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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.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 9, 2004

Ex-cop fingers cultist over '95 shooting

A former police officer who was arrested Wednesday over the 1995 shooting of the then National Police Agency chief has told investigators that a senior Aum Shinrikyo figure now on death row had ordered him to help the cult carry out the ambush, investigative sources said Thursday.
JAPAN
Jul 9, 2004

Koizumi to visit South Korea soon

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi plans to visit South Korea to meet South Korean President Roh Moo Hyun around July 21, government sources said Thursday.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / THEN AND NOW
Jul 9, 2004

Dancing in the streets

South of the Chinzanso/Four Seasons Hotel on the Kandagawa -- where our walk finished last month -- Kagurazaka is a vibrant town named after its sloped main street, The Kagurazaka. This hilly area has a maze of lanes and short but steep hills, making it a thrilling adventure for urban walkers. In pockets...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / VINELAND
Jul 9, 2004

A tale of two Pichons

Our favorite scene in "Tampopo," Juzo Itami's 1985 cult film about gastronomic excess, begins with two bums finding an expensive-looking bottle behind a Shinjuku hotel with a bit of wine left in the bottom. They deliver it to a compatriot, a sommelier who'd apparently seen better days but still has sharp...
JAPAN
Jul 9, 2004

Police raid Aum-related facilities

Police on Thursday raided eight facilities tied to Aum Shinrikyo, including the cult's headquarters in Tokyo's Setagaya Ward, over the 1995 shooting of then National Police Agency chief Takaji Kunimatsu.
BASEBALL / MLB
Jul 9, 2004

Lions retake lead from Hawks

Jose Fernandez made up for costly error Wednesday by slamming a two-run homer Thursday to lead the Seibu Lions to a 3-1 win over the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks.

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years