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JAPAN
Sep 4, 2003

Death row inmate who sought retrial dies

An 86-year-old death row inmate who had been appealing for a retrial for decades died early Wednesday at the Tokyo Detention House, officials said.
BUSINESS
Sep 4, 2003

Governors pursue hard line in WTO agriculture talks

Governors from five farming prefectures are asking the national government to oppose a proposal to cut tariffs on agricultural products and raise import quotas in ongoing World Trade Organization negotiations.
JAPAN
Sep 4, 2003

Kan looks to downsize Diet, narrow single-seat vote disparity

Naoto Kan, president of the opposition Democratic Party of Japan, unveiled Wednesday a set of political reforms that includes downsizing the Diet and narrowing the disparity in vote value for single-seat constituencies.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 4, 2003

Time for creative diplomacy

SEOUL -- British statesman Winston Churchill once remarked, "It's better to jaw-jaw than to war-war." In effect, the United States and North Korea have been doing both. Their war of words continued at the six-nation talks in Beijing last week, held in check only by multiparty diplomacy.
BUSINESS
Sep 4, 2003

Sony goes tiny with video camera

Inc. said Wednesday it will put the world's smallest and lightest video camera on the domestic market Oct. 18. The 1.07 megapixel DCR-IP1K video camera measures 39 mm in width, 91mm in height and 69mm in length and weighs 230 grams, excluding the battery, said the marketing unit of Sony Corp.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / ON THE BOOK TRAIL
Sep 4, 2003

On the book trail

A Single Shard, by LINDA SUE PARK, Clarion Books; 2002; 160 pp. If recent children's books are any indication, we might be led to believe that boy-wizards who fight evil and that children lucky enough to embark on wild adventures exist only in Britain or the United States. In fact, why does almost every...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / THE SECOND ROOM
Sep 4, 2003

Gathering 2003 preview

The Gathering 2003. Vision Quest Tokyo's showcase event. Our summer would not be complete without it. What you are about to experience is Plan B. And it may be the best one yet.
Japan Times
JAPAN / AFTER 2 1/2 YEARS
Sep 4, 2003

Koizumi half way toward reforming public firms

Can Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi live up to his pledge to save the nation's ailing economy by reforming monstrous public corporations?
COMMENTARY
Sep 4, 2003

'History' bedevils China-Japan relations

HONG KONG -- The visit to China this week by Japan's defense minister, Shigeru Ishiba, reflects an improved relationship between the two countries as well as the fact that little is being done to address underlying problems.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 4, 2003

Over 100 million yen withdrawn with stolen bank card

Police are searching for a man suspected of stealing a company president's bank card and using it to withdraw more than 100 million yen from an Internet banking service, officials said.
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Sep 4, 2003

Labrador tea and forests to walk on

During the heat of a Honshu summer it is hard to imagine that there are hints of tundra here, or that refreshing tea might come from an unusual source. However, the alpine regions of high-altitude Japan, and small areas of the cool, fog-shaded regions closer to sea level in southeast Hokkaido, not only...
BUSINESS
Sep 4, 2003

Government to sell 190,000 tons of stockpiled rice

The Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry said Wednesday it will sell a total of 190,000 tons of stockpiled rice to ease growing concerns about a supply shortage.
BUSINESS
Sep 4, 2003

Luxembourg eyes stronger alliance

Luxembourg's economic minister on Wednesday urged Japanese companies to boost trade and investment with Luxembourg, citing its competitive tax laws and role as a financial center of an expanding European Union.
BUSINESS
Sep 4, 2003

JTB, Shinchosha in publishing tieup

Travel agency JTB Corp. said Wednesday it has agreed to forge a publishing-sector alliance with publishing house Shinchosha Co.
JAPAN
Sep 4, 2003

Workers happy to serve as jurors as long as trials are short

Some 72 percent of respondents in a recent survey said they would be willing to act as jurors if a quasi-jury system being contemplated by the government is introduced -- as long as the trial did not run longer than three days.
BASEBALL / MLB
Sep 4, 2003

Arias' hot bat puts Tigers seven games away from pennant

The Hanshin Tigers overcame a 2-1 deficit and an injury to starter Kei Igawa to win their seventh game in a row by defeating the Hiroshima Carp 5-4 on Wednesday at Hiroshima Stadium.
MORE SPORTS
Sep 3, 2003

New league to start play Nov. 15

A new Asian league consisting of four Japanese teams and one South Korean team is scheduled to get under way from Nov. 15 this year, hockey officials said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Sep 3, 2003

Obscenity trial prompts freedom-of-speech outcry

Motonori Kishi was bemused when he was arrested in October on suspicion of distributing obscene material -- despite the fact that his firm's comic books feature uncensored scenes depicting sexual intercourse.
EDITORIALS
Sep 3, 2003

Deteriorating job environment

The unemployment rate in Japan remains at a disturbingly high level of more than 5 percent, although the overall economy shows some signs of recovery. Particularly hard hit are workers in their 40s and 50s, who continue to bear the brunt of corporate restructuring. Once out of work, those who have passed...
JAPAN
Sep 3, 2003

Transport minister stands behind highway chief after finances OK'd

Transport minister Chikage Ogi brushed aside mounting calls Tuesday for the president of Japan Public Highway Corp. to step down over allegations it doctored its financial statements to cover up huge debts.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 3, 2003

For LDP's Aoki, Koizumi a useful tool

An LDP heavyweight who is throwing his support behind Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's re-election has an ulterior motive: the party regaining its majority in the House of Councilors.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 3, 2003

LDP's Hashimoto faction torn apart over election

The largest faction of the Liberal Democratic Party could not heal a critical rift Tuesday, with the group failing to field an official candidate for the party's Sept. 20 leadership poll.

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