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JAPAN
Jan 11, 2002

Ex-tax chief arrested for evasion

Public prosecutors Thursday arrested a former head of the Sapporo Regional Taxation Bureau who advises a talent agency managing pop singer Namie Amuro, for allegedly evading 250 million yen in income tax.
BUSINESS
Jan 11, 2002

Kansai Electric to slash jobs, investment

OSAKA -- Kansai Electric Power Co. said it will slash 3,000 jobs -- more than 10 percent of its workforce -- by the end of fiscal 2004.
JAPAN
Jan 11, 2002

Prepared foods seen growing in popularity

The popularity of prepared food, known as "sozai," is rocketing in Japan, with an increase in working women apparently helping to boost sales of the food.
BUSINESS
Jan 11, 2002

METI tells Daiei to take new steps to avert crisis

The economy, trade and industry vice minister on Thursday called on troubled Daiei Inc. to compile an effective new restructuring plan as it concurrently seeks a bailout to avert a financial crisis in March.
BUSINESS
Jan 11, 2002

Stock surge euphoria may yield to hangover

Although the Tokyo Stock Exchange ushered in 2002 on a positive note, a long lasting surge appears unlikely. The outlook remains bleak for the year ahead and beyond.
BUSINESS
Jan 11, 2002

Shiokawa anxious over yen's sharp decline

Finance Minister Masajuro Shiokawa expressed concern Thursday over the yen's rapid decline recently against the U.S. dollar.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Jan 11, 2002

Northern fur seal

* Japanese name: Kita-ottosei * Scientific name: Callorhinus ursinus * Description: Fur seals have bodies streamlined for life in the sea. They have four limbs (unlike dolphins and whales, which have only two), but the arm and leg bones are relatively short and are contained within the body. The hand...
LIFE / Lifestyle / MATTER OF COURSE
Jan 11, 2002

Getting into the rat race in middle school

My children are back in school after two weeks of winter vacation. We went skiing and took a few day trips around Tokyo, but the boys spent most of their vacation playing, reading and relaxing. Some of their school chums, however, had no break at all. They spent the entire "holiday" studying for middle-school...
JAPAN
Jan 11, 2002

Okayama city sets sights on nation's first electronic ballot

Niimi, in Okayama Prefecture, is aiming to use the nation's first electronic voting system in its mayoral and municipal assembly elections in June.
JAPAN
Jan 11, 2002

Kato aide suspected of concealing hundreds of millions in income

Tax authorities on Thursday raided the house and company in Yokohama of a senior secretary of LDP lawmaker Koichi Kato, investigative sources said.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / THE PARENT TRIP
Jan 11, 2002

When 'Snap to it!' is just no use

Patience. Parents need it by the bucketload; teachers, doctors and nurses must be able to summon it by the truckload. But where do other people get their reserves of patience?
JAPAN
Jan 11, 2002

Farm minister's retirement pay hit

Lawmakers on Thursday fiercely criticized the huge retirement payment allocated to Hideaki Kumazawa, the former vice farm minister who stepped down this month amid criticism of the ministry's handling of the recent outbreak of mad cow disease.
BUSINESS
Jan 11, 2002

Matsushita Electric Industrial to streamline group firms

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. formally announced Thursday that it will transform five group firms into wholly owned subsidiaries Oct. 1.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 10, 2002

Arab nations leaving Palestinians to face Israel alone

BEIRUT -- There has always been a vital Arab dimension to the Palestinian struggle. For a long period, in fact, the Arabs bore the brunt of the struggle, waging four, mainly disastrous, wars, in 1948, 1956, 1967 and 1973, with little or no Palestinian participation in them.
JAPAN
Jan 10, 2002

Lower House member's ex-aide involved in construction scandal

A company connected to the former secretary of a senior politician received more than 10 million yen from construction companies in return for introducing local government heads and major contractors, industry sources said.
JAPAN
Jan 10, 2002

Exhibited bronze mirror may have belonged to Himiko

A bronze mirror with an inscription indicating it was made in 235 in China during the Wei Dynasty has been on display at the Tokyo National Museum since Friday.
JAPAN
Jan 10, 2002

Hokkaido skating marathon slated

Japan is the country of 1998 Nagano Olympics gold medalist speedskater Hiroyasu Shimizu and 2000 Sydney Olympics gold medalist marathon runner Naoko Takahashi.
JAPAN
Jan 10, 2002

Afghan aid could cost up to $20 billion

Afghanistan will need up to $20 billion over the next decade to cover the cost of its reconstruction, according to an unpublished preliminary estimate by the World Bank.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 10, 2002

Japan's rights and wrongs in the 'fishing boat' incident

HONOLULU -- Japan's violent pursuit of a suspected North Korean boat in the East China Sea has prompted both domestic and international controversy. Domestic opposition critics are questioning Japan's right to use force on the "high seas" and are using this incident to argue against expanding Japan's...
MORE SPORTS
Jan 10, 2002

Kunimi defends national high school title

Kunimi High School of Nagasaki Prefecture defended the National High School Soccer Championship by beating Gifu Kogyo High School 3-1 on Tuesday at Tokyo's National Stadium.
JAPAN
Jan 10, 2002

German firm intends to settle CJD suits

The German supplier of human dura mater blamed for a number of cases of the fatal Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in Japan plans to reach a negotiated settlement on suits filed by patients and victims' families, the company said in a statement Wednesday.
EDITORIALS
Jan 10, 2002

A tough diplomatic challenge

In his first year in office, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi devoted most of his energy to promoting his economic-reform agenda. In doing so he demonstrated considerable leadership, supported by record public-approval ratings. In 2002, he faces an equally tough challenge on the diplomatic front. His...

Longform

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