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JAPAN
Oct 29, 2003

102.5 million eligible to vote Nov. 9

There are roughly 102.5 million eligible voters in Japan, the home affairs ministry said Tuesday as official campaigning for the Nov. 9 general election began.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Oct 29, 2003

Japan Series: Should have known better with those Tigers fans

I should have known better than to predict the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks would win the 2003 Japan Series in five games over the Hanshin Tigers.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 29, 2003

Ishihara quotes 'rumors' bomb was aimed against hardliners on N. Korea

Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara said Tuesday he has been hearing "rumors" that a bomb found in the garage of Deputy Foreign Minister Hitoshi Tanaka in September was placed by people seeking to discredit hardliners on North Korean issues -- like the governor himself.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 29, 2003

For Princess Tenko, life, truth just one big sleight of hand

Tenko Hikita, Japan's most famous magician, is a master of illusion. Or, perhaps, a masterful illusion.
JAPAN
Oct 29, 2003

Campaign rhetoric faces tougher scrutiny

Few voters in Japan -- or lawmakers for that matter -- ever took a serious look at political party election pledges, knowing they were simply vague policy slogans with little substance.
JAPAN
Oct 29, 2003

Slain DPJ lawmaker's kin want answers, snub endorsements

The next of kin of slain lawmaker Koki Ishii will not support any candidate in Tokyo's No. 6 single-seat constituency in the coming House of Representatives election.
JAPAN
Oct 29, 2003

Ogata, Ooka and others to receive Order of Culture

Former U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Sadako Ogata will be awarded the Order of Culture along with four other recipients, according to the government's honors list released Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Oct 29, 2003

Denso reports record pretax profit

Denso Corp., an auto-parts maker affiliated with Toyota Motor Corp., reported Tuesday a record group pretax profit on record sales for the fiscal first half, which ended Sept. 30.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 29, 2003

Election campaign under way

Campaigning kicked off Tuesday for the Nov. 9 general election, with a total of 1,159 candidates tossing their hats into the ring.
BUSINESS
Oct 29, 2003

Hino Motors net profit soars nearly fourfold

Hino Motors Ltd. said Tuesday its group net profit for the April-September half of fiscal 2003 soared nearly fourfold from a year earlier due to brisk sales.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 29, 2003

Tanaka joins Kato on Diet comeback trail

Former Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka and Koichi Kato, former secretary general of the Liberal Democratic Party, launched their campaigns Tuesday for the Nov. 9 House of Representatives election.
BUSINESS
Oct 29, 2003

Yahoo Japan debuts on first section

Yahoo Japan Corp., the nation's leading Internet portal site operator, drew a tepid response from investors when it debuted Tuesday on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, ending the day at 1.57 million yen after opening at 1.65 million yen.
BUSINESS
Oct 29, 2003

U.S. southeast interested in hydrogen cars

OSAKA -- A two-day meeting here between government and business representatives from seven U.S. states and Japan concluded Tuesday with discussion focusing on the future of the auto industry, especially the introduction of hydrogen fuel cells.
JAPAN
Oct 29, 2003

Japanese woman bids for asylum in North Korea

A Japanese woman has sought asylum in North Korea after entering the country illegally during a trip to China in August, Foreign Ministry officials said Tuesday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 29, 2003

Companies urged to engage in good citizenship

In the wake of huge corporate scandals in Japan and the United States, companies are under pressure to be more socially responsible.
JAPAN
Oct 29, 2003

Sogo chairman told to pay up

The former chairman of failed department store chain Sogo Co. was handed a court order Tuesday to pay some 12.7 billion yen to Mizuho Corporate Bank in his capacity as a guarantor for a loan extended to a Sogo outlet that later turned sour.
BUSINESS
Oct 29, 2003

Tougher Antimonopoly Law sought

A Fair Trade Commission study group has drawn up a report calling for amendment of the Antimonopoly Law to make it stricter and more effective, FTC officials said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Oct 29, 2003

Elpida gets ready to end fundraising

Elpida Memory Inc., the sole Japanese supplier of dynamic random access memory chips, said Tuesday it is close to completing a 170 billion yen fundraising program aimed at reinforcing its production capabilities.
JAPAN
Oct 29, 2003

Kan rules out specter of DPJ-JCP coalition

Naoto Kan, leader of the Democratic Party of Japan, denied Tuesday that his party plans to form a governing coalition with the Japanese Communist Party.
BUSINESS
Oct 29, 2003

Bailout of Mitsui Mining now reportedly back on

The Industrial Revitalization Corp. of Japan will make a formal decision to bail out Mitsui Mining Co. on Friday, according to informed sources.
JAPAN
Oct 29, 2003

Road panel seeks legislative draft before coalition debate on matter

A key advisory panel on the privatization of expressway operators urged Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Tuesday to have his government present the panel with a draft of relevant legislation before consulting with ruling coalition leaders on the matter later this year.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Oct 29, 2003

Mediation is the medium

"It's a transmission station," says David Elliott of the Mori Art Museum, which opened to the public Oct. 18. "It's a beacon beaming things out to the rest of the city, intimately connected with it."
EDITORIALS
Oct 29, 2003

APEC makes the grade

The 10th annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders summit has come and gone, leaving the usual questions in its wake. Perennial doubts about the forum's relevance have been highlighted following the collapse of the last round of world trade negotiations. APEC members acknowledged this year's...
BUSINESS
Oct 29, 2003

Koizumi foresees pension decline

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Tuesday that employees' pension benefits may fall to a level equivalent to about 50 percent of workers' current annual take-home salaries.
COMMENTARY
Oct 29, 2003

Democracy for whom?

WASHINGTON -- Although the Bush administration won formal U.N. recognition for its rule in Iraq, that diplomatic victory is likely to yield few allied troops for occupation duty. In fact, even Turkey, which agreed to dispatch 10,000 soldiers after Washington's approval of $8.5 billion in loans, is now...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Oct 29, 2003

An artist in a land of ice and snow

Jorg Schmeisser traveled to Antarctica on the icebreaker Aurora Australis in 1998. The result was a series of works -- etchings, drawings and paintings -- that became "Breaking the Ice," a major exhibition showing in Kyoto and scheduled for Tokyo and Yokohama, that explores the majesty and uncanny beauty...
BUSINESS
Oct 29, 2003

Honda profit down in first half as yen, operating costs rise

Honda Motor Co. said Tuesday its consolidated operating profit fell 6.8 percent to 301.87 billion yen during the fiscal first half, marking the first year-on-year decrease in three years.
BUSINESS
Oct 29, 2003

Matsushita Electric group net profit rises 31.5%

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. said Tuesday its group net profit for the fiscal first half grew 31.5 percent from a year earlier to 23.15 billion yen on the back of restructuring effects and strong sales of digital home products.

Longform

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
Rethinking that second drink: Japan’s Gen Z gets ‘sober curious’