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JAPAN
Apr 25, 2006

Survey near disputed isles tied to moves by S. Korea

Japan may conduct a maritime survey near the disputed islets in the Sea of Japan if South Korea proposes naming seafloor topography near the area in the future, Vice Foreign Minister Shotaro Yachi said Monday.
BUSINESS
Apr 25, 2006

Dollar, TSE fall draw Abe remarks

Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe said Monday that financial markets should "reflect Japanese economic fundamentals," in response to the yen's surge against the dollar and declines by Tokyo stocks in the morning.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Apr 23, 2006

Giants hope Glover has golden touch

In last week's column, I mentioned five key players who have triggered the phenomenal start this season by the Yomiuri Giants: second baseman Makoto Kosaka, outfielder Kenji Yano, first sacker Lee Seung Yeop, starting pitcher Jeremy "J.P." Powell and closer Kiyoshi Toyoda.
JAPAN
Apr 22, 2006

10-year military realignment plan to cost Japan 2 trillion yen

The government estimates that it will need around 2 trillion yen over the next 10 years -- roughly 200 billion yen a year on average -- to meet costs associated with the realignment of U.S. military forces in Japan, excluding the cost of relocating U.S. Marines from Okinawa to Guam, sources said.
EDITORIALS
Apr 22, 2006

Trust and the Food Safety Commission

The trustworthiness of the Food Safety Commission appears to be in jeopardy. Half of the 12-member panel under the commission that was tasked with assessing the safety of North American beef resigned as of March 31. The six who quit were regarded by consumer groups as being cautious about the idea of...
BUSINESS
Apr 22, 2006

Local tax grant review 'unavoidable'

Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki said Friday the central government will consider rethinking the way it allocates tax revenues to local authorities, calling such reform "unavoidable" in restoring Japan's debt-ridden finances.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 22, 2006

96 Diet members visit Yasukuni Shrine

Ninety-six Diet members from various parties jointly paid a visit Friday to Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, where 14 Class-A war criminals are honored as well as more than 2 million Japanese war dead, as the shrine launched this year's three-day spring rites.
BUSINESS
Apr 22, 2006

Wellington cautious about regional FTA

New Zealand Associate Trade Negotiations Minister Jim Sutton has cautiously welcomed a recent proposal by Japan to create a 16-nation free-trade zone in Asia-Oceania, saying further research is needed to examine its feasibility.
BUSINESS
Apr 22, 2006

Gates pitches his software to NPOs

Visiting Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates said Friday that nonprofit organizations will be able to better communicate with donors and the public if they use software from Microsoft, which launched a campaign in Japan to offer free technology lessons for NPOs.
JAPAN
Apr 21, 2006

China academy woos Ken Takakura

Veteran Japanese actor Ken Takakura has been named a visiting teacher at the Beijing Film Academy, alma mater to famed Chinese directors Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige, the school and a local news report said Thursday.
BUSINESS
Apr 21, 2006

TSE to reinstate normal trading hours Monday

The Tokyo Stock Exchange said Thursday it will resume regular trading hours Monday, three months after it began delaying its afternoon session to deal with surges in transactions caused by the Livedoor Co. scandal.
BUSINESS
Apr 21, 2006

Yahoo Japan sets another profit record

Yahoo Japan Corp. reported Thursday that it set an all-time high for earnings for the ninth consecutive year, helped by an increase in advertising and the popularity of its Internet auction and shopping businesses in 2005.
BUSINESS
Apr 21, 2006

McDonald's to boost 24-hour shops

McDonald's Co. (Japan) plans to open more 24-hour outlets and raise the price of its main products, according to its business plan for fiscal 2006.
JAPAN
Apr 19, 2006

Shipping ban in Japan zone mistake: China

side says it's a technical mistake, well, we believe that's what it was." The Chinese Maritime Safety Administration posted a notice on its Web site that Beijing was prohibiting unauthorized ship traffic around the Pinghu gas field in the East China Sea from March 1 to Sept. 30 so that pipelines and...
BUSINESS
Apr 19, 2006

Rising long-term rates irk government

The government expressed concern Tuesday that long-term interest rates were rising "too fast," and urged the Bank of Japan to dispel market concerns about a further credit-tightening.
BUSINESS
Apr 19, 2006

Business impact of oil prices rings alarm bells at METI

The government will conduct an urgent survey on the impact of soaring crude oil prices on Japanese companies, bringing forward the regular survey schedule, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said Tuesday.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 18, 2006

No wonder Chavez makes Bush uneasy

NEW YORK -- When the hated despots of nations like Saudi Arabia and Kazakhstan loot their countries' treasuries, transfer their oil wealth to personal Swiss bank accounts and use the rest to finance (in the House of Saud's case) terrorist extremists, American politicians praise them as trusted friends...
JAPAN
Apr 18, 2006

China shipping ban may breach U.N. treaty: Abe

A reported Chinese ban on ship traffic around disputed gas fields in the East China Sea could violate the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe said Monday.
EDITORIALS
Apr 17, 2006

Prayer: not the best medicine

In a study that has made a splash this month, an American cardiologist concludes that praying for sick people has no effect one way or the other on their recovery. In fact, if they know they are being prayed for, it makes them worse. Non-believers naturally find the first result predictable and the second...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 17, 2006

China bans vessels near gas field: report

Liberal Democratic Party Secretary General Tsutomu Takebe criticized Beijing on Sunday over a news report that Chinese maritime authorities have banned ship traffic in the East China Sea near the median line with Japan while it expands the Pinghu gas field.
JAPAN
Apr 15, 2006

Hospitals want terminal care guidelines: survey

More than 85 percent of public hospitals think legislation or guidelines are needed for the treatment of terminal patients, according to a recent Kyodo News survey.
JAPAN
Apr 15, 2006

U.S. realignment talks drag on

Japan and the United States failed to produce a final agreement on the U.S. military realignment in their latest round of talks that ended Friday in Tokyo.
COMMENTARY
Apr 15, 2006

2006 is all about democracy

HONOLULU -- The 2006 National Security Strategy (NSS) document has just been released. News coverage has focused on one word: preemption. Largely overlooked has been the much greater emphasis on the promotion of democracy as the primary objective of American foreign policy in the second administration...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 15, 2006

FSA orders suspension at Aiful

The Financial Services Agency said Friday it has ordered consumer finance firm Aiful Corp. to suspend most operations at its 1,700 outlets for three to 25 days over the use of strong-arm collection tactics.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 14, 2006

Livedoor stockholders to sue for compensation

About 1,000 Livedoor Co. shareholders will launch a damages suit in late May against the Internet firm and its former executives to recover their losses from the sharp fall in its stock price following allegations of accounting fraud, their lawyers said Thursday.

Longform

Totopa in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward was picked by consultants TTNE as the best sauna of the year.
Japan’s sauna movement: Relax, refresh, repeat