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Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Dec 10, 2003

Think Positive

To the general public, Yoko Ono is best known as the wife of John Lennon. Some may have a vague inkling that she is important for something other than the far-out records she made with her husband, but without knowing exactly what.
BUSINESS
Dec 10, 2003

Curbs eyed for nonprescription drugs

A health ministry advisory panel plans to urge the government to place sharp limits on the scope of nonprescription drugs to be sold by convenience stores and other retailers that do not employ pharmacists, including cold and allergy medicines.
JAPAN
Dec 10, 2003

Ruling on quake insurance overturned

The Supreme Court on Tuesday overturned a lower court ruling that ordered seven nonlife insurance companies and an insurance group to pay damages to people whose homes were damaged in a fire caused by the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake in Kobe and its vicinity.
BUSINESS
Dec 10, 2003

New Ricoh machine looks to plug leaks

Ricoh Co. said Tuesday it has developed a printer-photocopier capable of automatically blocking the unauthorized duplication of classified documents.
BUSINESS
Dec 10, 2003

Fewer tourists heading overseas

Travel agency JTB Corp. said Tuesday the number of Japanese traveling abroad during the yearend and New Year's holiday season is expected to fall 6.5 percent from a year earlier.
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Dec 10, 2003

First troop deployment to conflict area since WWII a foreign policy watershed

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi signaled a historic foreign policy shift Tuesday when he authorized sending Self-Defense Forces units to Iraq, becoming the first Japanese leader since World War II to dispatch troops to a nation effectively at war.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 10, 2003

GDP growth revised downward to 0.3%

The economy did not grow as much in the July-September quarter as initially reported.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Dec 10, 2003

Pacific League holds much promise for 2004 season

The Pacific League has lost 10-year veteran Seibu Lions all-star Kazuo Matsui, one of its best performers, to the major leagues and the New York Mets. Tuffy Rhodes, having been released by the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes, will probably be gone as well, moving to the Yomiuri Giants or another Central League...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Dec 10, 2003

Is it a film? Is it a play? No, it's cinetheatre

Ever had a dream that was so real it made you lose your grip on reality? One that turned into hallucinations the following day? One that drove you close to madness?
JAPAN
Dec 10, 2003

Opposition leaders refuse to 'understand'

Opposition leaders remained opposed Tuesday to the government's plans to send Self-Defense Forces troops to Iraq, rebuffing Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's request for their understanding on the matter.
JAPAN
Dec 10, 2003

Iraq gives SDF a military-reality check

An Air Self-Defense Force officer in his 40s says he is happy to be chosen as a candidate for the planned mission to help rebuild Iraq.
BUSINESS
Dec 10, 2003

Ranks of unionized workers expected to sink below 20%

The nation's estimated unionization rate is expected to fall below 20 percent for the first time since the end of World War II due to reductions in the number of full-time workers.
BUSINESS
Dec 10, 2003

Machinery orders climb by 17.4%

Core private-sector machinery orders rose a seasonally adjusted 17.4 percent in October, hitting 1.022 trillion yen, the government said Tuesday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / CERAMIC SCENE
Dec 10, 2003

Desperately seeking Kyusetsu

In the world of tea, certain inherited potters' names stand out as shining stars and their works are seen almost as brand-name goods. Just as shoppers hanker for a Gucci bag, a tea devotee covets certain chawan (tea bowls), say, from the Kaneshige kiln in Bizen. Possessing one of these is a status symbol,...
JAPAN
Dec 9, 2003

Japanese feel affinity with not-too-distant Finland: ambassador

Finland and Japan may be at opposite ends of the scale when it comes to the size of their populations, but the links between the two countries are very close, according to Finnish Ambassador Eero Salovaara.
JAPAN
Dec 9, 2003

Iraqi exile turns up anti-U.S. heat, calls on Japan to do the right thing

Japan should take the initiative and rebuild Iraq in a way that truly serves the Iraqi people, exile Abdul Amir Rekaby said Monday in Tokyo.
EDITORIALS
Dec 9, 2003

Outmaneuvered in Taipei

Shrewd maneuvering by Taiwan's opposition parties have denied President Chen Shui-bian a political victory in the runup to the election that will be held next spring. Parliament has approved a bill, proposed by Mr. Chen, that permits referendums on critical issues. But the final version of the legislation...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 9, 2003

Maintaining diversity said key to building Asian bloc

Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi said Japan will try to value Asia's diversity in a bid to create an East Asian Community.
JAPAN
Dec 9, 2003

500 to 700 ground troops to be sent to Iraq

Japan plans to dispatch between 500 and 700 personnel from the Ground Self-Defense Force to areas centering around Al-Muthanna province in southeastern Iraq, which include the city of Samawah, government officials told ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers Monday.
JAPAN
Dec 9, 2003

More science projects with EU sought

The European Union and Japan should cooperate in developing such advanced scientific technologies as fuel cells, the research commissioner of the European Commission said Monday in Tokyo.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / FRONT-RUNNERS
Dec 9, 2003

Purifier firm had rough patch but overall well-oiled

After facing bankruptcy less than five years ago, Sanmi Corp. has fought back to become the nation's leading producer of oil purifiers for power plants and home appliance companies, according to its president, Hisayoshi Tamaru.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 9, 2003

Takefuji chairman admits ordering phone tap, resigns

Takefuji Corp. founder Yasuo Takei, under arrest for his alleged role in a wiretapping case, resigned Monday as chairman after admitting he ordered his men to bug a journalist's phone, the major consumer loan company said.
BUSINESS
Dec 9, 2003

Cut to public housing loan rate eyed

Government Housing Loan Corp. is expected to reduce its basic lending rate to 2.6 percent from the current 2.7 percent, retroactive to Nov. 21, corporation officials said Monday.
BUSINESS
Dec 9, 2003

Sammy to purchase 22.4% stake in Sega

Pachinko machine maker Sammy Corp. said Monday it will acquire a 22.4 percent stake in Sega Corp., becoming the largest shareholder in the game maker.

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