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EDITORIALS
Feb 20, 2003

The WTO's 'awesome challenge'

The success of the next round of trade liberalization talks depends on tackling the thorny issue of agricultural tariffs and support. That is no secret; agriculture has preyed on the minds of trade negotiators for decades, but they have successfully delayed consideration of the question for years. The...
MORE SPORTS
Feb 20, 2003

Obinata invited to Biwako qualifier

Hideyuki Obinata and 12 other Japanese runners will be among the invitees participating in the upcoming Biwako (Lake Biwa) Marathon in Shiga Prefecture on March 2, organizers said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Feb 20, 2003

FTC probes rigged water meter bids

The Fair Trade Commission has searched more than 10 utility meter makers, including Tokyo-based Kimmon Mfg. Co. and Nagoya-based Aichi Tokei Denki Co., suspecting they violated the Antimonopoly Law by rigging water meter bids, FTC officials said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Feb 20, 2003

Ward tests all grades for achievement

In a first for a local government, all public-school students through the ninth grade in Tokyo's Arakawa Ward are taking achievement tests, ward officials said.
BUSINESS
Feb 20, 2003

Downbeat view of economy retained

The government on Wednesday maintained its lackluster view of the economy, restating that it has weakened but refraining from indicating whether this signals an end to recovery signs that have been observed in some areas.
SOCCER / J. League
Feb 20, 2003

Hao lifts Dalian at Mazda Cup

China striker Hao Haidong scored a hat trick to highlight Dalian Shide's 3-2 win over Seongnam Ilhwa, helping the Chinese League champion collect its first win in the four-team A3 Mazda Champions Cup on Wednesday at Tokyo's National Stadium.
JAPAN
Feb 20, 2003

Third-country plan eyed in asylum probe

Japan will consult with Chinese authorities in an effort to allow four asylum seekers from North Korea who entered a Japanese school in Beijing to be moved to a third country, government sources said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Feb 20, 2003

Japan's problems unlikely to dominate G7 meet

Japan hopes to win global support for its fight against deflation when finance chiefs from the Group of Seven major economic powers gather in Paris over the weekend, but financial experts believe that Tokyo will be hard-pressed in achieving its goal.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 20, 2003

Brinkmanship in spades 40 years later

HONOLULU -- As the United States hurtles toward the brink of war with Iraq and North Korea, the confrontation bears a striking resemblance to the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. Therein lie lessons that might well be read in Washington, Baghdad and Pyongyang.
JAPAN
Feb 20, 2003

Ministry unveils Afghan demilitarizing project

The Foreign Ministry on Wednesday unveiled a 4.16 billion yen aid project aimed at encouraging Afghanistan soldiers to leave the military and rejoin society as civilians.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 20, 2003

Smart cards seek smarter ideas

Way too busy to waste any time, on-the-go commuters stream through Tokyo train stations, chatting on mobile phones, listening with disc-player earphones, and flicking "smart cards" instead of stopping to pull out tickets.
JAPAN
Feb 20, 2003

Tokyo buses to reduce emissions

All diesel-engine buses owned by major bus operators in Tokyo will be equipped with devices to cut diesel emissions by the end of June, Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara announced Wednesday.
JAPAN
Feb 20, 2003

Korea fire prompts subway scrutiny

Japan on Wednesday started inspecting fire-safety measures on subways nationwide in the wake of a fatal subway blaze in South Korea.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Feb 20, 2003

How to label all life, and lichen?

I am an inveterate binocular user, rarely going anywhere without a pair. They are useful not merely for enjoying scenery, and birds and mammals in their natural settings, but also for the odd peregrine falcon perched incongruously atop an urban high-rise, or for admiring architectural detail in close-up...
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Feb 20, 2003

No taste for obesity

In the British cult comic 2000AD, future lawman Judge Dredd patrols the streets of Mega City One, a vast metropolis on the eastern seaboard of what was once the United States. Mega City One makes Tokyo seem spacious, and its residents make Harajuku's weirdest seem tame: One group of future misfits are...
JAPAN
Feb 20, 2003

Asahi unearths hops health benefit

Asahi Breweries Ltd. said Wednesday that hops used in beer production contain a substance that neutralizes the verotoxin that causes the deadly O-157 strain of E. coli bacteria.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 20, 2003

Suzuki looking to get the jump on rivals with 490,000 yen car

Getting the jump on deflation, Suzuki Motor Corp. has taken the wraps off a 490,000 yen car.
JAPAN
Feb 20, 2003

Demand reviving Japanese fish sauce industry

Japanese fish sauce may not be as widely known as its counterparts from Thailand and Vietnam, but demand for it is growing sharply on the heels of the popularity of ethnic cuisine in Japan.
JAPAN
Feb 20, 2003

Severed head in Osaka Bay identified as businessman's

OSAKA -- A head found in Osaka Bay in November has been identified as that of a 45-year-old company president who wasn't reported missing, even by his family, until three months after he vanished, police said Wednesday.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / THEN AND NOW
Feb 20, 2003

Down by the Edo riverside

The 1830s woodcut prints by Hasegawa Settan depict an amazing panorama of Edo as seen looking southeast from Edo Castle. The unobstructed view must have been the one the shogun enjoyed from his castle in what is now the Imperial Palace's East Garden, introduced in this column last month.
BUSINESS
Feb 20, 2003

BOJ members pushed spending policy to fight deflation

Some Bank of Japan Policy Board members told a meeting last month that a major boost in government spending and an active foreign exchange policy are needed to quickly overcome deflation, according to minutes released Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Feb 20, 2003

Japan's crude steel output up 9.9%

Japan's crude steel production grew 9.9 percent in January over the previous year to 9.323 million tons, marking the 10th consecutive monthly increase, the Japan Iron and Steel Federation said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Feb 20, 2003

Professors targeted in blackmail bid

Some 60 professors at public universities have been sent messages alleging their "secrets" were known and would be made public unless they paid money, the education ministry said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Feb 20, 2003

Rengo lobbies coalition partners on job measures

Japan's largest labor organization called Wednesday on New Komeito and the New Conservative Party to review the draft government budget for fiscal 2003 in hopes of reinforcing employment measures, Rengo officials said.
BUSINESS
Feb 20, 2003

Kirin Beverage sees record sales

Kirin Beverage Corp. said Wednesday it registered a record 319.2 billion yen in group sales in the business year that ended Dec. 31, up 5 percent over the previous year.
COMMENTARY
Feb 20, 2003

Farcical economic flip-flops

Japan's economic debate has moved from the bizarre to the ridiculous. Just two years ago we were told that fiscal restraint was the key to economic recovery. Annual bond issues to finance government spending would not be allowed to exceed 30 trillion yen ($250 billion). In other words, cutting demand...
JAPAN
Feb 20, 2003

Flu alert issued to all prefectures

Authorities have now issued all 47 prefectures with a flu alert, as the epidemic continues to spread throughout the country, according to a report released Wednesday by the Infectious Disease Surveillance Center.
JAPAN
Feb 20, 2003

Opposition calls for Moriyama to resign over prison abuse case

Justice Minister Mayumi Moriyama was the focus of a Diet row Wednesday over alleged contradictions in her remarks over the death of a prison inmate that the opposition camp slammed as an attempt to cover the scandal up.

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