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BUSINESS
Dec 26, 2003

Government to clarify fiscal surplus goal

The government is ready to clarify the fiscal policy goal of achieving a surplus in the primary balance by fiscal 2013, moving a step forward from the vague target of early in the next decade, government sources said Thursday.
BUSINESS
Dec 26, 2003

Softbank buys Nissho Iwai Securities

Softbank Investment Corp., aiming to strengthen operations targeting institutional investors, acquired Nissho Iwai Securities Co. from trading house Nissho Iwai Corp. for 1.187 billion yen on Thursday.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / BEST BAR NONE
Dec 26, 2003

Round 'bout midnight

It's that time of the year again, when everybody is steadily moving into party mode as the big countdown approaches. Some punters will simply be dancing in the streets to celebrate. Others will take to the expressways: Reportedly over 6,000 bosozoku (hot-rodders and hot-doggers on motorcycles) choked...
BUSINESS
Dec 26, 2003

Fujitsu set to forge chip alliance with Sumitomo Electric

Fujitsu Ltd. and Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd. will merge their compound semiconductor operations this spring in response to growing demand for chips used in digital products and communications devices, Fujitsu officials said Thursday.
JAPAN
Dec 26, 2003

SDF to aid Iraq in democratization, Koizumi tells Qatar's Al-Jazeera TV

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Thursday he informed the Al-Jazeera Arabic TV network of Japan's peaceful intentions in dispatching Self-Defense Forces units to Iraq, hoping the mission will help the Iraqi people create a democratic government.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Dec 26, 2003

Slip into slo-mo Shiga-style

OMIHACHIMAN, Shiga Pref. -- Tired of group-tour hell? Does a four-cities-in-five-days' trip to Europe, or being herded like hyperactive cattle through the temples of Kyoto make you wish you could take a vacation from your vacation?
BUSINESS
Dec 26, 2003

Industries told to curb accidents

Three government agencies on Thursday urged industries, and company chiefs in particular, to do more to prevent plant fires and other accidents of the kind that occurred in a string this year, government officials said.
BUSINESS
Dec 26, 2003

Ashikaga Financial seeks protection from creditors

Ashikaga Financial Group Inc., the holding company of recently nationalized Ashikaga Bank, said Thursday it has filed for court protection from its creditors with the Tokyo District Court under the Corporate Rehabilitation Law.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 26, 2003

The image of Japan in ASEAN's dream

CHIANG MAI, Thailand -- The Japan-ASEAN Summit on Dec. 11-12 has already been broadly analyzed and generally hailed as a kind of embryonic con- ceptualization of the long-term goal of creating an "East Asian Community." So what could one possibly add to this debate by comparing the reactions between...
COMMENTARY
Dec 26, 2003

Blair's overcast breaking up

LONDON -- As the old year turns, life is looking a little brighter for the besieged British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his team, thanks to a few lucky breaks.
JAPAN
Dec 26, 2003

Pyongyang offers to free abductees' kin -- but there's a catch

North Korean officials told Japanese lawmakers that Pyongyang is ready to send the family members of the five former Japanese abductees to Japan if they go to the Pyongyang airport to meet them, Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Katsuei Hirasawa said Thursday.
JAPAN
Dec 25, 2003

205 oil tanks damaged in Hokkaido earthquakes

A government-affiliated organization that checks the safety of storage tanks has found that more than half of the 395 large outdoor oil tanks in and near Tomakomai, Hokkaido, were damaged in the late September quakes that sparked a fire at an oil refinery in the city.
JAPAN
Dec 25, 2003

'Two-China' policy pursued in '60s

Japan pursued a de facto "two-China" policy recognizing both China and Taiwan while officially maintaining a one-China policy, according to declassified diplomatic documents released Wednesday.
JAPAN
Dec 25, 2003

Cabinet approves 82 trillion yen budget

The Cabinet on Wednesday approved a 82.11 trillion yen budget for fiscal 2004 that experts say gives Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's budgetary reform initiative short shrift.
JAPAN
Dec 25, 2003

Japan, Germany, France to train Iraq cops

Japan will help train fledgling Iraqi police forces jointly with Germany and France, particularly in the area of criminal investigations, and will dispatch a team of experts to Germany in January.
EDITORIALS
Dec 25, 2003

It's Pyongyang's move

The good news about nuclear nonproliferation is that Iran and Libya, both of which have long been suspected of harboring nuclear ambitions, have apparently changed their minds. The bad news is that North Korea, which already has nuclear-weapons programs, remains adamant about keeping them, thus clouding...
SOCCER / World cup
Dec 25, 2003

Japan to face Oman

Japan will face Oman in the first Asian qualifying round for the 2006 World Cup in February next year, the Japan Football Association said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Dec 25, 2003

Suspects to get public defenders earlier in process

The government is planning to allow crime suspects to have state-appointed lawyers from the moment they are taken into custody, if their financial resources are limited, government officials said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Dec 25, 2003

Rightist group head implicates self, fellow suspects in shooting incidents

Investigators questioning members of a rightist group arrested in connection with a series of shootings earlier this year have identified the actual triggermen in some of the incidents, police said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Dec 25, 2003

Recall ordered for suspect products

The government on Wednesday ordered importers to recall U.S. beef products that might contain neural tissue, such as brain and spinal cord tissue, following the announcement that the United States has suffered its first case of mad cow disease, government officials said.
BUSINESS
Dec 25, 2003

Hard-disk dispute costly for Kyocera

Kyocera Corp. said Wednesday it has agreed to pay $331.5 million to two U.S. companies to settle a long-standing dispute over a hard-disk deal.
JAPAN
Dec 25, 2003

Corporate outlays on entertainment plummet 4.4%

Corporations spent an estimated 3.74 trillion yen on entertainment in the 12 months through last January, down 4.4 percent from the previous year and falling for the sixth year in a row, National Tax Agency data show.
SUMO
Dec 25, 2003

Ozeki Tochiazuma takes prestigious east slot

Ozeki Tochiazuma, who defeated yokozuna Asashoryu to win the Kyushu basho, will occupy the prestigious east slot as the Japan Sumo Association released the rankings on Wednesday for the upcoming New Year Grand Sumo 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