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JAPAN
Aug 12, 2004

Aviators missing after jet crashes

U.S. military planes searched Wednesday for four missing navy aviators whose plane crashed on an uninhabited island near Iwo Jima, according to military officials.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 12, 2004

Camper industry wants seniors to take homes on the road

Western culture has spread far and wide in Japan, but one element of it has yet to take root here: the camper.
BUSINESS
Aug 12, 2004

Current account surplus hits record 9.64 trillion yen

Japan's current account surplus for January to June grew 31.9 percent from the same period a year ago to a record 9.64 trillion yen, topping the previous high set in the second half of 2003, the Finance Ministry said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Aug 12, 2004

High court clears way for UFJ-MTFG merger

The Tokyo High Court ruled Wednesday that struggling UFJ Holdings Inc. and the larger Mitsubishi Tokyo Financial Group Inc. can hold merger talks to create what would be the world's largest bank in terms of assets.
JAPAN
Aug 12, 2004

Yahoo leak extorter avoids prison

The Tokyo District Court handed a suspended three-year prison term Wednesday to a 62-year-old man who tried to extort money from Softbank Corp. by threatening to publish data on subscribers of the company's Internet connection service.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 12, 2004

Net sites cater to quest for Russian brides

Attractive Russian women with blonde hair and green eyes smile invitingly from the computer screen.
BUSINESS
Aug 12, 2004

Softbank halves first-quarter net loss

Softbank Corp. said Wednesday its net loss was almost halved to 17.88 billion yen in its first quarter, thanks to a rapid increase in subscribers to its high-speed Internet connection service.
JAPAN
Aug 12, 2004

Private-run prison gets go-ahead

The government said Wednesday that a plan for a new privately run prison in Mine, Yamaguchi Prefecture, will be authorized as part of a program to create special deregulation zones.
JAPAN
Aug 12, 2004

Government expands scope of nuclear plant inspections

The government on Wednesday expanded the scope of nuclear power plants it wants checked and ordered power generators to also inspect thermal power plants to see if there are any unchecked pipes susceptible to corrosion.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Aug 12, 2004

Sensitive science in the race for glory in athletic pursuits

With the 28th Olympic Games about to start, who would put a bet on a white athlete winning the 100 meters? Certainly not the American writer Jon Entine. "The complete domination of the 100 meters by people of West African origin means no white man will ever again win the event. It simply won't happen,"...
JAPAN
Aug 12, 2004

Spassky asks Bush to go easy on Fischer

Fugitive former world chess champion Bobby Fischer has an unlikely ally in his battle against U.S. authorities seeking his handover from Japan -- ex-rival Boris Spassky.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Aug 12, 2004

Environment groups who do it in the streets

Hester Van Hooven Ward is pretty hard to miss when she greets you on the street with a wave and a big smile, then launches into her "rap": "Hi! How are you? Do you have a minute for the environment today?" she calls out to strangers.
BUSINESS
Aug 12, 2004

Shipments up 9% for beer, 'happoshu' in July

Combined shipments of beer and "happoshu" by the nation's five major brewers increased 9 percent in July from a year earlier, the first rise in seven months, helped by this summer's heat wave, according to reports by the brewers released Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Aug 12, 2004

JFE Steel plans blast furnace at China venture

JFE Steel Corp. plans to construct a blast furnace in China in a joint project with a local company to build an integrated steelworks that could exceed 100 billion yen in value, company sources said Wednesday.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / NAME OF THE GAME
Aug 12, 2004

Managing to make droids dull

"Front Mission 4" for PlayStation 2 is a turn-based combat-strategy game in which players pilot robots. All of these elements, except maybe the giant robots, are central to understanding the latest offering from Square Enix.
BUSINESS
Aug 12, 2004

Wholesale prices gain most in 13 years

Wholesale prices rose 1.6 percent in July from a year earlier for the fifth straight monthly rise and the biggest gain in 13 years, the Bank of Japan said Wednesday in a preliminary report.
BUSINESS
Aug 12, 2004

Kanebo incurs sales fall after cosmetics spinoff

Struggling Kanebo Ltd. said Wednesday its group sales in the April-June first quarter of fiscal 2004 fell 26.8 percent to 76.56 billion yen, mainly because it sold its cosmetics division to a new entity formed with governmental aid.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 11, 2004

This charming man hits wrong note

Kikansha Sensei Rating: * * 1/2 (out of 5) Director: Ryuichi Hiroki Running time: 123 minutes Language: Japanese Currently showing [See Japan Times movie listings] When I taught at a boys high school in the early 1980s, I would, without fail, catch a bad chest cold in the winter and...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 11, 2004

Walking on the wild side

Walkabout Rating: * * * * * (out of 5) Director: Nicholas Roeg Running time: 100 minutes Language: English Currently showing [See Japan Times movie listings] The Story of the Weeping Camel Rating: * * * * (out of 5) Director: Byambasuren Davaa and Luigi Falorni Running time:...
EDITORIALS
Aug 11, 2004

Time for diplomacy to step in

The recent Asian Cup soccer tournament, which Japan's national team won, witnessed an eruption of anti-Japanese sentiment among Chinese fans, including booing during the playing of the Japanese national anthem. The Chinese government tightened security for Saturday's final in Beijing, but anti-Japanese...
JAPAN
Aug 11, 2004

China Falun Gong followers appeal for permission to remain in Japan

Chinese followers of the Falun Gong spiritual movement who are seeking asylum in Japan appealed Tuesday for permission to stay here out of fear they will be persecuted in China.

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?