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BUSINESS
Jan 6, 2002

Chubu Bank seeks an ally after probe

The Financial Services Agency has urged Chubu Bank to boost its depleted capital and improve operations, prompting the second-tier regional bank to begin support talks with a company, banking industry sources said Saturday.
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jan 6, 2002

Oh, what will they think of next?

It's never a good idea to start a new year by looking over your shoulder. But there's no harm in saluting the trends that have emerged over the past 12 months, especially if they represent a significant slippage in the gourmet zeitgeist. After all, yesterday's dabblings by the food fashionistas become...
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 5, 2002

South Asian drumbeats of war

NEW DELHI -- Exactly one week after a terrorist attack on India's Parliament that left over a dozen people dead, I visited a senior lawmaker in that building. The atmosphere was as heavy with anger and determination as shock and trauma. Preparations for war were obvious everywhere, including troop movements...
EDITORIALS
Jan 5, 2002

Flicker of peace in a unipolar world

Uncertainty envelopes the world as it moves into the second year of the 21st century. U.S. President George W. Bush, who launched a "new war" against international terrorism after Sept. 11, is resolved to carry on the campaign in 2002. It is ironic that the end of the Cold War -- which supposedly marked...
COMMENTARY / World / GUEST FORUM
Jan 5, 2002

Writing: A craft that anyone can learn

"Speeches are not magic. A speech is essentially a combination of information and opinion written on paper and spoken. If you can have a thoughtful conversation, you can probably write and give a thoughtful speech."
JAPAN
Jan 5, 2002

New society to study posttraumatic stress

Japanese researchers said Friday they will establish an academic society in March to examine and combat posttraumatic stress disorder.
JAPAN
Jan 5, 2002

Foreign workers in Japan rise for ninth straight year

The number of foreign workers in Japan totaled 221,807 as of June 1, up 7.1 percent from a year earlier, according to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry.
SUMO
Jan 5, 2002

Miyabiyama pulls out of basho

Sekiwake Miyabiyama will sit out the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament after failing to recover from a shoulder injury, preventing a possible return to the second-highest rank of ozeki, his stable master said Friday.
JAPAN
Jan 5, 2002

Yamanote adds English and standing room

Come April, Tokyo's Yamanote Line will be kinder to English-speaking foreign passengers.
JAPAN
Jan 5, 2002

54 people killed in holiday traffic accidents

The National Police Agency said Friday that 54 people died in traffic accidents during the Jan. 1-3 New Year's holidays, up by seven from the same period last year.
JAPAN
Jan 5, 2002

JET Program doing its job but in need of reform: expert

The Japan Exchange and Teaching Program has improved English education in Japan and has promoted mutual cultural understanding between Japanese and people from other countries since its inception in 1987, according to the chairman of the program's evaluation committee.
JAPAN
Jan 5, 2002

Theater eyes alliance with Globe

The nation's oldest Kabuki theater in the town of Kotohira, Kagawa Prefecture, is working to forge an alliance with Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London, according to Kotohira Mayor Masaomi Yamashita.
BUSINESS
Jan 5, 2002

New blue-chip index planned

The over-the-counter stock market plans to create a new index of blue-chip issues in April to attract more investors to the market.
BUSINESS
Jan 5, 2002

Mazda lets buyers fine-tune Roadster

If you are a fan of Mazda Motor Corp.'s Roadster, shopping for your next new car might be a little different than what you expect.
BUSINESS
Jan 5, 2002

Chuo Mitsui logs bad-loans criteria

Chuo Mitsui Trust & Banking Co. has adopted interest rate-based criteria to clarify the definition of problem loans.
JAPAN
Jan 5, 2002

Politicians' assets average 46 million yen

Members of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly possess assets worth 45.86 million yen on average, down 45 percent from four years ago, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government said Friday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jan 5, 2002

13 another lucky number for 'surimono' albums

David Bull is as insistent as he is stubborn. No sooner has he sat me down beside his workbench (the only warm room in the house), with younger daughter Fumi (16) creating a Web page on the computer on top of the "kotatsu," then he is demanding how much I know about "hanga" (woodblock prints).
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jan 5, 2002

The trucks and bolts of perfect massage

Anyone who has spent some time in Asia has become familiar with massage. You can get all kinds of massage here: Japanese "shiatsu," Chinese foot massage, Thai, Vietnamese and even Swedish massage. But all the different methods can be confusing. Let me set it straight for you.
BUSINESS
Jan 5, 2002

Yoshimoto hopes to give Chinese TV comic relief

OSAKA -- Yoshimoto Kogyo Co., a major Osaka-based entertainment company, plans to enter the comedy entertainment business in China, the president of the company said Friday.
JAPAN
Jan 5, 2002

20 treated at hospitals for choking on 'mochi'

Twenty people in Tokyo, mostly elderly, received treatment at hospitals this week after choking on traditional "mochi" rice cakes, the Tokyo Fire Department said Friday.
JAPAN
Jan 5, 2002

More to laser surgery than meets the eye

Corneal laser surgery may be a sight for sore eyes for people suffering from nearsightedness or those just tired of wearing glasses, but experts warn that people considering the increasingly popular operation need to be well-informed about the procedure and its possible results before going under the...
BUSINESS
Jan 5, 2002

Telecom body predicts 3% annual growth through 2006

The value of domestic sales and exports of telecommunications equipment and devices is expected to grow by an average 3.3 percent annually over the next five years, the Communication Industry Association of Japan said in a recently released report.
JAPAN
Jan 5, 2002

Health law designed to cut 'lifestyle illnesses'

The health ministry plans to draft a law to make local governments design health promotion plans to prevent diseases related to smoking and other vices, ministry officials said Friday.
JAPAN
Jan 5, 2002

TSE has positive start

The Tokyo Stock Exchange kicked off 2002 on an upbeat note Friday, with share prices forging ahead along a broad front during the half-day session.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Jan 5, 2002

Hiroshi Ito

When he was a merry little boy in Seijo in the '50s, Hiroshi Ito disliked having to practice playing the piano. As often as he could, he escaped to play outdoors with his friends. When he advanced to Meiji University, however, with the aid of an instruction book he taught himself to play the banjo. Once...

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