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JAPAN
Jun 2, 2000

Death row cultist wants leniency for cooperation

A former Aum Shinrikyo follower sentenced to death in October 1998 told an appeals court Thursday that he deserved leniency because his confessions led to the breakthrough in the investigation of the 1989 disappearance of a Yokohama lawyer and his family.
JAPAN
Jun 2, 2000

Official or not, English a must for Japan leaders: symposium

The proposal to make English Japan's official second language has been hotly debated over the past few months, but panelists at a recent symposium say it is Japan's leaders — not necessarily the general public — who need to master the language.
BUSINESS
Jun 2, 2000

Domestic sales of new vehicles in May up 7.7%

Domestic sales of new cars, trucks and buses rose 7.7 percent in May from a year earlier to 284,861 units, the first increase in three months, the Japan Automobile Dealers Association said Thursday.
JAPAN
Jun 2, 2000

New school brings outsiders to town

BEPPU, Oita Pref. — "A friend of mine began using some hair cream and perfume after he was asked for directions by a young lady. He is too old to attract coeds, though," chuckled Kiminori Kumada, in a leisurely local dialect.
JAPAN
Jun 2, 2000

Japan plans G8 disease fund

Japan has proposed that the Group of Eight nations jointly establish a $100 million fund to fight AIDS and other infectious diseases when they meet for their July 21-23 summit in Okinawa, G8 sources said Thursday.
EDITORIALS
Jun 1, 2000

Mr. Fujimori's two faces

Few world leaders are as perplexing as Peru's president, Mr. Alberto Fujimori. Both sides of his complex personality have been on display in recent weeks: the taciturn autocrat who defies international opinion to hold an election and the leader who wins that vote with substantial popular support. But...
BASEBALL / MLB
Jun 1, 2000

Swallows take over Central League lead

Kazuhisa Ishii shut out the Chunichi Dragons on four hits over eight innings and drove in all three Yakult runs Tuesday as the Swallows won 3-1 in Toyama to take over the lead in the Central League standings.
BUSINESS
Jun 1, 2000

Daiwa Bank group picked to buy Namihaya by FRC

The government's Financial Reconstruction Commission on Wednesday decided to sell the collapsed Namihaya Bank to the Daiwa Bank group, commission sources said.
JAPAN
Jun 1, 2000

Child-care burden may ease

The Labor Ministry has compiled a draft plan that may help child-rearing parents balance their work obligations with child care, ministry officials said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jun 1, 2000

Myanmar family sues to stay here

A Myanmar family who overstayed their visas and whose application for resident status was rejected filed a suit Wednesday demanding the justice minister withdraw the rejection so they can continue to stay in Japan.
JAPAN
Jun 1, 2000

Motion to censure Mori voted down

Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori, immediately after fending off a censure vote submitted by the opposition in the Upper House, was hit with a no-confidence motion in the lower chamber Wednesday over his controversial remark that Japan is a "divine nation centered on the Emperor."
JAPAN
Jun 1, 2000

Pyramid scheme bosses receive prison sentences

The Tokyo District Court sentenced Ichiro Yamamoto, 59, former chairman of the now-bankrupt investment group Keizai Kakumei Club, to eight years in prison Wednesday for defrauding 36 investors out of 177 million yen.
BUSINESS
Jun 1, 2000

Softbank's bid for NCB stalls after disagreement with FRC

Talks broke down Wednesday between the Financial Reconstruction Commission and a consortium led by leading Internet investor Softbank Corp. on buying the defunct Nippon Credit Bank, the FRC said.
BUSINESS
Jun 1, 2000

Tokyo Sowa execs indicted for fraud

Prosecutors on Wednesday indicted five former executives of the failed Tokyo Sowa Bank on charges of conspiring to falsely show the bank had adequate capital reserves.
BUSINESS
Jun 1, 2000

Daihyaku Life told to cease operations

The Financial Supervisory Agency announced Wednesday that it has ordered Daihyaku Mutual Life Insurance Co. to suspend operations -- the third collapse in the nation's life insurance sector.
BUSINESS
Jun 1, 2000

BOJ's policy not reliant on recovery data

The Bank of Japan could change its zero-interest rate policy before figures confirm a recovery in private-sector demand, a member of the central bank's policy-setting panel said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Jun 1, 2000

Unclear rules hinder day trading in Japan

Hajime Mabuchi is an early riser. After sobering up in a hot Jacuzzi at his home in a Seattle suburb, he takes some vitamins and drives to a nearby Starbucks coffee shop. He arrives at 6 a.m.
JAPAN
Jun 1, 2000

Tokyo has say on Lee visit: Taipei

Lo Fu-chen, Taiwan's new representative in Japan, on Wednesday expressed Taipei's hope to realize former President Lee Teng-hui's visit to Japan with due consideration showed for Tokyo's diplomatic position.
BUSINESS
Jun 1, 2000

Tokio, Yasuda see double-digit profit gains

Tokio Marine & Fire Insurance Co. and Yasuda Fire & Marine Insurance Co., two major Japanese casualty insurance firms, on Wednesday reported double-digit net profit increases for their group businesses in fiscal 1999.
LIFE / ALTERNATIVE LUXURIES
Jun 1, 2000

Our planet, our teacher

In conversation with writer Masanori Oe, one hears the word "discovery" quite often. It's no wonder. Since the days of his translation of the Tibetan Book of the Dead into Japanese and his film documentaries on the psychedelic movement in New York City in the late 1960s, he has pioneered new directions...
BUSINESS
Jun 1, 2000

Selloffs abound, may have eased pressure

The Tokyo stock market has remained in a corrective phase in recent weeks as information-technology and other high-priced issues continue to take a battering.
JAPAN
Jun 1, 2000

Replacement satellite gets nod to launch

A government commission on Wednesday approved a plan to launch in fiscal 2002 a substitute for a multipurpose satellite destroyed in November's failed launch of an H-II rocket.
BUSINESS
Jun 1, 2000

Large stores must try to fit in despite deregulation

With the abolishment of the Large-Scale Retail Store Law as of Wednesday, large retailers will no longer have to worry about harmonizing their commercial interests with local smaller businesses when establishing or expanding an outlet.
LIFE / Style & Design / SIMPLY DEVINE
Jun 1, 2000

Armpits come out from undercover

Get your pits out for the boys. Japan's largest beauty company is hoping to launch a new trend focusing on an often ignored erogenous zone -- the armpit.

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