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Japan Times
BUSINESS / INDUSTRY TRENDS
Jun 2, 2005

Pen makers cross swords in battle for thinnest lines

In the competition for writing ever sharper lines, pen makers have been jostling for the title of the world's smallest ball points.
BUSINESS
Jun 2, 2005

Millions exceed postal savings cap

Up to 2.3 million depositors have exceeded the 10 million yen ceiling on postal savings to the tune of nearly 2.5 trillion yen, Japan Post sources said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jun 2, 2005

Birthrate yet again falls to record

Japan's total fertility rate sank to 1.28 in calendar 2004, marking an all-time low for the fourth straight year, with the number of babies born in the year also falling to a record low 1.11 million, the government said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Jun 2, 2005

FTA said good for Indonesia's firms

Trade minister Shoichi Nakagawa told visiting Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Wednesday that Tokyo will discuss ways to help nurture Indonesia's small companies and human resources during talks for a bilateral free-trade agreement, a Japanese official said.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK
Jun 2, 2005

'Weed' of wonder fresh from the sea

I first consciously ate kelp when I came to Japan in 1962. Slowly stewed, it took the form of those small, almost black bows of a soft and tasty vegetable in the traditional, souplike dish of oden. Later I ate it wrapped around fish, or used it with dried bonito as a base for soup stock. I chose the...
BUSINESS
Jun 2, 2005

Yahoo Japan joins brokers to offer Web stock trading

Yahoo Japan Corp. has agreed with Nikko Cordial Securities Inc. and E*Trade Securities Co. on a tieup to launch securities brokerage services as early as August, the two brokerages said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jun 2, 2005

Japan yet to conclude holdout report is hoax

The government has not dismissed the possibility that two former Imperial Japanese Army soldiers are hiding out in the Philippines, officials said Wednesday, despite mounting suspicions the story is a hoax.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 2, 2005

Most efficient exit from extreme poverty

For years, the world has looked to Asia as a leader in many areas, particularly business and technology. Now Asia is serving as an important example to follow in the international race to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
BUSINESS
Jun 2, 2005

Nippon Life loses top spot to AIG in premium revenues

Nippon Life Insurance Co. lost its No. 1 position in the domestic market to American International Group Inc. in terms of premium revenues from new contracts concluded with individuals in fiscal 2004, according to financial statements.
JAPAN
Jun 2, 2005

LDP lawmaker urges resumption of whaling in exclusive economic zone

Japan should resume whaling in its 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone if its disagreement at the International Whaling Commission is not resolved this year to allow resumption of commercial hunting, a senior Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker said Wednesday.
MORE SPORTS
Jun 1, 2005

Wakanohana, Takanohana left stunned by father's death

Former sumo grand champions Wakanohana and Takanohana, the sons of sumo elder Futagoyama who died of mouth cancer Monday, said Tuesday they consider their late father more of a teacher as they paid tribute to him and gave him all the credit for their successful careers the day after his death.
EDITORIALS
Jun 1, 2005

France says no to the EU

French voters have rejected the European constitution. The results were not unexpected, but they were a shock nonetheless. France has long been a pillar and an engine of European integration. It is unclear how the European Union will deal with this setback. For French President Jacques Chirac, the outcome...
COMMENTARY
Jun 1, 2005

French lessons for the European Union

LONDON -- So the French have voted down the proposed EU Constitution decisively. What now? Will the European Union fall apart? Certainly not. Does it mean that the attempt to impose a single "top-down" constitution on all 25 member states is dead? Probably -- especially if the Netherlands also votes...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / NEW ART SEEN
Jun 1, 2005

A voyeur for today

The photographer Richard Kern grew up in a small town in North Carolina, the son of a newspaperman. As a teenager, Kern had a part-time job changing the marquee at the local cinema, and one of the perks was free films. It was during a screening of Roger Vadim's camped up 1968 sci-fi flick "Barbarella"...
JAPAN
Jun 1, 2005

Afghan loses high court bid for refugee status

The Tokyo High Court on Tuesday rejected a lawsuit by an Afghan man seeking asylum in Japan, overturning an earlier decision in his favor.
JAPAN
Jun 1, 2005

Dental chief gets suspended jail term for payoff to LDP

Sadao Usuda, former president of the Japan Dental Association, was handed a suspended three-year prison term Tuesday for providing an undeclared 100 million yen donation in 2001 to the Liberal Democratic Party's largest faction.
BUSINESS
Jun 1, 2005

Suntory to sell Starbucks via retailers

Suntory Ltd. said Tuesday it has agreed with Seattle-based global coffee chain Starbucks Corp. to sell cups of chilled coffee under the Starbucks brand this fall at retailers in Japan, beginning with convenience stores in the Tokyo area.
BUSINESS
Jun 1, 2005

Kanebo posts net profit on cosmetics selloff, debt waiver

Kanebo Ltd. said Tuesday it logged 314.97 billion yen in net profit for the year ended in March, thanks mostly to gains from the selloff of its mainstay cosmetics business and a debt-waiver from lenders.
BUSINESS
Jun 1, 2005

DoCoMo to mix home, cell phones

NTT DoCoMo Inc. will enable subscribers to use their handsets as fixed-line phones at home, President Masao Nakamura said Tuesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 1, 2005

Rise in defamation suits threaten media: journalists

The increasing number of lawsuits being filed in response to allegedly defamatory news articles is posing a threat to media organizations and freedom of expression by discouraging aggressive reporting, several journalists said at a recent symposium in Saitama.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 1, 2005

Hokkaido's Shiretoko may get UNESCO Heritage status

A site on the Shiretoko Peninsula in eastern Hokkaido is expected to be added to UNESCO's World Heritage List this summer following a recommendation by an advisory body, government officials said Tuesday.

Longform

Mamoru Iwai, stationmaster of Keisei Ueno Station, says that, other than earthquake-proofing, the former Hakubutsukan-Dobutsuen (Museum-Zoo) Station has remained untouched.
Inside Tokyo's 'phantom' stations — and the stories they tell