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Japan Times
BUSINESS / INTERNATIONAL RATIONALE
Apr 11, 2002

Domestic, foreign insurers engaged in turf war

The deregulation of Japan's insurance sector last year has set domestic and foreign-affiliated companies squarely against each other in the cancer and medical insurance battlefield.
JAPAN
Apr 11, 2002

Online music service to shut down

The Tokyo District Court has ordered an online music file-swapping service to shut down. It is the first legal decision in Japan against such a service, which record companies claim infringe on copyrights.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / GARDENS FOR ALL
Apr 11, 2002

Trip through time at Tokyo's verdant royal hub

The Imperial Palace grounds are, without doubt, Tokyo's green heart. Located inside a 6.4-km ring of walls and moats that were once the inner defensive perimeter of Edo Castle, this verdant oasis now covers 115 hectares in all, with evergreen woodlands overlooking the moats and creating a very special...
JAPAN
Apr 11, 2002

Man sentenced to 15 years for random murder

OSAKA -- A 25-year-old man was sentenced Wednesday to 15 years in prison for the random slaying of a corporate executive in March 2000.
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Apr 11, 2002

Queen of the underworld

One of the most unusual, bizarre-looking and fascinating animals known to science is found in the arid earth of sub-Saharan Africa. It lives in subterranean colonies, with a single breeding queen. It has a worker caste that takes care of the young animals and soldiers that defend the colony: It is "eusocial"...
SOCCER / World cup
Apr 11, 2002

Troussier sticks with Shunsuke

Japan manager Philippe Troussier retained Yokohama F. Marinos midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura in his squad for next Wednesday's friendly international against Costa Rica and also brought back left-sided midfielder/defender Toshihiro Hattori.
BUSINESS
Apr 11, 2002

LDP panel backs down from postal privatization plan

An LDP panel on postal deregulation agreed Wednesday to prioritize a bill that would authorize a public entity to take over government-run postal services and focus less on a bill to allow private firms to offer mail services.
JAPAN
Apr 11, 2002

Tokyu Agency to pay 840 million yen over tax evasion

Major advertising agency Tokyu Agency Inc. failed to declare 1.03 billion yen in income for the five years to March 2001 and must pay 840 million yen in additional taxes and penalties, industry sources said Wednesday.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Apr 11, 2002

NGOs and odd bedfellows point the way

Back in the 1960s, plastics were the future. As a result, a significant part of that future will be spent cleaning up after the past. So here is a tip for those of you making plans to help save the Earth: Consider a career in environmental economics. And if you're already working as an environmentalist,...
BUSINESS / ON THE FRONT LINE
Apr 11, 2002

Middle East tensions keep heat on dollar

The dollar remains under downward pressure amid fears over heightened tensions in the Middle East and a runup in crude oil prices.
JAPAN
Apr 11, 2002

IOC president wins praise from U.S. critic

OSAKA -- The head of the U.S. Olympians Association said here Wednesday that he is satisfied with International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge, but added it is still too early to tell whether the IOC will reform itself.
BUSINESS
Apr 11, 2002

BOJ panel likely to leave monetary policy intact

The BOJ Policy Board began a two-day meeting Wednesday amid new signs the nation's long-suffering economy is bottoming out.
BUSINESS
Apr 11, 2002

Shares bought on credit up fourth week in row

The balance of shares bought on credit rose for the fourth straight week last week, reclaiming the 1.2 trillion yen level for the first time in five months.
BUSINESS
Apr 11, 2002

Ito-Yokado to sell Daikuma stake

The Ito-Yokado retail group has agreed to sell its entire equity stake in Daikuma Co. to Yamada Denki Co. and Nomura Principal Finance Co., the ailing retailer announced Wednesday.
LIFE / Digital / NAME OF THE GAME
Apr 11, 2002

Heroes for the hardcore

America's comic book industry, a shrinking business to be sure, may be taking cues from Japan's popular manga.
JAPAN
Apr 11, 2002

Insurer offers marrow donor leave

Sony Life Insurance Co. has become the first life insurer in the nation to establish a system offering special holidays for employees donating bone marrow, officials of the firm said Wednesday.
LIFE / Digital
Apr 11, 2002

End the wait, get really connected

The waiting is over, at least for Internet users tired of herky-jerky Web video, all-night downloads, and pay-by-the-minute dialup access. Broadband has arrived in Japan, and in cities like Tokyo and Osaka we probably enjoy the best, least expensive high-speed Internet access in the world.
BUSINESS
Apr 11, 2002

Big banks to get FSA inspectors

The Financial Services Agency plans to appoint inspectors specializing in each of the nation's 12 major banks to enhance supervision and expedite bad-loan disposals, sources close to the FSA said Wednesday.
SOCCER / World cup
Apr 10, 2002

Hooliganism won't disappear without a fight

Hooliganism won't disappear without a fight
EDITORIALS
Apr 10, 2002

Another casualty of money politics

The resignation from the Diet of Mr. Koichi Kato, former secretary general of the Liberal Democratic Party, is yet another reminder that corruption is deeply embedded in the nation's political system. He made the decision, rightly, to take "social, political and moral responsibility" for the tax evasion...
JAPAN
Apr 10, 2002

Man killed in front of school

A 40-year-old unemployed man beat another man to death with an iron bar Tuesday morning on a street outside a school in Adachi Ward, Tokyo, as students were arriving for classes, police said.
JAPAN
Apr 10, 2002

'Satoyama' key to preservation of rural settlements

The Environment Ministry said Tuesday it will use the term "satoyama" to explain a new biodiversity policy aimed at preserving areas in which residents have coexisted harmoniously with nature.
JAPAN
Apr 10, 2002

Cultural figures oppose defense bills

Some 250 cultural figures, including prizewinning novelist Hisashi Inoue, issued a statement Tuesday expressing their opposition to legislation planned by the government to cover defense emergencies, saying it threatens to turn Japan again into a militaristic nation.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 10, 2002

Africa aid forum searches for solutions

In an attempt to find solutions to Africa's persistent poverty and low economic growth, regional leaders and experts recently met in Tokyo to discuss ways to remedy the continent of its problematic governments.
JAPAN
Apr 10, 2002

World Cup travel fares discounted for foreigners

The transport ministry on Tuesday unveiled special transportation discounts for overseas tourists during the World Cup soccer championships, which start May 31.

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