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BUSINESS
Nov 27, 2003

Hitachi to buy fridges from China

Hitachi Home & Life Solutions Inc. said Wednesday it has agreed to purchase compact refrigerators and freezers from China's Henan Xinfei Electric Co. for sale in Japan under the Hitachi brand.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Nov 27, 2003

Feral goat

* Japanese name: Yagi * Scientific name:Capra hircus * Description: Feal goats are smaller and stockier than their domesticated relatives. Males (billies) weigh 30 to 45 kg, females (nannies) 25 to 35 kg; they are 60 to 70 cm high. The color varies from white to dark brown, black or gray, and while...
JAPAN
Nov 27, 2003

Defense chiefs lay out North Korea stances

The defense chiefs of Japan and South Korea on Wednesday presented slightly differing views on how to deal with the issue of North Korea's nuclear development.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / GARDEN PATHS
Nov 27, 2003

Beauty out of a beast

In a megalopolis like Tokyo you are more likely to see gardens disappearing than otherwise. But here is an encouraging story about one that sprang up from almost nowhere and is now full of life.
BUSINESS
Nov 27, 2003

Mexico FTA talks going in wrong direction, Fukuda says

Japan is not optimistic over its prospects of concluding a free-trade agreement with Mexico, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Nov 27, 2003

Radiant male clerks look to tempt female shoppers

Women are facing a cunning new strategy aimed at loosening their purse strings -- attractive young men working as clerks in cosmetics and women's clothing departments.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 27, 2003

More Americans ditch the lingual desert

SANTA MARIA, California -- Although America is a land of immigrants from all over the world, when it comes to language fluency one could easily say we suffer from monolingualism. An old joke goes something like this:
JAPAN
Nov 27, 2003

Japan may ask U.S.

Japan might ask the U.S. military to watch over its Air Self-Defense Force planes when they use Baghdad International Airport.
BUSINESS
Nov 27, 2003

Tokyo's new bank aiming to lend 1.6 trillion yen in three years

The new bank planned by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government hopes to extend loans worth more than 1.6 trillion yen in its first three years.
JAPAN
Nov 27, 2003

SDF said going to Iraq despite security threat

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi renewed his pledge Wednesday to dispatch Self-Defense Forces units to Iraq even if the security situation is not completely stable.
COMMENTARY
Nov 27, 2003

Across the Bush-Briton gap

LONDON -- U.S. President George W. Bush's state visit to Britain ended Nov. 21 with a carefully stage-managed call on British Prime Minister Tony Blair's constituency in the North East of England. The visit went well despite generally peaceful protests. Although there was some of the usual pageantry,...
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Nov 27, 2003

Sex matters -- for worms, at least

It is perhaps rare for readers of British tabloid newspapers to ponder the same questions as evolutionary biologists, but that may have been the case last week. The tabloids enjoyed themselves at the expense of women suffering from a rare and often debilitating condition: persistent sexual arousal syndrome....
BUSINESS
Nov 27, 2003

Pension cuts sought to save system

To prevent a collapse of the national pension system amid the aging population and falling birthrate, the government should cut back on benefits for current and future pensioners before baby boomers retire in the next decade, an advisory panel to the finance minister said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Nov 27, 2003

Flag, anthem rules kill free-thought right: teachers

Miwako Sato, a public elementary school teacher in the western Tokyo suburb of Kunitachi, may file a lawsuit early next year over the use of the controversial national flag and anthem in schools.
ENVIRONMENT
Nov 27, 2003

Historical village of Thanksgiving past

PLYMOUTH, Mass. -- Over the highways and through the woods, past cranberry bogs we went to Plimoth Plantation in Plymouth, Mass., an attractive place that likes to call itself "America's Hometown." The Plantation is a re-creation of the first established English community in the New World, home of the...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 27, 2003

Japan making tariff list, checking it twice

Japan inched closer to a showdown with the U.S. over steel trade Wednesday, releasing a list of American goods it plans to raise tariffs on in retaliation for ongoing U.S. "safeguard" restrictions on steel imports.
LIFE / Digital / NAME OF THE GAME
Nov 27, 2003

Hobbit's-eye view of world

You cannot put yourself in Frodo's shoes as Hobbits walk barefoot. You can, however, walk in Frodo's virtual footsteps.
JAPAN
Nov 27, 2003

Koizumi feels for foreigners stuck at Narita

Visitors to Japan who spend forever waiting to get past Narita airport's immigration counters can take solace -- the government is aware of their plight.
EDITORIALS
Nov 26, 2003

Settling for less in Miami

A merican trade officials have agreed to pursue a free-trade zone that stretches throughout the Western hemisphere. The agreement they reached in Miami, Florida, last week is less than it seems, however. Following the breakdown of World Trade Organization (WTO) ministerial talks in Cancun, Mexico a few...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Nov 26, 2003

Matsui, the Yankees and the PL's new free-agent trend

Hot stove league time, fans. Or should that be the hot hibachi league here in Japan? Lots going on during the off-season, so let's take a look at a few interesting happenings from last week.
JAPAN
Nov 26, 2003

Drill simulates chemical terror attack on Kawasaki

Amid deepening jitters that Japan may become a target of terrorists, government officials on Tuesday held a drill simulating massive casualties in an urban chemical attack.
JAPAN
Nov 26, 2003

Fujino to take seat vacated by Kondo

Kimitaka Fujino will fill the House of Councilors seat vacated by Takeshi Kondo, the national election board said Tuesday. Both Fujino and Kondo, who was recently appointed president of Japan Highway Public Corp., are members of the Liberal Democratic Party.
BUSINESS
Nov 26, 2003

METI ponders creation of revival funds for small companies

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry plans to create corporate revival funds for small and midsize firms in each prefecture to support their rehabilitation efforts.
BUSINESS / FRONT-RUNNERS
Nov 26, 2003

Matsui Securities owes success to efficient online trading service

A Tokyo-based securities house that posted first-half operating revenue of just 10 billion yen happens to be one of the nation's strongest brokerages, as its profit margin was 50 percent.

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