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BUSINESS
Jul 10, 2004

Gyukaku operator to buy controlling stake in am/pm

Restaurant-chain operator Reins International Inc. said Friday it will buy a controlling 62.6-percent stake in convenience-store operator am/pm Japan Co. through a third-party share allotment scheme.
JAPAN
Jul 10, 2004

Fuso admits mistakes in defect report

Scandal-tainted Mitsubishi Fuso Truck & Bus Corp. said Friday that a vehicle-recall progress report released a day earlier contained incorrect information on the size of a truck defect.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 10, 2004

Japan may go Dutch with pension plan

THE HAGUE, Netherlands -- The high-profile battle over pension reform during the last Diet session was a rude awakening for the public, which had largely been oblivious to how precariously close the system was to collapse.
JAPAN
Jul 10, 2004

Softbank leak extortionist won't serve time

The Tokyo District Court sentenced a former Softbank BB Corp. employee to a suspended three-year prison term Friday for stealing client data and trying to extort money from the company.
BUSINESS
Jul 10, 2004

Skymark to use Zero's cash reserves

Skymark Airlines Co. said Friday it will merge with Internet service company Zero Inc. on Nov. 1 to boost the discount carrier's financial base.
JAPAN
Jul 10, 2004

Heat wave continues to stifle Japan

Oppressive heat continued to blanket the Japanese archipelago Friday as the mercury rose above 35 in some parts of the country during what is normally the height of rainy season, the Meteorological Agency said.
BUSINESS
Jul 10, 2004

Mutton slipped by meat import ban

Japan imported 73 tons of mutton from Ireland between August and December last year despite a mad cow-related ban on imports, because an animal quarantine official mistakenly issued import certificates, the agriculture ministry said Friday.
JAPAN
Jul 10, 2004

Crown Princess' health still in doubt

Crown Princess Masako played tennis and attended a lecture with her husband, Crown Prince Naruhito, in the past week, but her ailing health has not improved, the Imperial Household Agency said Friday.
JAPAN
Jul 10, 2004

Hunger-striker returns to cell after hospital visit

IBARAKI, Osaka Pref. -- A 37-year-old Iranian who has been held at the West Japan Immigration Center here since February 2003 and has been on a hunger strike for over a month, was briefly hospitalized Friday, according to his supporters.
JAPAN
Jul 10, 2004

JICA to tutor Iraq's new diplomat corps

The Foreign Ministry plans to invite about 20 Iraqi diplomats to Tokyo for training, possibly in September.
JAPAN
Jul 10, 2004

Is Pyongyang trying to win the election for the coalition?

North Korea's surprise live broadcast Friday of Hitomi Soga's kin at Pyongyang airport may constitute another indication that the country is apparently trying to back Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's administration ahead of Sunday's House of Councilors election, government officials claimed.
JAPAN
Jul 10, 2004

The whys and wherefores of House of Councilors elections

Following a rocky Diet session, Sunday's House of Councilors election represents a de facto litmus test that will measure public support for Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 10, 2004

Jewelry shops ready for foreign onslaught

Facing intense competition from foreign rivals selling brand-name products, Japanese jewelry stores are countering with their own initiatives.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 10, 2004

Firms grope for enticing product names

Nissan Motor Co.'s popular March compact becomes the Micra in Europe, while Toyota's Vitz is known as the Echo in the U.S. and the Yaris in Europe.
EDITORIALS
Jul 10, 2004

Assessing Mr. Koizumi's reforms

It has been three years since Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi launched a "no reform, no growth" program for economic revival. What has changed, or has not changed, under his administration? Simply put, are people better off now than they were three years ago? Voters will give their answers in Sunday's...
BUSINESS
Jul 10, 2004

Sumitomo, UFJ aim to merge in fall

Sumitomo Trust & Banking Co. and UFJ Trust Bank are in the final stages of negotiations aimed at moving up the completion of their business integration to the fall, sources close to the deal said Friday.
JAPAN
Jul 10, 2004

Civil servants now face performance-related pay

The National Personnel Authority, the government body that supervises public servants, has decided to introduce a performance-based wage system for civil servants, abolishing automatic annual wage hikes based on seniority, government officials said Friday.
BUSINESS
Jul 10, 2004

Microsoft faces antimonoply warning

Japan's fair-trade watchdog is set to issue a warning against U.S. software giant Microsoft Corp., which has been under investigation on suspicion of violating the country's antimonopoly law, an official said Friday.
EDITORIALS
Jul 9, 2004

A new face in Indonesia

In a stunning performance, Mr. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, a political newcomer, is projected to come out on top in the first round of voting for the presidency of Indonesia. The former general will not cross the 50 percent threshold required to claim the office on the first round; instead, he looks set...
BASEBALL / MLB
Jul 9, 2004

Japan owners reject Baseball World Cup

Japan's baseball owners have decided to reject Major League Baseball's World Cup concept in which the U.S. commissioner's office and the Major League Baseball Players Association would be in charge of the tournament.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji