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JAPAN
Jul 24, 2004

Visa curbs eased for Chinese groups

Japan will relax its visa restrictions on Chinese tourists to allow group tours from more areas beginning Sept. 15, top government spokesman Hiroyuki Hosoda said Friday.
JAPAN
Jul 24, 2004

'Mock El Nino' culprit behind heat wave, floods: professor

The heat wave and floods in various parts of Japan are being caused by an El Nino-like phenomenon in the Central Pacific Ocean, a Japanese researcher said Friday.
JAPAN
Jul 24, 2004

Inmate dies after choking on meal

A man waiting on death row for killing three people in 1988 died this week after choking on his meal, sources said Friday.
JAPAN
Jul 24, 2004

State panel gives scientists green light to clone embryos for medical research

A government advisory panel on Friday gave scientists formal approval to produce cloned human embryos for basic research in the hopes that they will be useful in regenerative medicine.
EDITORIALS
Jul 24, 2004

Use and abuse of intelligence

Two official reports come to disturbing conclusions about intelligence failures in the United States and Great Britain. Both identify systemic flaws in the collection and analysis of critical intelligence that resulted in the invasion of Iraq. There is much to learn from these episodes, but the most...
BUSINESS
Jul 24, 2004

Postal privatization may see end to guarantee on deposits

The government might strip Japan Post workers of their public-servant status and might end the guarantee on ordinary deposits in 2007, when postal service privatization is phased in, according to government sources.
BUSINESS
Jul 24, 2004

Sojitz Holdings pursues 250 billion yen injection

Sojitz Holdings Corp., the parent of troubled trading house Sojitz Corp., announced Friday it will seek a capital injection of around 250 billion yen from UFJ Holdings Inc., the UBS group of Switzerland and other financial institutions.
BUSINESS
Jul 24, 2004

Japan, China urged to cooperate on energy

OYAMA, Shizuoka Pref. -- Japan and China must find ways to cooperate over energy resources, business leaders said Friday during an annual Japan Business Federation (Nippon Keidanren) forum.
JAPAN
Jul 24, 2004

DPJ to publish English booklet of campaign pledges

The Democratic Party of Japan will publish an English version of its latest platform to promote its policies worldwide, sources said Friday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 24, 2004

New system fails to rally overseas voters

Six years after a system was introduced to allow Japanese living overseas to cast ballots in national elections in Japan, their voter turnout remains extremely low.
BUSINESS
Jul 24, 2004

Clarity sought on postal issues

Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki said Friday the government must clarify how it will privatize the nation's postal services without generating concerns about creating a possible glut in the Japanese government bond market and extra operational costs.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 24, 2004

Film shows war's China legacy

The listless face of a 27-year-old woman tending cafeteria tables all day long, seven days a week. The incessant, violent coughs of a retired doctor who has not had a good night's sleep in 17 years.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jul 24, 2004

Mycal brings high-flying fashion grad to Tokyo

Back in March, my traveling companion en route from London to Narita was Ben Archer, English crew chief of an airship -- one of those zeppelin-type balloons that fly around advertising companies and products. We tried to meet up, but schedules failed to mesh. Sorry about that, Ben.
BASEBALL / MLB
Jul 24, 2004

Yomiuri, Hanshin disagree over realignment

The Yomiuri Giants expressed stern opposition Friday to the initiative of archrivals Hanshin Tigers to maintain the current two-league system as a confrontation between two camps became even clearer over whether to realign Japanese professional baseball.
BUSINESS
Jul 24, 2004

Crown Prince gets first glimpse of Tokyo bourse

Crown Prince Naruhito on Friday visited the Tokyo Stock Exchange in the Kabutocho financial district for the first time.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Jul 24, 2004

Morio Matsui

In times of difficulty and pain, Morio Matsui says he has always been saved by his painting.
JAPAN
Jul 24, 2004

Armitage wrong to link UNSC bid with reform of Article 9, officials say

Government officials on Friday dismissed advice by U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage and said Japan will not revise its Constitution to gain a seat on the U.N. Security Council.
BUSINESS
Jul 24, 2004

Shiseido taps hops to fight gray hair

Cosmetics maker Shiseido Co. said Friday it will debut a hair tonic containing hop extract to prevent graying.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / GARDEN PATHS
Jul 24, 2004

Down by the watersides

In the heat of summer we are naturally drawn to water, and for centuries water has been a vital element in Oriental gardens. In the ninth century, the Chinese poet Po-Chu-i (known as Hakurakuten in Japan) wrote about a small pond in his garden, and his words still evoke the timeless pleasures of the...
BUSINESS
Jul 24, 2004

Softbank told to prevent info leaks

The telecom ministry on Friday again urged Internet service provider Softbank BB Corp. to take better care to prevent customer information from being stolen or leaked, ministry officials said.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 24, 2004

Labor threatens golden FTA

SYDNEY -- Ah, such dilemmas in power politics. At last, after years of both sides giving concessions, Australia has gotten America to agree to a free trade agreement. And what does the Australian Labor Party do? Threaten to kill it before birth.
BUSINESS
Jul 24, 2004

McDonald's ups first-half estimates

McDonald's Holdings Co. (Japan) Ltd. on Friday revised its group net and pretax profit estimates upward for the first six months of the 2004 business year to 1.12 billion yen and 2.61 billion yen, respectively.

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?