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JAPAN
May 24, 2002

Pesticide found in spinach at Jonathan's restaurants

Illegally high levels of pesticide residue have been found in frozen spinach imported from China and used by the Jonathan's restaurant chain, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government announced Thursday.
BUSINESS
May 24, 2002

April trade surplus climbs on exports to Asia

Japan's customs-cleared trade surplus was 836.7 billion yen in April, up 26.6 percent from a year earlier and marking its second consecutive month of growth, due primarily to brisk exports to other parts of Asia, the Finance Ministry said in a preliminary report released Thursday.
BUSINESS
May 24, 2002

Gas prices rise on steeper crude

The average retail gasoline price was 100 yen per liter as of May 10, up 2 yen from a month earlier, according to a survey released Thursday by the Oil Information Center.
BUSINESS
May 24, 2002

Nippon Steel loses 28.4 billion yen

Nippon Steel Corp. said Thursday it posted a group net loss of 28.4 billion yen in the year to March 31, hit mainly by valuation losses on its securities holdings.
BUSINESS
May 24, 2002

Seiyu shareholders go for Wal-Mart deal

Shareholders of Seiyu Ltd. approved the retailer's plan to come under the wing of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. of the United States, allowing the world's largest retailer to take a stake of up to 66.7 percent in Seiyu.
SOCCER / World cup
May 24, 2002

Cup tickets should be here by Saturday

The 150,000 undelivered World Cup tickets will be arriving in Japan by Saturday and the handing-out of tickets to purchasers at the venue on match day will hopefully only be limited to the games on June 1, the Japanese World Cup Organizing Committee said Wednesday in Tokyo.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
May 24, 2002

Wolf spider

* Japanese name: Komori-gumo * Scientific name: Pardosa astigera * Description: Wolf spiders are dark brown, predatory and fast-moving spiders measuring 7-10 mm long. Females may continue to grow after they are sexually mature. They do not spin webs like many spiders. They have eight eyes, in pairs:...
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
May 24, 2002

We dig chimp culture

Most of what we know about ancient cultures comes from what they've left behind. Archaeology tells us, for example, about daily life in England before the Romans came and put an end to bad sanitation, and about intellectual life in Europe before the Dark Ages put an end to learning. We even know that...
BUSINESS
May 24, 2002

BOJ chief backs yen-selling intervention

Bank of Japan Gov. Masaru Hayami on Thursday endorsed Japan's yen-selling intervention the day before, which was aimed at moderating market exuberance.
JAPAN
May 24, 2002

Kyodo News agency picks new board

Kyodo News selected a new board of directors Thursday and reappointed Ichiro Saita as president, ushering in his third term at the post he assumed in June 1998.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / JET STREAM
May 24, 2002

Off home in a blaze of space, light and shadow

For the past three years, the painter Beau Bernstein has lived a quiet and contemplative life in Kyoto. That is not to say he hasn't been busy. When the native New Yorker closes his Kyoto studio in July and returns to Manhattan, he'll take back with him an impressive new series of oil paintings.
BUSINESS
May 24, 2002

Issue more bonds, forget promise: Aso

The government should issue additional bonds to finance possible tax cuts, even if the move would bring bond flotation above the 30 trillion yen ceiling set by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, the top policymaker of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party said Thursday.
JAPAN
May 24, 2002

Cops nab nine with wiretappping law

By using a wiretapping law for the first time since it entered into force in 2000, the Metropolitan Police Department has arrested nine suspects and put another on a wanted list in a drug case, the MPD said Thursday.
BUSINESS
May 24, 2002

World Cup slows Sky Perfect losses

Sky Perfect Communications Inc. said Thursday it posted a group pretax loss of 11.9 billion yen in the year to March 31, making headway against its 24.34 billion yen loss the previous year, due to an increasing number of subscribers and lower cancellation rates.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 24, 2002

Snow Brand Milk posts 71.74 billion yen net loss

Struggling Snow Brand Milk Products Co. said Thursday it posted a group net loss of 71.74 billion yen for the 2001 business year, 35 percent worse than the year before, due to plunging sales in the wake of a food mislabeling scandal at its meat packing subsidiary.
BASEBALL / MLB
May 24, 2002

Tigers pound Giants

Hidemitsu Saito, George Arias and Shinjiro Hiyama each drove in two runs and the Hanshin Tigers salvaged the last game of a three-game series against the Yomiuri Giants with a 11-4 win on Thursday.
BUSINESS / ON THE FRONT LINE
May 24, 2002

Yen under upward pressure

The yen has come under severe upward pressure, prompting Japanese monetary authorities to step in to keep it from rising further.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 24, 2002

Shenyang puts spotlight on refugee policy

While mystery continues to shroud the May 8 incident at the Japanese Consulate General in the Chinese city of Shenyang, in which police entered the compound and seized five North Korean asylum seekers, the spotlight has fallen again on Japan's reluctance to accept refugees.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 24, 2002

Japanese women staying in touch with their inner virgin

What with the rise of the strong and professional Japanese woman, it may have escaped your notice. But the nation is currently undergoing a quiet boom in otome (innocent young girl) culture, to which a large number of aforementioned strong professionals are addicted.
SOCCER / World cup
May 23, 2002

JAWOC takes measures to solve ticket crisis

The Japanese World Cup Organizing Committee on Tuesday formed a department within its organization to deal with the current delay in delivery of World Cup tickets.
SUMO
May 23, 2002

Musashimaru extends summer basho lead

Yokozuna Musashimaru ushered out komusubi Tochinonada with the conviction of a grand champion Wednesday as the lone undefeated wrestler opened up a two-win lead with only four days remaining in the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament.
COMMENTARY / World
May 23, 2002

Don't sweat three warships

During the Persian Gulf War, I wrote that "average Americans would think friendlier and more respectful thoughts about Japan if it were able to contribute soldiers -- standing side by side with Americans in the sands of Arabia -- than if it contributes a billion or more dollars." Now, Japanese sailors...
COMMENTARY
May 23, 2002

U.S. idiosyncrasies on Cuba, free trade

LOS ANGELES -- Undoubtedly, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter's red-carpet reception in Cuba rubbed President George W. Bush the wrong way.

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