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JAPAN / STAGING A COMEBACK
Nov 9, 2001

Successful firms have learned importance of patents

It was a big challenge for Canon Inc., one of Japan's top camera makers, to embark on the copy machine business in the late 1960s, as the market was dominated by the U.S. giant Xerox Corp.
BUSINESS
Nov 9, 2001

Marubeni's '01 outlook sours

In a dramatic reversal of fortune, Marubeni Corp. expects to post consolidated net losses of 105 billion yen for the 2001 business year after earlier projecting a 15 billion yen profit, company officials said Thursday.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Nov 9, 2001

Aphid

* Japanese name: Aburamushi * Scientific name: Aphididae * Description: Aphids are small, green insects that grow 1-6 mm long. They have soft, oval-shaped bodies, sometimes with wings and sometimes without. They have long, tubular mouths, like drinking straws. There are more than 600 species of aphid...
BUSINESS
Nov 8, 2001

DoCoMo's interim group net profit dives

Suffering from huge appraisal losses on an overseas investment, cellular operator NTT DoCoMo Inc. said Wednesday its group net profit in the first half of fiscal 2001 plunged to 103.8 billion yen, down 52.2 percent from a year earlier.
EDITORIALS
Nov 8, 2001

Better, cheaper welfare goods needed

About 18 months have passed since the introduction of long-term care insurance based on the principle of the "socialization of care." From October, elderly people aged 65 and over have been paying the full insurance premium. This is an important period for solidifying the system. The Ministry of Health,...
BUSINESS
Nov 8, 2001

Foreign cash reserves hit record high

Foreign-exchange reserves hit a record high of $405.7 billion at the end of October, up $8.69 billion from the previous high set in September, the Finance Ministry said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Nov 8, 2001

DoCoMo's interim group net profit dives

Suffering from huge appraisal losses on an overseas investment, cellular operator NTT DoCoMo Inc. said Wednesday its group net profit in the first half of fiscal 2001 plunged to 103.8 billion yen, down 52.2 percent from a year earlier.
LIFE / Digital / NAME OF THE GAME
Nov 8, 2001

Take your golf game with you

"ESPN Final Round Golf 2002" from Konami for the Game Boy Advance may surprise you.
CULTURE / Film
Nov 7, 2001

Between the real and the surreal

A whiff of the absurd was in the air at the closing ceremony of the 14th Tokyo International Film Festival, held Sunday at Orchard Hall in Shibuya. It wasn't necessarily the presenters' hairdos and breathless patter, nor the new formal dress code imposed on the attending filmmakers. It wasn't even the...
SOCCER / J. League / ON THE BALL
Nov 6, 2001

Ten years old and counting

Last Thursday, the J. League celebrated its 10th anniversary at a Tokyo hotel, inviting about 500 soccer officials, sponsors and past and present players.
BUSINESS
Nov 6, 2001

Keidanren chief receives Zaikai Prize

Takashi Imai, chairman of the Japan Federation of Economic Organizations (Keidanren), on Monday received the annual Zaikai Prize, awarded by the publisher of the business magazine Zaikai.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 5, 2001

Preventing financial panic

American consumers have tightened their purse strings since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. In capitalist economies, the downtrend in consumption is disturbing for the future of the world economy.
COMMUNITY
Nov 4, 2001

It's a paradise for bikers in Japan

Maybe I'm losing it. With temperatures dropping and the first frost just around the corner, thoughts of winter sports and steaming cups of hot chocolate are starting to dance through most people's minds. But I've still got motorcycles wheelying through mine.
COMMUNITY
Nov 4, 2001

Getting geared up for the open road

Getting a license If you already have a motorbike license from another country, you can be issued with an equivalent Japanese one. If you have a Japanese car license, you can ride a scooter or a motorbike up to 50cc. If you have an international bike license, you can ride a bike of any size.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Nov 4, 2001

And that's all she wrote, folks

In addition to being the author of the oldest novel in the world, Murasaki Shikibu has the distinction of being the first woman whose image has ever graced Japanese currency. You can be forgiven if you've never noticed her, since she's on the back of the relatively new 2,000 yen note, which seems to...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Nov 4, 2001

Shaking preconceptions in the land of tourists

A few weeks ago, a friend visited from Europe. It was her first time in Japan and she wanted to see as much of the country as she could. She had purchased the discount JR rail pass that only foreigners can buy in their home countries, but besides that, all she came with was the Lonely Planet guide to...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Nov 4, 2001

Sushi that fits the bill in attitude and price

Shinbotchi's take on the ancient art of sushi is much the same approach that the rag trade of back-street Harajuku adopts toward the world of fashion.
COMMENTARY
Nov 2, 2001

Removing blinkers on trade

LONDON -- The tragic events of Sept. 11 have exacerbated the economic position of every country. New stimulus measures have been instituted in the United States and interest rates have been cut elsewhere. But these are not enough to put growth back on track. An expansion in world trade would bring major...
LIFE / Lifestyle / JET STREAM
Nov 2, 2001

Serbian tennis ace giving it his best shot

It was gunfire that Nikola Stula thought he heard the first night he arrived in Gifu.
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Nov 2, 2001

Asian ladybug

* Japanese Name: Namitento* Scientific name: Harmonia axyridis
LIFE / Lifestyle / MATTER OF COURSE
Nov 2, 2001

No fundraisers or bake sales? Sign me up!

I agreed to serve on the PTA of the Japanese elementary school my children attend, but on one condition: that I didn't have to do any fundraising.
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Nov 1, 2001

These dreams are made of . . . what?

Ever had a sleepless night before an exam, cramming in the things you didn't learn in time? Even after 40 hours without sleep, it is still possible to disgorge crammed information. But remember those facts a week later? Forget it.
BUSINESS
Oct 30, 2001

Teijin, Enron begin study on electricity sales

Major textile maker Teijin Ltd. said Monday it has begun a feasibility study with the Enron group of the United States to improve the output of Teijin's private power generator and sell the excess to other corporate users.
Events
Oct 30, 2001

Forum holds up Omi feudal merchants as models of corporate responsibility

OMI-HACHIMAN, Shiga Pref. -- The 20th century socioeconomic system saw most people consumed with the pursuit of profit. Today's businesspeople, however, must re-examine their raison d'etre as the idea of corporate responsibility takes hold.
JAPAN
Oct 29, 2001

Mori leaves for India to rally antiterror support

Former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori departed Sunday morning for a three-day trip to India to discuss antiterrorism efforts as a special envoy of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.
COMMUNITY
Oct 28, 2001

Plunder in a land of plenty

KYZYK-SUU, Kyrgyzstan -- When Canadian mining giant Cameco Corp. opened the Kumtor gold mine in the former Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan in 1996, logistics were considered to be the greatest obstacle.

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