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EDITORIALS
Aug 15, 2000

Hands off the Bank of Japan

The Bank of Japan, at a policy meeting last Friday, lifted its controversial zero-interest rate policy, which was adopted in February last year amid mounting deflationary pressures. The decision is overdue, given that the economy has shown growing signs of recovery in recent months. The good news for...
JAPAN
Aug 15, 2000

Okinawa conservation plan in works

The Environment Agency will draft a two-year plan to help protect biological diversity in Okinawa Prefecture's unique subtropical ecosystem, agency officials said Monday.
JAPAN
Aug 15, 2000

Summer heat triggers car trouble

More than 280,000 drivers requested emergency roadside assistance in July, a record high for the reporting month, the Japan Automobile Federation said Monday.
BUSINESS
Aug 15, 2000

Corporate bankruptcies set postwar record in July

Corporate bankruptcies in Japan continued to grow in July with combined liabilities topping 4 trillion yen, the largest on record in postwar Japan, a private credit research agency said Monday.
JAPAN
Aug 15, 2000

Police asked DoCoMo to help with wiretapping technology

The National Police Agency asked NTT DoCoMo Inc. in March to develop technology to help investigators wiretap cellphone conversations, agency sources said.
JAPAN
Aug 15, 2000

Astronaut Mukai appointed NASA mission scientist

The National Space Development Agency of Japan on Monday announced that astronaut Chiaki Mukai will serve as mission scientist during a 2001 NASA mission involving the space shuttle Columbia.
JAPAN
Aug 15, 2000

28 die in water-related accidents

Twenty-eight people died and two remain missing in water-related accidents throughout Japan on Saturday and Sunday, the National Police Agency said Monday.
BUSINESS
Aug 15, 2000

Realtor Hiei fails, leaving debts of 650 billion yen

Tokyo-based real estate company Hiei Sangyo has filed with the Tokyo District Court for special liquidation, becoming the sixth largest corporate bankruptcy this year with about 450 billion yen in liabilities, a private credit research institute said Monday.
JAPAN
Aug 15, 2000

Dental test question allegedly leaked

A question contained in the National Dentistry Examination conducted in March was leaked to dentistry department students at Ohu University, a private university in Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture, Health and Welfare Ministry officials said Monday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Aug 15, 2000

Cho returns to mound as Giants earn sweep

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COMMENTARY
Aug 15, 2000

LDP faces the ethics test

Kimitaka Kuze was recently forced to resign as chairman of the Cabinet-level Financial Reconstruction Commission for receiving illegal benefits and payments from companies. This dealt a heavy blow to the credibility of Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori and stirred a strong sense of distrust in Japanese politics...
BUSINESS
Aug 15, 2000

Banks moving to raise deposit rates

Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank, Sumitomo Bank and Sanwa Bank on Monday raised their interest rates on time deposits following Friday's decision by the Bank of Japan to scrap its "zero-interest-rate" policy.
CULTURE / Stage
Aug 15, 2000

International kyogen performance to be held in Sendagaya

Participants in a nine-day international kyogen workshop will present their performance on Aug. 18, 1 p.m. at the rehearsal stage of the National Noh Theater in Sendagaya. "Tojin Sumo (Sumo With Chinese Wrestlers)" and other works will be performed.
BUSINESS
Aug 15, 2000

Overnight call rate edges up to 0.1%

The unsecured overnight call-money rate stood at 0.1 percent late Monday in Tokyo on a weighted average basis, up 0.06 percentage point from Friday, following the lifting of the "zero-interest-rate" policy by the Bank of Japan.
JAPAN
Aug 15, 2000

Ministry to offer computer courses for seniors

The Education Ministry will offer computer courses for senior citizens at about 2,500 community centers across Japan starting in fiscal 2001, ministry sources said Monday.
CULTURE / Music / FUZZY LOGIC
Aug 15, 2000

Knife-wielding nutters, karate chop cocktails and ueberbabes

"There's nothing for kids to do in Nagoya except sit around all day drinking and taking drugs," says pal Hiroshi, who spent three years there at college.
EDITORIALS
Aug 13, 2000

Not-so-lonely planet

Sometimes we forget how recently we Earthlings thought our planet was the center of the universe, which up until the 17th century ended at Saturn and used the "fixed" stars as a mere decorative backdrop. It was only in 1610 -- barely 400 years ago -- that Galileo looked at the heavens through a telescope,...
JAPAN
Aug 13, 2000

'Bon' holiday season plays bedlam with transport

Long lines of cars clogged expressways leading out from the Tokyo metropolitan area Saturday as the rush to leave the capital for the "Bon" midsummer holiday reached its peak.
JAPAN
Aug 13, 2000

Sleaze market festers with rip-off artists

The promise is too good to be true -- all you can drink and "excellent service" provided by "companions" for 6,000 yen in Tokyo's adult entertainment central.
JAPAN
Aug 13, 2000

Fish agency allows catching of entire bluefin tuna quota

The Fisheries Agency will allow catches of southern bluefin tuna up to Japan's original quota of 6,065 tons this year following an international tribunal decision nullifying an interim ruling that cut the quota by about 1,500 tons, agency officials said Saturday.
JAPAN
Aug 13, 2000

Ping-pong parlors are bouncing back

Frustrated groans and whoops of excitement echo around the ninth floor of a Shibuya game center. Surprisingly, there's not a video or arcade game in sight.
JAPAN
Aug 13, 2000

Izu islands brace for mudslides as typhoon nears

Typhoon Ewiniar began dumping rain Saturday afternoon on the quake-hit Izu island chain in the Pacific Ocean south of Tokyo, the Meteorological Agency said.
BUSINESS
Aug 13, 2000

Woman finds dead lizard in Calbee potato chips

Calbee Foods Co. started recalling 62,000 bags of potato chips and suspended operations at its affiliate's factory Saturday after a customer reported finding a dead lizard in the company's product, the major confectionery maker said.
JAPAN
Aug 13, 2000

Students to participate in social service activities

The Education Ministry plans to initiate a nationwide pilot program from fiscal 2001 in which schoolchildren will participate in short-term volunteer activities, ministry sources said Saturday.
JAPAN
Aug 13, 2000

Takadanobaba: A lot of history and a bit of romance

Waseda Dori near JR Takadanobaba Station is dotted with budget restaurants, bars, book shops and travel agencies, all ready to cater to Waseda University students.

Longform

The students at Mitaka Municipal No. 7 Junior High School have access to various cooling devices for when they play sports.
Japan's extreme heat is causing a rethink of school sports