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JAPAN
Apr 9, 2004

Metal fragments found in butter

The Hokkaido Prefectural Government launched an investigation Thursday into the discovery of metal fragments in unsalted butter imported from Germany by Sapporo-based Yotsuba Inc.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 9, 2004

Local governments crack down on pilferers of recyclable paper

Vexed by rampant thefts of used paper, many local governments have tightened patrols of trash-collection sites and have issued new regulations claiming ownership of discarded newspapers, magazines and other printed matter.
JAPAN
Apr 9, 2004

College gang-rape trio get up to 32 months

Three members of a now-defunct social club made up of students from elite universities received prison terms of up to 32 months Thursday for gang-raping a coed last April, allegedly along with 10 other male accomplices.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Apr 9, 2004

Chelsea's performance makes Abramovich look foolish

LONDON -- There was a wonderful cameo of Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich captured on television after Wayne Bridge scored the winner at Arsenal to send the Blues into the Champions League semifinals.
EDITORIALS
Apr 9, 2004

Putting Yasukuni in its place

Do Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visits to Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo violate the constitutional separation of state and religion? It is a tricky question, legally and otherwise, that in the past has eluded a clear-cut judiciary answer. On Wednesday, however, the Fukuoka District Court ruled that...
JAPAN
Apr 9, 2004

Dialysis-linked hepatitis C spread alarming

About 2.2 percent of patients who underwent dialysis in 2001 were infected with the hepatitis C virus because some facilities apparently failed to take proper precautions to prevent infection, according to a government study, which did not identify the institutions were the infections occurred.
MORE SPORTS
Apr 9, 2004

Neiman painting of Matsui on block

NEW YORK -- The 2005 Special Olympics World Winter Games will host a benefit gala at Christie's auction house in New York City to raise awareness and funding for the upcoming World Winter Games.
BUSINESS
Apr 9, 2004

Seibu Railway president steps down

Seibu Railway Co. said Thursday that senior managing director Terumasa Koyanagi has been promoted to president, succeeding Hiroyuki Toda, who became a board member to take responsibility for a payoff scandal that erupted last month.
BUSINESS
Apr 9, 2004

Intervention to continue, Tanigaki says

Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki said Thursday that Japan will continue to intervene in the foreign-exchange market.
BUSINESS
Apr 9, 2004

DoCoMo plots switch at the top

NTT DoCoMo Inc. plans to promote Senior Vice President Shiro Tsuda to the position of president, company sources said Thursday. He will succeed Keiji Tachikawa, they said.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 9, 2004

Banpresto to buy Tokyo fun park

Banpresto Co. said Thursday it plans to purchase the Asakusa Hanayashiki amusement park in downtown Tokyo from roller-coaster maker Togo Japan Inc.
BUSINESS
Apr 9, 2004

Ito-Yokado trumped by Aeon

Ito-Yokado Co. lost its position as Japan's No. 1 retailer to Aeon Co. in terms of group sales in the year that ended Feb. 29.
JAPAN
Apr 9, 2004

Federation booklet details prison rights of foreigners

The Japan Federation of Bar Associations has compiled a free English information booklet to help foreigners in Japan understand their rights and legal procedures in prisons.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Apr 9, 2004

International Street Performers Festival: Hit the streets and party!

The International Street Performers Festival was hatched in Papa John. In 1984, Ikuo Mitsuhashi -- a mime artist just back in Yokohama from a decade-long French sojourn -- dropped by the venerable jazz shot bar and listened to the proprietor describe the Association for Fostering Noge Culture. He was...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / VINELAND
Apr 9, 2004

A glass act that's proved hard to follow

A brief stint as an apprentice glassblower on Sado Island in the late '80s left me with a great appreciation of the aesthetics of a well-made wineglass. The weight, the balance, the cut of the lip, the curve and thinness of the bowl -- and the subtle ring after a toast -- are all factors that, when they...
JAPAN
Apr 9, 2004

Low pollen count nothing to sneeze at

Pollen levels from cedar and cypress trees this year are expected to drop sharply from 2003, a pollen information association said Thursday.
BUSINESS
Apr 9, 2004

Worker sentiment best since August '01

Business sentiment among workers with jobs sensitive to economic fluctuations rose in March to the highest level since August 2001, the government said Thursday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 9, 2004

Japanese trio held hostage in Iraq

Three Japanese civilians have been taken hostage in Iraq by a terrorist-related group that has threatened to kill them if Japan does not withdraw its troops from the country in three days.
MORE SPORTS
Apr 9, 2004

Wrestlers to promote China tour

Wrestlers from sumo's elite makuuchi division will visit Beijing and Shanghai next week to drum up publicity for this summer's weeklong tour of China, the Japan Sumo Association said Thursday.
BUSINESS
Apr 9, 2004

Japan Post let billions in taxes slide

Japan Post said Thursday it and its predecessor failed to collect 15.16 billion yen in withholding tax on postal savings interest in the three years through fiscal 2003 by illicitly applying its tax-exempt small savings system for the elderly and disabled to noneligible customers.
BUSINESS
Apr 9, 2004

Shin Mitsui Sugar, Mitsui units to merge

Japan's biggest sugar producer, Shin Mitsui Sugar Co., and two other sugar refiners affiliated with Mitsui & Co. said Thursday they have signed a contract to merge next April 1.
BUSINESS
Apr 9, 2004

SMBC to open new Tokyo branch

Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. said Thursday it will open the first branch in seven years to promote services for individuals.
BASEBALL / MLB
Apr 9, 2004

BayStars sweep toothless Tigers

Catcher Ryoji Aikawa drove in a pair of runs Thursday to lead the Yokohama BayStars to a 4-0 victory over the Hanshin Tigers and a three-game sweep of the defending Central League champions.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Apr 9, 2004

Savor a city's soul

A rusted observation platform on the eastern edge of Nogeyama Hill commands views across central Yokohama -- from the Western houses on the Bluff to the Landmark Tower in the Minato Mirai district. At the hill's foot, behind the up-slope march of buildings, lies Noge, its inconspicuousness emblematic....

Longform

An illustration features the Japanese signs for "ganbare" (good luck) and the Deaflympics, which will be held between Nov. 15 and 26.
A century of Deaf sport finds its moment in Tokyo