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JAPAN
May 17, 2006

Radioactive water leaks at Mihama

About 400 liters of coolant water containing radioactive material leaked from a nonactive reactor at the Mihama nuclear power plant in Fukui Prefecture, but there was no danger of radiation escaping from the plant, its operator said Tuesday.
COMMENTARY / World
May 17, 2006

An 'OPEC' with nuclear weapons?

LONDON -- When I was in Moscow a few months ago I got into an argument with a retired high-level NATO official.
JAPAN
May 17, 2006

Bid to address Congress has Yasukuni proviso

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's contentious visits to Yasukuni Shrine are a matter of religious freedom, the government said Tuesday, rejecting criticism leveled by a powerful U.S. congressman.
BUSINESS
May 17, 2006

70% of small firms hurt by rising oil prices, METI says

A hastily arranged government survey has found that 71.4 percent of about 1,500 small businesses have seen their earnings hurt by soaring oil prices, up from 65.6 percent in January, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said Tuesday.
JAPAN
May 17, 2006

Reduce NHK channels, reorganize NTT: panel

An advisory panel to communications minister Heizo Takenaka proposed Tuesday that NHK user fees be lowered by reducing the number of the public broadcaster's channels.
BUSINESS
May 17, 2006

Aiful reports 13% fall in profit for '05

Troubled Aiful Corp. reported Tuesday that its net profit for fiscal 2005 dropped 13.1 percent to 65.827 billion yen on a consolidated basis due to a rise in customer demands that excess interest on loans be returned.
BUSINESS
May 17, 2006

Japan, U.S. to talk beef Wednesday

Japan and the United States will start working-level talks Wednesday in Tokyo to discuss the U.S. request for Japan to lift the ban on American beef, farm minister Shoichi Nakagawa said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
May 17, 2006

Toyo Suisan, Toray to drop ChuoAoyama

Toray Industries Inc. and Toyo Suisan Kaisha Ltd. have both said they will seek to terminate their audit contracts with scandal-tainted ChuoAoyama PricewaterhouseCoopers, one of the top four auditing firms in Japan.
BUSINESS
May 17, 2006

Toyota will recall 210,000 SUVs

Toyota Motor Corp. will recall about 210,000 Land Cruiser Prados worldwide due to an axle problem, the automaker said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
May 17, 2006

Isuzu netted record profit in 2005 on strong overseas sales

Truck maker Isuzu Motor Ltd. said Tuesday it set all-time highs in group pretax and operating profit in fiscal 2005, thanks to robust sales in the United States and Southeast Asia.
BUSINESS
May 17, 2006

Singapore no 'heaven,' Yosano tells Murakami

Financial Services Minister Kaoru Yosano warned high-profile fund manager Yoshiaki Murakami on Tuesday against expecting to have free rein in Singapore, where his core fund recently relocated.
BUSINESS
May 17, 2006

Economic expansion 'fragile' but the second longest since the war

Japan marked its 52nd straight month of expansion since February 2002, making this the second-longest period of growth of the postwar era, according to a government report released Tuesday.
SOCCER / World cup
May 16, 2006

Zico picks Maki in World Cup shock

Japan coach Zico dropped a bombshell on Monday when he picked JEF United Chiba striker Seiichiro Maki ahead of Tatsuhiko Kubo in his 23-man squad for next month's World Cup in Germany.
SUMO
May 16, 2006

Hakuho tops Ama to stay tied for lead

Mongolian Hakuho defeated compatriot Ama on Monday to remain tied for the lead with Miyabiyama and Chiyotaikai at the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament.
JAPAN
May 16, 2006

Thais get pledge of support on abductions

issue with North Korea," Abe told a news conference, adding that Japan will call for cooperation at the Group of Eight summit in July in St. Petersburg, Russia. While stopping short of giving further details of his meeting with Kantathi, Abe said he told the Thai foreign minister that Japan would like...
EDITORIALS
May 16, 2006

HIV toll rising in Japan

In the 23 years since the HIV virus was discovered, AIDS has become recognized as a "disease of the poor," one that is "incurable" but "100 percent preventable," in the words of its co-discoverer, Professor Luc Montagnier, president of the World Foundation for AIDS Research and Prevention. While over...
JAPAN
May 16, 2006

Old books find new life with young

Defying conventional wisdom, more young Japanese are getting interested in secondhand books -- not only to read but also taking pleasure in selling them at flea markets -- thanks in part to an enterprising young woman who started selling used books on the Internet.
JAPAN
May 16, 2006

Grants eyed to mollify base-host cities

The central government is considering new 10-year legislation to give special grants to local governments that will be affected by the planned realignment of U.S. forces, government sources said Monday.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
May 16, 2006

Nippon Ham's Ogasawara available for free agency

Nippon Ham Fighters infielder Michihiro Ogasawara has fulfilled the requirements to become a free agent but said Monday he has not considered what course of action, if any, he will take with the Pacific League club.
JAPAN
May 16, 2006

Nine nabbed over waste dumping

Jouji Hirai, a former member of the Chiba Prefectural Assembly, and eight others were arrested Monday for allegedly dumping sand that contained industrial waste in a fill site off Chiba Prefecture.
JAPAN
May 16, 2006

Fukuda gaining ground on Abe

Former Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda has narrowed the gap with Shinzo Abe, the current chief Cabinet secretary, in a popularity ranking of possible candidates to replace Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, an opinion poll showed Monday.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
May 16, 2006

Stylewise

Sport couture
BUSINESS
May 16, 2006

MHI in reactor parts deal with two U.S. firms

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. said Monday it will supply nuclear reactor replacement components to Texas-based STP Nuclear Operating Co. and Southern California Edison Corp.
JAPAN
May 16, 2006

'Waribashi' from China to end

Walk into any noodle shop or restaurant and chances are high you'll soon be eating with a pair of disposable wooden chopsticks from China.
COMMENTARY / World
May 16, 2006

Cops of the South Pacific

SYDNEY -- Australia is far from happy about becoming the unofficial, reluctant policeman of the South Pacific. The latest tally of young, politically inept countries that expect Canberra to keep the peace for them has risen to four. And that's not counting the nearest potential hot spot, Indonesia's...

Longform

An illustration features the Japanese signs for "ganbare" (good luck) and the Deaflympics, which will be held between Nov. 15 and 26.
A century of Deaf sport finds its moment in Tokyo