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BUSINESS
Dec 29, 2005

Retail sales up 0.1% in November

Retail sales inched up 0.1 percent in November from a year earlier to 10.60 trillion yen for the first rise in two months, underpinned by robust sales of fuel due to relatively low temperatures, the government said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Dec 29, 2005

November industrial output up 1.4%

Industrial production rose a seasonally adjusted 1.4 percent in November from the previous month, marking four straight months of gains, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said Wednesday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Dec 29, 2005

A gradual rise to excellence

A loss of direction appeared to afflict large parts of the Japanese theater world in the beginning of 2005 as last year's promising stream of new actors and directors failed to live up to their 2004 debuts. Dramatists responded by looking outward for inspiration, creating an upsurge in international...
BUSINESS
Dec 29, 2005

End deflation before tax hikes: Abe

Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe reiterated his stance Wednesday that deflation should be brought under control and the government should do everything to curb its spending and carry out other fiscal reforms before taxes are raised.
BASEBALL / MLB
Dec 28, 2005

Yankees' Matsui to sit out World Baseball Classic

New York Yankees outfielder Hideki Matsui said Tuesday he has decided not to join Japan's squad and play at the World Baseball Classic next March.
SOCCER / J. League
Dec 28, 2005

Yanagisawa set for J. League

Japan striker Atsushi Yanagisawa told Kashima Antlers officials Monday that he wants to return to the J. League first-division club from Italian League side Messina.
JAPAN
Dec 28, 2005

Tokyo mum on diplomat suicide report

The government confirmed Tuesday that a Japanese employee at the consulate general in Shanghai died last year but declined to confirm a newspaper report he committed suicide and left a note indicating he was being pressured to give the Chinese information.
JAPAN
Dec 28, 2005

Disparity doubles in the value of a vote

The disparity in vote values between single-seat districts more than doubled in 48 House of Representatives constituencies in 17 prefectures, according to estimates by the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry.
EDITORIALS
Dec 28, 2005

Portrait of a year in buzzwords

If it's December, it's time for those list-loving dictionary folks to be announcing their Words of the Year again -- and in the process providing editorial writers with a revealing lens on the past 12 months. This year, their labors yielded a couple of startlingly different scenarios.
JAPAN
Dec 28, 2005

Car parts still carry asbestos

All major Japanese automakers except Honda Motor Co. used components containing asbestos to build 1.64 million cars, trucks, motorcycles and other vehicles between 1996 and last month, the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Dec 28, 2005

Cabinet endorses basic plan to promote gender equality

A basic plan to achieve gender equality was endorsed at a Cabinet meeting Tuesday and features the goal of raising the rate at which woman are recruited for the top-level career track in the central government.
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Dec 28, 2005

Sleazy snappers turn eco-show sour

Originally this column was going to be about Eco-products 2005, a trade show held at Tokyo Big Sight earlier this month. But as you'll see, I got seriously sidetracked and my focus shifted more or less entirely.
JAPAN
Dec 28, 2005

It's official: Flu season has arrived six weeks early

Flu season has arrived -- six weeks earlier than last winter and its second-earliest onset in the past decade, the health ministry announced Tuesday.
JAPAN
Dec 28, 2005

News media seeks disclosure of crime victims' names

The nation's two major media groups came out Tuesday against a government plan that allows police to decide whether to disclose the names of crime victims, saying anonymity would make news-gathering difficult and could help the police cover up matters unfavorable to them.
JAPAN
Dec 28, 2005

Japan's population declines by 19,000

The total population of Japan, including everyone who has been a resident longer than three months, fell to 127.76 million as of Oct. 1 for the first drop in the postwar period, the government said Tuesday.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Dec 28, 2005

Ichimonji bitterling

* Japanese name: Ichimonji-tanago * Scientific name: Acheilognathus cyanostigma * Description: The bitterling is a small fish, growing to around 70 mm in length. Adults are fairly deep-bodied, with a similar body shape to goldfish. In the breeding season, males become much more brightly colored than...
JAPAN
Dec 28, 2005

Shamus jailed for posing as hit man, for a price

A private detective was sentenced to 30 months in prison Tuesday for swindling 10.4 million yen from a woman who was soliciting over the Internet for a hit man to kill the wife of her lover.
BUSINESS
Dec 28, 2005

Hurricane-triggered oil reserve release to end

Japan will stop releasing oil reserves by private-sector oil companies on Jan. 4, Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Toshihiro Nikai said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Dec 28, 2005

Newer homes incorporating materials that conserve energy, benefit health

Global warming affects everyone on the planet and many people are becoming more interested in saving energy to help slow down environmental deterioration.
BUSINESS
Dec 28, 2005

CPI rises for first time in two years but new index sees prices still falling

The government presented conflicting consumer price indexes Tuesday that show deflation may still be around for some time.

Longform

A store clerk tries to cool things down in front of their shop by spraying a hose.
Is extreme weather changing the way Japan shops?