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BUSINESS
Jan 10, 2004

Key economic gauge stays above boom line

The government said Friday that its key gauge for the current state of the economy remained above the boom-or-bust line of 50 percent in November for the seventh straight month, supporting sentiment that the economy is on course for recovery.
BUSINESS
Jan 10, 2004

Oracle Japan sees second-half profit

Oracle Corp. Japan said Friday that its parent net profit rose 21.1 percent in the fiscal first half that ended Nov. 30 from a year earlier to 7.36 billion yen, thanks to increased sales of its mainstay database software.
BUSINESS
Jan 10, 2004

Mobile phone subscriptions up 8.5%

Subscriptions to mobile phone services in Japan totaled 79,787,200 in December, up 8.5 percent from a year earlier and 0.6 percent from the previous month, the Telecommunications Carriers Association said Friday.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jan 10, 2004

The local garbage police dig in the dirt

On my island, we have garbage police: community members who stand guard over the garbage heap to make sure everyone puts out their garbage properly. These normally laid-back people can get very testy when they are put in a position of such authority. They have a very high garbage IQ.
BUSINESS
Jan 10, 2004

Eight carmakers in recycling scheme

Eight of Japan's 12 automakers said Friday they have formed a joint organization to recycle automobile shredder dust. The move is aimed at meeting a car-recycling law that will take effect in January 2005.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 10, 2004

New defenses for new realities

LONDON -- British defense and security policy has been undergoing a radical reappraisal, as security gurus in their think tanks and military commanders in their operations rooms ponder the unfolding implications of defending a vulnerable island in a world of global terror, rogue states, international...
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 10, 2004

Dialogue raises hope on the subcontinent

MADRAS, India -- Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee have met and shaken hands many times. But when they shook hands in Islamabad at the recent summit of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, the world heaved a sigh of relief. There was...
COMMUNITY
Jan 10, 2004

Buddha, Shinto artifacts make great new business

Having purchased a figuratively decorated enameled wall vase before Christmas for my daughter in Toronto, but not quite sure what I'd got, I headed for the home of Byron Monasmith in Tokyo's Shinanomachi.
JAPAN
Jan 9, 2004

SDF Iraq role seen as barometer for future

Defense Agency chief Shigeru Ishiba said Thursday that the Self-Defense Forces mission in Iraq will be a major test of Japan's efforts to play a larger role in helping to maintain global peace and stability.
EDITORIALS
Jan 9, 2004

Settling labor disputes efficiently

One notable development in Japan's labor relations is the rapid increase in disputes between individual employers and workers, such as those involving sudden dismissals and unpaid wages. To settle these disputes legally and quickly, the government has decided to set up a "labor tribunal system."
JAPAN
Jan 9, 2004

Transmitter signals suggest rocket sank off Philippines

Signals from a transmitter attached to a rocket booster -- believed to have been the cause of the failure of the launch in November of an H-IIA rocket carrying spy satellites -- have been detected in the Pacific off the Philippines, Japan's space agency said Thursday.
JAPAN
Jan 9, 2004

Pollen sufferers can thank cold summer for easier 2004

Tree pollen levels are expected to be lower than average in 2004 due to the cold summer last year, according to weather information provider Weathernews Inc.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 9, 2004

Reporters get Iraq combat lessons

The Ground Self-Defense Force held basic protective and survival drills Thursday for Japanese reporters planning to cover the GSDF deployment in Iraq.
BUSINESS
Jan 9, 2004

Japan seeks WTO OK to strike back at U.S. provision

Japan is in the final stage of considering asking the World Trade Organization to allow it to take retaliatory steps against the United States for refusing to abandon an antidumping provision that violates WTO rules, government officials said Thursday.
BUSINESS
Jan 9, 2004

Biometrics tieup eyed with Europe

A Japanese consortium is considering teaming up with its European counterpart to develop a unified standard for security products based on biometric technologies using face and fingerprint recognition, a source at the consortium said Thursday.
BUSINESS
Jan 9, 2004

Corolla regains best-selling car title

Toyota Motor Corp.'s Corolla regained the title of Japan's best-selling car in 2003 after a one-year absence from the top spot, even though sales fell 12.1 percent to 198,904 units, the Japan Automobile Dealers Association said Thursday.
BUSINESS
Jan 9, 2004

Japan, U.S. plan to restore faith in beef

WASHINGTON (Kyodo) Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Shoichi Nakagawa and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman ended a meeting here Wednesday without discussing concrete steps toward lifting Japan's ban on imported American beef.
JAPAN
Jan 9, 2004

New Komeito backs dispatch of advance GSDF unit to Iraq

The ruling coalition reached agreement Thursday night on the government's plan to send an advance Ground Self-Defense Force team to the southern Iraqi city of Samawah possibly next week, paving the way for the dispatch of the main GSDF contingent to help in reconstruction efforts.
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Jan 9, 2004

Morioka vs. Major League Baseball: Not a pretty picture

In the beginning it seemed like a dream, the opportunity of a lifetime, but it ended up being more like a nightmare.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jan 9, 2004

The great treasure hunt

A few months ago there was a news story about a painting bought at a flea market in France for around 200,000 yen that turned out to be by Vincent van Gogh and worth upward of 300 million yen.
BUSINESS
Jan 9, 2004

S&P assigns credit ratings to Japanese universities

Standard & Poor's said Thursday it has assigned a long-term credit rating of AA to Keio University and a long-term credit rating of AA minus to Tokyo University of Science Educational Foundation.

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