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JAPAN
Mar 21, 2006

Local hire pocketed visa overcharges at Indonesian Embassy

JAKARTA (Kyodo) A Japanese employee at the Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo allegedly skimmed nearly $1.2 million from applications made to the mission's visa section in Japan, an Indonesian Foreign Ministry official said Monday.
JAPAN
Mar 21, 2006

Obituary: Toshinao Yoneyama

Toshinao Yoneyama, an honorary professor of cultural anthropology at Kyoto University, died of gastric cancer at a hospital in Kyoto on March 9, his family said Monday. He was 75.
JAPAN
Mar 21, 2006

'Sakura' trees threatened by witches' broom

Japan's emblematic "sakura" cherry trees have been infected by a contagious mold disease known as witches' broom in at least 18 prefectures, a study by the Flower Association of Japan showed Monday.
BUSINESS
Mar 21, 2006

Convenience store sales fall 2.4%

Sales at convenience stores in Japan dropped 2.4 percent in February from a year earlier on a same-store basis to 483.54 billion yen, declining for the 19th consecutive month, an industry body said Monday.
BUSINESS
Mar 21, 2006

Veal blunder laid to bad communications

The veal shipment that arrived in January containing banned spinal cords was an isolated incident and "does not indicate weakness in the overall U.S. beef processing, inspection or export systems," the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a report released Monday.
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Mar 21, 2006

Japan, Cuba battle against the odds to make it to WBC final

SAN DIEGO -- The baseball giant who couldn't and the world-class unknown that almost wasn't allowed are getting ready to play for the World Baseball Classic championship. How perfect.
JAPAN
Mar 21, 2006

Skymark's head office inspected over repair blunders

The transport ministry on Monday inspected the headquarters of Skymark Airlines Co. in connection with the carrier's failure to repair an aircraft as scheduled and at a time of apparent disarray in its maintenance forces.
JAPAN
Mar 21, 2006

Futenma relocation plan won't be tweaked, Abe says

The government does not plan any changes to the Japan-U.S. plan to relocate the U.S. Marine Corps Futenma Air Station within Okinawa, Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe said Monday.
BUSINESS
Mar 21, 2006

Usen chief Uno quits Rakuten post

Cable broadcaster Usen Corp.'s president, Yasuhide Uno, resigned Monday as outside director of Internet shopping mall Rakuten Inc. after purchasing a major equity stake in the Internet company Livedoor Co., Rakuten said.
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Mar 21, 2006

White Day

Dear Alice,
BUSINESS
Mar 21, 2006

Brokerage outlook stable: Moody's

Moody's Investors Service said Monday the credit outlook this year for Japanese securities firms it monitors is stable, based on better economic growth and a pickup in individual investment, which it says will mitigate earnings volatility.
JAPAN
Mar 21, 2006

Inter Press wins Gakudo Award

The Ozaki Yukio Memorial Foundation on Monday presented this year's Gakudo Award to Inter Press Service Japan, a body linked with Rome-based Internet wire service Inter Press Service.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Mar 21, 2006

The doomsday doctor

Japan is officially shrinking. Last October's census found 19,000 fewer Japanese than the previous year; the first time, barring the catastrophic year of 1945 that the population has dropped since censuses began in 1920.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Mar 21, 2006

American Rag Cie, TopMan Design, Wing Shya at Mori, Jun Takahashi book

Rags to riches
JAPAN
Mar 21, 2006

Asbestos-affected apply for relief

People suffering from asbestos-linked diseases and those who lost relatives to such illnesses began filing applications Monday for government financial aid prior to the coming into force next week of a relief law for victims.
SOCCER
Mar 21, 2006

JFA to lobby for Club World Cup berth for J. League champions

Japan Football Association President Saburo Kawabuchi said Monday he will continue to lobby for world governing body FIFA to reverse a decision not to allow J. League champions to play in the Club World Cup.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Mar 21, 2006

What will you take with you when you leave Japan?

Marc Bell Teacher, 32 I would bring my address book so I could keep in contact with people, which means there is never a final farewell. Also, I would bring back my keitai. It's a symbol of Japan's power -- how they can use Western technology and make it better than we do.
JAPAN
Mar 21, 2006

Modified mice immune systems humanlike

Scientists at Kyushu University said Monday they have succeeded in producing mice with immune systems close to those of humans, a development that is expected to contribute to research in medical treatment for a variety of diseases.
LIFE / Language
Mar 21, 2006

Odd use of foreign loan words a sign of the times

Heed this safety warning: "Caution! Don't lean on the gate. The gate would fall down when lean on it. It occurs you trouble." Having eluded the gate, then follow this health instruction: "The Italian word pomodoro means golden fruit. Tomatoes have vitamin, carotene, potash, pectene, and is good for blood...
BUSINESS
Mar 21, 2006

Demand beat supply by end of '05

Excess in supply was eliminated in Japan's gross domestic product in the fourth quarter of 2005 for the first time in about eight years, the Cabinet Office said Monday.

Longform

Once smoky, male-dominated spaces, today's net cafes, like Kaikatsu Club, are working to make their operations more attractive to women customers.
The second life of Japan's net cafes