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JAPAN
Aug 4, 2000

Japan's population growth rate hits new low

The population of Japan was 126,071,305 at the end of March, up 211,299, or 0.17 percent, from a year earlier, the Home Affairs Ministry said Thursday. It was the lowest growth both in terms of percentage and absolute numbers since the ministry's first demographic survey in 1968.
COMMENTARY
Aug 4, 2000

Mori on a slippery slope

Most lawmakers of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party seem to agree on these points:
JAPAN
Aug 4, 2000

Drink machines called handy polluters

They never sleep, gripe about overtime or quibble over paychecks. And -- with more than 5 million of them scattered around the nation -- they are ubiquitous.
OLYMPICS
Aug 4, 2000

Olympic players fill up squad for UAE match

Thirteen members of Japan's under-23 Olympic team will feature in the 22-man senior squad for this month's home friendly against the United Arab Emirates, the Japan Football Association said Thursday.
JAPAN
Aug 3, 2000

Performance-based wages urged by NTT union head

The head of the union at Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. urged the union Wednesday to ask the company to introduce a performance-based wage system.
JAPAN
Aug 3, 2000

Steam trains staging a rural comeback

NIITSU, Niigata Pref. -- Greeted by cheers Tuesday from about 1,000 rail fans, steam locomotive D51-498 chugged into Niigata Prefecture's Tsugawa Station and stopped alongside the C57-180, known as "the Lady" for her beautiful appearance.
BUSINESS
Aug 3, 2000

Nissan plastic fuel tank unit sold to Solvay

Nissan Motor Co. said Wednesday that it will sell its plastic fuel tank operations in Japan to Solvay Automotive Asia, K.K., a Japanese subsidiary of international pharmaceutical and chemical group Solvay S.A.
BUSINESS
Aug 3, 2000

Rail infrastructure investment drops

Fifteen private railway firms plan to invest 256.5 billion yen on new and updated railway infrastructure in fiscal 2000, down 25 billion yen from the previous year, an industry association said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Aug 3, 2000

Former Sogo chief's assets to be seized

The Tokyo District Court has opted to seize the personal assets of former Sogo Co. Chairman Hiroo Mizushima, at the request of the Industrial Bank of Japan, in a bid to collect a loan to the failed department store chain that he personally guaranteed, sources said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Aug 3, 2000

NEC announces speedy multimedia device

NEC Corp. announced Wednesday that it has developed its first prototype of a device that is expected to be the backbone of high-speed multimedia networks in homes of the future.
EDITORIALS
Aug 3, 2000

Mr. Mori fails his test

The Diet has completed a round of plenary debates on Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori's policy speech -- the first full-dress parliamentary exchanges since he launched his second Cabinet following the June 25 Lower House election. But the prime minister has only disappointed the people. He fell far short...
JAPAN
Aug 3, 2000

Shinsei Bank yields in row over 2 billion yen advisory fees

...
JAPAN
Aug 3, 2000

Support for Mori's Cabinet inches upward

The support rate for Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori's Cabinet rose slightly over the past two months, but still remains far below the percentage of people who disapprove of his administration, according to a Kyodo News public opinion poll released Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Aug 3, 2000

Mori backs NCB sales contract

Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori told the Diet on Wednesday that the government's decision not to renegotiate the contract for selling Nippon Credit Bank to a consortium led by Softbank Corp. "is the position of the government."
JAPAN
Aug 3, 2000

Rare corals sold in pet shops contributing to species' decline

Various types of live coral from coastal areas in Japan, including rare species, are being sold in pet shops in and around Tokyo, a group monitoring wildlife trafficking said Wednesday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Aug 3, 2000

Kiyohara leads Giants to win over BayStars

Revitalized Kazuhiro Kiyohara sparked the Yomiuri offense once again Wednesday as the Giants survived a late-inning scare to shake off the Yokohama BayStars 8-7 at Yokohama Stadium and solidify their Central League lead.
MULTIMEDIA / SPORTS SCOPE
Aug 3, 2000

World Cup vote: Africa needs a good PR officer

The jury is not out on this one: Africa should be hosting the World Cup in 2006. The continent is long overdue, having made a significant contribution to world soccer in the past 20 years.
BUSINESS
Aug 3, 2000

DoCoMo phone to link Japan, South Korea

NTT DoCoMo Inc. said Wednesday that it will release on Aug. 10 a cellular phone that can be used both in Japan and South Korea, based on a business tieup with local operator SK Telecom.
JAPAN
Aug 3, 2000

Ohta satisfied with first six months as Osaka governor

OSAKA -- Osaka Gov. Fusae Ohta has no trouble with being Japan's first female governor, except that she is repeatedly asked what it is like to hold such a distinction.
BUSINESS
Aug 3, 2000

Blue chips on U.S. Nasdaq look to Japan

OSAKA -- Some U.S. blue chips listed on the U.S. Nasdaq market are likely to be listed on Nasdaq Japan as early as December, sources at the Osaka Securities Exchange said Wednesday.

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