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JAPAN
Jan 28, 2004

Plan for privately funded prison unveiled

The Justice Ministry unveiled plans Tuesday for the country's first prison built and operated in large part with private-sector funds and expertise.
JAPAN
Jan 28, 2004

Two Tokyo teens held for dealing Ecstasy

Police said Tuesday they have arrested two teenage boys for allegedly selling Ecstasy to a female high school student in Tokyo.
BUSINESS
Jan 28, 2004

U.S. recruiting firm to enter Japan

Fuji Staff Inc., a midsize manpower agency, said Tuesday it has agreed on a business tieup with Management Recruiters International Inc. of the U.S.
JAPAN
Jan 27, 2004

Protests over homeless shelter in vain: mayor

Kawasaki Mayor Takao Abe declared Monday that the city is committed to building a short-term shelter for homeless people despite opposition from local residents.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 27, 2004

Rengo facing crisis over 'shunto'

The Japanese Trade Union Confederation (Rengo) faces a crisis this spring. Management has suggested that there may be decreases in basic wages and that annual spring labor campaigns for higher wages are dead.
COMMENTARY
Jan 27, 2004

Changing the Constitution

Constitutional revision looms as a major political issue in Japan. It was a key agenda item at the January conventions of the two largest political parties, the Liberal Democratic Party and the Democratic Party of Japan. The LDP decided to draw up a revision plan in 2005, the 50th anniversary of the...
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 26, 2004

Trade, tourism thrive on DPRK border

LONDON -- I spent the first two weeks of this year on a whistle-stop tour of Northeast China -- an area once known as Manchuria. The term Northeast China usually means the three provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning.
JAPAN
Jan 26, 2004

Ota leads Osaka governor race: poll

Osaka Gov. Fusae Ota is out in front of the other candidates ahead of next Sunday's gubernatorial election, according to a Kyodo News survey conducted over the weekend.
EDITORIALS
Jan 26, 2004

Respecting a pillar of democracy

The government is apparently trying to restrict media coverage of the Self-Defense Forces' activities in Iraq. Earlier this month, the director general of the Defense Agency, Mr. Shigeru Ishiba, requested that newspapers, news agencies and networks exercise "self-restraint." He said he was only "asking"...
BASEBALL / MLB
Jan 24, 2004

Swallows, Miyamoto ink 5-year deal

Yakult Swallows infielder Shinya Miyamoto, who has agreed to a five-year deal, re-signed with the Central League club on Friday for an annual salary of 180 million yen plus bonuses -- a 25 million yen pay raise from last season.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 23, 2004

Matsushita chief resolves to achieve profit target before stepping down

OSAKA (Kyodo) Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. President Kunio Nakamura said Thursday that the Matsushita group will raise its targeted ratio of operating profit to sales to 5 percent under his leadership and achieve that goal.
JAPAN
Jan 23, 2004

Japan halts Thai poultry imports over human avian flu case

The Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry said Thursday it has halted poultry meat imports from Thailand following reports that a human has come down with bird flu there.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 23, 2004

Reliving the romance of nation-building

SYDNEY -- So you think your one-hour-plus commute into Tokyo each morning is agony! Pity passengers on Australia's newest train trip -- two days and two nights. And paying $12,000 for the privilege.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 21, 2004

Did the government lay an egg?

The recent outbreak of avian flu in Yamaguchi Prefecture has not only shocked restaurants and the fast-food industry, but has highlighted the government's inability to prevent such deadly diseases from emerging in Japan.
BASEBALL / MLB
Jan 21, 2004

'Daimajin' quits Mariners

Kazuhiro Sasaki said Tuesday he has decided to leave the Seattle Mariners to stay home in Japan with his family.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 21, 2004

Officials lobby LDP rebels over SDF dispatch

A day after Japan's first ground troops set foot on Iraqi soil, top government officials found themselves urging members of the Liberal Democratic Party to unite and collectively support the dispatch.
BUSINESS
Jan 21, 2004

BOJ panel agrees to ease monetary grip

The Bank of Japan's policy-setting panel said Tuesday it will further ease its monetary grip.
BUSINESS
Jan 21, 2004

G7 wants currency stability: Tanigaki

Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki said Tuesday the Group of Seven major nations agree that foreign-exchange rates should reflect economic fundamentals, and any G7 action will be based on that belief.
BUSINESS
Jan 21, 2004

Kiwis offer to ship more beef if tariff is lifted by Japan

SYDNEY (Kyodo) New Zealand can increase beef exports to Japan if the Japanese government reassesses its tariff, New Zealand's beef marketing body said Tuesday.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 19, 2004

Foreign affairs top U.S. political debate

HONOLULU -- For the first time since the divisive Vietnam era, foreign policy and national security will most likely dominate the U.S. presidential election campaign this year, especially since the line between issues abroad and politics at home has become more blurred than ever.
JAPAN
Jan 17, 2004

Seoul issues controversial stamp, draws flak from irate Kawaguchi

Japan protested Friday over Seoul's issuance of postage stamps bearing the image of a disputed island in the Sea of Japan.
JAPAN
Jan 17, 2004

GSDF advance team departs for Iraq

A 30-member Ground Self-Defense Force advance team left Friday from Narita airport bound for Iraq, marking the first time Japan has sent troops to a nation experiencing conflict since World War II.
BUSINESS
Jan 17, 2004

Seiyu to slash one-fifth of full-time workforce

Supermarket chain Seiyu Ltd. said Friday it will slash some 1,600 jobs, or about one-fifth of its total full-time workforce, by March 1.
BUSINESS
Jan 17, 2004

Income tax hikes inevitable: panel

The head of the government's tax panel said Friday that the panel will start debating an overhaul of the nation's income tax system scheduled for fiscal 2005 and beyond.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Jan 16, 2004

Role of Ferguson's son in Howard transfer doesn't look good

LONDON -- The Football Association's bung-busters are in action again, this time investigating if an alleged £139,000 commission on goalkeeper Tim Howard's £2.3 million summer move from the New York MetroStars contravened any transfer regulations.

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