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JAPAN
Dec 21, 2000

83 trillion yen budgeted for 2001

Finance Minister Kiichi Miyazawa on Wednesday unveiled a draft general-account budget for fiscal 2001 that is smaller than its predecessor for the first time in three years but will nevertheless leave Japan 666 trillion yen in debt.
BUSINESS
Dec 21, 2000

Merchandise trade surplus off for fifth consecutive month

Japan's merchandise trade surplus dropped 9.8 percent in November from a year earlier to 598.5 billion yen, marking the fifth consecutive month of decline, the Finance Ministry said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Dec 21, 2000

Vodafone expands presence in Japan

In a move to secure a foothold in the Japanese market, cellphone operator Vodafone Group PLC of Britain said Wednesday that it has signed a contract to acquire 15 percent of Japan Telecom Co.'s outstanding stocks from two Japan Railway group firms.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 21, 2000

Kim, de Gaulle: visionary but vulnerable

SEOUL -- South Korean President Kim Dae Jung returns from Norway and Sweden this week with his Nobel Prize in hand, having secured his place on the world stage. But at home, he faces a nation deeply divided over his "sunshine policy," deeply troubled over its economic prospects and enveloped in a social...
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 21, 2000

Mounting problems to test Cambodia's new 'stability'

PHNOM PENH -- They fought with guns and bombast during a civil war, a U.N. peacekeeping mission, an election, a coup, another election -- and every free moment in between. For most of the past two years, the followers of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and Prince Norodom Ranariddh have cooperated in...
BUSINESS
Dec 21, 2000

Keidanren-Nikkeiren tieup scheduled for May 2002 start

The Federation of Economic Organizations (Keidanren) and the Japan Federation of Employers Associations (Nikkeiren) have agreed on the name of the new body that will be formed when they merge in 2002, business sources said Tuesday.
LIFE / Style & Design / BEAUTY EAST AND WEST
Dec 21, 2000

Refresh your soul with the scent of eternal rebirth

For me the special warmth, freshness and magic of this time of year is beautifully embodied in its piny scents. The pine of Christmas trees and wreaths segues nicely into the pine of Japanese New Year displays.
JAPAN
Dec 21, 2000

Life term for double-murderer upheld

The life sentence stands for a former Fuji Bank employee who murdered a couple in Saitama Prefecture in 1998, the Tokyo High Court ruled Wednesday, upholding the lower court decision and rejecting demands by prosecutors for capital punishment.
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Dec 21, 2000

Wife prevented Kawasaki from having a new life with Red Sox

It has been said that to be great in life you have to be very selfish. I have always believed this to be true no matter what the field -- sports, politics, art or anything else.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 21, 2000

Time once again for Russia's perennial heating crisis

VLADIVOSTOK, Russia -- The communist central planners who designed modern Russia's infrastructure devised a system of boiling water kilometers from where it is needed, running it through aboveground pipes across a region where temperatures can drop as low as minus 40 C -- and expected this to warm the...
JAPAN
Dec 21, 2000

Expectant brides on the rise in Japan

For the increasing number of Japanese brides facing the challenge of slipping into a wedding dress in the middle of a pregnancy, a Tokyo rental clothing shop is ready to help with a variety of maternity gowns for the big day.
CULTURE / Art
Dec 21, 2000

Ko-Imari show tours Japan

A comprehensive exhibition of Old Imari porcelain ware will tour Japan Dec. 30-July 15, offering a rare opportunity to view examples of this renowned ceramic style.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Dec 21, 2000

Celebrating France-Japan relations with a toast

The peaceful town of Koriyama in Fukushima Prefecture might not be Japan's most international city, but Jean-Pascal Noirault, 30, and Mikiko Kurumada, 29, are determined to change that.
JAPAN
Dec 21, 2000

Regenerative cartilage may replace artificial joints

Artificial joints normally last 12 to 13 years, but regenerative cartilage could make them obsolete, according to Tetsuya Tateishi, a professor at the University of Tokyo.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Dec 21, 2000

Success of discount barns should come as no surprise

" 'Tis the season," and while many a crabby gaijin points out that Japan's decidedly commercial spin on Christmas excludes its religious meaning, shopping makes a lot of people happy, so why knock it?
JAPAN
Dec 21, 2000

Ministry proposes record-high defense budget

The Finance Ministry on Wednesday proposed a record-high defense budget of 4.955 trillion yen for fiscal 2001, which is a 0.4 percent rise over the initial budget for fiscal 2000, a ministry official said.
ENVIRONMENT
Dec 21, 2000

One tall organic latte, please

If you started your day with a cup of coffee, think about how you selected the beans for your brew. Perhaps they were on sale, or your favorite roast from Brazil or Colombia. Chances are, however, you didn't have the option of buying organically farmed coffee.
JAPAN
Dec 20, 2000

Product helps diabetics, but not here

Japanese businesses wanting to develop techniques for the regeneration of human tissue and commercialize their products are facing a major obstacle.
BUSINESS
Dec 20, 2000

Cerberus to waive most of credits owed by Dia

U.S. investment fund Cerberus Asia Capital Management LLC has agreed to waive claims on 17 billion yen of its 23 billion yen in credits to Dia Kensetsu Co., the nation's second-largest condominium builder, it was announced Tuesday.
JAPAN
Dec 20, 2000

Kono-Ivanov talks miss treaty deadline

Foreign Minister Yohei Kono said Tuesday he will visit Moscow for two days from Jan. 16 for peace treaty negotiations with his Russian counterpart, Igor Ivanov.
BASEBALL / MLB
Dec 20, 2000

Giants boost salary of infielder Nishi

The Japan Series champion Yomiuri Giants coughed up an extra 70 million yen Tuesday in order to re-sign infielder Toshihisa Nishi for next season, officials of the Central League club said.
JAPAN
Dec 20, 2000

Jazz singer's choir beats holiday blues

Like strangers, they eye each other cautiously at first -- perhaps even with a trace of suspicion. But the music begins, and instantly the room is transformed into a hall housing a choir of angels. A thunderous applause ensues, some tears fall -- and finally the smiles materialize.
JAPAN
Dec 20, 2000

Law puts brakes on Aum activities

Although a year-old law to regulate dangerous organizations has put the brakes on the activities of Aum Shinrikyo, the cult still poses a potential threat to the public, Justice Minister Masahiko Komura said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Dec 20, 2000

Government to study need for import curbs on farm goods

The government will launch an investigation into three farm products to determine whether import restriction measures are needed to protect domestic producers, it was announced Tuesday.
JAPAN
Dec 20, 2000

Soviets used POWs as pawns

During the 1955-56 negotiations on restoring Russo-Japanese relations, the Soviet Union used Japanese prisoners of war as "political hostages," according to Japanese diplomatic documents declassified Tuesday.

Longform

Capsule hotels were created as a way to deal with the amount of overwork employees tend to do in Japan. Can't commute home? Then spend the night in an tiny, affordable sleeping space.
Japan wakes up to the market for a proper sleep