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BUSINESS
Apr 9, 2004

SMBC to open new Tokyo branch

Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. said Thursday it will open the first branch in seven years to promote services for individuals.
BASEBALL / MLB
Apr 9, 2004

BayStars sweep toothless Tigers

Catcher Ryoji Aikawa drove in a pair of runs Thursday to lead the Yokohama BayStars to a 4-0 victory over the Hanshin Tigers and a three-game sweep of the defending Central League champions.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Apr 9, 2004

Savor a city's soul

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JAPAN
Apr 9, 2004

Ministry to gauge baby boom impact

The welfare ministry plans to launch a large-scale, long-term survey in 2005 to track the health and living conditions of thousands of postwar babyboomers.
JAPAN
Apr 9, 2004

Shells land near GSDF camp in Samawah

SAMAWAH, Iraq -- Ground Self-Defense Force personnel heard explosions and found evidence of possible mortar rounds having hit near their base here Wednesday night in what may have been the first attack aimed at Japanese troops in Iraq.
EDITORIALS
Apr 8, 2004

Breaking the ice with China

Political relations between Japan and China, in striking contrast to growing economic ties, continue to stagnate. During the two-day visit to Beijing by Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi, the two sides remained wide apart on two thorny issues: visits to Yasukuni Shrine by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi...
JAPAN
Apr 8, 2004

DPJ pension reform plan has added 3% consumption tax

The Democratic Party of Japan on Wednesday revealed its countermeasures to the government-sponsored legislation on pension reform.
JAPAN
Apr 8, 2004

Pyongyang reportedly keen to know 'criteria' for resolving abduction issue

North Korea appears eager to find out Japan's "criteria" for resolving Pyongyang's abductions of Japanese nationals in the late 1970s and early 1980s, government sources said Wednesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 8, 2004

Parties face off with competing pension plans

Pension reform proposals put forward by the Democratic Party of Japan set the stage for a political showdown with the ruling bloc over what figures to be a key issue in the House of Councilors election in July.
BUSINESS
Apr 8, 2004

Industry split widens over beef import ban

A split between supermarket and restaurant chain operators over Japan's import ban on U.S. beef widened Wednesday after a group of midsize supermarket operators asked the government not to compromise in its efforts to make the United States test all cattle for mad cow disease.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 8, 2004

Prime minister pledges Yasukuni return

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Wednesday that he will keep visiting Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine despite a Fukuoka District Court ruling that his August 2001 trip there, the first of four, violated the Constitution.
BUSINESS
Apr 8, 2004

Fujitsu files suit against Samsung

Fujitsu Ltd. said Wednesday it has sued subsidiaries of Samsung Electronics Co. of South Korea in Japanese and U.S. courts for infringing on its patents for plasma display panels.
JAPAN
Apr 8, 2004

Land ministry to prod realtors on renting to foreigners

The land ministry will compile guidelines for real estate agents on procedures for leasing property to foreign renters to make it easier for them to obtain housing, ministry officials said Wednesday.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Apr 8, 2004

Cuttlefish

* Japanese name: Kouika * Scientific name:Sepia esculenta * Description:Cuttlefish are marine animals in the same group as octopus and squid (cephalopods). They are soft-bodied but have a "bone" (actually an internal shell), which supports the mantle (body) and acts as a buoyancy regulator. Lying underneath...
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Apr 8, 2004

What's love gotta do with it?

This column is often concerned with the evolution of sexual behavior and sexual anatomy, but instead of attributing everything to sex, for once let's accept a view like that of Bertrand Russell.
BUSINESS
Apr 8, 2004

Intervention pushed forex reserves to record high in March

Japan's foreign-exchange reserves hit a record high in March, rising $49.72 billion from the previous month to $826.58 billion, due to massive intervention in the currency market, the Finance Ministry said Wednesday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Apr 8, 2004

BayStars flex muscles, embarrass Tigers 17-0

Shuichi Murata hit a three-run homer and Ryoji Aikawa added a two-run blast as the Yokohama BayStars cruised to a 17-0 win over the Hanshin Tigers on Wednesday night at Yokohama Stadium.
BUSINESS
Apr 8, 2004

Panel wants Japan Post privatized in 2017 after 10-year transition phase

The government should aim to fully privatize Japan Post around 2017, following a 10-year transitional period starting in 2007, according to the draft of an advisory panel's interim report released Wednesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 8, 2004

Volunteer offers consultation to women trafficked to Japan

KOBE -- A volunteer probation officer and court interpreter in Kobe has begun a telephone consultation service for foreign women trafficked to Japan and forced into prostitution.
BUSINESS
Apr 8, 2004

Mall, credit card push boost Aeon profit

Aeon Co. said Wednesday its net profit rose 8 percent to a record 55.32 billion yen for the business year that ended Feb. 20, helped by its shopping mall development and credit card businesses.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 8, 2004

Japanese Embassy in Iraq faces security upgrade

The Foreign Ministry is considering ways to beef up security at the Japanese Embassy in Iraq amid deteriorating security in Baghdad and other parts of the country, a senior ministry official said Wednesday.

Longform

The volunteer lifesavers of Nishihama Surf Lifesaving Club never know what's in store at the start of their day.
It's no simple day at the beach for Japan's volunteer lifesavers