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BUSINESS
Jul 18, 2003

Panel approves insurer yield-cut bill

The House of Councilors Financial Affairs Committee approved a bill Thursday to allow troubled life insurers to cut guaranteed yields to policyholders, paving the way for Diet passage.
BUSINESS
Jul 18, 2003

Howard nixes coddling of 'unique' Japan farms

Japan's demand for special consideration in liberalizing its farm sector was shot down Thursday by visiting Australian Prime Minister John Howard.
BUSINESS
Jul 18, 2003

Don't look to big government: exec

KARUIZAWA, Nagano Pref. -- Business leaders should not look to big government to aid an economic recovery, the head of the Japan Association of Corporate Executives said Thursday.
JAPAN
Jul 18, 2003

SDF's Iraq assignment drawing flak

A reported U.S. request for Self-Defense Forces units to help with reconstruction efforts in an Iraq hot spot is causing a flap in Japan.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / VINELAND
Jul 18, 2003

Summertime and sipping is easy

We make an annual diving pilgrimage to Niigata Prefecture's Sado Island each summer, ideally timed to fall into the narrow window between the end of rainy season and the start of jellyfish season. The lumbering three-hour trip on the car ferry is to us the sign that summer has at long last arrived --...
JAPAN
Jul 18, 2003

Younger youth detention eyed

Justice Minister Mayumi Moriyama said Thursday the ministry may revise the Reformatory Law so that children under 13 who commit crimes can be sent to juvenile reformatories.
JAPAN
Jul 18, 2003

Gene sampling study canceled in wake of protest by JMA

The education ministry canceled a gene sampling project Wednesday following a protest from the Japan Medical Association over ethical issues.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 18, 2003

Kanda's used-book trade touts new survival ploys

Amid concerns that younger Japanese are not avid readers, like their older counterparts, Tokyo's Kanda-Jimbocho district, famed for its stores selling used books, is boasting innovative ideas to attract more customers.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 18, 2003

Foreign banks excel in lending with measure of risk, realism

Reiko Kinoshita, senior vice president of Tokyo Star Bank's principal finance division, doesn't mince words. Neither she nor her clients have the time.
BUSINESS
Jul 18, 2003

Yahoo Japan's net profit up 108.6% to 4.54 billion yen

Yahoo Japan Corp. said Thursday its group net profit for the April-June quarter soared 108.6 percent from a year earlier to 4.54 billion yen due to robust revenues bolstered by rising advertising income.
EDITORIALS
Jul 18, 2003

Time for responsibility in Hong Kong

The sense of crisis in Hong Kong continues to mount following the resignation this week of two top government officials. The departures come on the heels of massive demonstrations against Article 23, the proposed legislation designed to protect public security but which critics claim would erode civil...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jul 18, 2003

This Ricos is posh, new -- but is it improved?

It was with considerable anticipation that we made our way to Akabanebashi last week to try the new Ricos, which opened June 10. After all, this is the latest from the people who brought us Ricos Kitchen near Yebisu Garden Place, which was one of our restaurants of the year in 1999 and remains a reliable...
JAPAN
Jul 17, 2003

Ministry plans home-use ban on carcinogenic oil

The health ministry will ban creosote oil for home use because it contains carcinogens, ministry sources said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jul 17, 2003

Foreign drugs urged for Alzheimer's

A health ministry research group has come out with the nation's first medical guidelines on Alzheimer's disease, recommending the government allow pharmaceutical firms to introduce two foreign-made drugs in Japan as soon as possible, researchers said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jul 17, 2003

Molester-rap fighter held for indecent photography

A representative of a group seeking to help men falsely accused of molesting women has been arrested for allegedly photographing up a woman's skirt on a Tokyo subway last week, police said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jul 17, 2003

Lower House OKs Showa holiday

The House of Representatives Cabinet Committee endorsed a bill Wednesday to move Greenery Day from April 29 to May 4, which is already a national holiday, and to redesignate April 29 as Showa Day.
EDITORIALS
Jul 17, 2003

Opening of labor market delayed

Japan is running in the fast lane of information technology, yet it has been relatively slow in one vital area: employment of foreign IT engineers. Part of the reason seems to lie in the nation's deep-seated reluctance to open the labor market wider to foreigners.
Japan Times
JAPAN / IN WITH THE NEW
Jul 17, 2003

Maverick Suginami mayor likes to stir things up

Until Hiroshi Yamada took control of Tokyo's Suginami Ward in April 1999, local government activity proceeded at a predictably slow pace.
COMMENTARY
Jul 17, 2003

Sino-Indian ties could benefit Pakistan

ISLAMABAD -- The recent visit to China by Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee is seen as the first step toward a turning point in relations between Delhi and Beijing following India's acceptance of China's sovereignty over Tibet. The emerging warmth in Sino-Indian ties is also viewed in Pakistan...
JAPAN
Jul 17, 2003

Play on Constitution's birth now timely

Since its birth in 1947, the Constitution has always been a target for revision, primarily because it was drafted by Americans rather than Japanese.
JAPAN
Jul 17, 2003

JMA hits government cancer study for violating rights of test subjects

The Japan Medical Association has blasted a government cancer study on people in Hiroshima Prefecture, saying important information is being withheld and the subjects' rights are being violated.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Jul 17, 2003

Red fox

* Japanese name: Kitsune * Scientific name: Vulpes vulpes japonica * Description: Foxes look somewhat like dogs and belong to the same family. The fur of the red fox is orange-rust colored, apart from the throat, belly and tip of the tail, which are white. The feet and the rims of the ears are black....
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 17, 2003

Fuji Photo Film develops WLAN digital camera

Fuji Photo Film Co. has developed a digital camera prototype that uses wireless local area networks to allow easier access to printers and personal computers.

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