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COMMENTARY
Feb 1, 2002

Truth and consequences

The forced resignation of Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka says a lot about Japan's sloppy politics and its emotional inability to focus on the rights and wrongs of a dispute.
JAPAN
Feb 1, 2002

37,000 pesky crows live in Tokyo area, study finds

A Tokyo Metropolitan Government study has found that about 37,000 crows are living in the area, and local officials are taking stronger measures to address public complaints about their growing numbers.
JAPAN
Feb 1, 2002

Unwed moms' public aid upheld

The past denial of child-care allowance to unwed mothers after men stepped forward as the fathers of their children was illegal, the Supreme Court ruled Thursday, because divorced mothers receiving alimony were already entitled to the payment.
JAPAN
Feb 1, 2002

UNU forum targets mountain abuse

Mountains are being ravaged by human activities and action needs to be taken to ensure that these troves of biodiversity and natural resources are not sacrificed on the altar of development, according to a forum held Thursday at the United Nations University in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Feb 1, 2002

Finance Ministry tries to regain past clout

The Finance Ministry, which once enjoyed the prestige of being the nation's top bureaucratic body but saw its power and influence erode in the late 1990s in a series of scandals, appears to be aligning with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's political initiatives to regain its former status.
JAPAN
Feb 1, 2002

Cultist's term upheld for 1994 murder attempt

The Tokyo High Court on Thursday upheld a 12-year prison term handed down to an Aum Shinrikyo defendant for attempting to kill attorney Taro Takimoto with sarin gas in May 1994.
JAPAN
Feb 1, 2002

Cinemas raked in record 200 billion yen last year

Movie box offices in Japan rang up 200 billion yen last year for the first time ever, thanks mainly to the record-breaking performance of the animation "Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi" ("Spirited Away").
BUSINESS
Feb 1, 2002

Ministry panel to weigh creation of economic zones

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry asked an advisory panel Thursday to look into the creation of more special economic zones in Japan in an attempt to reinvigorate the sluggish economy.
BUSINESS
Feb 1, 2002

Tokio, Asahi Mutual scrap tieup

The merger of Tokio Marine & Fire Insurance Co. and Asahi Mutual Life Insurance Co.'s life insurance businesses, touted for March 2003, has been scrapped. The decision, reached during a meeting Thursday morning between Tokio Marine President Kunio Ishihara and Asahi Mutual President Yuzuru Fujita, has...
BUSINESS
Feb 1, 2002

Manufacturer overtime decreased 8.5% last year

Overtime in the domestic manufacturing sector fell 8.5 percent from the previous year to an average of 12.6 hours a month in 2001, according to a government survey released Thursday.
JAPAN
Feb 1, 2002

Ogata gets government call

The government hopes Sadako Ogata, former United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, will become the new foreign minister, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda indicated Thursday, adding that the post Makiko Tanaka was fired from should be filled by today.
BUSINESS
Feb 1, 2002

WTO gets call on U.S. steel curbs

Japan has filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization over a U.S. antidumping measure against Japanese surface-treated steel sheet exports, and asked Washington to hold talks on the issue under WTO auspices, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said.
JAPAN
Feb 1, 2002

Snow exec implicated in fraud he investigated

A Snow Brand Food Co. division chief assigned to investigate allegations of false labeling of meat to get state subsidies by its Kansai Meat Center was directly involved in the fraud he was to probe, sources said Thursday.
JAPAN
Feb 1, 2002

Union Jichiro mulls way to remove scandal taint

Jichiro, the All-Japan Prefectural and Municipal Workers' Union, opened a two-day special convention Thursday in Tokyo to discuss how to rebuild the organization in the wake of a tax evasion scandal involving former executives and the revelation of massive off-the-book debts.
BUSINESS
Feb 1, 2002

Dollar poised to give back recent gains

U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan sounded a somewhat optimistic note on economic prospects last week.
BUSINESS
Feb 1, 2002

NEC to slash 14,000 workers worldwide before March 31

Computer maker NEC Corp. said Thursday that it will reduce its global workforce by 9.3 percent, or 14,000 jobs, by the end of March, doubling the number of jobs to be slashed from the figure it announced in late October.
BUSINESS
Feb 1, 2002

Nippon Shinpan's board OKs asset sales

Nippon Shinpan Co. said Thursday its board has approved a basic agreement with a Japanese investment fund over the sale of a majority equity stake in Kokunai Shinpan Co., one of its consumer credit arms.
BUSINESS
Feb 1, 2002

Nikko Cordial suffers in April-December period

Nikko Cordial Corp. said Thursday it fell into the red in the April-December period as an extended slump in the domestic stock market cut into key revenue sources, such as brokerage commissions and underwriting fees.
MORE SPORTS
Feb 1, 2002

Anna's pal Rios just 'having a little fun'

Much has been written on these pages over the past few days about the comments by Marcelo Rios regarding the current state of women's tennis. Rios, the former No. 1-ranked men's player in the world, put himself in the firing line by saying at last week's Australian Open that women's early-round matches...
JAPAN
Feb 1, 2002

Temple U. dean seeking larger enrollment

About 30 American universities established branch schools in Japan during the 1980s and early 1990s, and although many of them have since departed, the new dean of Temple University Japan is seeking to expand enrollment.
JAPAN
Feb 1, 2002

Analysts consider possibility of large-scale crash

Takeshi Kimura, president of consulting firm KPMG Financial Co., says he periodically receives calls from overseas investors who ask one chilling question.
BUSINESS
Feb 1, 2002

Kinki tourism firm hit by terror fears

OSAKA -- Kinki Nippon Tourist Co. said Thursday that fiscal second-half sales in western Japan of its Holiday brand overseas package tours are likely to drop 39 percent from a year earlier.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / LEARNING BY HEART
Feb 1, 2002

Kids learn from embracing the differences

The first thing you notice about the students at Musashino Higashi Secondary Vocational School is their uniforms. No matter the subject -- be it gymnastics or computer science -- the learning is done in a light-blue tracksuit.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Feb 1, 2002

Japanese squirrel

* Japanese name: Nihon risu * Scientific name: Sciurus lis * Description: The Japanese squirrel is an arboreal species, which means it lives in trees. It has a long, bushy tail, large tufted ears and sharp claws. Its fur changes color according to the season. In summer, the fur is red-orange. In winter,...
BUSINESS
Feb 1, 2002

China's IT engineers get smoother visa path

Japanese and Chinese bodies responsible for assessing the qualifications of information technology engineers signed a memorandum of understanding for mutual recognition Thursday in Beijing.
BUSINESS
Feb 1, 2002

SESC calls for punishment of Morgan Stanley Japan

The government's stock market watchdog has recommended to the Financial Services Agency that Morgan Stanley Japan Ltd. and two Morgan Stanley traders be punished for illegal stock deals involving short-selling.
EDITORIALS
Jan 31, 2002

Time to get back to business

In an unprecedented development Wednesday, Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka and Vice Foreign Minister Yoshiji Nogami were simultaneously dismissed for their failure to maintain an effective foreign policy team. This is the first time in the history of Japan's parliamentary Cabinet system that the foreign...

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’