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JAPAN
Mar 8, 2003

Bribe-taking mayor gets suspended term

Yoshishiro Kimura, a former mayor of Ishioka, Ibaraki Prefecture, was sentenced Friday to a suspended prison term for taking 2 million yen in bribes in 1999 while he was still in office.
JAPAN
Mar 8, 2003

Embassy officials told to leave Iraq

Japanese Embassy officials in Iraq were ordered Friday to leave the nation amid heightening tension over a possible U.S.-led military attack.
JAPAN
Mar 8, 2003

Revised personal info bills win approval

The government approved a set of bills Friday for protecting personal information, paving the way for them to clear the current Diet session, after making major revisions to avert criticism that the legislation would restrict freedom of the press.
BUSINESS
Mar 8, 2003

SESC probes stock-price allegation

The Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission is investigating Nikko Salomon Smith Barney Ltd. on suspicion of manipulating stock prices while setting up an exchange-traded fund last year, industry sources said Friday.
JAPAN
Mar 8, 2003

University exam furor to continue

The education ministry will continue debating whether to let Korean, Chinese and other non-Japanese students at ethnic schools automatically qualify to take national university entrance exams as it has done for students from Western-style schools, education minister Atsuko Toyama said Friday.
BUSINESS
Mar 8, 2003

MHI seals China gas plant deal

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. said Friday it has received a bulk order for gas turbines and other equipment for China's first large-scale power plants fired by natural gas.
JAPAN
Mar 8, 2003

Ministry plans to cut public pension benefits

The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry unveiled a plan Friday under which public pension benefits would be cut by an average 0.3 percentage point per year through fiscal 2025, in line with the shrinking labor force.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 8, 2003

Hitachi may sell HQ and rent office space

Hitachi Ltd. said Friday it is considering selling its headquarters building in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward and renting space in a nearby building.
BUSINESS
Mar 8, 2003

Sompo Japan forms another alliance

Sompo Japan Insurance Inc. said Friday it has teamed up with Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance Group PLC of Britain for operations in the United States.
BASEBALL / MLB
Mar 8, 2003

Matsui's father confident son can play in majors

Some words of caution from Hideki Matsui's father: His son will adjust to the big leagues, but it may take a little time.
COMMENTARY
Mar 8, 2003

Japan's oil diplomacy is dead

LOS ANGELES -- Since September 2001, Tokyo has come a long way toward redefining its international security interests. One significant result of this is that should any American hostages be taken in the war with Iraq or anywhere else in the Middle East, the Japanese are not likely to be indifferent to...
BUSINESS
Mar 8, 2003

Key gauge above 50% for first time in three months

The key gauge of the current state of the economy was above the boom-or-bust line of 50 percent in January for the first time in three months, the government said Friday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 8, 2003

Son of Kochi governor in molestation scandal

The 33-year-old son of the Kochi governor was arrested last month on suspicion of molesting a woman in Tokyo and has since settled the case out of court, police revealed Friday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 8, 2003

Sakai arrested after Diet strips him of immunity

LDP lawmaker Takanori Sakai was arrested Friday on suspicion of violating the Political Funds Control Law immediately after the House of Representatives stripped him of his Diet immunity.
BUSINESS
Mar 8, 2003

Toshiba to focus on digital, electronic devices

Toshiba Corp. said Friday it will spin off some of its operations so it can concentrate its resources on semiconductor and digital products.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Mar 8, 2003

Amazing character goods made of pulp

With the current state of Japan's economy, many of us are wondering: Is this the end of heated toilet seats in public restrooms? Will we be expected to live our futures without free household cleaning sponges from the bank and individual trash bags on the buses and trains? Maybe.
Japan Times
JAPAN / PREFECTURAL FARE
Mar 8, 2003

Miyazaki's Tokyo foothold a success story

Shuji Yoshida, joint owner of Miyazaki Konne, is all smiles when asked how things are at the Miyazaki Prefecture satellite shop.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 8, 2003

Paving the way for Northeast Asian peace

MONTEREY, Calif. -- The Japan Times on March 1 reported that Tokyo is reviewing its participation in the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization, or KEDO, program. If the Japanese government is giving serious thought to withdrawing from the program, it will not only exacerbate an already serious...
BUSINESS
Mar 8, 2003

Foreign-exchange reserves hit third consecutive high

The nation's foreign-exchange reserves hit a new record high at the end of February for the third straight month, rising $6.67 billion from a month earlier to $485.27 billion, the Finance Ministry said Friday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Mar 8, 2003

Making it big-time in the world of glamour, glitz

Forget baubles, bangles and beads. Hiroko Suzuki designs pieces of jewelry that take the craft to a new level of glamorous extravagance.
BUSINESS
Mar 8, 2003

Nikkei sinks to 20-year low as nerves fray over Iraq war fears

The Tokyo Stock Exchange tumbled Friday, driving the benchmark Nikkei index to a 20-year closing low on growing fears that a military strike will be launched on Iraq.
JAPAN
Mar 8, 2003

'Blue book' draft seeks global unity

Japan will call for international unity in dealing with growing security concerns, including the crisis in Iraq and North Korea's nuclear weapons program, says the Foreign Ministry's annual "blue book" draft, which was submitted to the ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Friday for endorsement.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Mar 8, 2003

Cheryl Hsiu Ying Lee

Refugees International Japan gives as its goal helping to "restore the physical and mental well-being and dignity of refugees and internally displaced persons by supporting emergency, health and education projects around the world." Annually since 1990, the Art of Dining Charity Exhibition has been a...
BUSINESS
Mar 8, 2003

Deflation hardliner named as special Cabinet adviser

Haruhiko Kuroda, former vice finance minister for international affairs and an advocate of radical monetary-easing measures by the Bank of Japan, was appointed Friday as a special adviser to the Cabinet.

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