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JAPAN
Jun 1, 2002

'Spy' ship salvage back on table

The government said Friday it will attempt before the typhoon season to salvage a suspected North Korean spy ship that sank in China's exclusive economic zone in December after a shootout with Japan Coast Guard vessels.
BUSINESS
Jun 1, 2002

Unemployment stays at 5.2% but 270,000 more are jobless

The jobless rate stood at 5.2 percent in April, unchanged from a month earlier, but the number of unemployed actually increased 270,000 to 3.75 million, according to preliminary figures released Friday by the Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications Ministry.
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 1, 2002

My World Cup Memories

I played in the 1978 and 1982 tournaments but couldn't make it in 1986 because of an injury, although I played in all the qualifiers.
JAPAN
Jun 1, 2002

16 Britons denied entry in lead up to World Cup

Since late April, Japanese immigration authorities have turned away 16 Britons in the lead up to the World Cup soccer finals, which began Friday in Seoul, according to a British police officer.
BUSINESS
Jun 1, 2002

Tokyo CPI falls 32nd straight month

Key consumer prices in Tokyo fell 1.1 percent in May from a year earlier for a record 32nd straight month of decline, the government said Friday in a preliminary report.
EDITORIALS
Jun 1, 2002

In defense of privacy

The Defense Agency is at the center of a privacy scandal. An information officer of the Maritime Self-Defense Force is said to have prepared a sensitive list of personal data, with defamatory footnotes, about people who had requested information from the agency under the Freedom of Information Law. The...
COMMENTARY
Jun 1, 2002

Crisis threatens Pakistan's recent gains

ISLAMABAD -- The regime of Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf is eager to find a way out of the military standoff with India, knowing full well that a war between the two nuclear-armed neighbors could easily erase the few gains the country has made in the past six months.
COMMENTARY / World
May 31, 2002

Measuring China's pulse online

The spread of the Internet in China is turning out to be a boon for China watchers in Japan. The Web now serves as an outlet for news not found in newspapers or on television but that can be deemed important and valuable. It also offers an opportunity to learn about the real feelings Chinese people have...
COMMENTARY
May 31, 2002

Closer cooperation benefits all

HONOLULU -- The scheduled appearance of Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Chinese President Jiang Zemin alongside South Korean President Kim Dae Jung at the opening ceremonies of the 2002 World Cup in Seoul later this month symbolizes much more than mere cooperation on the field of athletic...
SUMO
May 31, 2002

Kabutoyama stable shuts doors

The Kabutoyama stable folded Wednesday with the announcement of the retirement of the stable's three sumo wrestlers and the pending retirement of sumo elder Kabutoyama.
EDITORIALS
May 31, 2002

At last, the World Cup

Maybe it is because it rolls around just once every four years. Maybe it is because it is played by more people, in more countries, than any other sport. Maybe it is because it promises, and usually delivers, moments of magnificent drama --all the more stirring for the long stretches of tedium before...
JAPAN
May 31, 2002

Residents win damages for base noise

The Tokyo District Court on Thursday ordered the government to pay some 2.4 billion yen in damages to 4,763 residents near the U.S. Yokota Air Base, west of Tokyo, for noise pollution caused by U.S. military aircraft.
JAPAN
May 31, 2002

Building fire near Yoyogi Station halts JR trains

Tokyo's Yamanote Line was halted for more than four hours Thursday evening after a fire broke out in a building near JR Yoyogi Station, the Tokyo Fire Department and East Japan Railway Co. said.
COMMENTARY / World
May 31, 2002

The World Cup: more than just a game

"Si, Senor, It's War" read the headline in an English newspaper a few days before the national team of England and Argentina met in their semifinal soccer game during the World Cup in Mexico in 1986. The headline was an exaggeration, of course. It was just a game. Yet, the Falklands War was fresh in...
BUSINESS / ON THE FRONT LINE
May 31, 2002

All signs point to 13,000

In a rare development in recent months, the daily turnover on the Tokyo Stock Exchange's first section topped 1 trillion yen on May 17 and stayed above this level on four of five trading days last week.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CUP COUNTDOWN
May 31, 2002

Hooligan phobia triggers siege mentality

KAWAGUCHI, Saitama Pref. -- Soccer fans hoping to stop for a cup of coffee on their way to or from World Cup games at Saitama Stadium won't be able to do so at Katsura cafe here. Whenever matches are being played -- and hooligans might be in the area -- the cafe will be closed.
BUSINESS
May 31, 2002

Lower House takes up postal bills

The House of Representatives Committee on Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications opened debate Thursday over a set of four postal services deregulation bills.
BUSINESS
May 31, 2002

Hakuhodo eyes TSE listing in fall

Toshio Miyagawa, president of advertising agency Hakuhodo Inc., said Thursday his company hopes to list on the first section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange in the fall. "Our aim to be listed next fall remains unchanged," Miyagawa told reporters during a briefing on Hakuhodo's earnings reports for fiscal...
LIFE / Language / THE PARENT TRIP
May 31, 2002

Footloose in 'Holland'

Sue stared intently from across the sandbox and asked, "Have you ever heard of Asperger's Syndrome?"
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
May 31, 2002

Black soldier fly

* Japanese name: Amerika mizuabu * Scientific name: Hermetia illucens * Description: Black soldier flies look a bit like wasps, but they have no sting and are not interested in humans -- at least while we are alive. They are robust black flies about 15 mm long, with wings that lay over the body when...
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 31, 2002

Ex-DJ spins Japan-China differences

The biggest problem between Japan and China is their lack of mutual understanding -- due largely to prejudice and ignorance, said Akiko Aoki, a former host for China Radio International, the sole Chinese national radio station broadcasting programs overseas.
BUSINESS
May 31, 2002

Aid-policy coordination to help fight terror

Japan and the United States will expand cooperation in the U.S.-led campaign against terrorism to include closer aid-policy coordination for Afghanistan and other strategically important countries, government sources said Thursday.
BUSINESS
May 31, 2002

'Shinkin' banks get national network back online

The nationwide online network for "shinkin" credit, savings and loans banks resumed normal operations at 8 a.m. Thursday after a computer problem that crippled the system the previous day was fixed, a shinkin bank information center said.
BASEBALL / MLB
May 31, 2002

Arias powers Tigers past Swallows in 10

With the bases loaded in the bottom of the 10th inning, Hanshin's George Arias drove in the game-ending run with a single down the third-base line, giving the Tigers a 3-2 "sayonara" win over the Yokohama BayStars at Koshien Stadium on Thursday.
JAPAN
May 31, 2002

Students bringing soccer to Afghan kids

A Tokyo student group hopes to use the World Cup to cheer up kids in Afghanistan.
JAPAN
May 31, 2002

Ministry to reprimand top prosecutor over underling's gangland dealings

The Justice Ministry decided Thursday to reprimand the public prosecutor general over a bribery and fraud scandal involving a former senior official of the Osaka High Public Prosecutor's Office, Justice Minister Mayumi Moriyama said.
JAPAN
May 31, 2002

Prosecutors seek prison for Nakao

Prosecutors on Thursday sought a 3 1/2-year prison term for former construction minister Eiichi Nakao, claiming he took 60 million yen in bribes from Wakachiku Construction Co. while he was a Cabinet member in 1996.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CLOSE NEIGHBORS
May 31, 2002

Tourism offers one path to better understanding

The pamphlets lined up at tourist centers scream, "Experience the real Korean-style aesthetic treatment and make your skin smooth!" "Spend three full days in Seoul sightseeing and shopping!"

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