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JAPAN
Jun 2, 2005

Japan yet to conclude holdout report is hoax

The government has not dismissed the possibility that two former Imperial Japanese Army soldiers are hiding out in the Philippines, officials said Wednesday, despite mounting suspicions the story is a hoax.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 2, 2005

Most efficient exit from extreme poverty

For years, the world has looked to Asia as a leader in many areas, particularly business and technology. Now Asia is serving as an important example to follow in the international race to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
BUSINESS
Jun 2, 2005

Nippon Life loses top spot to AIG in premium revenues

Nippon Life Insurance Co. lost its No. 1 position in the domestic market to American International Group Inc. in terms of premium revenues from new contracts concluded with individuals in fiscal 2004, according to financial statements.
JAPAN
Jun 2, 2005

LDP lawmaker urges resumption of whaling in exclusive economic zone

Japan should resume whaling in its 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone if its disagreement at the International Whaling Commission is not resolved this year to allow resumption of commercial hunting, a senior Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker said Wednesday.
MORE SPORTS
Jun 1, 2005

Wakanohana, Takanohana left stunned by father's death

Former sumo grand champions Wakanohana and Takanohana, the sons of sumo elder Futagoyama who died of mouth cancer Monday, said Tuesday they consider their late father more of a teacher as they paid tribute to him and gave him all the credit for their successful careers the day after his death.
EDITORIALS
Jun 1, 2005

France says no to the EU

French voters have rejected the European constitution. The results were not unexpected, but they were a shock nonetheless. France has long been a pillar and an engine of European integration. It is unclear how the European Union will deal with this setback. For French President Jacques Chirac, the outcome...
COMMENTARY
Jun 1, 2005

French lessons for the European Union

LONDON -- So the French have voted down the proposed EU Constitution decisively. What now? Will the European Union fall apart? Certainly not. Does it mean that the attempt to impose a single "top-down" constitution on all 25 member states is dead? Probably -- especially if the Netherlands also votes...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / NEW ART SEEN
Jun 1, 2005

A voyeur for today

The photographer Richard Kern grew up in a small town in North Carolina, the son of a newspaperman. As a teenager, Kern had a part-time job changing the marquee at the local cinema, and one of the perks was free films. It was during a screening of Roger Vadim's camped up 1968 sci-fi flick "Barbarella"...
JAPAN
Jun 1, 2005

Afghan loses high court bid for refugee status

The Tokyo High Court on Tuesday rejected a lawsuit by an Afghan man seeking asylum in Japan, overturning an earlier decision in his favor.
JAPAN
Jun 1, 2005

Dental chief gets suspended jail term for payoff to LDP

Sadao Usuda, former president of the Japan Dental Association, was handed a suspended three-year prison term Tuesday for providing an undeclared 100 million yen donation in 2001 to the Liberal Democratic Party's largest faction.
BUSINESS
Jun 1, 2005

Suntory to sell Starbucks via retailers

Suntory Ltd. said Tuesday it has agreed with Seattle-based global coffee chain Starbucks Corp. to sell cups of chilled coffee under the Starbucks brand this fall at retailers in Japan, beginning with convenience stores in the Tokyo area.
BUSINESS
Jun 1, 2005

Kanebo posts net profit on cosmetics selloff, debt waiver

Kanebo Ltd. said Tuesday it logged 314.97 billion yen in net profit for the year ended in March, thanks mostly to gains from the selloff of its mainstay cosmetics business and a debt-waiver from lenders.
BUSINESS
Jun 1, 2005

DoCoMo to mix home, cell phones

NTT DoCoMo Inc. will enable subscribers to use their handsets as fixed-line phones at home, President Masao Nakamura said Tuesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 1, 2005

Rise in defamation suits threaten media: journalists

The increasing number of lawsuits being filed in response to allegedly defamatory news articles is posing a threat to media organizations and freedom of expression by discouraging aggressive reporting, several journalists said at a recent symposium in Saitama.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 1, 2005

Hokkaido's Shiretoko may get UNESCO Heritage status

A site on the Shiretoko Peninsula in eastern Hokkaido is expected to be added to UNESCO's World Heritage List this summer following a recommendation by an advisory body, government officials said Tuesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 1, 2005

JR West vows to relax strict timetables

West Japan Railway Co. said Tuesday it will increase the flexibility of its timetables to reduce the pressure on drivers to be on time, according to a report on safety measures submitted to the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry.
BUSINESS
Jun 1, 2005

Mitsubishi Fuso to get new chief

Scandal-tainted truck maker Mitsubishi Fuso Truck & Bus announced a new president and CEO on Tuesday, demonstrating resolve to overcome its crisis over defect coverups.
JAPAN
Jun 1, 2005

Japan and Russia again fail to arrange date for Putin visit

Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov failed Tuesday to set a date for President Vladimir Putin's long-delayed visit to Japan as the two countries remained "poles apart" over the bilateral territorial row.
JAPAN
Jun 1, 2005

Jobless rate improves to a 76-month low of 4.4%

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell to a 76-month low of 4.4 percent in April, down 0.1 percentage point from March, the government said Tuesday, suggesting that employment is steadily improving on the back of economic recovery.
JAPAN
Jun 1, 2005

Six arrested over alien registration card racket

Six Chinese have been arrested on suspicion of fabricating or trading bogus alien registration cards and other identification documents in three separate cases in Aichi, Saitama and Chiba prefectures, police said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Jun 1, 2005

Seven Seibu Rail directors to resign

Seibu Railway Co. said Tuesday four managing directors and three directors will resign next month over falsification of financial statements that was discovered last year.
BUSINESS
Jun 1, 2005

Big retailers seek help for slumping sales

Big supermarket chains that also sell general merchandise have been hiring consultants to show them marketing methods to help reverse their sluggish nongrocery sales.
JAPAN
Jun 1, 2005

China sub being towed to Hainan

Japan is looking into a report that a Chinese submarine is being towed in the South China Sea toward Hainan Island, government sources said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Jun 1, 2005

Wage-earning households spent 3.1% less in April

Spending by wage-earning households fell a real 3.1 percent in April from a year earlier after a 1.7 percent increase in March, but the fall was largely due to a steep rise marked in the same month last year, the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry said Tuesday.

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?