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JAPAN
Jan 19, 2002

Bigger role sought for paramedics

The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry will discuss expanding the role of emergency medical technicians, amid mounting concerns over their limited capabilities under current regulations, ministry officials said Friday.
BUSINESS / ON THE FRONT LINE
Jan 19, 2002

Policy likely to see yen in 130-137 range

Government officials have begun toning down their remarks favoring a weak yen.
BUSINESS
Jan 19, 2002

November industrial output revised downward 1.7%

The nation's industrial production in November fell by a seasonally adjusted 1.7 percent from a month earlier, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said Friday.
BUSINESS
Jan 19, 2002

MMFs get new management and marketing rules

The Investment Trust Association of Japan unveiled on Friday new rules for management and marketing of money management funds to help ensure the integrity of the funds and promote their disclosure standards.
JAPAN
Jan 19, 2002

'99 Ikebukuro rampage lands man on death row

A 26-year-old former newspaper delivery man was sentenced to death Friday for stabbing and clubbing two people to death and injuring six others in 1999 on a street in Tokyo's Ikebukuro district.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jan 19, 2002

By changing our thinking we can change the world

I make no apology for introducing Azzah a second time around, even though I made a ideological promise 15 years ago never to repeat an interview. As someone who has benefited enormously from her help (i.e. loosened up, become more flexible), I believe everyone should have the chance to experience her...
SUMO
Jan 19, 2002

Trio remain unbeaten

Sekiwake Kotomitsuki had to test his mettle against komusubi Wakanosato to remain perfect Friday while ozeki Chiyotaikai had no problem storming out second-ranked Toki at the New Grand Sumo Tournament.
BUSINESS
Jan 19, 2002

Broadcasters team up for Net deal

Three commercial TV broadcasters said Friday they have set up a joint company to distribute their programs via broadband Internet networks in cooperation with the Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. group.
BUSINESS
Jan 19, 2002

Daiwa trust unit obtains FSA license

Daiwa Bank announced Friday that its trust banking unit has obtained a formal license from the Financial Services Agency.
SOCCER / J. League
Jan 19, 2002

Nishizawa re-signs

OSAKA -- Japan striker Akinori Nishizawa, who was on a 10-month loan with English Premier League side Bolton Wanderers, has re-signed a one-year contract with the relegated J. League side Cerezo Osaka, club officials said Thursday.
JAPAN
Jan 19, 2002

Seven die of infection caught in hospital

Seven patients have died and several more have been made ill at a hospital in Setagaya Ward, Tokyo, from what is believed to be an infection spread within the facility, the institution said Friday.
BUSINESS
Jan 19, 2002

Daiei bailout calls for slashing 6,000 jobs

Limping retailer Daiei Inc. announced Friday the outline of a new three-year restructuring plan that includes cutting 6,000 jobs, closing 50 unprofitable stores and asking its main banks for a 420 billion yen bailout.
BUSINESS
Jan 19, 2002

End of deflation expected in '03

Japan will see the end of deflation and achieve slight positive growth in fiscal 2003, when the government's structural reform programs and the Bank of Japan's credit-easing steps begin to take effect, a key government panel said Friday.
BUSINESS
Jan 19, 2002

State expects flat growth in fiscal 2002: Shiokawa

Finance Minister Masajuro Shiokawa said Friday he expects flat economic growth in fiscal 2002, a slight improvement from the estimated 0.1 percent contraction for fiscal 2001.
JAPAN
Jan 19, 2002

Japan's first railway station to be rebuilt

East Japan Railway Co. said Friday an affiliated body of the railway operator will restore the nation's first railway station, which dates back to 1872, in the Shinbashi district of Minato Ward, Tokyo, in spring 2003.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Jan 19, 2002

Paul Lucas

His potted biography as it appeared last year in a theater program reads: "Paul Lucas has been eight years in Tokyo, doing all this 'drama stuff.' A Seattle native, and consequently a Starbuck's addict, Paul has been 'doing' Tokyo's Starbuck's a lot lately to learn his lines. Once in a while his portable...
COMMENTARY
Jan 19, 2002

No, to answer Iraqi question

WASHINGTON -- With the conflict in Afghanistan drawing to a close, the question arises: where next? Iraq is a tempting target, but the U.S. and its allies should focus on eradicating what remains of the al-Qaeda terrorist network.
BUSINESS
Jan 19, 2002

Ban on U.S. chicken partially eased

The farm ministry said Friday it will authorize imports of U.S. chicken processed before Nov. 11, easing a ban imposed after the breakout of avian influenza in the United States.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jan 19, 2002

Who am I?

Traveler A: For my winter vacation, I tried to join the "Around the World in 60 Minutes" campaign tour but lost the lottery. So I booked a different package tour: five days and three nights in Thailand and Cambodia. The package included airfare, hotel and some meals.
BUSINESS
Jan 19, 2002

Insurance body vice chief steps down

The Life Insurance Association of Japan said Friday its board accepted a proposal to replace vice chief Yuzuru Fujita, president of Asahi Mutual Life Insurance Co., with Shinichi Yokoyama, president of Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. Fujita is leaving because he wants to focus all his energy into efforts...
OLYMPICS
Jan 18, 2002

JOC to send 218-member team

said Wednesday it will send 109 athletes and as many officials to next month's Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, cutting back on an earlier plan to send a 224-member delegation. Though still the largest Japanese delegation for a Winter Olympics outside Japan, the number was reduced by six after...
JAPAN
Jan 18, 2002

Ozaki tied to rigged hospital bid

Construction company Kajima Corp. and two political secretaries named in recent scandals competed for work on the same hospital building project in Yamagata Prefecture in the late 1990s, industry sources said Thursday.
EDITORIALS
Jan 18, 2002

Shunto's role being tested

Japan's largest labor and management groups have kicked off their annual round of negotiations, with each side releasing a position paper. Basically the two sides agree that under present circumstances protecting jobs is more important than raising wages. That sounds reasonable enough, given that the...
JAPAN
Jan 18, 2002

Tokyo to spend 5% less during next fiscal year

Reflecting the deepening economic slump, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's draft fiscal 2002 budget, revealed Thursday, marks a 4.8 percent decrease from the initial budget for the current fiscal year, coming to 5.907 trillion yen.
JAPAN
Jan 18, 2002

Postal trio found guilty in illegal campaigning

OSAKA -- The Osaka District Court sentenced three senior postal officials to suspended prison terms Thursday for illegally campaigning for a Liberal Democratic Party candidate in the House of Councilors election in July.
JAPAN
Jan 18, 2002

Powell to meet Tanaka, Koizumi

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, due in Japan for next week's Afghan reconstruction conference, will meet with Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka on Sunday and Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Monday, Japanese officials said Thursday.

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