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BUSINESS
May 9, 2002

DoCoMo profits vanish into writeoffs

After years of spectacular growth, NTT DoCoMo Inc. on Wednesday said group net profits in fiscal 2001 plunged 99.8 percent to 862 million yen due to losses on strategic foreign investments.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 9, 2002

Prices keep Electronic Toll Collection system from catching on

The Electronic Toll Collection system was introduced in March 2001 amid great expectations that it would ease the notorious traffic jams on Japan's expressways as it allows vehicles equipped with a transponder to pass through toll gates without having to stop to pay.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 9, 2002

Man gets life for strangling stock broker in '96

A 45-year-old man was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison for the 1996 murder in Yamanashi Prefecture of a Tokyo stock broker who had been his partner in a stock-fraud scheme.
COMMENTARY / WASHINGTON UPDATE
May 9, 2002

Bush policies drawing fire from both left and right

WASHINGTON -- When George H.W. Bush was U.S. president, George W. Bush considered himself a disciplinarian, protecting his dad from sniping from the right. He worried about the weakening of his father's political position as his support from conservative Republicans eroded.
JAPAN
May 9, 2002

Law slow to ease bite of small business failures

The immediate goal of lawyer Toshi Yoshinari is to keep his clients from getting a divorce.
BUSINESS
May 9, 2002

U.S. steel faces 100% tariffs

Japan is considering the imposition of "re-balancing tariffs" of 100 percent on steel imports from the United States as a countermeasure against U.S. import curbs on steel products, a senior trade official said Wednesday.
BUSINESS / ON THE FRONT LINE
May 9, 2002

Dollar drops, rebound remains in question

The gap between Japanese and U.S. economic fundamentals has long been a major factor behind the dollar's strong showing.
BUSINESS
May 9, 2002

U.S. presses for cross-border share swaps

The United States on Wednesday asked Japan to improve its environment for foreign direct investment by letting companies carry out cross-border stock exchanges for mergers and acquisitions.
BUSINESS
May 9, 2002

FSA, BOJ start Mizuho inspections

The Financial Services Agency and the Bank of Japan started on-site inspections at two Mizuho Financial Group banks Wednesday.
BUSINESS
May 9, 2002

Uproar greets plans for Hong Kong's new showcase

HONG KONG The Hong Kong government has just unveiled plans for a new multibillion-dollar headquarters on a prime site right on the central harbor front -- and has immediately run into arguments and accusations of building an expensive folie de grandeur. Unnecessary, potentially an expensive eyesore,...
MORE SPORTS
May 9, 2002

Tamura considering surgery

Five-time world champion Ryoko Tamura is looking into having surgery on her right knee and right elbow, the head of the Japanese women's national team revealed Tuesday.
BASEBALL / MLB
May 9, 2002

Half-Japanese Dodger making name in L.A.

CHICAGO -- Want to stump your know-it-all boss or neighbor with a good baseball question?
BUSINESS
May 9, 2002

Sales of imported car sales expand 3.4%

Sales of imported cars in Japan rose 3.4 percent in April compared to the same month the previous year.
BUSINESS
May 9, 2002

Foreign ownership of NTV at 18.27%

Foreign ownership of Nippon Television Network Corp. stood at 18.27 percent as of March 31, up slightly from 18.26 percent as of Sept. 30, NTV said Wednesday.
COMMENTARY
May 9, 2002

EU not growing anti-Semitic

LONDON -- The Jewish lobby and the religious right in the United States have described European critics of the policies of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and his government as anti-Semitic. Such comments reveal a woeful ignorance of Europe and the real issues in the Middle East. They also tend to...
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
May 9, 2002

Sons light up mum's life, but also take years off it

All sons know that we get more flak than daughters. Does "You've taken years off my life" or "Why can't you be more like your sister?" sound familiar?
BUSINESS
May 9, 2002

Toshiba, Samsung unite DRAMs

Toshiba Corp. and Samsung Electronics Co. said Wednesday they have agreed to use a common interface specification to produce dynamic random access memory chips for business-use, high-speed network applications.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
May 9, 2002

Welcome to a new page, welcome to a new column

Welcome to a brand new new weekly column that will provide a forum for readers to help one another, and for myself and Ken Joseph, of Japan Helpline, to help you. We will be printing your letters, offering personal input and bringing in experts on a regular basis to help answer your queries on living...
BUSINESS
May 9, 2002

Foreigners stayed net buyers last week

Foreign investors remained net buyers of Japanese stocks for the second straight week last week.
JAPAN
May 9, 2002

Survey says late-night pediatric care lacking

The nation suffers a lack of facilities that provide emergency pediatric care after midnight or on holidays, according to a health ministry survey.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / GARDENS FOR ALL
May 9, 2002

Prime greenery in the making

Lying between Kyoto and Nara, Uji City straddles the Uji River, a tributary of the Yodogawa. This same river also drains Lake Biwa, Japan's largest freshwater lake, though upstream -- where it passes through Shiga Prefecture -- its name is Etagawa.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 9, 2002

Emperor presents 18 spring awards

Emperor Akihito on Wednesday presented 18 people with spring awards in a ceremony at the Imperial Palace.
BUSINESS
May 9, 2002

Extraordinary losses keep Shiseido in the red

Shiseido Co., the nation's largest cosmetics maker, said Wednesday it remained in the red in the 2001 business year due to appraisal losses on its shareholdings and other extraordinary losses stemming from product recalls.
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
May 9, 2002

Crafting public opinion to fit fisheries policy

Kind and gentle reader, I have a confession to make that may shock you. It is necessary to tell you this because, unlike many politicians and bureaucrats, I believe truth and transparency are essential. So here it is: I have eaten whale.
COMMUNITY
May 9, 2002

Zeitgist

The foreigner needs only two words to bridge the language gap in Japan, says Matt Shea.
JAPAN
May 9, 2002

McDonald's joins stampede toward personalized marketing

Ltd. revealed its plans to launch a new e-shopping venture targeting users of cellular phones and personal computers. While the e-business entry by the fast-food giant underscores the huge potential of the sector, some experts believe consumers need to be aware that greater convenience carries with it...
JAPAN
May 9, 2002

Rugby player, TV Asahi reach rape-report settlement

A former amateur rugby player has reached a settlement with TV Asahi over its coverage of a rape allegation against him, according to the plaintiff's lawyers.
BUSINESS
May 9, 2002

Nippon Life hopes to raise funds from individual investors

Nippon Life Insurance Co. plans to bolster its foundation fund, the equivalent of a stock company's capital, by 150 billion yen by August via a securitization plan it hopes will attract individual investors, informed sources said Wednesday.

Longform

Figure skater Akiko Suzuki was once told her ideal weight should be 47 kilograms, a number she now admits she “naively believed.” This led to her have a relationship with food that resulted in her suffering from anorexia.
The silent battle Japanese athletes fight with weight