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BUSINESS
Jul 23, 2002

LDP to form new panel to discuss online copying

In an attempt to define fair use in cyberspace, the LDP will form a panel on intellectual property rights that will propose tougher laws against online copying of animation and game software.
CULTURE / Music
Jul 23, 2002

Organ fest comes to a close

The last performance of the International Organ Festival 2002 will be held at Kurashiki Sakuyo University's Seitokuden Hall in Okayama Prefecture on July 28.
JAPAN
Jul 23, 2002

Panel mulls closed-door patent hearings

A government panel on judicial reform will consider a proposed revision to the Code of Civil Procedure that would allow oral arguments on patents and other intellectual property rights to be held behind closed doors in court, panel sources said Monday.
JAPAN
Jul 22, 2002

Tokyo gave official from Pyongyang secret asylum in '99

The Japanese government secretly allowed a North Korean government official to re-enter Japan in 1999 after granting him asylum at a Japanese diplomatic establishment in China, informed sources said Sunday.
BUSINESS
Jul 22, 2002

Europe poised to bounce back and lead world economy: German consultant

Europe, and possibly Japan, will stage a comeback to dominate the world economy in the near future, a leading German business consultant predicts.
COMMENTARY
Jul 21, 2002

Will Jiang cling to power?

HONG KONG -- As top politicians in the Communist Party of China consult and confer with each other at Beidaihe during their annual seaside retreat, one key question facing them is whether 76-year-old President and CPC Secretary General Jiang Zemin will seek to extend himself in office.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / NIHONSHU
Jul 21, 2002

Right down to the nitty-gritty grains

Rice is not, as most readers know, simply rice. Good sake is made from proper sake rice, and cheaper sake is made from much less expensive rice. In fact, most run-of-the-mill sake is made with rice bought from the local agricultural co-op, and often the purchaser knows nothing about it other than it...
Japan Times
JAPAN / HONING ENGLISH
Jul 20, 2002

Japan experiments with Super English Schools

Principal Katsutoshi Wakabayashi gives a speech in English through the school's public address system at Gunma Prefectural Chuo High School every Wednesday morning, and all notices around the school are now in English.
BUSINESS
Jul 19, 2002

Fujitsu to reduce print board workforce by around 1,000

Fujitsu Ltd. will reduce the workforce at its print board operations in Japan by around 1,000, in line with a plan to transfer production to Vietnam, company officials said Thursday.
JAPAN
Jul 19, 2002

Court rejects ex-students' violation of privacy appeal

The Tokyo High Court on Wednesday dismissed an appeal by three former Waseda University students demanding compensation from the university for giving police the names of those hoping to listen to a speech by Chinese President Jiang Zemin.
BUSINESS
Jul 19, 2002

PoweredCom, IIJ in tieup talks

PoweredCom Inc., a data communications firm owned by Tokyo Electric Power Co. and nine other utilities, is negotiating with Internet provider Internet Initiative Japan Inc. over a possible business integration deal, the two companies confirmed Thursday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 19, 2002

Suzuki aide pleads not guilty to bid-rigging charge

An aide to indicted lawmaker Muneo Suzuki pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges of rigging bids for a government-funded project on Russian-held Kunashiri island.
BUSINESS
Jul 18, 2002

Fukuda seeks joint action to shackle yen

The government's top spokesman hinted Wednesday that Japan may intervene in currency markets jointly with foreign monetary authorities to prevent a further surge of the yen against the dollar.
BUSINESS
Jul 18, 2002

Central bank sticks with rosy outlook

The BOJ on Wednesday said the economy has almost stabilized, thanks to rising exports and production, but overseas share price falls and a weakening dollar threaten the economic outlook.
JAPAN
Jul 18, 2002

Group hopes new Web site coaxes children into becoming inventors

A national organization that promotes inventions and works to protect intellectual property will launch an invention Web site for children Saturday in cooperation with General Electric Japan Ltd.
SOCCER / World cup
Jul 17, 2002

Japan to face Argentina in first game under Zico

Japan will host Argentina on Nov. 20 at Tokyo's National Stadium in its first friendly after the World Cup, and its first under new coach Zico, the Japan Football Association said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jul 17, 2002

Kawaguchi ruffles Foreign Ministry feathers

Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi is facing a new challenge to her reform efforts as the ministry's bureaucrats are rebelling against her decision to look to a rival ministry to fill a foreign aid commission.
BUSINESS / ON THE FRONT LINE
Jul 17, 2002

Dollar southbound as U.S. bubble bursts

The dollar will remain under strong selling pressure, as if in line with bearish U.S. stocks. Although macroeconomic indicators are still firm, the market tends to trade on stock prices.
BUSINESS
Jul 16, 2002

Sumitomo Mitsui Banking ATMs fail

Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. said Monday its automated teller machine systems in eastern Japan failed during the morning for a short period.
BUSINESS
Jul 16, 2002

Current account surplus soared 107.7% in May

The country's current account surplus jumped 107.7 percent in May from a year earlier to 1.04 trillion yen, marking an eighth consecutive month of increase, according to a preliminary report released Monday by the Finance Ministry.
BUSINESS
Jul 16, 2002

IT services seen growing at 7.4%

The Japanese market for information-technology related services will grow an annual 7.4 percent and reach 7.93 trillion yen in 2006, a private market-research firm said Monday.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Jul 14, 2002

Living outside the box

The days of Japan as the No. 1 business model for the world are long gone, but a new and perhaps more interesting model combining Japanese and Western elements seems to be developing. Unfortunately, the transition from a system based on lifelong employment, seniority and unthinking loyalty to one's company...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jul 14, 2002

It's a wired, wired world

If you were among the hordes of shoppers itching to spend summer bonuses last weekend, perhaps you got caught up in the frenzy in Akihabara. Everywhere in Tokyo's "Electric Town," the hunt was on for air conditioners, computers, MD players, stereos and the latest flat-screen TVs.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 13, 2002

HIV epidemic taking its toll on Myanmar

NEW YORK -- According to the latest statistics, the number of HIV/AIDS cases in Myanmar continues to rise, fueled by drug abuse, population mobility, poverty and a lack of effective government policies. Thai medical experts report that the epidemic, if not controlled, may soon eclipse the worst situation...
JAPAN
Jul 13, 2002

Health ministry to relax its controls on some additives in imported foods

In the face of increasing food imports, the health ministry plans to ease restrictions on additives if they are accepted internationally, officials said Friday.
BUSINESS
Jul 13, 2002

Eckrodt first foreigner to join old-boys' lunch club

Rolf Eckrodt, president and chief executive officer of Mitsubishi Motor Corp., on Friday became the first non-Japanese to take part in a closed traditional lunch meeting at one of Japan's major business conglomerates, the Mitsubishi group.
BASEBALL / MLB
Jul 13, 2002

Tigers dominate at All-Star Game

As George Arias rounded the bases, he was pumped, thrilled, excited. But he showed no exuberance, trotting back to the dugout in a cool, soothing manner like the picture of the Kirin Beer ad he had just hit with a monstrous 147-meter blast at the Tokyo Dome.

Longform

The byzantine process for converting a foreign driver’s license into a Japanese one entails mountains of paperwork and significant stamina — unless you're a lucky license holder from a country or region where these requirements are waived.
Driving in Japan isn’t hard. Getting the license is.