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JAPAN
Jul 24, 2003

Political donations to get murkier?

The ruling coalition's new proposal on corporate donations to political parties would probably conceal the identities of most donors, according to a recent Kyodo News study.
EDITORIALS
Jul 24, 2003

Danger lurks for unwary young teens

Central Shibuya, one of the trendiest districts in Tokyo, is a magnet for young people. "It's exciting like New York," says an American junior high school student on home stay here. But it is also a dangerous place for naive teenagers, as illustrated by last week's kidnapping of four school girls.
JAPAN
Jul 24, 2003

Tokio Marine is accused of hiding billions in income

The Tokyo Regional Taxation Bureau has accused Tokio Marine & Fire Insurance Co. of hiding about 4.3 billion yen in income through dealings in earthquake reinsurance transactions, sources said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jul 24, 2003

Mayor of Aomori town lobbies Tepco to construct spent-fuel facilities there

The mayor of Mutsu, Aomori Prefecture, urged Tokyo Electric Power Co. on Wednesday to apply with his city to build "interim" storage facilities for spent nuclear fuel.
JAPAN
Jul 24, 2003

Auditors unhappy with rush on Japan Highway review

Japan's big four auditing firms have expressed concern about auditing Japan Highway Public Corp.'s financial statements by the end of August, sources said Wednesday.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 24, 2003

Howard aims for leading regional role

SYDNEY -- A weeklong diplomatic flourish through East Asia behind him, Australian Prime Minister John Howard has no time to pause for breath before the next push into Australia's newfound activism in regional security, the South Pacific's most chaotic young nation, the Solomon Islands.
JAPAN
Jul 24, 2003

DPJ and Liberal Party agree to merge

In preparation for the upcoming Lower House general election, top leaders of the Democratic Party of Japan and the Liberal Party agreed Wednesday that the two opposition parties will merge by the end of September.
JAPAN
Jul 24, 2003

Diet members tour execution chamber

Nine members of the House of Representatives Judicial Affairs Committee visited the Tokyo Detention House in Katsushika Ward on Wednesday morning for a rare view of its execution chamber.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Jul 24, 2003

Making a BEE line for 'green living' throughout Japan

School's out for summer, and just about everyone seems to be on the road heading for the beach, the mountains or the mall. Chances are, though, many of those drivers will spend most of their time caught up in traffic.
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Jul 24, 2003

Whaling safe with the IWC

In 1635, under pressure from the Church of England for his nonconformity, the Rev. Richard Mather decided it was time to leave England with his wife and sons and start a new life in New England.
JAPAN
Jul 24, 2003

Rail staff taking passenger violence on chin

A drunken man gets up from his train seat and suddenly decks a railway employee, whose only offense was to wake him up at the end of the line.
BUSINESS
Jul 24, 2003

Toyota Avensis set for Japan launch

Toyota Motor Corp. said Wednesday it will release the midsize Avensis on the domestic market in the fall.
JAPAN
Jul 24, 2003

DPJ targets watchdog official over insurance merger role

The Democratic Party of Japan filed a criminal accusation Wednesday against Financial Services Agency Commissioner Shokichi Takagi, blaming him for trying to pressure Tokio Marine & Fire Insurance Co. to consolidate with an ailing life insurance firm last year.
BASEBALL / MLB
Jul 24, 2003

Tigers keep on winning

Yoshinori Okihara hit a bases-loaded single to right to drive in the winning run in the bottom of the 11th inning, as the Hanshin Tigers completed a three-game sweep over the Yakult Swallows with a 1-0 "sayonara" victory at Koshien Stadium on Wednesday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / INDUSTRY TRENDS
Jul 24, 2003

Got milk delivery? Doorstep service doubles in last 10 years

Although once destined to share the same road to oblivion as black and white TVs and rotary telephones, doorstep milk deliveries have been staging a solid comeback.
COMMENTARY
Jul 24, 2003

Revolution's legacy at risk

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BUSINESS
Jul 24, 2003

DoCoMo phone has data glitch

NTT DoCoMo Inc.'s newly launched SH505i cell phone has software problems that could lead to the loss of stored game data, a company official said Wednesday.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / ON THE BOOK TRAIL
Jul 24, 2003

"Fox," "Stravaganza: City of Masks"

"Fox," Matthew Sweeney, Bloomsbury; 2002; 176 pp. Every city has its ghosts. I don't mean spirits of the dead, I mean real people who might as well be invisible because no one takes notice of them.
JAPAN
Jul 24, 2003

Law enacted to halt birthrate slide

The Diet enacted a law Wednesday requiring the national and local governments to work to create social and other conditions favorable to raising children.
BUSINESS
Jul 24, 2003

Government pension fund logs big loss

The Government Pension Investment Fund posted a record investment loss of 3.061 trillion yen in fiscal 2002, due to tumbling global stock markets and a higher yen, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry said Wednesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 24, 2003

University's belle of the ball ready to shake its 'botty'

A team at Tohoku University has developed a robot that can follow a human dancer's lead, according to the team's leader, Kazuhiro Kosuge.
BUSINESS
Jul 24, 2003

BOJ vows to take risks until prices start rising

Bank of Japan Gov. Toshihiko Fukui underscored on Wednesday his determination to fight deflation, stating the central bank will take "unlimited risks" until prices rise.
JAPAN
Jul 24, 2003

LDP presidential election is scheduled for Sept. 20

The Liberal Democratic Party will hold its next presidential election Sept. 20, members of the ruling party's election board said Wednesday.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 24, 2003

Enough nonsense about the liquidity trap

Tokyo's cutting interest rates was once the response to borrowing costs being too high or credit too tight. Despite no indications that the financial system is deprived of liquidity, the Bank of Japan and the U.S. Federal Reserve Board continue to hold or push down interest rates.

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