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BUSINESS
Jul 30, 2003

June jobless rate falls to 5.3%, but outlook remains murky

The nation's seasonally adjusted jobless rate was 5.3 percent in June, edging down 0.1 percentage point from the previous month, the government said in a preliminary report released Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jul 30, 2003

Koizumi says reformers to make up new Cabinet

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi defied his foes Tuesday, stating that if he wins re-election in the Sept. 20 LDP presidential poll, the subsequent Cabinet he forms will be made up of individuals who support his policies.
BUSINESS
Jul 30, 2003

50% emergency beef, pork tariffs to start

Japan will impose emergency tariffs on foreign beef and pork in response to an increase in imports amid waning concern over mad cow disease, the government said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jul 29, 2003

Koizumi appears set to stay on by default

With the extended 190-day Diet session having closed Monday, lawmakers' attention is shifting to the Liberal Democratic Party's presidential election on Sept. 20, the new Cabinet that will immediately follow it and the expected House of Representatives poll in November.
JAPAN
Jul 27, 2003

Crystals for lasers to be made in space

In a move that could lead to the realization of "space factories," Japan's space agency said Saturday it will make the world's first attempt to manufacture in space photonic crystals to be used in commercial laser equipment.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 27, 2003

Time, place of dispatch still hazy

Despite Diet approval of a bill to allow the dispatch of Self-Defense Forces personnel to Iraq on Saturday, the government continued to wrestle with exactly when and where the SDF should be sent.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jul 27, 2003

So much to soak up in Yamagata

OK, let me put this out there: Yamagata-ken, just like any sensible prefecture in Japan, loves tourists. But you get the feeling that Yamagata Prefecture Tourist Division tries a little harder to promote its treasures. They even occasionally invite journalists up for a spin around the countryside.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jul 27, 2003

Just go with the flow

You know the summer routine: The sun comes up, the mercury goes up . . . and the heat and humidity get you down, down, down.
JAPAN
Jul 26, 2003

Power outages unlikely: Hiranuma

The Tokyo metropolitan area will probably be spared summer power shortages because four nuclear reactors have been reactivated and various energy-saving efforts have proven effective, Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Takeo Hiranuma said Friday.
BUSINESS
Jul 26, 2003

Hiranuma stresses import of WTO meeting

An upcoming informal World Trade Organization ministerial talk in Montreal is important for the success of a full ministerial meeting to be held in Cancun, Mexico, in September, trade minister Takeo Hiranuma said Friday.
JAPAN
Jul 26, 2003

Chongryun tax breaks face hard scrutiny

OSAKA -- For nearly half a century, the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryun) has been the primary voice of the North Korean community in Japan, representing nearly 200,000 people.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 26, 2003

Killers in U.S. rely on mercy of Mexico

LOS ANGELES -- Anabella Vara was pregnant at 14 and married at 15, and by the time she was 21 she was living in fear. On Valentine's Day 1999 her husband, Daniel Perez, looped a rope around her neck and tried to strangle her. She and her 5-year-old son fled to her parents' house, but two months later...
BUSINESS
Jul 26, 2003

Keidanren to draft donation outline by end of September

OYAMA, Shizuoka Pref. -- The Japan Business Federation (Nippon Keidanren) will draw up an outline by the end of September detailing how to proceed with its new system for promoting political donations, Chairman Hiroshi Okuda said Friday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jul 26, 2003

Thinking to build a house? Think Foothill Homes

A house is just a building. A home is filled with the warmth and individuality of its inhabitants. Which is where Robert Neil Hugo comes into the picture.
JAPAN
Jul 26, 2003

Civil-servant reform bill delayed

State reform minister Nobuteru Ishihara said Friday he will give up trying to present a bill to reform civil servant employment practices to the current session of the Diet, which ends Monday.
BUSINESS
Jul 26, 2003

Mitsui Mining, Dia Kensetsu mull seeking IRCJ assistance

Natural resources firm Mitsui Mining Co. and condominium builder Dia Kensetsu Co. are considering seeking a bailout from the Industrial Revitalization Corp. of Japan, sources said Friday.
JAPAN
Jul 26, 2003

Japan Highway to dismiss, sue whistle-blower

Japan Highway Public Corp. will dismiss a senior branch official for his recent allegation in a monthly magazine that Japan Highway President Haruho Fujii hid a financial report showing the corporation had a negative net worth, sources said Friday.
JAPAN
Jul 25, 2003

Eel quality control falters in wake of antibiotic find

An association of eel importers suspended its quality-guarantee system about a month after it was launched in March because a banned antibiotic was detected in frozen eel products from China, the association said Thursday.
JAPAN
Jul 25, 2003

Government plans exhaustive program to research protein

The government will launch a five-year national research program to analyze the interaction of human proteins as a new scientific goal following the completion of the human genome map in April, science ministry officials said Thursday.
JAPAN
Jul 25, 2003

Opposition parties try to block SDF bill

The opposition parties launched a last-minute move Thursday to block final Upper House votes on a government-sponsored bill to dispatch Self-Defense Forces to Iraq, by submitting a series of censure motions against Cabinet ministers.
BUSINESS
Jul 25, 2003

Sony net profit nosedives 98% amid sluggish sales

Sony Corp.'s group net profit for the first quarter of this fiscal year nosedived 98 percent to 1.1 billion yen from a year earlier, the company said Thursday.
JAPAN
Jul 24, 2003

Political donations to get murkier?

The ruling coalition's new proposal on corporate donations to political parties would probably conceal the identities of most donors, according to a recent Kyodo News study.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 24, 2003

Howard aims for leading regional role

SYDNEY -- A weeklong diplomatic flourish through East Asia behind him, Australian Prime Minister John Howard has no time to pause for breath before the next push into Australia's newfound activism in regional security, the South Pacific's most chaotic young nation, the Solomon Islands.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Jul 24, 2003

Making a BEE line for 'green living' throughout Japan

School's out for summer, and just about everyone seems to be on the road heading for the beach, the mountains or the mall. Chances are, though, many of those drivers will spend most of their time caught up in traffic.
JAPAN
Jul 24, 2003

DPJ targets watchdog official over insurance merger role

The Democratic Party of Japan filed a criminal accusation Wednesday against Financial Services Agency Commissioner Shokichi Takagi, blaming him for trying to pressure Tokio Marine & Fire Insurance Co. to consolidate with an ailing life insurance firm last year.
BUSINESS
Jul 24, 2003

BOJ vows to take risks until prices start rising

Bank of Japan Gov. Toshihiko Fukui underscored on Wednesday his determination to fight deflation, stating the central bank will take "unlimited risks" until prices rise.
JAPAN
Jul 23, 2003

Lawmakers to take rare look at prison gallows

Lawmakers won approval Tuesday to inspect one of the country's execution chambers in an extremely rare glimpse into a secretive system long criticized by international human rights groups.

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