Search - 2002

 
 
EDITORIALS
Dec 17, 2003

Deepening ties with ASEAN

During two days of summit talks in Tokyo last week, leaders from Japan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, agreed to establish a broad-gauged relationship that includes not only trade and investment but also political and security cooperation. Described as the "Tokyo declaration,"...
JAPAN
Dec 17, 2003

Blood tainted by hepatitis C used in transfusion

The Japanese Red Cross Society has confirmed the first case in which donated blood containing the hepatitis C virus passed its screening tests and was used in a blood transfusion, according to officials of the organization.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / NEW ART SEEN
Dec 17, 2003

A family unit to value in tech's brave new world

The Hara Museum of Contemporary Art in Shinagawa used to be a family home, and it must have been a very nice one because it is a beautiful place, designed and built in the late 1930s in the Bauhaus style. The hardwood floors and comfortably high ceilings create a relaxing atmosphere in the one-time dining,...
JAPAN
Dec 16, 2003

Koizumi era sees China ties deteriorate

Relations between Beijing and Tokyo have grown ever more thorny since the demise of pro-China politicians such as former Prime Ministers Noboru Takeshita and Keizo Obuchi.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / FRONT-RUNNERS
Dec 16, 2003

Multitask outsourcing service leaves no client stone unturned

The economic slump has resulted in rapid growth for a Tokyo-based outsourcing service company that works with a diverse range of clients, including parcel delivery firms, automakers and restaurants.
JAPAN
Dec 13, 2003

Alleged abductee's remains sought by son

Japan will ask North Korea to return the remains of Shoji Terakoshi, who disappeared while fishing in the Sea of Japan in 1963, a senior Foreign Ministry official has told a family member.
JAPAN
Dec 13, 2003

Prize curbs an own goal for lotto?

The National Agency for the Advancement of Sports and Health, which operates the J. League soccer lottery, is worried about poor ticket sales.
JAPAN
Dec 13, 2003

Bullets sent to SDP's Fukushima, Doi

A letter containing two bullets and addressed to Social Democratic Party leader Mizuho Fukushima and her predecessor, Takako Doi, was discovered at the Tokyo central post office Friday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Dec 12, 2003

Giants trade Iriki for the Fighters' Ide

The Yomiuri Giants of the Central League sent right-hander Yusaku Iriki to the Nippon Ham Fighters of the Pacific League for outfielder Tatsuya Ide on a one-for-one trade deal, officials of the two clubs said Thursday.
JAPAN
Dec 12, 2003

Japan, ASEAN leaders agree to boost ties

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and the leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations agreed Thursday to expand security, political and economic ties.
JAPAN
Dec 12, 2003

Sex offenders facing harsher punishment

Justice Ministry is eyeing a drastic Penal Code amendment that would see rapists and other sex offenders punished more severely, ministry officials said Thursday.
JAPAN
Dec 12, 2003

Rape allegation heaps misery on SDP

The Social Democratic Party found itself in further turmoil Thursday as a former state-paid secretary to party lawmaker Tomoko Abe was accused of raping a woman on several occasions last year.
JAPAN
Dec 11, 2003

Paramedics' use of defibrillators up

A legal revision allowing speedier defibrillation use has resulted in a 3.36 percentage point rise in the procedure, the outline of an annual Fire and Disaster Management Agency report showed Wednesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 11, 2003

ASEAN leaders arrive in Tokyo ahead of landmark two-day summit

Southeast Asian leaders arrived in Tokyo on Wednesday to participate in a two-day summit with Japan that will focus on trade and security.
COMMENTARY
Dec 11, 2003

New Zealand seeks bigger splash in Asia

WELLINGTON -- It's clear that New Zealand's size is both a curse and a blessing. The curse is easy to see: New Zealand is so small that it's hard to get the attention of other governments. New Zealand is responsible for 0.22 percent of world trade. There are more Indonesian civil servants than New Zealanders....
EDITORIALS
Dec 10, 2003

Continuing with nuclear energy

Half a century ago, U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower proposed the creation of an international organization to promote the peaceful use of atomic information and materials. That "atoms for peace" address, delivered to the U.N. General Assembly on Dec. 8, 1953, bore fruit in 1957 when the International...
JAPAN
Dec 10, 2003

Killer's death sentence commuted

The Tokyo High Court on Tuesday acknowledged that a 56-year-old man who killed a woman and seriously injured three members of her family when he torched their house was insane at the time and thus commuted his death sentence to a life term.
JAPAN
Dec 10, 2003

Surrogate mom for TV star gives birth to twins

An American woman has given birth to twin boys on behalf of Japanese television celebrity Aki Mukai and her husband, former professional wrestler Nobuhiko Takada, the couple's management office said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Dec 10, 2003

Ruling on quake insurance overturned

The Supreme Court on Tuesday overturned a lower court ruling that ordered seven nonlife insurance companies and an insurance group to pay damages to people whose homes were damaged in a fire caused by the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake in Kobe and its vicinity.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 10, 2003

GDP growth revised downward to 0.3%

The economy did not grow as much in the July-September quarter as initially reported.
BUSINESS
Dec 10, 2003

Ranks of unionized workers expected to sink below 20%

The nation's estimated unionization rate is expected to fall below 20 percent for the first time since the end of World War II due to reductions in the number of full-time workers.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 9, 2003

Maintaining diversity said key to building Asian bloc

Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi said Japan will try to value Asia's diversity in a bid to create an East Asian Community.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / FRONT-RUNNERS
Dec 9, 2003

Purifier firm had rough patch but overall well-oiled

After facing bankruptcy less than five years ago, Sanmi Corp. has fought back to become the nation's leading producer of oil purifiers for power plants and home appliance companies, according to its president, Hisayoshi Tamaru.
JAPAN
Dec 9, 2003

Panel seeks better treatment for inmates

An advisory panel to the justice minister will call on the government to improve correctional policies, and medical and human rights conditions inside prisons, according to a draft proposal unveiled Monday.
BUSINESS
Dec 9, 2003

Keidanren chief willing to stay on

Hiroshi Okuda, chairman of the Japan Business Federation (Nippon Keidanren), expressed willingness Monday to continue serving in the post beyond the end of his two-year term in May.
EDITORIALS
Dec 8, 2003

A disquieting waste of money

A national audit report makes for dismal reading, since it is always a reminder of waste in government. So it is with the latest report, which says that government offices and agencies "mismanaged" about 45 billion yen in 2002 -- the largest amount in 20 years. That is particularly disquieting at a time...

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?