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Japan Times
COMMUNITY / CLOSE-UP
Oct 5, 2003

Winning smile

Think back to 1984, before the Japanese government had recruited armies of foreign-born English instructors to internationalize the countryside and when gaijin commentators on television were all but unheard of.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Oct 5, 2003

Role of victims in court needs careful monitoring

In the past, the press was often accused of bearing down too hard on victims of crimes and their families. In the most extreme cases, the media would camp outside the homes of victims who didn't want to talk to them (the family of the Kobe boy who was beheaded by another boy in 1995) or imply that a...
BUSINESS
Oct 4, 2003

Japan still upbeat about chances of Mexico FTA

Japan and Mexico can strike a free-trade agreement when Mexican President Vicente Fox visits Tokyo on Oct. 15, trade minister Shoichi Nakagawa said Friday, downplaying hurdles in the final negotiations over agriculture.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 4, 2003

Court rules Tokyo must stop expropriating highway land

The Tokyo District Court on Friday ordered the Tokyo Metropolitan Government to suspend its forcible expropriation of land in the western Tokyo city of Akiruno for the construction of a new expressway.
BASEBALL / MLB
Oct 4, 2003

Jojima, Matsunaka help Daiei ride BlueWave

Rookie lefty Tsuyoshi Wada pitched seven solid innings for his 14th win while Nobuhiko Matsunaka and Kenji Jojima both homered twice to lead the Daiei Hawks to a 10-4 victory over the Orix BlueWave on Friday at Yahoo BB Stadium.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
Oct 4, 2003

Surf is always up for Internet addicts

At least I have a decent excuse.
JAPAN
Oct 2, 2003

Africa conference closes with fair-trade entreaty

The lack of a fair trade system remains a major road block to African development, following the recent collapse of multilateral trade talks, and the world must respect the continent's diversity and identity, leaders from Africa and its partners said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Oct 2, 2003

Vodafone chief looks for more subscribers

Vodafone President Darryl Green said Wednesday the company will take aggressive measures to increase the number of its mobile phone service subscribers.
BUSINESS
Oct 2, 2003

Mycal rehab plan earns court OK

Mycal Corp., a failed supermarket chain undergoing court-mandated rehabilitation, announced Tuesday that its rehabilitation plan has been approved by the Tokyo District Court.
JAPAN
Oct 1, 2003

Diplomat says antiwar stance led to his firing

A senior Japanese diplomat who left the Foreign Ministry on Aug. 29 is planning to challenge the ministry as he believes he was "virtually fired" due to his opposition to Japan supporting the U.S.-led war on Iraq, the ex-diplomat told Kyodo News in a recent interview.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Oct 1, 2003

Tigers' pennant forced Giants skipper to fall on his sword

That was a shocker. Talking here about the resignation of Yomiuri Giants manager Tatsunori Hara on Sept. 26. Sure, it had been rumored for days, but I for one did not expect it would really happen.
BASEBALL / MLB
Oct 1, 2003

Hawks finally secure PL flag

Like their famous manager, the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks let their bats do the talking.
JAPAN
Oct 1, 2003

Government takes abandoned arms ruling 'seriously'

The government "takes seriously" a court ruling holding it responsible for Japan's wartime abandonment of chemical and conventional weapons in China, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Oct 1, 2003

IRCJ to drop Mitsui Mining aid plan after smelling a rat

The state-backed Industrial Revitalization Corp. of Japan said Tuesday it will scrap an already-endorsed scheme to bail out struggling natural resources firm Mitsui Mining Co. because the rescue plan needs revision.
BUSINESS
Sep 30, 2003

METI to punish exec players

The vice minister of economy, trade and industry said Monday that METI will punish two officials who allegedly obtained unlisted shares from a Hong Kong firm and earned dividends on them.
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM MOSCOW
Sep 28, 2003

Welcome to 'Mother Sofa'

MOSCOW -- Moscow seems to have the biggest concentration of furniture stores per square kilometer in the world. Downtown is a cramped place, with barely enough space for designer clothing and jewelry boutiques. Yet, in the peripheral neighborhoods, furniture stores thrive.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 27, 2003

Powerful quakes strike Hokkaido

SAPPORO -- Two powerful earthquakes, one with a preliminary magnitude of 8, struck Hokkaido early Friday, sparking a refinery fire and generating several tsunami.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 27, 2003

Nakagawa's farm trade background brings mixed bag to METI portfolio

The appointment earlier this week of Shoichi Nakagawa as minister of economy, trade and industry is a mixed blessing for the nation's trade policy.
EDITORIALS
Sep 27, 2003

DPJ's uphill road to power

The birth of the new Democratic Party of Japan -- the largest opposition party to debut since 1994 -- promises to create more constructive tension in Japanese politics. The DPJ, which has absorbed the smaller Liberal Party, is looking to the coming general election as an opportunity to snatch power from...
EDITORIALS
Sep 26, 2003

Problems with Mr. Grasso's pay

In business, as in politics, there is a simple rule for evaluating decisions: How will it look when it is in the headlines? By that standard, the uproar surrounding revelations that Mr. Richard Grasso, the former chairman of the New York Stock Exchange, was awarded compensation of $139.5 million tells...
BUSINESS
Sep 26, 2003

SK Telecom, Tokyo firm in tieup

Mobile phone operator SK Telecom Co. of South Korea and Tokyo-based Mobile Broadcasting Corp. signed a deal Thursday for co-ownership of a broadcast satellite that will beam digital voice signals and graphics to cell phones and other mobile devices.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 26, 2003

Dollar peg undermines China's economy

As Beijing is pressured to halt currency intervention, arguments are generally proposed in terms of the possible benefits to other countries. Such an argument is less compelling than one that points out how China might benefit from an end to its peg against the U.S. dollar. In any event, China's fixed...
JAPAN
Sep 25, 2003

Test tube baby born using eggs frozen in 1995

A Hokkaido woman gave birth to a boy last year using fertilized eggs frozen in 1995, which may be the longest time in Japan that such eggs have been used after being in storage, according to her doctors.
EDITORIALS
Sep 25, 2003

A veiled but strong G7 message

China maintains a de facto fixed exchange rate for the yuan. Japan has continued to intervene aggressively to prevent a sharp rise in the yen. In a veiled criticism of both countries' currency policies, a communique issued last weekend by Group of Seven finance ministers and central bankers called for...
BUSINESS
Sep 25, 2003

Bridgestone cuts earnings outlook after fire

Tire manufacturer Bridgestone Corp. released a revised earnings outlook Wednesday that includes the impact of a fire at its Tochigi factory earlier this month, lowering net and pretax profit forecasts for the year ending Dec. 31.

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