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JAPAN
Dec 6, 2003

'03 road death toll to be under 8,000

Traffic deaths in 2003 are expected to fall below the 8,000 mark for the first time in 46 years, the National Police Agency said Friday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Dec 6, 2003

Kazuo's list at four

Kyodo News Free agent infielder Kazuo Matsui said Thursday he has narrowed his choices of where to play next season to four major league teams.
EDITORIALS
Dec 6, 2003

Go slow on troop relocation

The United States, in an attempt to realign its military forces abroad, is planning to relocate its troops in South Korea. However, talks between the two countries do not appear to be going smoothly. A recent meeting in Seoul between U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and South Korean Defense...
BUSINESS
Dec 6, 2003

Ashikaga Bank team coming soon

Financial Services Minister Heizo Takenaka indicated Friday that the government will select a new management team for the nationalized Ashikaga Bank in a few weeks.
MORE SPORTS
Dec 6, 2003

Teshima takes charge at Nippon Serier JT Cup

Taichi Teshima made six birdies on the way to a 5-under-par 65 to claim sole possession of the lead at the midway point of the season-ending Nippon Series JT Cup on Friday.
BUSINESS
Dec 6, 2003

Cabinet endorses budget policies

In the face of a swelling fiscal deficit, the Cabinet on Friday endorsed basic policies for the fiscal 2004 budget, promising that the overall size of the budget and its core component -- general expenditure -- will not exceed those of fiscal 2003.
BUSINESS
Dec 6, 2003

New life insurance contracts slide

The Life Insurance Association of Japan said Friday that new individual life insurance contracts held by its 42 member firms were down 12.1 percent in the fiscal first half of 2003 from a year earlier.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Dec 6, 2003

Drive! Hokkaido! -- turn left at the cow

I decided to "Drive! Hokkaido!" as the brochures say. When I left the Sapporo airport in my rental car, I was amazed at the surrounding scenery. Wow -- trees! I was so excited, I started barking (a trick I learned from years of driving with a dog in the car back home).
JAPAN
Dec 6, 2003

Autopsies reveal cause of death for slain diplomats

The two Japanese diplomats who were shot dead in northern Iraq were hit by more than a dozen bullets, the Metropolitan Police Department said Friday in releasing the results of autopsies.
BUSINESS
Dec 6, 2003

LDP panel eyes consumption tax hike in future

The government should raise the consumption tax to support the ailing public pension system in future, senior members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's tax panel agreed Friday.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
Dec 6, 2003

The high cost of children -- don't kid yourself

At lunch with an old pal, I cannot help but notice the puffy bags hanging beneath his eyes.
BUSINESS
Dec 6, 2003

Foreign-exchange reserves reach record $644.57 billion

The nation's foreign-exchange reserves hit a fresh record high in November.
JAPAN
Dec 6, 2003

To summarize: Samawah is safe for SDF

The southern Iraq city of Samawah is safe and is in need of humanitarian assistance, the Defense Agency said Friday in summarizing a report submitted by a fact-finding team sent to assess security conditions in the country.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Dec 6, 2003

Yoko Wakabayashi

Last month, Shinjuku Gardens staged its annual chrysanthemum show. Last spring, it maintained its reputation as one of the best Tokyo places for cherry blossoms. Year round, people enjoy the extensive lawns, giant trees and scenic lakes of these public gardens, which have replaced what used to be the...
COMMENTARY
Dec 6, 2003

Keep doors open to refugees

LONDON -- If you're reading this on a plane or in a hotel, you're part of the problem. But even if you're sitting snugly, smugly at home, you may not be the solution.
COMMENTARY
Dec 6, 2003

Chen plays a dangerous game

HONOLULU -- Is President Chen Shui-bian trying to provoke a crisis with China in the runup to Taiwan's March 2004 presidential elections?
BUSINESS
Dec 6, 2003

Key economic gauge at 100% for October

A key gauge of the current state of Japan's economy stood at 100 percent for October, way above the boom-or-bust line of 50 percent, the government said Friday.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 6, 2003

Sound reasons inspire unusual strikes

CHIANG MAI, Thailand -- News from France concerning the recent work stoppage by diplomats of the prestigious Quai d'Orsay is unusual, to say the least. Thousands of diplomatic officers, both in Paris and abroad, have abandoned their duties in protest of huge budgetary restrictions that have torpedoed...

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