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JAPAN
Nov 30, 2005

New envoys for East Timor, Algeria

The government on Tuesday appointed Kenji Shimizu, a consul general in Kolkata, India, as ambassador to East Timor, and Kunio Shimizu, a former ambassador to Nicaragua, as Japan's top envoy in Algeria, the Foreign Ministry said.
JAPAN
Nov 30, 2005

Aso wants Rice focused on Asia

Foreign Minister Taro Aso said Tuesday he will make a three-day trip to the United States starting Friday to talk with his U.S. counterpart, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, on security and other issues.
JAPAN
Nov 30, 2005

Asbestos-relief bill may hit 27 billion yen

The government revealed Tuesday that thousands of buildings nationwide, including public facilities, pose asbestos exposure risks while unveiling a draft bill to pay 27 billion yen in compensation to the people affected.
JAPAN
Nov 30, 2005

Suu Kyi arrest extension criticized

Japan expressed worry Tuesday over the Myanmar junta's decision to extend democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi's house arrest for another year.
BUSINESS
Nov 30, 2005

OECD expecting steady 2% growth in economy

Japan could grow steadily by 2.0 percent in both 2006 and 2007 because the world's second-largest economy is now less dependent on exports and its expansion is spreading to domestically oriented activity, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said Tuesday.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT
Nov 30, 2005

'Secret' dolphin slaughter defies protests

Japan's annual slaughter of thousands of dolphins began Oct. 8 in the traditional whaling town of Taiji on the Kii Peninsula of Honshu's Wakayama Prefecture. These "drive fisheries" triggered demonstrations, held under the "Japan Dolphin Day" banner, in 28 countries. The protests went almost entirely...
BUSINESS
Nov 30, 2005

Unemployment rises to 4.5%

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate jumped to 4.5 percent in October from 4.2 percent in September, the government said Tuesday, adding that the rise in the jobless figure is temporary and reflects workers seeking better jobs amid the economic recovery.
BUSINESS
Nov 30, 2005

NEC, Philips form joint venture

NEC Corp. announced Tuesday it has reached a basic agreement with Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands to set up a joint venture to provide office networking services in the European market.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 30, 2005

EHomes chief ties Japan ERI to coverup of faked quake data

EHomes Inc. President Togo Fujita on Tuesday told a Diet committee that Japan ERI Co., which certified construction applications with faked quake-resistance data by architect Hidetsugu Aneha, was involved in hiding the falsifications after discovering them about a year ago.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 30, 2005

Japan to give Morocco 10 billion yen in aid

Japan said Tuesday it will provide 10 billion yen in aid to Morocco for sewerage and power distribution projects as part of an effort to help the North African country stabilize its economy and fight poverty.
BUSINESS
Nov 30, 2005

Households spend 1.3% more but pay falls fourth month

Spending by wage-earning households expanded a real 1.3 percent in October from a year earlier to 325,501 yen, marking the first increase in four months, the government said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Nov 30, 2005

State lenders to be whittled to one

The government and ruling Liberal Democratic Party agreed on a plan Tuesday to create a single public lender by scrapping one, privatizing two and integrating the remaining five.
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Nov 30, 2005

'Monster' gene defect may counter deadly affliction

Want to have huge muscles but are too lazy to go to the gym? There could soon be a way.
BUSINESS
Nov 30, 2005

Industrial output rises 0.6% as outlook improves

Industrial production rose a seasonally adjusted 0.6 percent in October, capping three straight months of gains for the first time in two years and spurring the government Tuesday to hike its basic assessment of output.
JAPAN
Nov 30, 2005

France boasts benefits in bid to boost foreign investment

French industry minister Francois Loos is calling on Japanese businesses to invest more in France despite recent rioting that spread across the country.
MORE SPORTS
Nov 29, 2005

Ai, Sakura to play in World Cup

Ai Miyazato and Sakura Yokomine will represent Japan at the 2006 Women's World Cup of Golf to be held in South Africa in January, Japan LPGA officials said Monday.
JAPAN
Nov 29, 2005

Talks with N. Korea expected soon

Japan and North Korea are highly likely to meet before the expected January resumption of six-party talks on the North Korean nuclear issue, Vice Foreign Minister Shotaro Yachi said Monday.
JAPAN
Nov 29, 2005

Ex-con's photo on ministry's site

An identifiable photo of a former inmate was inadvertently posted on a Justice Ministry Web site as part of efforts to show prison activities to the public, the ministry said Monday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 29, 2005

Lawmaker often dogged by controversy

Hawkish Lower House member Shingo Nishimura, who was arrested Monday for violating the Attorneys Law, is no stranger to controversy, having drawn flak as a Defense Agency vice minister when he called for Japan to develop nuclear weapons and for remarking that punishment is the only reason why people...
JAPAN
Nov 29, 2005

Internet, animation grad schools get a thumbs down

An education ministry panel came out Monday against the establishment of two graduate schools, one aiming to provide courses over the Internet and the other for training animation experts.
EDITORIALS
Nov 29, 2005

Grand coalition with hazy prospects

A grand coalition headed by Ms. Angela Merkel, the leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), has taken over the reins of government in Germany from the seven-year-long administration of Mr. Gerhard Schroeder of the Social Democratic Party (SPD). In the general election held in September, the center-right...

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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?