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BUSINESS
Jun 7, 2001

Banks need strong medicine to recover ratings, S&P says

Standard & Poor's Corp. said Wednesday that the slide in Japanese bank ratings is not irreversible, but that strong measures will be needed to regain credit strength because of the tough operating environment.
JAPAN
Jun 7, 2001

Debate fails to bring up Tanaka issue

The first one-on-one debate Wednesday between opposition leaders and Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi once again revealed the opposition's lack of ability to corner the nation's leader.
JAPAN
Jun 7, 2001

Tanaka's reported faux pas concern U.S., Yanai says

WASHINGTON — The U.S. has expressed strong concern over the confusion surrounding reports that Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka has raised doubts about missile defense and the Japan-U.S. alliance, the Japanese ambassador to the U.S. said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jun 7, 2001

Obituary: Kiyonaga Ito

Kiyonaga Ito, a Western-style painter specializing in pictures of female nudes and recipient of the Order of Culture, died Tuesday evening of heart failure at a hospital in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, his family said Wednesday. He was 90.
BUSINESS
Jun 7, 2001

Art to move with U.S. moving firm

OSAKA -- Art Corp., Japan's largest moving company, said Wednesday it has agreed to tie up with U.S. firm Allied International Inc. in the international moving business.
COMMENTARY / WASHINGTON UPDATE
Jun 7, 2001

Jeffords bombshell overshadows tax bill

It has been interesting to watch the blame game explode in the week since U.S. Sen. James Jeffords decided to leave the Republican Party. In the immediate aftermath, there was a sense of disbelief, mixed with a bit of "we'll get a Democrat to switch and all will be well."
JAPAN
Jun 7, 2001

Japan, Russia to push on with treaty

Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka and her Russian counterpart Igor Ivanov agreed Wednesday to continue working on peace treaty negotiations and discuss the matter during the Group of Eight meeting of foreign ministers in Rome in July.
JAPAN
Jun 7, 2001

Diet takes blame over Hansen's

Ruling and opposition parties agreed Wednesday to adopt a resolution today admitting the Diet's responsibility in failing to scrap legislation that allowed the segregation of Hansen's disease patients, members of the Lower House's Steering Committee said.
BUSINESS
Jun 7, 2001

Matsushita joins with U.S. firm on broadband phone

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. has teamed up with Jetstream Communications Inc. of the United States to launch a phone system that carries multiple phone numbers on a single line equipped with Internet access, the company said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jun 7, 2001

Chiba sees needs for press clubs

Chiba Gov. Akiko Domoto, a former TV reporter, said Wednesday that the prefectural government needs a press club due to the need for speed and accuracy in media coverage.
BUSINESS
Jun 7, 2001

Koizumi, Khai pledge continued ties

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai agreed Wednesday to maintain economic cooperation between the two countries, a Foreign Ministry official said.
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 7, 2001

Kamamoto learns to live with cohosting

Kunishige Kamamoto was the Hidetoshi Nakata or the Kazu Miura of his day.
BASEBALL / MLB
Jun 7, 2001

Dragons hand Giants seventh straight loss

Hirokazu Ibata singled home the go-ahead run in the top of the seventh inning as the Chunichi Dragons won their third straight by beating the Yomiuri Giants 5-3 at the Tokyo Dome on Wednesday.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 7, 2001

Can democracy live in the Muslim Mideast?

LONDON -- "No stable system of government can be established unless it is popular." It would be an unremarkable statement in most parts of the world, but in Iran it is a subversive remark faxed by a man who has been under house arrest since 1997. The fact that he is Ayatollah Hussein Ali Montazeri, one...
BUSINESS
Jun 7, 2001

Imported vehicle sales rose 3.8% in May

Sales of imported vehicles in May increased 3.8 percent from a year earlier to 20,455 units, with Volkswagen spearheading the mild gain, the Japan Automobile Importers Association said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jun 7, 2001

Secret-use funds to be cut, scrutinized

The Foreign Ministry, in the wake of an embezzlement scandal involving a senior bureaucrat, will cut its discretionary diplomatic funds, step up its inspections and let the foreign minister have the final say on spending, it announced Wednesday.
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 7, 2001

Troussier warns against complacency

YOKOHAMA -- Brace yourselves, Australia is not an easy team to play. This was the warning message given by Japan manager Philippe Troussier to the fans, the press and his team not to underestimate Australia, which Japan will play in a semifinal on Thursday at Yokohama International Stadium.
ENVIRONMENT
Jun 7, 2001

In Asia, the swiftlet nest comes before the egg

Due to a belief in the high medicinal value of bird's nest soup, heavy Chinese demand for swiftlet nests has resulted in a multibillion-dollar industry that may be endangering the bird.
MORE SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Jun 7, 2001

Minding your P's and Q's

"F*** your mother"
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Jun 7, 2001

Whose theory was it, anyway?

In 1835, Charles Darwin became the first of a long line of scientists to make a study of the Galapagos Islands. Now, on entering the research station there that bears his name, visitors come face to face with a bronze of the Englishman as a very much older and far more famous man than he was when he...
BUSINESS
Jun 7, 2001

GDP cap sought for public works

Finance Minister Masajuro Shiokawa said Wednesday that the government should reduce Japan's ratio of public works spending to gross domestic product to between 1 percent and 2 percent in the next 10 years to match the level of such spending in western countries.
COMMENTARY / World / GUEST FORUM
Jun 7, 2001

Japan's efforts to responsibly manage southern bluefin tuna resources bear fruit

HONOLULU-- Australia, New Zealand, and Japan recently agreed to jointly launch an experimental fishing program for southern bluefin tuna. Quotas for southern bluefin tuna, along with Japan's unilateral experimental fishing programs, have been sources of diplomatic contention among the three countries....
JAPAN
Jun 7, 2001

Carriers at a loss as railway violence accelerates

Tokyo commuter trains have suffered a recent spate of violent incidents — two of them fatal — involving total strangers and minor confrontations that got out of hand.
BUSINESS
Jun 7, 2001

IHI in turbo charger joint venture

Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Co. said Wednesday it has set up a joint venture with DaimlerChrysler AG in Germany to develop and manufacture turbo chargers for automobiles.

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