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BUSINESS
Oct 16, 2001

BOJ downgrades economy, citing terror

The Bank of Japan on Monday downgraded its assessment of the economy for the fifth straight month, saying the Sept. 11 attacks in the U.S. have increased uncertainty.
JAPAN
Oct 16, 2001

7-year-old boy freed soon after kidnapping

A 7-year-old elementary school boy was released unhurt Monday afternoon in Tokyo's Itabashi Ward about eight hours after he was kidnapped in the area and after his mother handed 5 million yen in ransom to a bicycle courier, police said.
JAPAN
Oct 16, 2001

Imperial Japanese Navy trombone returned after more than 50 years

More than 50 years after being discarded in the chaos of a Pacific island combat zone, an Imperial Japanese Navy trombone has been returned to Japan -- in a condition nearly as good as when it left the factory.
BASEBALL / MLB
Oct 16, 2001

64 ballplayers qualify for free agency

Yomiuri Giants infielder Kazuhiro Kiyohara and Seibu Lions catcher Tsutomu Ito are among 64 players who have qualified for free agency this season, according to a list released Sunday by the commissioner's office.
Events
Oct 16, 2001

Forum eyes water management scenarios

KYOTO -- By 2025, it is predicted that nearly 5 billion people worldwide will face a severe shortage of water. A resource people take for granted may become as precious as diamonds or gold, according to a panel of experts who took part in a symposium last week in Kyoto.
BUSINESS
Oct 16, 2001

Daihatsu to build SUVs in Venezuela

Toyota Motor Corp. subsidiary Daihatsu Motor Co. said Monday it will start manufacturing in mid-November the Terios 1.3-liter sport utility vehicle at its plant in Venezuela.
LIFE / Travel / NATURE TRAVEL
Oct 16, 2001

Where turtles swim in the slow lane

It is one of the prettiest boat trips in Central America: up the mangrove canals north from the Costa Rican port town of Limon to Tortuguero National Park.
JAPAN
Oct 14, 2001

New mad cow suspect tests negative

An animal that was believed to be Japan's second case of mad cow disease has tested negative after a more thorough inspection for the brain-wasting illness, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare reported late Friday.
JAPAN
Oct 14, 2001

More than half of Japan's cities consider mergers

Slightly more than half of all municipalities in Japan are considering merging with another municipality to consolidate their administrative functions, a home affairs ministry report showed Saturday.
JAPAN
Oct 14, 2001

Domestic violence law in effect, despite criticisms

A new law designed to combat domestic violence by allowing courts to impose restraining orders went into effect Saturday, despite a number of experts pointing to shortcomings in the legislation.
COMMUNITY
Oct 14, 2001

Dial yourself a new life

For those thinking about working outside major cities, prefectures offer information and guidance at their U- and I-turn centers in Tokyo. They offer information about employment opportunities, housing and other social welfare systems in the region, as well as details of special benefits offered to encourage...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Oct 14, 2001

Green tourism: where town and country meet

Ajimu in Oita Prefecture isn't exactly a major tourist destination. Yes, it has luxuriant fields and picturesque farmhouses boasting unusual basque-relief paintings called kote-e, but most visitors spend a half-day at most in Ajimu, perusing its stone Buddhist carvings or the African Safari nature park,...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Oct 14, 2001

Easing the way for U and I

For rural areas suffering from depopulation, it can only be good news if city-folk want to move to the country.
BUSINESS
Oct 14, 2001

Singapore free trade pact set to be signed by yearend

Japan and Singapore effectively concluded negotiations on a comprehensive free trade arrangement Friday, opening the way for Japan to conclude its first FTA by the end of this year.
COMMUNITY
Oct 14, 2001

High-flying ad man comes down to earth in Shikoku

Eleven years ago, Toshihito Takahashi was a high-flying advertising copywriter with a leading Tokyo agency, one of the select few whose work regularly appeared on the nation's TV screens.
JAPAN
Oct 14, 2001

Koizumi faces rough ride on visit to South Korea

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will attempt to improve strained ties with South Korea when he arrives in Seoul on Monday, but the visit is likely to be more difficult than his trip to China last week because of anger among many Koreans and a fishing dispute that has again flared up.
BASEBALL / MLB
Oct 14, 2001

Swallows finish regular season with win

Alex Ramirez hammered a couple of homers, his 28th and 29th of the season, to highlight Yakult's 18-hit batting fiesta as the Swallows ended their regular season with a 10-8 win over the Hiroshima Carp at Jingu Stadium on Friday night.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Oct 14, 2001

The truth about the 'enemies of the people'

For the past month there's been a lot of talk about how much our sense of the world has changed since the events of Sept. 11. Actually, it's mainly changed for Americans, but as someone once said: When America sneezes, the rest of the world catches a cold.
CULTURE / Stage
Oct 14, 2001

Shaking a spear for the Bard

Mark Rylance, the 41-year-old artistic director of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London, has been in Tokyo with his company's triumphant production of "King Lear," which closes today at the Tokyo Globe.

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’