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JAPAN
Feb 15, 2002

Chongryun figure pleads not guilty to embezzlement

A former senior official of the pro-Pyongyang General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryun) pleaded not guilty in his first court appearance Thursday to charges of embezzling more than 800 million yen.
BUSINESS
Feb 15, 2002

Small companies set for loan repayment boost

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry is planning to relax loan repayment terms for small and midsize companies that took advantage of an expired government guarantee and are now having difficulty paying back the funds, ministry officials said Thursday.
BUSINESS
Feb 15, 2002

Capacity utilization ratio hit record low in 2001

Japan's capacity utilization ratio fell 6.9 percent in 2001 to hit a record-low 92.4, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said Thursday.
SOCCER / World cup
Feb 15, 2002

Injuries hamper Japan

Hampered by injuries, Japan coach Philippe Troussier will call up an additional four to five players for his team's next training camp late this month, the Japan Football Association said Wednesday in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Feb 15, 2002

Militant gets 12 years for '70 hijacking

A former Red Army Faction fugitive was sentenced Thursday to 12 years in prison for his role in the 1970 hijacking of a Japan Airlines jet to Pyongyang.
JAPAN
Feb 15, 2002

Education officials inspect scandal-hit junior college

Officials with the education ministry, including Hiroshi Tsuboi, head of the division on foreign students, conducted inspections Thursday at a scandal-tainted junior college in Sakata, Yamagata Prefecture, ministry officials said.
BUSINESS
Feb 15, 2002

Margin buying still on rise

The balance of shares bought on credit rose for the fifth consecutive week last week as investors continued hunting for bargains.
JAPAN
Feb 15, 2002

Worker spies on NASDA secrets

An employee of a satellite maker illegally accessed a National Space Development Agency computer system and spied on classified data about a rival firm's technology, NASDA officials said Thursday.
JAPAN
Feb 15, 2002

Secret ASDF documents missing; carelessness suspected over foul play

Secret documents on the Air Self-Defense Force's aircraft control and warning radar system have recently disappeared at the Misawa ASDF base in Aomori Prefecture, Defense Agency officials said Thursday.
JAPAN
Feb 15, 2002

Surplus saw first fall in two years in 2001

Japan's current account surplus fell in 2001 for the first time in two years, dropping 12 percent from a year earlier to 11.06 trillion yen, according to preliminary figures released Thursday by the Finance Ministry.
LIFE / Lifestyle / JET STREAM
Feb 15, 2002

Lifting weights and building character

When Feng Ming received the official letter inviting him to come to Japan, he was prepared to say no. It was 1999 and China, the undisputed powerhouse in the weightlifting world, was preparing for the 2000 Sydney Olympics. As a coach at Nanking Athletic University, Ming was training some of the country's...
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Feb 15, 2002

Pilgrims taking the long and winding road to ramen heaven

One mind-boggling feature of Japan's media is its sheer, singleminded dedication to and passionate obsession with food. This especially applies to the genre known as menrui (noodles). From somen and soba to Vietnamese pho and supa (spaghetti), the Japanese have always had an inordinate love for nagai...
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Feb 15, 2002

Greater horseshoe bat

* Japanese name: Kikugashira-koumori * Scientific name: Rhinolophus ferrumequinum * Description: Quite a large bat, the greater horseshoe bat is a buff-brown color, body length 60-80 cm, wing length 60-65 cm. Its distinguishing feature, however, is the complex and grotesque horseshoe-shaped nose that...
BUSINESS
Feb 15, 2002

Investors swap stocks, MMFs for gold

Japanese individual investors are increasingly shying away from financial products with potential risk, especially after the sudden collapse of U.S. energy giant Enron Corp. dealt a severe blow to popular money management funds.
LIFE / Lifestyle / LEARNING BY HEART
Feb 15, 2002

Shitamachi schoolmates still together at 70

What is the secret of lifelong friendships that form in elementary school? I would never have thought to ask myself that question until my father-in-law announced he wouldn't be home for Sunday's family dinner because he was attending a party. Though he put it quite casually, the amazing thing to me...
BUSINESS
Feb 15, 2002

Asahi Mutual Life to deepen cuts

Asahi Mutual Life Insurance Co. will deepen planned pay and staff cuts because a business integration scheme with Tokio Marine & Fire Insurance Co. had to be scrapped in January, company sources said.
BUSINESS
Feb 15, 2002

G7 view of reform plans turns skeptical

Although the weakened yen did not come up for discussion at the latest meeting of finance leaders from the Group of Seven nations, Japan's planned economic measures met with skepticism.
EDITORIALS
Feb 14, 2002

Too clever by half?

The limits of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's strategy to isolate, undermine and eliminate Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat were plainly evident last week. Although recent events have given Israel the upper hand in the struggle against Palestinians and Islamic extremists -- the two...
COMMENTARY
Feb 14, 2002

Forget Marx -- Beijing now looks to U.S.

HONG KONG -- If imitation is the highest form of flattery, Washington should feel highly complimented by Beijing. Over and over, China has shown that America is its role model and that its goal is to be more like the United States.
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Feb 14, 2002

Vinatieri deserved Super Bowl MVP

The sports media blew it again last week.
JAPAN
Feb 14, 2002

Sumikura officials held over 'sokaiya' payoffs

Police on Wednesday arrested three senior Sumikura Industrial Co. officials on suspicion of paying 5 million yen to three shareholders to ensure a June 2000 shareholders' meeting was not disrupted by racketeers.
JAPAN
Feb 14, 2002

Court rules for companies on short-term transactions

The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld a lower court ruling that a provision in the Securities Exchange Law under which firms can order major shareholders to return profits earned during short-term stock transactions is constitutional.
JAPAN
Feb 14, 2002

Livestock farmers march on government

Farmers marched on the government for a second day Wednesday in central Tokyo, calling for more efforts to revive beef consumption, which has been crippled by the outbreak of mad cow disease and a beef-labeling fraud by Snow Brand Foods Co.
COMMENTARY
Feb 14, 2002

Force alone can't beat terror

LONDON -- U.S. President George W Bush's State of the Union message to Congress was unequivocal about the need to eradicate terrorists wherever they may be hiding. After the horrific incidents of Sept. 11, Americans and their friends must support policies that will make a repetition of such incidents...
JAPAN
Feb 14, 2002

Ozawa CD reaches No. 2 on charts

A compact disc featuring the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra led by Japanese maestro Seiji Ozawa has jumped to No. 2 on Japan's album charts, according to figures compiled earlier this week.

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