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BUSINESS
Feb 11, 2004

Nissho Iwai, Nichimen trading units set to merge

Nissho Iwai-Nichimen Holdings Corp. said Tuesday it will merge its core trading house units Nichimen Corp. and Nissho Iwai Corp. on April 1 to cut costs and speed up decision-making.
BUSINESS
Feb 11, 2004

Smart-appliance standards sought

The government will form a panel to help come up with a common standard for home information appliances created by consumer electronics makers and telecommunications companies.
JAPAN
Feb 11, 2004

Abe's trial over AIDS death set to be halted

An appeal against the acquittal of Takeshi Abe on a charge of causing a patient's death will probably not be heard because the former HIV expert has been judged mentally incompetent.
JAPAN
Feb 11, 2004

Japan to push for talks on Feb. 25 about abductees

Japan will ask Pyongyang to convene bilateral talks Feb. 25 to discuss the issue of Japanese nationals abducted to North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / CERAMIC SCENE
Feb 11, 2004

You are always on my mind

Familiarity with an object or place can dampen the senses. It may not necessarily breed contempt, but it often leads to indifference. We see it all too frequently, as in the simple case of not visiting wonderful places in our own neighborhood, or the attitude folk here in Shizuoka have toward Mount Fuji:...
JAPAN
Feb 11, 2004

Japan leads world in X-ray exposure-related cancer cases: study

About 7,587 people contract cancer each year in Japan due to diagnostic X-ray exposure, according to an estimate by researchers at the University of Oxford.
JAPAN
Feb 11, 2004

Toto soccer lottery prize to be doubled

An advisory panel to the education minister approved Tuesday a plan to double the top prize for the Toto soccer lottery to 200 million yen to boost tottering sales.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Feb 11, 2004

Dreams with wings

Last month, Brooklyn-born director Robert Allan Ackerman was in New York for the prestigious Golden Globe Awards, for which he had nominations for his TV movie of Tennessee Williams' "The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone" and his TV miniseries, "The Reagans," which CBS refused to screen. This month he is in...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 11, 2004

Politicians mark war centenary

Forty-three Diet members visited Meiji Shrine in Tokyo on Tuesday to mark the centennial anniversary of Japan's declaration of war against Russia that led to the 1904-1905 Russo-Japanese War.
JAPAN
Feb 11, 2004

LDP trio face rap over vote

The LDP plans to reprimand three senior party members for refusing to participate in the House of Representatives vote last month on the Self-Defense Forces dispatch to Iraq, informed sources said Tuesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 11, 2004

Doubts remain over SDF's use of weapons in Iraq

Questions have been raised over how Ground Self-Defense Force members in Iraq would handle themselves if faced with a situation requiring them to use arms against local residents.
COMMENTARY
Feb 11, 2004

SDF dispatch opens new era for Japan

The dispatch of the Self-Defense Forces to Iraq marks a watershed in Japan's post-World War II security and defense policy. The SDF has joined U.N. peacekeeping operations several times since 1992. The latest deployment, though designed primarily to support humanitarian and reconstruction efforts in...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / NEW ART SEEN
Feb 11, 2004

Contemporary art currents crossing at Roppongi's Mori

"Roppongi Crossing," which opened last weekend at the Mori Art Museum, is a smorgasbord of an exhibition, with work by 60 artists and designers from across Japan.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 11, 2004

Got something for everyone

Hanochi Rating: * * 1/2 (out of 5) Director: Itsumichi Isomura Running time: 122 minutes Language: Japanese Currently showing [See Japan Times movie listings] Gege Rating: * * * (out of 5) Director: Kiyoshi Sasabe Running time: 113 minutes Language: Japanese Currently showing [See...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 11, 2004

Firms catch on to potential of booming IC recorder market

Overshadowed by the red-hot sales of digital cameras and DVD recorders, another digital product has been stealthily making its way into shirt pockets and briefcases.
BUSINESS
Feb 11, 2004

JR East aims for faster conventional bullet trains

East Japan Railway Co. will build two prototype bullet trains capable of a top speed of 400 kph and test them from 2005 to 2008 in northeastern Japan, the railway operator said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Feb 11, 2004

Cabinet endorses pension reform bills

The Cabinet endorsed a package of bills Tuesday to reform the pension system and reinforce its sustainability.
BUSINESS
Feb 11, 2004

Tanigaki chides China over yuan

Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki criticized China on Tuesday for trying to weaken its currency by pegging it to the dollar.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 11, 2004

Back to Futurists and fascists

Max Rating: * * * * 1/2 (out of 5) Japanese title: Adolf no Gashu Director: Menno Meyjes Running time: 108 minutes Language: English Currently showing [See Japan Times movie listings] With his debut feature, "Max," director Menno Meyjes takes us back to the Germany of 1918, in the immediate...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 10, 2004

Russian chocolatier steeped in tradition

St. Valentine's Day is just around the corner, and chocolate is occupying the thoughts of many people across the nation.
SUMO
Feb 10, 2004

Asashoryu wins mini tourney title

Mongolian yokozuna Asashoryu toppled komusubi Wakanosato to claim his first mini tournament title Sunday.
EDITORIALS
Feb 10, 2004

G7 finds middle ground

Figuring out what top financial officials of the developed world mean in their periodic declarations requires talents worthy of the oracle at Delphi. The statements that emerge from their meetings must not only reflect the views of seven economies that are invariably at different points in the economic...
JAPAN
Feb 10, 2004

Japan denies promising abductees would return

Japan never promised North Korea that it would send back the five former abductees after their return visit to Japan in 2002, Shinzo Abe, secretary general of the Liberal Democratic Party, claimed Monday.

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