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BUSINESS
Jun 20, 2002

S&P upgrades Bpi rating on JAS

Standard & Poor's Corp. said Wednesday it has upgraded its Bpi rating on Japan Air System to B-plus-pi, while maintaining the BB long-term rating on Japan Airlines, with which JAS will integrate its operations.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Jun 20, 2002

The ants' workaday world is wherever you look

Despite the name, I didn't see any ants in Antarctica, though it's the only place I've been that I haven't seen any. Everywhere else, from Alaska to Australia, from Norway to New Zealand, I have encountered them. Ants are an extraordinarily numerous and successful group.
BASEBALL / MLB
Jun 20, 2002

Carp escape from Tigers

Pinch-hitter Hideharu Hyodo hit an RBI double to break a 2-2 tie in the eighth inning Wednesday as the Hiroshima Carp beat the Hanshin Tigers 4-2 at Fukui Stadium to snap a five-game losing streak.
BUSINESS
Jun 20, 2002

Long margin positions up

The balance of long margin positions -- a sensitive indicator of investor sentiment -- rose last week for the fourth straight week.
BUSINESS
Jun 20, 2002

Suzuki wants in on Daewoo successor

Suzuki Motor Corp. is expecting to acquire an equity stake in a company to be established by General Motors Corp. that will take over the operations of bankrupt South Korean firm Daewoo Motor Co., industry sources said Wednesday.
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Jun 20, 2002

How life began: redux

What was the force driving the evolution of life on earth? This question, the answer to which has profound implications for our world view, was neglected for most of the 20th century, not because it was outside science, but because scientists didn't have the technical means to address it. Since the advent...
BUSINESS / ON THE FRONT LINE
Jun 20, 2002

Tokyo stock prospects peachy

Favorable corporate earnings and economic prospects have not yet been factored into share prices, and price moves on the chart show that the Tokyo stock market has overcorrected itself.
JAPAN
Jun 20, 2002

Panel eyes conscientious waste firms

Industrial waste companies should be taxed at the local level as a way to curb unlawful dumping, an Environment Ministry panel recommended Wednesday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Jun 20, 2002

Timing seems to be right for Lions import Evans

Not every American in this part of the world was celebrating Monday afternoon when the United States upset Mexico 2-0 in the World Cup.
JAPAN
Jun 20, 2002

Diet session to continue until July 31

The House of Representatives decided Wednesday to extend the current 150-day Diet session by 42 days to July 31 to give the ruling bloc more time to pass key bills.
COMMENTARY / WASHINGTON UPDATE
Jun 20, 2002

Politics of homeland security

WASHINGTON -- The specter of terrorism that has hung over America since Sept. 11 has created an enormous public demand for security. Homeland security has become a massive governmental program, a political issue, a growth industry, a rationale for all sorts of governmental spending and constitutional...
BUSINESS
Jun 20, 2002

Financial giant announces punishment for its top staff

Financial giant Mizuho Holdings Inc. on Wednesday officially announced punitive measures for 117 senior employees responsible for the massive computer glitches that marred the April launch of two new banks under the banking group.
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 20, 2002

One blunder and it's all over for Japan

RIFU, Miyagi Pref. -- A single goal put an end to Japan's World Cup campaign but the way it was conceded is likely to haunt the cohost for a long time.
LIFE / Digital / NAME OF THE GAME
Jun 20, 2002

'Morrowind' ups RPG ante

"Elders Scrolls III: Morrowind" is a role-playing game (RPG) for PC and Xbox in which players roam a seemingly endless countryside enlisting in minor quests as they fulfill a greater destiny.
COMMENTARY
Jun 19, 2002

Key South Asia concern being ignored

HONOLULU -- Senior American envoys like Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage deserve praise for their seemingly successful efforts to move India and Pakistan back from the brink of war once again. As history has brutally demonstrated, even a conventional armed...
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 19, 2002

Japan out as Koreans stun Italy

MIYAGI -- Cohost Japan's 2002 World Cup run ended Tuesday with a disappointing 1-0 loss to a stubborn Turkish side in a Round of 16 game at Miyagi Stadium, but South Korea pulled off a stunning 2-1 upset over Italy in Taejon to advance to the quarterfinals where it faces Spain.
MORE SPORTS
Jun 19, 2002

Kitajima picked for Asian Games

Kosuke Kitajima and Tomoko Hagiwara were among the swimmers named Monday by the Japan Swimming Federation (JSF) as representatives for the Pan Pacific championships and the Asian Games.
JAPAN
Jun 19, 2002

Rural areas boast higher employment for women in 30s

Women in their 30s who live in rural prefectures are more likely to have jobs than their counterparts in metropolitan areas, according to a government white paper on gender equality released Tuesday.
EDITORIALS
Jun 19, 2002

More revenue for local governments

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is seeking tax reform to revive economic vitality, but he wants to limit tax cuts to the extent that they do not exacerbate the budget crisis. In other words, he is opposed to stimulating the economy at the expense of fiscal discipline. So no major tax cuts are planned...
JAPAN
Jun 19, 2002

Milk sales may be sour but yogurt's on a roll

Yogurt is enjoying brisk sales as makers and the media tout its efficacy as a health and beauty food, despite the sluggishness in business surrounding milk products, according to market sources.
JAPAN
Jun 19, 2002

JAS pilots decide to call off strike

The Japan Air System pilots union called off a strike that had been set to start Tuesday morning.
JAPAN
Jun 19, 2002

Youth sex on rise, as are serious infections

Sex education expert Atsuko Yoshida is alarmed by the increasingly decadent lifestyle of youth that has made them more susceptible than ever to sexually transmitted infections.
BASEBALL / MLB
Jun 19, 2002

Swallows move up

Atsuya Furuta singled home the go-ahead run in the seventh inning and the Yakult Swallows regained third place in the Central League standings Tuesday with a 4-3 win over the Chunichi Dragons at the Nagoya Dome.
JAPAN
Jun 19, 2002

Hiranuma repents for comments on Botswana rating

Takeo Hiranuma, head of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, apologized Tuesday for earlier stating that Japan's sovereign bonds are improperly rated because they are ranked below those of Botswana, where a large portion of the population has AIDS.
JAPAN
Jun 19, 2002

Computer exec held in subsidy scam

OSAKA — The president of an Osaka computer software developer was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of illegally receiving 160 million yen in government subsidies aimed at encouraging information technology research and development.
BUSINESS
Jun 19, 2002

Mizuho president to take 50% pay cut

Terunobu Maeda, president of Mizuho Holdings Inc., plans to take a 50 percent pay cut over a six-month period to take responsibility for the computer fiasco that threw the group's operations into chaos during its April relaunch, informed sources said Tuesday.

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