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Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 13, 2004

Kin of hostages tormented by info vacuum

For relatives of the three Japanese hostages in Iraq, hopes for their release Sunday morning quickly turned to frustration and gloom over a subsequent lack of solid information on what was happening to their loved ones as the day wore on.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 12, 2004

Hostages' fate still unknown

The fate of three Japanese civilians taken hostage by an armed group in Iraq remained unknown Monday morning -- more than a full day after a statement by the kidnappers promising to release them within 24 hours was broadcast.
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hostage crisis in Iraq, stating he would not cave in to terrorists' demands that the Self-Defense Forces troops be withdrawn from the country.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 9, 2004

Japanese trio held hostage in Iraq

Three Japanese civilians have been taken hostage in Iraq by a terrorist-related group that has threatened to kill them if Japan does not withdraw its troops from the country in three days.
BUSINESS
Apr 6, 2004

Asian trio embark on quest to lead in cutting-edge tech

Japan, China and South Korea will work together to develop cutting-edge technologies, including fourth-generation mobile phones, digital broadcasting, computer security and open-source software, a Japanese official said Monday.
JAPAN
Apr 6, 2004

U.S. wants access to SDF radar data

The United States wants Japan to either provide full access to radar data collected by the Self-Defense Forces or allow the U.S. military to build a radar station in Japan as part of information-sharing for missile defense, a senior Defense Agency official said Monday.
BUSINESS
Mar 31, 2004

Companies prepare for launch of securities trading deregulation

If a convenience store in your neighborhood sold securities products, would you drop in to purchase them?
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Mar 30, 2004

Pensions and claiming back farewell cash

JET pensions I am working as a prefectural employee and am married to a Japanese national. I am aiming to amass the minimum 22 years of pension contributions necessary to draw a pension in Japan.
JAPAN
Mar 27, 2004

Kepco inks accord with COGEMA on MOX supply

OSAKA -- Kansai Electric Power Co. reached an agreement Friday with COGEMA, France's state-owned nuclear fuel reprocessing company, to sign a contract possibly this summer for manufacturing mixed oxide-uranium fuel.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 27, 2004

Hemophiliac targets hepatitis C blunders

A hemophiliac who achieved fame through his dogged fight to make the government accountable for the use of HIV-tainted blood products is picking a fight again, this time over Tokyo's handling of hepatitis C.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 27, 2004

Ex-North Korean spy wants hand in collapse of Kim's empire

KITAKYUSHU -- On Aug. 30, 1993, four North Korean agents slipped over the 38th parallel into South Korea. Disguised as South Korean soldiers, their mission was to spy on U.S. and South Korean forces near Panmunjun.
JAPAN
Mar 27, 2004

Ex-NCB pair must pay 500 million yen to RCC for bad loans

The Tokyo District Court on Friday ordered two former executives of the failed Nippon Credit Bank to pay 500 million yen in damages to the state-run Resolution and Collection Corp. because they hurt the bank by extending irrecoverable loans.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Mar 27, 2004

Meet the 'Brunei millionaire' -- and run!

So you thought you'd take a trip to Southeast Asia to get away from the pressures of modern life, including the spam that clogs your e-mail daily, especially those Nigerian scams that ask you to give your bank account information. As if you'd be so daft. So you plan a short trip to an exotic locale,...
JAPAN
Mar 24, 2004

Violating privacy of students costs Waseda 15,000 yen

The Tokyo High Court ordered Waseda University on Tuesday to pay a total of 15,000 yen in damages to three students whose names were given to police in connection with their attendance of a lecture in 1998 by then Chinese President Jiang Zemin.
JAPAN
Mar 24, 2004

Hokkaido police skimming tip of iceberg?

After earlier denials, Hokkaido police officially came clean and admitted in early March that one of the force's stations had misappropriated funds meant for rewarding informants.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Mar 23, 2004

More big sizes and outdoor pursuits

Big sizes So many of you responded to the reader looking for larger sized clothes. Here are some more tips.
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Mar 22, 2004

Japanese monetary authorities must take the risk of making sense

Japanese monetary authorities have been trying to keep the yen-dollar exchange rate above 105, and even to push it to 110. While their actions, of course, affect the sentiments of currency exchange dealers, we should realize that exchange rate fluctuations are determined not just by economic factors,...
COMMENTARY
Mar 22, 2004

Cracking police shell games

Police in Hokkaido, Shizuoka and Fukuoka prefectures have allegedly misused taxpayers' money. A number of active and retired officers have disclosed that money appropriated for phony business trips and investigative activities was diverted to slush funds.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 21, 2004

New coalitions of the willing seek change

While I was in London in January, The Guardian newspaper ran a front-page story about an independent evaluation of some of Britain's leading international charities that tried to help southern Africa avoid a food crisis in 2002-2003. The evaluation concluded that the charities had overstated the seriousness...
JAPAN
Mar 20, 2004

Avian flu genes match South Korea's

The genes of Japan's avian flu virus are almost identical to those of South Korea's, the farm ministry said Friday.
JAPAN
Mar 17, 2004

How scared should we be? Some bird flu facts at a glance

The following are answers to basic questions concerning bird flu:
JAPAN
Mar 17, 2004

Net, Kansai hotlines offer precautions

OSAKA -- Municipalities in the Kansai region have set up telephone hotlines and are providing information via the Internet on precautions against the bird flu virus, which infected six crows in Kyoto and Osaka prefectures.
BUSINESS
Mar 13, 2004

Consortium to push Linux system

A group of 14 information technology companies announced Friday the establishment of a consortium to develop an advanced information system using a Linux-based operating system.
JAPAN
Mar 11, 2004

Kobe killer set free

A 21-year-old man who strangled and decapitated a boy and bludgeoned a girl to death when he was 14 in one of Japan's most notorious juvenile crimes was paroled Wednesday, having spent more than six years at a medical reformatory, the Justice Ministry announced.
JAPAN
Mar 11, 2004

Koizumi treat for English speakers

The Cabinet Office will start sending out an English version of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's weekly e-mail magazine, beginning March 25.
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Mar 11, 2004

Bush majors in suppression of science

It comes as no surprise that U.S. President George W. Bush is calling for a constitutional amendment limiting marriage to heterosexual couples. He is simply using the age-old tactic of picking on others to save his own hide.
JAPAN
Mar 10, 2004

Manual on handling dead birds issued

Don't panic -- just look it up in the booklet.

Longform

Atsuyoshi Koike, the president and CEO of Rapidus, says there is a “sense of urgency” when it comes to Japan’s efforts in manufacturing semiconductors. “We have to make sure we are successful,” he says.
Atsuyoshi Koike’s big game: Fourth down and 2 nanometers to go