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CULTURE / Film
Dec 26, 2001

When men were men -- and spies were spies

Spy Game Rating: * * * 1/2 Director: Tony Scott Running time: 128 minutes Language: English Now showing
COMMENTARY
Dec 26, 2001

Building on the euro's success

PARIS -- Created in 1360 to help pay the ransom for King John II the Good following his capture by the Black Prince's English forces at the battle of Poitiers, the French franc is living its final days. From Jan. 1, it, along with the currencies of most other Western European nations, will be replaced...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 26, 2001

Vice farm minister to step down

Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Tsutomu Takebe said Tuesday two of his top bureaucrats will step down in a personnel reshuffle apparently linked to the outbreak of mad cow disease.
BASEBALL / MLB
Dec 26, 2001

Giants slugger Matsui signs richest deal ever

Yomiuri Giants outfielder Hideki Matsui signed a new one-year contract Tuesday with the Central League club for an annual salary of 610 million yen, becoming the best-paid player in Japanese baseball history.
BUSINESS
Dec 26, 2001

Several brokerages lack secondary check on orders

Several brokerage houses lack a counterchecking system to prevent orders from being misplaced in stock and convertible bond transactions, according to the results of a recent survey conducted by the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
JAPAN
Dec 26, 2001

Two-time killer given death sentence

OSAKA -- The Osaka High Court on Tuesday overturned a lower court ruling and imposed a death sentence on a former rightist group member who killed two men in separate murder-robbery cases in Osaka Prefecture in 1992 and 1994.
CULTURE / Film
Dec 26, 2001

What stressed directors want

Mortel Transfert Rating: * * * * Japanese title: Aoi Yume no Onna Director: Jean-Jacques Beineix Running time: 122 minutes Language: French Now showing
SUMO
Dec 26, 2001

Tochiazuma begins life at new rank of ozeki

Tochiazuma, runnerup at last month's Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament, will start a new adventure when he steps into the ring next month as his ozeki status was officially confirmed in the new rankings released Tuesday by the Japan Sumo Association.
BUSINESS
Dec 26, 2001

Regional banks post combined pretax loss

Second-tier regional banks incurred their first combined pretax loss in three years in the April-September first half of fiscal 2001, according to a banking association report.
BUSINESS
Dec 26, 2001

Fishery talks with South Korea fizzle

Japan and South Korea ended two days of fishery talks Tuesday without reaching agreement on specifics such as quotas for saury catches inside each other's 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zones.
JAPAN
Dec 26, 2001

Land-buy aims to halt airport plans

A network of citizens' groups opposing the construction of an airport on Ishigaki Island, Okinawa Prefecture, have acquired a plot of land where the airport is slated to be built, members of the network said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Dec 26, 2001

Nidec plans parts venture in China

Major precision motor manufacturer Nidec Corp. said Tuesday it will set up a joint venture March 1 with five of its group companies in China to manufacture components for computer systems.
CULTURE / Film
Dec 26, 2001

My heart will go on . . . for 1,000 years

Sennen no Koi Hikaru Genji Monogatari Rating: * * * Director: Tonko Horikawa Running time: 143 minutes Language: Japanese Now showing
JAPAN
Dec 26, 2001

National wealth falls again

Japan's national wealth, or net assets, at the end of 2000 fell 0.6 percent from a year ago to 2.973 quadrillion yen, marking a third consecutive year of decline, the Cabinet Office said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Dec 26, 2001

Budget plan shows government will slash spending 6 trillion yen

The government cut fiscal outlays for fiscal 2002 by 6 trillion yen, exceeding the targeted 5 trillion yen, the Finance Ministry said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Dec 26, 2001

Cabinet OKs civil-servant merit system

The government agreed Tuesday on a civil service reform framework that includes a merit-based salary system and rules governing the employment of retired civil servants in the private sector.
JAPAN
Dec 26, 2001

More environmental staff on way for 2002

The Environment Ministry will get 58 extra staff for fiscal 2002, but it will still be understaffed, Environment Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi told a news conference on Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Dec 26, 2001

Nine state lenders draw FSA inspections

The government decided Tuesday to allow the Financial Services Agency to conduct inspections of nine governmental financial institutions beginning in fiscal 2003, according to government officials.
BUSINESS
Dec 26, 2001

Green tax on carmakers proposed

A tax policy advisory panel to Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara proposed Tuesday that the metropolitan government introduce a new tax on automakers reflecting the environmental impact of their products.
JAPAN
Dec 26, 2001

Three arrested in bank robbery

OSAKA -- Three men were arrested Tuesday on suspicion of robbing a bank of 25 million yen earlier in the day at a Kinki Osaka Bank branch in Higashi-Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, police said.
CULTURE / Art / NEW ART SEEN
Dec 26, 2001

Best of times, worst of times

The ominous statistics had been news for some time, but, being a slippery freelancer, I never thought Japan's worsening economic situation would affect me directly. The year 2001, however, proved this assumption wrong, as the mean old cutback beast reared up and hit me where it hurt the most -- right...
Japan Times
JAPAN / STAGING A COMEBACK
Dec 26, 2001

Reforms shake higher education's foundations

Scholars at Japan's universities have long been criticized for enjoying "splendid isolation" within their ivory towers.

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