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JAPAN
Jul 23, 2005

1,182 'retraining sessions' at JR West

West Japan Railway Co. conducted 1,182 employee retraining sessions during a two-year period from April 2003, the longest lasting 51 days, the transport ministry's accident investigation commission said Friday.
JAPAN
Jul 23, 2005

Attack-contingency manuals approved

The Cabinet approved attack-contingency manuals Friday from Fukui and Tottori -- the first prefectures to submit public evacuation and rescue plans, government officials said.
BUSINESS
Jul 23, 2005

Shiseido plans new cosmetics line

Top Japanese cosmetics maker Shiseido Co. will launch its new makeup line Maquillage in August, aiming to chalk up annual sales of 50 billion yen with one of its largest-ever advertising campaigns.
BUSINESS
Jul 23, 2005

FSA reveals 6.78 million unreported data loss cases

Financial institutions have reported about 6.78 million cases of missing client data, the Financial Services Agency announced Friday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 23, 2005

Unpegged yuan to impact firms

From electronics makers to fishing companies, China's decision Thursday to abandon the yuan's peg to the dollar will affect a wide range of Japanese businesses over the long term, observers say.
BUSINESS
Jul 23, 2005

NEET figure remains high at 640,000: report

The number of young people not studying, working or looking for work remained at a record-high level of about 640,000 in 2004 -- a trend since 2002 -- according to a government white paper released Friday.
BUSINESS
Jul 23, 2005

Tertiary index down 5% in May

Japan's service industry activity index fell a preliminary 5 percent in May from the previous month due to sluggish business in wholesale and retail sales, advertising, civil engineering and other sectors, the government said Friday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jul 23, 2005

'Breakthrough Japanese' book sees light of day

It is rare to be interviewed twice for this column. But Hitomi Hitayama, president of the executive Japanese language school Japanese Lunch, deserves the space because she has kept faith with her book project for so long. Also, the result -- "Breakthrough Japanese: 20 Mini Lessons for Better Conversation"...
JAPAN
Jul 23, 2005

Japanese women's life span at new record 85.59 years

The average life span of Japanese women reached 85.59 years in 2004, the 20th straight year as having the world's highest longevity, according to data for 2004 released by the health ministry Friday.
BUSINESS
Jul 23, 2005

METI chief plans late-July trip to strike Thai FTA

Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Shoichi Nakagawa will visit Thailand possibly on July 31 in a bid to strike a basic deal on a bilateral free-trade agreement in time for the end-of-July deadline set by the two countries, government sources said Friday.
JAPAN
Jul 23, 2005

METI uncovers more abuses

Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Shoichi Nakagawa said Friday two more cases of public fund misuse involving its officials have been confirmed and he will thus cut his own salary for another month in August.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 23, 2005

Coming in from the cold

BRUSSELS -- In a vital move toward securing greater stability, North Korea announced last week it would return to the six-party talks in Beijing with the United States, China, South Korea, Japan and Russia to try to resolve the nuclear crisis on the Korean Peninsula. The breakdown in negotiations had...
COMMENTARY
Jul 23, 2005

Meeting China's 'challenge'

WASHINGTON -- In February 1946, George Kennan, then a political officer in the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, sent an 8,000-word telegram to the State Department, warning about Soviet behavior. A little over a year later, a version of that telegram appeared in Foreign Affairs magazine, written by "Mr. X."
JAPAN
Jul 23, 2005

More nuclear plant data leaked via file-swapping program

Data on nuclear power plant safety inspections have been posted on the Internet, apparently leaked through the Winny file-swapping program on a virus-infected personal computer of an employee at the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, the agency said Friday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jul 23, 2005

Cool Biz: Okinawan shirts and bikinis

Prime Minister Koizumi would be proud of me. I am completely embracing the Cool Biz campaign by going to work in a bikini top and shorts. And I think Mr. Koizumi would agree after seeing my workplace, which doesn't even have air conditioning. I would support the campaign even more if in addition to the...
JAPAN
Jul 23, 2005

French school hit for 100 million yen metro tax

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has ordered a Tokyo-based French school operated by the French government to pay about 100 million yen in taxes as the school is not eligible to receive tax exemptions.
JAPAN
Jul 23, 2005

Ministries form asbestos crisis teams

The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare set up a crisis team Friday to deal with asbestos-linked health problems, while the Ministry of Environment established a similar group, officials said.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Jul 23, 2005

Sathya Saran

"I think I am a good writer. That's the only skill I have," said Sathya Saran on a visit to Tokyo from Bombay.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
Jul 23, 2005

Groping for answers on gropers

Beginning May 9, nine commuter lines in the greater Tokyo area began offering women-only train cars in response to the growing number of women being groped by men in the trains. The number of incidents reached 2,201 in 2004, up from 778 in 1996. Each line has designated one car from each train during...
MORE SPORTS
Jul 22, 2005

AND1 tour headed to Japan

With trick plays and acrobatic shooting action accompanied by hip-hop music, a rebel brand of basketball is coming to Japan again.
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Jul 22, 2005

Baseball had no chance in IOC vote with Rogge at helm

Mission accomplished.
EDITORIALS
Jul 22, 2005

Breakthrough in U.S.-India ties

Hyperbole is not unusual to describe meetings of heads of state. Yet the visit of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to the United States marks a genuine departure in relations between those two countries. The U.S. agreement to help India secure international assistance with its civilian nuclear-energy...
JAPAN
Jul 22, 2005

Machimura may have to skip ASEAN talks

Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura may cancel next week's trip to Laos for talks with his Asian counterparts in order to go to New York if discussions about U.N. Security Council expansion enter a crucial stage there, according to a top ministry official.
BUSINESS
Jul 22, 2005

Yumeshin cranks up takeover bid

Yumeshin Holdings Co. applied for a court injunction Thursday to prevent Japan Engineering Consultants Co. from implementing a 5-for-1 stock split designed to scuttle its hostile takeover bid.

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?