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BUSINESS
Apr 19, 2003

Genome breakthrough prompts scramble in pharmaceutical sector

With the task of unscrambling the human genome complete, Japanese pharmaceutical companies are trying to produce new medicines to fight diseases for which effective drugs don't yet exist.
BUSINESS
Apr 18, 2003

Toyota to launch Prius hybrid version this year

Toyota Motor Corp. said Thursday it will launch a remodeled version of the eco-friendly Prius compact -- featuring a cutting-edge gasoline-electric hybrid system -- in Japan, the U.S. and Europe by the end of the year.
JAPAN
Apr 18, 2003

Cluster bombs held by ASDF defended

The Air Self-Defense Force possesses cluster bombs and has no plans to get rid of them, the government's top spokesman said Thursday.
JAPAN
Apr 18, 2003

Lawmakers inspect Fuchu Prison for inmate records

Members of the House of Councilors Judicial Affairs Committee visited Tokyo's Fuchu Prison on Thursday to look into its handling of official inmate records.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 18, 2003

Journalist offers renewable energy as solution to wars fought over oil

OSAKA -- Humans may someday cease to fight over oil when the sun becomes our main source of energy, according to 64-year-old German journalist Franz Alt.
COMMENTARY
Apr 17, 2003

Taiwan referendum bill may rile Beijing

HONG KONG -- The Taiwan legislature is discussing the politically charged proposal of adopting a referendum law to allow important policy issues, such as whether to build a nuclear power plant, to be decided by the island's 23 million people.
JAPAN
Apr 16, 2003

Oshima's inquiry 'coaches' given verbal warning

The speaker of the House of Representatives on Tuesday verbally warned two of the chamber's Legislative Bureau officials over their alleged coaching of former farm minister Tadamori Oshima before a Diet inquiry.
JAPAN
Apr 15, 2003

Ex-head of Teikyo unit gets suspended sentence

The former head of a Teikyo University affiliate was sentenced Monday to 18 months in prison, suspended for four years, in connection with a money-for-admissions scandal.
JAPAN
Apr 12, 2003

Cloned beef may hit grocery stores later in the year

A health ministry report released Friday says that meat and milk of cows cloned from the somatic cells of adult animals are safe for human consumption.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 11, 2003

Asahara gives up last chance to speak

Aum Shinrikyo founder Shoko Asahara gave up his final chance Thursday to answer questions from his lawyers, maintaining his silence as his seven-year trial at the Tokyo District Court drew nearer to its end.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 11, 2003

Futility felt by journalist drives him to show war's true face

Hearing U.S. bombs find their targets and feeling the ground shake under his Baghdad hotel, Kosuke Tsuneoka was struck by the futility of his plan to serve as a "human shield" and stop the war.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / VINELAND
Apr 11, 2003

The word's finally out on 'obscure' Albarino

There has been a tremendous buzz recently in Tokyo sommelier circles about an obscure white wine that combines the minerality of Reisling, the zest of Sauvignon Blanc and the floral character of Viognier.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 10, 2003

Japan Post to cut procurement costs by 10% to stay in black, Ikuta says

Japan Post aims to slash procurement costs in its mail delivery operations by 10 percent this fiscal year, according to Masaharu Ikuta, president of the new government-affiliated corporation that took over the Postal Services Agency on April 1.
JAPAN
Apr 10, 2003

Dial-up 'adult' services soaring under new law

The number of "adult entertainment" telephone services registered with the government has grown 4.5-fold in three years, and such businesses are believed to involve prostitution and provide income for organized crime, the National Police Agency said.
Japan Times
JAPAN / GUBERNATORIAL ELECTIONS '03
Apr 10, 2003

Popular Mie reformist tough act to follow

Third in a series ASAKO MURAKAMI Staff writer TSU, Mie Pref. -- Mie Gov. Masayasu Kitagawa's sudden announcement last November not to seek a third term ruffled political feathers both at the local and national levels.
MORE SPORTS
Apr 9, 2003

Athletes have forum for complaints

A Japanese court of arbitration for sport (JSAA) was officially launched Monday, with the organization holding its first board meeting in Tokyo.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 8, 2003

Shipbuilder plans to lead way to new energy source

A major shipbuilding company in Tokyo has been working to commercialize natural gas hydrate, a chemically stable combination of water and natural gas in powdery form, hoping to make it more economical to transport and store.
BUSINESS
Apr 8, 2003

IPOs in Japan slide by almost one-third

A total of 124 Japanese companies went public in fiscal 2002, down from 174 the previous year, owing mainly to sluggish stock markets, according to a report released Monday by UFJ Tsubasa Research Institute Ltd.
COMMENTARY / WASHINGTON UPDATE
Apr 7, 2003

U.S. racks up victories, and a huge debt

WASHINGTON -- After months of ducking the question of how much the war would cost, President George W. Bush sent Congress a request for just under $80 billion in new funds. It responded by moving quickly, with both the Senate and House Committees approving bills to give the president his money, but it...
JAPAN
Apr 6, 2003

New environment tax to begin in fiscal 2005

The Environment Ministry hopes to introduce a temporary tax on coal, gasoline and other fossil fuels in fiscal 2005 in an effort to reduce the nation's greenhouse gas emissions, ministry sources said Saturday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Apr 6, 2003

Whole-istic medicine: being treated the traditional Chinese way

Thanks to modern medicine, many diseases that were fatal a few decades ago can now be cured. And with the decoding of the human genome, Western medicine is on the verge of taking another mighty leap forward.
BUSINESS
Apr 5, 2003

Chinese towels safe from tariffs

Japan will not impose safeguard tariffs on towels imported from China for the time being, trade minister Takeo Hiranuma said Friday.
BUSINESS
Apr 5, 2003

Combat SARS with emergency loans: Ogi

Transport minister Chikage Ogi said Friday her ministry is considering having governmental financial institutions extend special emergency loans to airlines, travel agencies and other industries that face fallout from the epidemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome that apparently started in China....

Longform

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