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Events
Sep 4, 2001

Plumber places hopes on fresh, natural water

OSAKA -- Drinking water has long been seen as something that comes for free. All you need to do is turn on a tap.
Events
Sep 4, 2001

City of Moriguchi turns back to historic roots

MORIGUCHI, Osaka Pref. -- Other than the odd rice paddy, the city of Moriguchi now has little evidence of its pre-1960s days as a farming area.
Events
Sep 4, 2001

Osaka's Koreans slam invasion of privacy

KYOTO -- Recent allegations that files on hundreds of Korean residents in the Kansai region were handed to the Public Security Investigation Agency by local city offices has cast a pall of fear over the community, according to leaders of two major ethnic organizations.
JAPAN
Sep 4, 2001

JR East's imported 'bento' found light on meat, fish

Some of the roughly 21 tons of "bento" boxed lunches imported between Aug. 16 and Aug. 20 from the United States by an affiliate of East Japan Railway Co. did not contain sufficient meat and fish, according to company sources.
JAPAN
Sep 4, 2001

Bureaucrats seek to keep grip on public corporations

Bureaucrats are opposed to a large portion of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's plans to privatize or abolish public corporations, according to government reports recently submitted to the Cabinet Office.
BASEBALL / MLB
Sep 4, 2001

Rhodes, Buffaloes come up short against Lions

TOKOROZAWA, Saitama Pref. -- Fans hoping to see a piece of baseball history will have to wait at least one more night, after the Seibu Lions blanked the Kintetsu Buffaloes 4-0 on Monday evening at the Seibu Dome and prevented Tuffy Rhodes from cracking his 50th home run of the season.
BUSINESS / TAKING STOCK
Sep 4, 2001

Stock market set to rally by end of year

The Tokyo stock market is testing its downside, reflecting recent weakness in U.S. stocks as well as concerns about Japanese earnings prospects.
JAPAN
Sep 4, 2001

Traditional music industry looks to schools

The tones reverberating from a shamisen or shakuhachi easily bring to mind images of a Japan all but lost in the 21st century.
BUSINESS
Sep 4, 2001

Sumitomo announces share transfer

Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. said Monday it has transferred part of its shares in Japan Net Bank to Mitsui Marine & Fire Insurance Co., Mitsui Mutual Life Insurance Co. and Sumitomo Life Insurance Co.
BUSINESS
Sep 4, 2001

Mitsubishi to sell carbonic acid unit

Mitsubishi Rayon Co. said Monday that it has signed an agreement to sell its carbonic acid operations to Praxair Mitsui Chemicals Inc., a unit of Mitsui Chemicals Inc.
BUSINESS
Sep 4, 2001

State to prioritize targets of Koizumi's reforms

The government decided Monday to compile a list of priority items under Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's structural reform program, government officials said.
Events
Sep 4, 2001

Fukushima area's face-lift puts it back on Osaka map

OSAKA -- Once a backwater in the shadow of Osaka's highly developed Umeda district, the area around Fukushima station is slowly being transformed from a slightly run-down neighborhood of cheap ramen shops to a gentrified area of French restaurants and Internet cafes.
LIFE / Travel / NATURE TRAVEL
Sep 4, 2001

Where the diamonds aren't, any more

If you missed the last column, here's a brief recap. We were about to enter the Namibian Sperrgebiet (lit. "Restricted Area"), a vast southwest African coastal wilderness, off limits for nearly a century due to its dense concentrations of diamonds.
BUSINESS
Sep 4, 2001

New car sales jumped 5% in August

Sales of new motor vehicles rose 5.3 percent in August from a year earlier to 255,954 units, the Japan Automobile Dealers Association said Monday.
JAPAN
Sep 4, 2001

Russia seeks Japan's support on chemical arms deadline

Russia requested Japan's support Monday for its plan to seek a five-year extension to 2012 of the deadline for eliminating chemical weapons under a global treaty, Foreign Ministry officials said.
BUSINESS
Sep 4, 2001

Dream Incubator postpones IPO

The Tokyo Stock Exchange said Monday it canceled its approval to list Dream Incubator Inc., a Tokyo-based consulting company for venture businesses, on the Mothers market after the company decided to postpone its initial public offering due to ongoing decline in the stock market.
BUSINESS
Sep 4, 2001

FSA seeks U.K. accord on monitoring securities houses

The Financial Services Agency will begin talks with its British counterpart on a bilateral accord to exchange information on the supervision of securities houses and market transactions, FSA officials said Monday.
BUSINESS
Sep 4, 2001

New runway at Narita to open in April

A second runway at Narita airport is scheduled to open for business in April, a month earlier than initially planned, the head of the airport operator said Monday.
JAPAN
Sep 4, 2001

Arroyo to visit Japan next week

Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will visit Japan for four days starting Sept. 12 to meet government officials and attend a business conference, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said Monday.
BUSINESS
Sep 4, 2001

National tax revenue rose 3.6% in July

Tax revenue in July rose 3.6 percent from a year earlier to 4.615 trillion yen, the Finance Ministry said Monday.
BUSINESS
Sep 4, 2001

Oct. 1 set for 3G launch

NTT DoCoMo Inc. announced Monday that it will launch its next-generation mobile phone service on Oct. 1 in parts of Tokyo, claiming it has improved on reception problems that plagued a trial service that began in May.
JAPAN
Sep 4, 2001

Gas pipes ruled out as cause of Kabukicho blaze

An inspection of the gas pipes in the Meisei 56 Building in Shinjuku where 44 people died in a Saturday morning fire has ruled out the possibility the blaze was triggered by a gas explosion stemming from corroded pipes, Tokyo Gas Co. said Monday.
SOCCER / THE BALD TRUTH
Sep 4, 2001

Far and away: The story of Japan's World Cup venues

Last weekend, I was on tour in China with British Football Club Tokyo. We played so badly in the annual Shanghai Sevens tournament that I decided to give poor Shunsuke Nakamura a break in this week's column (something about the pot calling the kettle black).

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