miscarriages

At temples all over Japan, there are stone statues wearing aprons and caps of red cloth. Someone once told me that the cloth was supposed to keep the statues warm at night and protect them when it rained. What my friend neglected to say was that many of these statues are dedicated to mizuko, literally...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 3, 2003

Firms vie to release first home-use fuel-cell system

Allow oxygen to meet hydrogen at your home, and you'll get electricity and hot water cheaper and with less pollution.
JAPAN
Jul 3, 2003

Myanmar envoy due for talks Friday

A special envoy of the top leader of the Myanmar junta will visit Japan for a meeting Friday with Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi on the detention of democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, government sources said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jul 3, 2003

Cigarette labels to carry stronger health warnings

In the first revision of cigarette warning labels in 14 years, Japanese tobacco companies will be required to state the dangers of smoking more clearly on their packaging, government officials said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Jul 3, 2003

Life insurers promise not to cut yields on policies

Many life insurance companies promised their representative policyholders Wednesday that they would maintain guaranteed yields on policies even if a law enabling them to cut the yields is enacted.
EDITORIALS
Jul 3, 2003

Freeze salaries to arrested lawmakers

The average annual income of Japanese Diet members in 2002 dropped 6.2 percent from the year before to 26.93 million yen, the lowest level since 1993 when an income and asset reporting system for national legislators was introduced, according to data released Monday by the Diet. This drop is attributed...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Jul 3, 2003

What a week that was

It was a week filled with surprises and excitement.
BUSINESS
Jul 3, 2003

Daiwa, Nikko rating outlooks stable

Moody's Investors Service said Wednesday it has revised to stable from negative the rating outlook of Daiwa Securities Group Inc., Nikko Cordial Corp. and their respective group brokerages.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK
Jul 3, 2003

Who says all factories have to be eyesores?

Earl in 1995, a friend of mine, a journalist I first met back in the 1970s, asked me to have dinner and drinks with him in a cozy, noisy izakaya in Shinjuku. There, he introduced me to a very friendly, well-traveled man called Masayoshi Ushikubo, the executive manager of a company that made electrical...
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / MATTER OF COURSE
Jul 3, 2003

Learning firsthand about rice cultivation

I have new respect for the rainy season. I used to hate tsuyu, these dreary weeks of drizzle. But now that I'm a farmer, I see the value of so much rain. I'm farming a bucket of rice on my balcony and can't keep up with the watering.
BUSINESS
Jul 3, 2003

Fuel-cell motorbike on way

Yamaha Motor Co. said Wednesday it has made advances in developing a fuel-cell motorcycle and hopes to have a product on the market soon.
JAPAN
Jul 2, 2003

Eco-funds spark interest but few buy

While many individual Japanese investors are interested in taking part in so-called ecology funds, few have actually invested in them, according to a recent Internet survey released by the Environment Ministry.
JAPAN
Jul 2, 2003

U.S. pressure places Iran-Japan oil deal in doubt

The government on Tuesday urged a state-backed consortium of Japanese firms to delay signing a contract on an Iranian oil development project, citing international suspicion that Tehran is developing nuclear weapons.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 2, 2003

Boxer dances for reunification of Koreas

Champion boxer Masamori Tokuyama says his dream is to use his status as a well-known Korean resident of Japan to contribute to the reunification of the Korean Peninsula.

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