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BUSINESS
May 12, 2004

Coincident index slips under bust line; government upbeat

A key gauge of the current state of the economy slid below the boom-or-bust line of 50 percent for March for the first time in 11 months, but the government said Tuesday the outlook is not negative.
JAPAN
May 12, 2004

Pension bills clear Lower House

The House of Representatives on Tuesday approved contentious bills to revise the pension system, with the ruling coalition and the main opposition party endorsing a key amendment to the legislation.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 12, 2004

DPJ struggles to find successor to disgraced Kan

Nobody appeared ready to take up the presidency of the Democratic Party of Japan on Tuesday as the main opposition force moved to find a replacement for departing leader Naoto Kan.
JAPAN
May 7, 2004

Ruling coalition, DPJ reach pension deal

The ruling coalition and the opposition Democratic Party of Japan agreed Thursday to proceed with Diet deliberation on pension reform legislation "with an eye toward" future integration of the existing programs.
JAPAN
May 1, 2004

Ministry safety devices come from LDP lawmaker's pal

Ministries exclusively use chemical-substance gauges sold by an acquaintance of a Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker in projects aimed at curbing sick building syndrome, according to sources.
JAPAN
May 1, 2004

Ministry safety devices come from LDP lawmaker's pal

Ministries exclusively use chemical-substance gauges sold by an acquaintance of a Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker in projects aimed at curbing sick building syndrome, according to sources.
BUSINESS
Apr 28, 2004

Consumer sentiment rises again

Consumer sentiment in Japan improved in March from December for the fourth consecutive quarter, the Cabinet Office said in a survey released Tuesday.
JAPAN
Apr 27, 2004

Koizumi still popular as he marks third anniversary

Experiencing ups and downs but being kept afloat by generally strong public approval ratings, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Monday marked the third anniversary of the inauguration of his administration.
BUSINESS
Apr 20, 2004

Postal privatization team named

The government unveiled a lineup Monday of key members of a preparatory office in charge of privatizing Japan's postal services, naming Financial Services Agency Commissioner Shokichi Takagi as one of two deputy heads.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 19, 2004

Nosaka, key part of SDP-LDP bloc of '90s, dead at 79

Koken Nosaka, a former Social Democratic Party lawmaker who served as chief Cabinet secretary in 1995 and 1996, died Sunday of kidney failure at a hospital in Yonago, Tottori Prefecture, his family said. He was 79.
JAPAN
Apr 17, 2004

Japan's crisis response wins praise, flak

Did Tokyo handle the Iraq hostage crisis properly?
JAPAN
Apr 17, 2004

Pension scheme 8.13 trillion yen in arrears

National pension premiums were in arrears to the tune of a total 8.13 trillion yen for fiscal 1986 through fiscal 2002, the government said during a Cabinet meeting Friday.
JAPAN
Apr 15, 2004

Koizumi swipe at 'terrorists' downplayed

Government officials tried to play down allegations Wednesday that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has prolonged the crisis over three Japanese being held hostage in Iraq by calling their captors "terrorists."
JAPAN
Apr 10, 2004

Koizumi says no to hostage-takers

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi struck a defiant pose Friday over the Japanese hostage crisis in Iraq, stating he would not cave in to terrorists' demands that the Self-Defense Forces troops be withdrawn from the country.
EDITORIALS
Apr 9, 2004

Putting Yasukuni in its place

Do Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visits to Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo violate the constitutional separation of state and religion? It is a tricky question, legally and otherwise, that in the past has eluded a clear-cut judiciary answer. On Wednesday, however, the Fukuoka District Court ruled that...
BUSINESS
Apr 9, 2004

Worker sentiment best since August '01

Business sentiment among workers with jobs sensitive to economic fluctuations rose in March to the highest level since August 2001, the government said Thursday.
JAPAN
Apr 7, 2004

Nikkei tops 12,000 line amid optimism, yen fall

Tokyo stocks advanced Tuesday on growing optimism over the economy, pushing the key Nikkei index above the 12,000 line for the first time in 32 months.
COMMENTARY
Apr 5, 2004

Angry French voters hit back

PARIS -- An old French proverb says "only the stupid never change their mind." In that case, the French certainly aren't dumb. In the first round of last April's presidential election, Socialist Prime Minister Lionel Jospin got only 16 percent of the vote. Extreme rightist Jean-Marie Le Pen won more...
EDITORIALS
Apr 3, 2004

Nurturing the sprouts of recovery

Japan's economic recovery, supported chiefly by large, export-oriented manufacturers, is spreading to other sectors, according to the Bank of Japan's quarterly survey on business sentiment. However, it is premature to conclude that the economy is headed for a self-sustaining recovery led by domestic...
JAPAN
Apr 3, 2004

Hirasawa exits post over secret talks with Pyongyang

Katsuei Hirasawa, parliamentary secretary to the home affairs ministry, resigned that post after drawing flak for a secret trip he made to China to apparently hold talks with North Korean officials about resolving the abduction issue, the ministry said Friday.
BUSINESS
Apr 2, 2004

Japan Post fetes first anniversary

Japan Post marked its first anniversary with an air of satisfaction Thursday because its biggest management target over the past year -- eliminating a deficit in mail delivery operations -- has probably been met.
JAPAN
Mar 30, 2004

GSDF inaugurates undercover antiterrorist squad

A special operations unit debuted Monday in the Ground Self-Defense Force in response to growing fears of terrorism and guerrilla attacks on Japan.
JAPAN
Mar 28, 2004

40% worried domestic security is waning

Nearly 40 percent of people responding to a survey said they feel that security in Japan is deteriorating, the government said Saturday.
COMMENTARY
Mar 23, 2004

A decade of empty slogans

For all the shouting from the rooftops, political reform in Japan has made little headway. The latest reminder is the arrest of Kanju Sato, a former Lower House veteran of the opposition Democratic Party of Japan, on charges of embezzling the salary of a state-paid secretary.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 17, 2004

Emergency steps target bird flu

The government unveiled a package of emergency measures Tuesday aimed at containing the spread of bird flu, including plans to crack down on farmers who fail to disclose evidence their birds are infected.
JAPAN
Mar 16, 2004

Fukuda gets testy over Yasukuni Shrine questions

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda got annoyed Monday with a reporter who asked him about China's latest protest over Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's repeated visits to Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine.
Japan Times
JAPAN / POLITICS IN FOCUS
Mar 16, 2004

LDP policy panel calls the shots, not Diet

The Diet shall be the highest organ of state power, and shall be the sole lawmaking organ of the State. Thus reads Article 41 of the Constitution.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 16, 2004

Baucus, ministers agree beef ban should be short

Visiting U.S. Senator Max Baucus and high-ranking Japanese officials agreed Monday that the ban on beef imports from the United States should not be in place for a long period, government officials said.
BUSINESS
Mar 10, 2004

Machinery orders down in January

Core private-sector machinery orders in Japan fell a seasonally adjusted 12.2 percent in January from a month earlier to 894.4 billion yen.

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