Standing 20 meters from a crowd watching a street performer bend forks, psychic Yuri Geller-style, Tomoko Matsui and her two friends tried to lure passersby in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo, with their own attraction: free hugs. They weren't proving a draw.</PARAGRAPH> <PHOTO> <TABLE WIDTH='250' ALIGN='RIGHT' BORDER='0'> <TR> <TD><IMG ALT='News photo' BORDER='0' SRC='../images/photos2006/nn20061226f1a.jpg' WIDTH='250' HEIGHT='184'/></TD> </TR> <TR> <TD><FONT SIZE='1'><B>A free-hugger –

embraces a passerby in the rain in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo, on Nov. 19. ERIC PRIDEAUX PHOTO

Sporting a homemade "Free Hugs" cape, Matsui and her cohorts found people leery of their offer of kindness.

As ‘Buy Canadian’ grows, more U.S. firms say retailers turning away products
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Japan, South Korea and China vow to strengthen trade ties amid looming U.S. tariffs
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Our Planet

Hidetaka Ishii, an official at the Chiba Municipal Government, says close coordination with private-sector operators is key for regional decarbonization efforts.
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One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
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Professional cleaner Hirofumi Sakurai takes a moment to appreciate some photographs in a Gotanda apartment whose occupant died alone.
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