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EDITORIALS
Jan 28, 2004

Come clean on Iraq

Recent admissions by top U.S. officials that Iraq might not have had weapons of mass destruction, or WMD, demand an explanation. Questions must be answered and the damage done to both U.N. and U.S. credibility must be repaired.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 28, 2004

Koga to quit DPJ over false claims

Democratic Party of Japan lawmaker Junichiro Koga told party executives Tuesday he will leave the party but vowed not to resign his Diet seat for making false claims about his academic background.
BUSINESS
Jan 28, 2004

10 million yen limit on postal savings to be enforced

The government plans to take the unprecedented step of forcing depositors to observe the 10 million yen legal limit on postal savings, government sources said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jan 28, 2004

Experts say act now, stop Pyongyang

Japan, South Korea and the U.S. should swiftly map out a game plan aimed at freezing North Korea's nuclear activities, a senior researcher at a British military think tank said Tuesday in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Jan 28, 2004

Koga latest addition to politicians with bogus backgrounds

House of Representatives member Junichiro Koga acknowledged Tuesday that the academic record he presented when he announced his candidacy in November's general election was false.
JAPAN
Jan 28, 2004

Plan for privately funded prison unveiled

The Justice Ministry unveiled plans Tuesday for the country's first prison built and operated in large part with private-sector funds and expertise.
BUSINESS
Jan 28, 2004

ATM glitch solved, NTT Data says

NTT Data Corp., the developer of the nationwide online automated teller machine network that malfunctioned Monday, said the system has resumed normal operations.
JAPAN
Jan 28, 2004

Two Tokyo teens held for dealing Ecstasy

Police said Tuesday they have arrested two teenage boys for allegedly selling Ecstasy to a female high school student in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Jan 28, 2004

Japan criticized over detainees' deportations

Amnesty International criticized Japan on Tuesday for violating international standards by forcefully deporting detained foreigners against their will, including some undergoing medical treatment or preparing to appeal their refugee status.
BUSINESS
Jan 28, 2004

Mos Food to suspend sales of U.S. beef

Fast-food chain operator Mos Food Services Inc. said Tuesday it will suspend sales of burgers made with U.S. beef after each shop's current inventory runs out, possibly beginning in February.
BUSINESS
Jan 28, 2004

FSA to launch probe into major bank loans

The Financial Services Agency will conduct special inspections of major banks to assess their loans to big borrowers, Financial Services Minister Heizo Takenaka said Tuesday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / NEW ART SEEN
Jan 28, 2004

A love/hate relationship set in concrete

In the classic 1971 British action film "Get Carter," Michael Caine plays a small-time criminal who avenges the death of his brother by tossing one of the gangsters responsible (played by Brian Mosely) off the top of a multistory car park in the gritty northeast England town of Gateshead. From what I...
BUSINESS
Jan 28, 2004

U.S. recruiting firm to enter Japan

Fuji Staff Inc., a midsize manpower agency, said Tuesday it has agreed on a business tieup with Management Recruiters International Inc. of the U.S.
JAPAN
Jan 28, 2004

Families of slain diplomats to receive special pensions

The government will provide special pensions to the families of the two diplomats assassinated in Iraq in November while en route to a conference on reconstruction work, according to government sources.
JAPAN
Jan 28, 2004

Net denizens debate conflict prevention

An ongoing nine-day online symposium on conflict prevention has generated a number of Internet-based discussions among participants from more than 35 countries.
BUSINESS
Jan 28, 2004

Regional economies earn second straight upgrade

The Finance Ministry on Tuesday upgraded its quarterly assessment of the nation's regional economies for the second time in a row.
JAPAN
Jan 28, 2004

Arthritis drug tied to five deaths

Five patients who used Aventis Pharma Ltd.'s Arava rheumatoid arthritis drug have died of pneumonia over the past four months since the drug was launched in Japan, the pharmaceutical company said Tuesday.
CULTURE / Music
Jan 28, 2004

A new home for TSO

The Tokyo Symphony Orchestra is moving to a new home -- in Kawasaki. On Jan. 20, the government of Kawasaki City, which is adjacent to Tokyo across the Tama River, unveiled a new symphony hall designed by Matsuda-Hirata Design Office. The hall will not only serve as the orchestra's base, but also stage...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jan 28, 2004

Nothing lost in Johnnys R+J translation

Since Shakespeare got through the notoriously long wait for foreigners at Japanese immigration and started to settle down and assimilate the local culture, what sort of changes have been wrought on him by his extended sojourn on these shores?
BUSINESS
Jan 28, 2004

DoCoMo open on AT&T Wireless

NTT DoCoMo Inc. said Tuesday it has kept open its option to take over AT&T Wireless Services Inc., the third-largest mobile phone service provider in the United States.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 28, 2004

Troubles cast a shadow on EU future

LONDON -- Europe's currency has never been stronger. The European Union has been portrayed as a "post modern" association of states that have moved beyond the use of force to a more rational organization of their relations. Though still hobbled by inflexibilities, its economies are forecast to show stronger...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 28, 2004

Play democracy for me

Kono yo no Soto E Rating: * * * (out of 5) Director: Junji Sakamoto Running time: 123 minutes Language: Japanese Opens Feb. 7 [See Japan Times movie listings] Movies, producer Naoya Narita once told me, are news. The problem is, real world news moves fast -- and films often have a hard...
EDITORIALS
Jan 27, 2004

Defuse the debt bomb

Japan's public debt continues to swell ominously, yet there is no reassuring long-term scenario for deficit reduction. The government's latest medium-term outlook for economic and fiscal reform amounts to a tacit admission that the balanced budget is, at best, a distant goal.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 27, 2004

Koizumi OKs dispatch of main GSDF unit

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi gave the final go-ahead Monday for the main contingent of Ground Self-Defense Force troops to be deployed to Iraq.
JAPAN
Jan 27, 2004

File taxes, apply for passports over the Net

A public service will begin Thursday allowing people to file tax returns and apply for passports over the Internet.

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