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JAPAN
Dec 12, 2001

The Emperor meets with Vajpayee

The Emperor met Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for the first time at the Imperial Palace on Tuesday, the Imperial Household Agency said.
JAPAN
Dec 12, 2001

Out-of-court settlement reached in Daiwa case

Former executives of Daiwa Bank agreed Tuesday to pay 250 million yen to settle a lawsuit filed by the bank's shareholders over illicit bond trading at the bank's New York branch.
BUSINESS / ON THE FRONT LINE
Dec 12, 2001

Some see weak yen as last-ditch policy ploy

The dollar has risen steadily against the yen in recent weeks and now appears poised to test its April 2 high of 126.84 yen.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 12, 2001

Marrow bank struggles to meet demand

More bone marrow donors are needed to save the lives of people with deadly blood diseases, according to the Japan Marrow Donor Foundation.
JAPAN
Dec 12, 2001

First NPOs selected for special tax treatment

Two Tokyo-based nonprofit organizations will now be allowed to receive preferential tax treatment in order to shore up their finances and spur more people to donate to them, the National Tax Agency said Tuesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / LAST CALL FOR SAKE
Dec 12, 2001

Sake purists are feeling the pinch as recession reins in the big spenders

NIIGATA -- Motoaki Isono, the 73-year-old owner of a tavern called Suzuden in Tokyo's Minato Ward, said the name Niigata no longer works magic in alluring serious sake drinkers.
BUSINESS
Dec 12, 2001

Deregulation measures target health and labor

Japan should seek early deregulation in six priority areas, including health care, to build a consumer-friendly society and revive the faltering economy, a government advisory panel on deregulation said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Dec 12, 2001

NTT, SCE agree on fast link for PlayStation2

Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. said Tuesday it has agreed with NTT Broadband Initiative Inc. and Sony Communication Network Corp. to start offering broadband services for PlayStation2 computer game consoles in April.
BUSINESS
Dec 12, 2001

'Economy watcher' index up

The average worker's assessment of the state of the economy improved slightly in November, snapping five straight months of new lows, the Cabinet Office said in a monthly survey released Tuesday.
JAPAN
Dec 12, 2001

JR East to open English-language Web site

East Japan Railway Co. said Tuesday that it will launch an English-language Web site on Jan. 21 to handle reservations for Shinkansen bullet trains and the Narita Express, which links Tokyo with the Narita airport in Chiba Prefecture. The site, Japan Railways Seat Reservation Service, is located at world.eki-net.com...
BUSINESS
Dec 12, 2001

BOJ maverick urges purchasing of foreign bonds

Nobuyuki Nakahara, a dissident member of the Bank of Japan's policymaking board, said Tuesday that the central bank should begin purchasing foreign bonds in an attempt to devalue the yen.
BUSINESS
Dec 12, 2001

Tax breaks for elderly to be repealed

The government's Tax Commission reached a basic agreement Tuesday to scrap special tax breaks on aged people's savings, commission officials said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Dec 12, 2001

State likely to cut stake in Japan Tobacco

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party's special committee on the tobacco and salt industry endorsed a Finance Ministry proposal Tuesday to cut the government's mandatory stake in Japan Tobacco Inc. to 50 percent from the current 66.7 percent in fiscal 2002 or later, LDP officials said.
BUSINESS
Dec 12, 2001

Enron Japan files for bankruptcy

Enron Japan Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of failed U.S. energy giant Enron Corp., said Tuesday it and three other Enron group companies in Japan have filed for bankruptcy.
JAPAN
Dec 12, 2001

Ministry pushes ahead with dam

The land ministry announced Tuesday that it will soon seek to expropriate fishing rights and the necessary land to proceed with a controversial 35-year-old dam project along the Kawabe River in Kumamoto Prefecture, overriding opposition from local fishermen and environmentalists.
COMMENTARY
Dec 12, 2001

Pyongyang's lure as a U.S. terror target

SEOUL -- The success of the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan has triggered debates about the next target in the worldwide war against terrorists and their helpers. At the epicenter of this debate, which is not confined to opinion pages of the press, stands Iraq, whose regime many Americans perceive...
JAPAN
Dec 12, 2001

State making slow progress on environment

The government has achieved only four of the 13 goals set in 1995 to improve its environmental performance, the Environment Ministry said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Dec 12, 2001

Agency to translate FEMA terrorism response manual

The Fire and Disaster Management Agency will translate and publish an antiterrorism textbook used by the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency, according to agency officials.
BUSINESS
Dec 12, 2001

Sumitomo Metal to bolster Nippon-Kobe steel alliance

Sumitomo Metal Industries Ltd. said Tuesday it had decided to reinforce its tieup with Nippon Steel Corp., Japan's largest steelmaker, in a move that will divide the Japanese steel industry into two major forces.
BUSINESS
Dec 12, 2001

Gist of deregulation steps

The following is a summary of key deregulation measures proposed Tuesday in a report drafted by the Council for Regulatory Reform, a 15-member panel consisting of academics and business leaders:
JAPAN
Dec 12, 2001

Aid in works for hibakusha living abroad

The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry is considering earmarking about 500 million yen from the budget to help hibakusha living overseas come to Japan for treatment beginning in fiscal 2002, ministry officials said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Dec 12, 2001

Satellite to help Japanese in danger zones

Japan will start using a satellite system early next year to communicate with and verify the safety of Japanese nationals working in dangerous regions across the globe, according to a senior Foreign Ministry official.
CULTURE / Stage
Dec 12, 2001

Going full circle for sex and romance

Love is in the air at the Benisan Pit theater in Tokyo's Koto Ward. There, downtown by the Sumida River, Theatre Project Tokyo is staging its latest production, "The Blue Room," based on Viennese playwright Arthur Schnitzler's "Reigen."
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Dec 12, 2001

The Silver Jews: 'Bright Flight'

David Berman's band suffers from an image problem. People are confused by the name, The Silver Jews (a reference to The Silver Apples and slang for Jewish people with blonde hair). Moreover, the music press seems convinced that they're a side project of influential indie-rockers, Pavement. True, Berman...

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