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Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 21, 2002

Big companies demanding better English

Takuya Suzuki has been taking the Test of English for International Communication exams twice a year since he joined electronic parts maker Sumida Corp. two years ago.
BUSINESS
Jun 21, 2002

Restraint suggested for steel exports

Domestic steelmakers should voluntarily cut their exports to China in the wake of Beijing's decision to impose temporary curbs on steel imports, the chairman of the Japan Iron and Steel Federation said Thursday.
JAPAN
Jun 21, 2002

Ozawa orchestrates promotion on train platform

Commuters at JR Shinjuku Station in Tokyo saw a different kind of conductor Thursday morning as renowned maestro Seiji Ozawa took to the platform to promote an annual music festival in Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture.
JAPAN
Jun 21, 2002

Parties agree to put Suzuki resignation to vote

The ruling and opposition parties officially agreed Thursday to vote on an opposition-sponsored motion demanding the resignation of arrested lawmaker Muneo Suzuki.
BUSINESS / ON THE FRONT LINE
Jun 21, 2002

Natural yen fall against frail dollar unlikely

The dollar may remain under downward pressure against all other major currencies for some time.
JAPAN
Jun 21, 2002

Most national universities find reform plan confusing

Administrators at 81 out of 90 public universities in Japan are confused by a government plan to turn national universities into independent administrative entities in fiscal 2004, according to a recent survey by the Japan Association of National Universities.
BUSINESS
Jun 21, 2002

Convenience store sales down 1.8%

Sales at convenience stores around Japan fell 1.8 percent in May from a year earlier on a same-store basis, marking the 11th consecutive month of decline, the Japan Franchise Association said Thursday.
JAPAN
Jun 21, 2002

Improved PR urged for Foreign Ministry

The Foreign Ministry could improve its handling of public relations matters by reinforcing the role of senior officials in charge of dealing with the media, an advisory panel said Thursday.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / JET STREAM
Jun 21, 2002

Bringing the classrooms to the children

Several hundred Japanese children sit enchanted as Justin Somi mimics a fluttering butterfly. Somi, a celebrated mime artist and musician, belongs to the Zia tribe that live along the Waria River Valley in Papua New Guinea. For two weeks this spring, he and five other Zia tribesmen visited schools in...
BUSINESS
Jun 21, 2002

Forecasters upgrade projections for 2002 GDP

Japan's gross domestic product for the current fiscal year has been revised upward by several economic forecasters due to growing signs of an export-led recovery, according to reports released as of Thursday.
BUSINESS
Jun 21, 2002

May trade surplus surges 715% on exports

The nation's customs-cleared trade surplus in May jumped to 619.2 billion yen, up 714.9 percent from a year earlier, according to a preliminary report released Thursday by the Finance Ministry.
MORE SPORTS
Jun 21, 2002

Hatakeyama to open Tokyo gym

Former boxing world champion Takanori Hatakeyama will open a boxing gym in Tokyo in collaboration with another ex-champion Shinji Takehara, boxing sources said Thursday.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Jun 21, 2002

Mayfly

* Japanese name: Monkagero * Scientific name: Ephemera strigata * Description: Mayflies are common, soft-bodied insects with short antennae and mouthparts that are vestigial (not used). They have two long cerci, tail-like structures growing from the end of the abdomen. They are easily recognizable because...
BUSINESS
Jun 21, 2002

Change at banks starts in personnel departments

Bankers once rode high as the elite of Japan. Along with top-notch bureaucrats in the Finance Ministry, they represented the best the Japanese education system had to offer.
JAPAN
Jun 21, 2002

Man arrested in bomb threats against Lotte

A 52-year-old construction company owner in Osaka has been arrested for threatening bomb attacks against confectioner Lotte Co. in a bid to extort 50 million yen, police said Thursday.
EDITORIALS
Jun 20, 2002

Mr. Suzuki's arrest

Lower House member Muneo Suzuki was arrested Wednesday on charges of receiving 5 million yen in cash from a Hokkaido lumber company in August 1998 when he was the deputy chief Cabinet secretary. According to investigators, Mr. Suzuki is charged with accepting a bribe in return for working on Forestry...
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 20, 2002

South Korea scores huge upset

TAEJON, South Korea -- A sudden-death goal by Ahn Jung Hwan propelled South Korea into the quarterfinals of the World Cup here Tuesday night, a well-earned 2-1 victory over Italy setting off incredible scenes of celebration.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 20, 2002

'Cleaner' seen by ATM blast site

OSAKA — A man in a work uniform appeared to be cleaning near automated teller machines in an office building Tuesday evening about five minutes before an explosion there left one man in critical condition and three others injured, police said Wednesday.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 20, 2002

Proud Troussier bids 'au revoir' to Japan

MORIMACHI, Shizuoka Pref. -- "I've had a wonderful four years. I'm proud of having worked for the national team of Japan," outgoing Japan coach Philippe Troussier said on Wednesday, a day after the World Cup cohost was eliminated from the tournament with a 1-0 loss to Turkey.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 20, 2002

Maestro Yamamoto dies of heart failure at age 69

Composer and conductor Naozumi Yamamoto, who helped popularize Western classical music in Japan, died Tuesday of heart failure at a Tokyo hospital, his family said. He was 69.
JAPAN
Jun 20, 2002

Koizumi to attend memorial service in Okinawa

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will attend a war memorial service this weekend in Okinawa, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jun 20, 2002

Major cuts possible for space station joint project

The National Space Development Agency said Wednesday it is able to slash by more than one-third its contribution to the operational costs of the International Space Station. The initially planned contribution was 60 billion yen.
JAPAN
Jun 20, 2002

Abtronic aside, couch potatoes make TV shopping 110 billion yen juggernaut

The growing legion of TV shoppers in Japan has turned the relatively new market into a 110 billion yen colossus.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 20, 2002

Prosecutors nab Suzuki

Public prosecutors on Wednesday arrested lawmaker Muneo Suzuki on suspicion of bribery after his colleagues in the House of Representatives gave them the green light in a plenary session earlier in the day.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 20, 2002

Japanese tourists snub Mickey Mouse

As Japanese tourists put the events of Sept. 11 behind them and once again hit the package tour trail, one destination remains suspiciously absent from their itineraries: the United States.
JAPAN
Jun 20, 2002

JGC, other firms hit in bid-rigging raid

Prosecutors raided engineering firm JGC Corp., the consultancy Nippon Koei Co. and other locations Wednesday in connection with alleged bid-manipulation over the construction of a Japanese-funded building on Kunashiri, a Russian-held island claimed by Japan.
BUSINESS
Jun 20, 2002

Higher premiums due for jobless insurance

The labor ministry is planning to raise jobless insurance premiums to avert a further deterioration in the finances of the unemployment insurance system, ministry officials said Wednesday.

Longform

Sociologist Gracia Liu-Farrer argues that even though immigration doesn't figure into Japan's autobiography, it is more of a self-perception than a reality.
In search of the ‘Japanese dream’