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BUSINESS
Apr 25, 2002

Kawasaki Steel, Stelco form alliance

Kawasaki Steel Corp. said Wednesday it has formed a comprehensive business alliance with Stelco Inc. of Canada in a bid to step up business in the country. Kawasaki and Stelco will jointly develop materials for large-diameter steel pipes as well as steel plates and bars for use in automobiles.
BUSINESS
Apr 25, 2002

Insurer likely to be rapped for unauthorized sales

The Financial Services Agency is expected to punish Nichido Fire & Marine Insurance Co. for allegedly selling car insurance policies without obtaining official approval, sources said Wednesday.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / GARDENS FOR ALL
Apr 25, 2002

Savor 'Buddha's spirit' kept secret for a century

The Arashiyama area in western Kyoto along the banks of the Katsura River is famous for its cherry blossoms in spring and its glorious autumn foliage. Until this month, a less popular attraction had been the gardens of Hogonin Temple, a sub-temple of Tenryuji Zen Temple -- largely because they had been...
BUSINESS
Apr 25, 2002

J-Phone delays launch of 3G for second time

In a move that may cast fresh doubt over the next-generation mobile phone business, J-Phone Co. said Wednesday it will postpone its launch of third-generation cellular phone service again from June to December.
LIFE / Digital / NAME OF THE GAME
Apr 25, 2002

Crash livin' large on Advance

The Crash Bandicoot games may only have been best sellers in Japan, but in the United States these were the games that defined the Sony PlayStation.
JAPAN
Apr 25, 2002

Osaka-Pusan ferry service begins

OSAKA -- A new ferry service connecting Osaka with Pusan, South Korea, went into service Wednesday.
LIFE / Digital
Apr 25, 2002

Broadband security: put a lock on the back door

It's late one evening last July, and a green activity light is blinking on the front of the DSL modem next to my desk.
BUSINESS
Apr 25, 2002

Shiokawa seeks tax revenue equilibrium by 2010

Finance Minister Masajuro Shiokawa said Wednesday his ministry will seek to balance tax reductions with increases by 2010, reiterating his support for quick tax breaks to spur the economy.
BUSINESS
Apr 25, 2002

Japan, U.S. to hold inaugural government-business meet

Japan and the United States on May 10 will hold the inaugural meeting of a government-business forum under a new framework for bilateral economic talks, a U.S. trade official said Tuesday.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Apr 25, 2002

Japan: A land gone to the dogs?

Alex Kerr loves Japan as much as anyone, but he knows much more about it than most. With the publication April 25 of "Inu to Oni" (Kodansha) -- a translation of his book "Dogs and Demons" (Hill and Wang, 2001) -- Japanese, too, will be able to share his insight. As it says on the cover of "Dogs and Demons,"...
BUSINESS
Apr 25, 2002

Apparel trade show coming to Osaka

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LIFE / Digital
Apr 25, 2002

Lie detection infiltrating everyday life

When Bill Clinton first said, "I never had sexual relations with that woman . . ." back in 1998, a report flushed that a new Israeli lie detector figured he was being truthful.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 25, 2002

Expo seeks to ferment interest in wine

Contrary to popular belief, wine consumption in Japan is relatively unaffected by the economic climate.
EDITORIALS
Apr 24, 2002

The earthquake in France

Take nothing for granted. That is the message French voters sent in the first round of presidential elections held Sunday. In a stunning rebuke to the established order, Mr. Jean-Marie Le Pen, a rightwing extremist, came in second, edging out Prime Minister Lionel Jospin to win the right to challenge...
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 24, 2002

Le Pen's shocking win shakes France to the core

PARIS -- France's presidential election system is meant to ensure both a maximum of democracy and the emergence of a strong national leadership at the end of the two rounds of voting. That was the model set by Gen. Charles de Gaulle when he established the Fifth Republic four decades ago.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 24, 2002

Lawmakers flock to Yasukuni

Ninety-one lawmakers, including Jin Murai, head of the National Public Safety Commission, visited Yasukuni Shrine on Tuesday in the wake of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's surprise visit there Sunday.
JAPAN
Apr 24, 2002

Ministry advocates timber recycling

Japan should introduce a recycling system to better utilize its forestry resources, the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry said Tuesday in its annual forestry report.
JAPAN
Apr 24, 2002

Nabbed prosecutor now probed for tax evasion

OSAKA -- The prosecutor arrested Monday on suspicion of fraud owns 16 real estate properties but has not declared at least 5 million yen in rent revenue, informed sources alleged Tuesday.
JAPAN
Apr 24, 2002

Beef buyback overpaid farmers 2.3 billion yen

The government overpaid farmers to the tune of some 2.3 billion yen via a beef buyback program introduced to deal with last year's outbreak of mad cow disease, farm minister Tsutomu Takebe said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Apr 24, 2002

Itoman defendants' sentences upheld

OSAKA -- The Osaka High Court on Tuesday upheld prison sentences of up to 10 years for two executives of the now-defunct trading house Itoman Corp. for aggravated breach of trust and other charges.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 24, 2002

LDP acquiesces on bills for postal deregulation

The Liberal Democratic Party on Tuesday backed down from its crusade to block a package of bills on postal services deregulation, saying it would approve the legislation's submission to the Diet.
JAPAN
Apr 24, 2002

Peace Boat trip to Kunashiri irks minister

Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi expressed displeasure Tuesday over a Japanese peace group's plan to sail this summer to Russian-held Kunashiri Island, which is claimed by Japan.
BUSINESS
Apr 24, 2002

Colleges now cast as economic saviors

The government is turning its eye to the nation's universities in a bid to uncover a potential gold mine in venture business ideas and help lift the economy out of its prolonged slump.
JAPAN
Apr 24, 2002

Travel warnings to be descriptive

The Foreign Ministry will scrap its numerical travel warning system beginning Friday and instead try to describe the level of risk Japanese travelers face when going overseas.
BUSINESS
Apr 24, 2002

Shareholders to get chance to vote online

About 100 companies in Japan this year will allow or consider allowing shareholders to use the Internet to vote in place of mailing in ballots or attending meetings, according to surveys conducted by trust banks.
JAPAN
Apr 24, 2002

First tally of malpractice: 15,003 cases

There were 15,003 malpractice cases at the nation's 82 special-function hospitals in the two years to February, of which 387 involved patient deaths and other serious incidents, according to a health ministry survey released Tuesday.

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’