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BUSINESS
Aug 7, 2002

Koizumi pursues draft bill combining tax cuts, hikes

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Tuesday ordered his key policy-setting panel to draw up a draft bill featuring tax cuts worth more than 1 trillion yen and future tax hikes aimed at offsetting revenue shortfalls.
BUSINESS
Aug 7, 2002

Battered Nikkei dips to 9,439

Tokyo stocks finished lower Tuesday for the fifth straight day amid concern over the U.S. economy, with the key Nikkei index temporarily falling below 9,500 for the first time since early February and close to an 18-year-low.
JAPAN
Aug 6, 2002

Hygiene seen warding off meningitis

Cerebrospinal meningitis, an inflammation of the lining of the brain and spinal cord caused by the common summer cold virus, is spreading in Japan, especially among children, but it can be contained by simple hygienic measures, according to a national medical center.
JAPAN
Aug 6, 2002

Young victims of terror, war meet in Tokyo

Eighty children from seven countries and territories, including some who lost parents in the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States and others who lost theirs amid the U.S.-led bombing against terrorist targets in Afghanistan, gathered Monday in Tokyo to share their experiences.
COMMENTARY
Aug 6, 2002

Koizumi safe amid instabilit

The long Diet session has come to an end, and politicians have gone on summer vacation. The first half of the latest session was marred by a number of political scandals; during the second half, legislators were busy deliberating on a number of important bills. A sense of vanity, though, pervades the...
JAPAN
Aug 6, 2002

Glitches, protest greet launch of resident registry network

The government on Monday launched a national resident registry network that encodes people's personal information and gives everyone an 11-digit number. But glitches emerged, some municipalities refused to go online and critics cried "Big Brother."
JAPAN
Aug 6, 2002

HIV patients press ministry to increase help, treatment

A group of people who sued the government after contracting HIV from tainted blood products asked health minister Chikara Sakaguchi on Monday to provide help to the families of those who have died from AIDS-related illnesses and expand care for people with HIV or AIDS.
EDITORIALS
Aug 6, 2002

ARF comes back to life

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations has signed up in the war against terrorism. That is the key development from the annual meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum, or ARF, Asia's premier security institution, which convened last week in Brunei. The U.S.-ASEAN agreement was the most notable outcome...
JAPAN
Aug 6, 2002

Yokohama neighborhood seeks to put lid on condos

Is it possible for people to agree on what beauty is? As far as landscapes are concerned, the answer appears to be no.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 6, 2002

A U.N. lifeline to ordinary Palestinians

NEW YORK -- Consensus has emerged in the Middle East, among people of otherwise widely divergent views, on one point: Something must be done for ordinary families in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. They face a crisis that threatens everyone in the region.
JAPAN
Aug 6, 2002

Koizumi rating up amid dearth of alternatives

The popular approval rating for the Cabinet of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has inched up to 45.2 percent, according to the results of a Kyodo News opinion poll released Monday.
JAPAN
Aug 6, 2002

Miyake kids make first visit home since exodus

Seventy children who were evacuated from Miyake Island nearly two years ago because of volcanic eruptions returned Monday to the island for a one-day visit.
BUSINESS
Aug 6, 2002

FSA to relax rules on stock sales at banks

The government plans to ease rules on commercial banks selling stocks at their branches through affiliated brokerages to encourage individuals to invest in the stock market, Financial Services Agency sources said Monday.
BUSINESS
Aug 6, 2002

Professor champions cause of small manufacturers

Small and midsize manufacturers don't make for as flashy headlines as giants like Sony and Toyota. They are sometimes even collectively considered a symbol of a debt-laden Japan Inc.
BASEBALL / MLB
Aug 6, 2002

Takano's big bat hammers Lions

Hirotoshi Kitagawa hit a tie-breaking RBI double for the go-ahead run and Fumitoshi Takano homered twice and went 4-for-5 Monday as the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes edged the Seibu Lions 6-5 at the Osaka Dome.
BUSINESS
Aug 6, 2002

Key gauge shows continuing expansion

Japan's key gauge of the economy stayed above the boom-or-bust line of 50 percent for the fifth month in a row in June, thanks to continued robustness in output-related indicators, the government said Monday in a preliminary report.
BUSINESS
Aug 6, 2002

Complete privatizationof postal services sought

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's advisory panel on postal services is set to issue a report featuring proposals about their future management, such as full privatization, the panel chief said Monday.
BUSINESS
Aug 6, 2002

Investors shy away from markets

Most Japanese remain hesitant about investing in stocks, investment trusts or bonds, and only an economic recovery will spur them to participate in the financial markets, according to a government survey.
JAPAN
Aug 6, 2002

JCP relocates to new Yoyogi base

The Japanese Communist Party has moved from a converted cinema into a new 11-story building at the same site in Tokyo's Yoyogi district.
BUSINESS
Aug 6, 2002

McDonald's returns to discount burgers

began offering on Monday its regular hamburgers for 59 the lowest price in the chain's 30-year history in Japan while rival Lotteria Co. will discount its set menus by up to 25 percent next weekend. McDonald's hamburgers were sold for 65 on weekdays during a two-year sales campaign that ended in February....
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / NATURE TRAVEL
Aug 6, 2002

Pick a Palau isle and call it your own

The boat is fueled. Frosted beer bottles glint in the ice boxes. The provisions are stashed, and we are about to go and find ourselves our very own desert island.
BUSINESS / ON MANAGEMENT
Aug 6, 2002

Reducing icebergs to snowballs:How to avoid sinking the ship

"Ever had all your dreams come true, only to find yourself in the middle of a nightmare?" asked a wry acquaintance recently. In his case, he hand followed through on a lifelong dream starting his own advertising boutique. A careful planner, he had determined his own strengths and weaknesses and approached...
BUSINESS
Aug 6, 2002

Mori named to new post of adviser to FSA minister

Former Financial Services Agency Commissioner Shoji Mori has assumed the newly created post of special adviser to the minister for financial services, the agency said Monday.
JAPAN
Aug 6, 2002

Koizumi OKs framework for '03 budget requests

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Monday basically approved the Finance Ministry's final draft of the budget request framework for fiscal 2003. The plan calls for a 2 percent cut in discretionary spending, which includes overseas aid, and a 3 percent reduction in public works outlays.
JAPAN
Aug 6, 2002

Maestro hopes to energize, inspire, connect with Asian youths on tour

Bright Sheng has just finished a 3-hour rehearsal with the Asian Youth Orchestra in Hong Kong. You can detect a hint of tiredness in his voice, but it's overlaid with a definite tone of achievement, and excitement even, for what lies ahead.

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