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JAPAN
Nov 28, 2002

Japan to continue dialogue about Jenkins with U.S.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said Wednesday that Japan plans to continue consultations with the United States about a U.S. deserter married to a Japanese national abducted by North Korea, following the U.S. defense chief's remarks on the issue.
JAPAN
Nov 28, 2002

Diet enacts Postal Law amendment

The Diet on Wednesday enacted an amendment to the Postal Law aimed at expanding the scope of the government's liability for erroneous delivery of registered mail and parcels.
BUSINESS
Nov 28, 2002

Shiokawa now urges 5 trillion yen bond limit

Underscoring the need for fiscal restraint, Finance Minister Masajuro Shiokawa said Wednesday he wants to keep the issuance of new government bonds under 5 trillion yen when compiling an extra budget for fiscal 2002.
JAPAN
Nov 28, 2002

Microsoft to reveal source code to Japan, which has eyed Linux

Microsoft Corp. will disclose the source code of the Windows operating system to the Japanese government in line with the government's e-Japan project, company officials said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Nov 28, 2002

More nations wanted for '05 expo

Lawmakers helping to prepare for the 2005 World Exposition in Aichi Prefecture pledged Wednesday to step up efforts to invite more countries to become official participants.
BUSINESS
Nov 28, 2002

Vehicle exports accelerate 6.8%

Exports of cars, trucks and buses rose 6.8 percent in October from a year before to 402,608 vehicles, up for the 10th straight month, the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Nov 28, 2002

Lower House panel OKs bill on financial aid for abductees

A House of Representatives committee approved a bill Wednesday that would allow the government to provide financial support for Japanese abducted to North Korea who return to Japan.
JAPAN
Nov 28, 2002

Two arrested in swindle of NTT Communications

Two people, including a former employee of NTT Communications Corp., were arrested Wednesday for allegedly defrauding the firm out of some 200 million yen by padding payments for electronic devices, Tokyo police said.
JAPAN
Nov 28, 2002

Opposition bloc idea popular but may be doomed

In an apparent effort to boost their leverage against the ruling coalition, leaders of two opposition parties on Wednesday expressed eagerness to push forward with a plan to form a joint parliamentary group among the Democratic Party of Japan, the Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Party.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 28, 2002

Housing quest still tall order for foreigners

One of the first hurdles for people planning to work or study abroad is securing a place to live.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 28, 2002

'Multicultural studio' offers hope

Teenagers gathered one weekday evening at an old two-story building next to a housing project in a Yokohama suburb.
JAPAN
Nov 28, 2002

Hardline aide has Koizumi's ear when it comes to Pyongyang policy

A foreign policy hardliner has gained a stronger presence in the administration since he accompanied Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to Pyongyang for his historic Sept. 17 summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il.
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Nov 28, 2002

China's Yao making giant strides in first month in NBA

MEMPHIS -- Yao Ming is almost making me forget about Priest Lauderdale.
JAPAN
Nov 28, 2002

World Cup spurs South Korea exchanges

Following Japan and South Korea's cohosting of the World Cup soccer finals last summer, 36 prefectural governments have held or will hold 123 sports exchanges with South Korean teams in fiscal 2002, according to a survey conducted by the sports ministry.
BUSINESS
Nov 28, 2002

Orient plans to liquidate four more subsidiaries

Struggling consumer credit firm Orient Corp. said Wednesday it will liquidate four more financial subsidiaries to bolster the rehabilitation efforts of the parent company.
BASEBALL / MLB
Nov 28, 2002

Irabu close to signing deal with Hanshin

OSAKA -- Right-hander Hideki Irabu, who was released by American League club Texas Rangers earlier this month, is on the verge of signing for the Hanshin Tigers, Hanshin sources said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Nov 28, 2002

Diet enacts law on intellectual property rights

The Diet enacted a basic intellectual property law Wednesday that the government hopes will promote the emergence of eminent scientists like Koichi Tanaka, who won the 2002 Nobel Prize in chemistry.
COMMENTARY
Nov 28, 2002

A reunion on neutral ground

HONOLULU -- Shame on Pyongyang . . . and shame on Tokyo, too!
BUSINESS
Nov 28, 2002

Heisei Den Den to offer discount ADSL service

Telecommunications venture Heisei Den Den Co. will launch Monday a discount ADSL service with a maximum Internet access speed of 12 megabits per second, officials said Wednesday.
EDITORIALS
Nov 28, 2002

Staving off banking disaster

The latest financial reports from Japan's major commercial banks tell more of the same story: The huge overhang of nonperforming loans continues to block a return to health. To be sure, banks made a profit in their main lines of business in the first six months of fiscal 2002, as they did in previous...
BUSINESS
Nov 28, 2002

Kinki Nippon to slash 1,000 jobs

Kinki Nippon Tourist Co. on Wednesday released a three-year business plan under which it will cut its regular workforce by 1,000, or 20 percent, by the end of fiscal 2005.
JAPAN
Nov 28, 2002

Public hospital entity bill advances

The House of Representatives Committee on Health, Labor and Welfare approved a bill Wednesday aimed at establishing an independent public corporation to take over the management of national hospitals.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / GARDENS FOR ALL
Nov 28, 2002

Autumn chilly spell yields a spectacular cast of colors

This year, the autumn color has been truly magnificent in the Kansai region, primarily thanks to the Japanese maple. Every year, these trees are almost guaranteed to deliver wonderful yellow-and-red fall foliage, but this year the sudden drop in temperature in the first few days of November pushed into...
JAPAN
Nov 28, 2002

Year added to sentence of girl's killer

The Tokyo High Court on Wednesday added a year to the original 14-year prison sentence of Mitsuko Yamada, who killed the 2-year-old daughter of a female acquaintance in 1999 in a public lavatory in Tokyo.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 28, 2002

Hachiyo chief held over fraud

Police on Wednesday arrested Osamu Tadokoro, former honorary chairman of health food firm Zenkoku Hachiyo Butsuryu (Hachiyo), and 13 of its former employees for allegedly defrauding investors out of some 70 million yen by promising them their money would grow within a certain period.
COMMENTARY
Nov 28, 2002

Jiang's 'thought' deified in his own time

HONG KONG -- The constitution of China's Communist Party, revised at the recent 16th Party Congress, elevates President Jiang Zemin to virtually the same level as that of party founder Mao Zedong and the late paramount leader Deng Xiaoping. Each is identified as "chief representative" of the Communists...
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Nov 28, 2002

Superfly just f- f- f- fades away, showing that insects age too

Neil Young referred to it with, "It's better to burn out than to fade away" while Pete Townshend echoed the sentiment with the line, "I hope I die before I get old."
BUSINESS
Nov 28, 2002

Bills for splitting public entities pass

The Diet passed nine bills Wednesday to convert designated special-purpose public corporations, including the National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan, into nine independent administrative entities.

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