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Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 16, 2003

Protesters delay demolition of Empress' former home

A group of protesters prevented laborers dispatched by the Finance Ministry from starting demolition work Wednesday on the former home of Empress Michiko in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward.
COMMENTARY
Jan 16, 2003

Silence isn't golden for Korean peace

HONG KONG -- As the latest Korean crisis has developed, one contradiction has been obvious: The Bush administration refused to talk with North Korea until Pyongyang abandoned nuclear blackmail and returned to honoring all the treaties and agreements that it has recently repudiated. Yet the Bush administration...
JAPAN
Jan 16, 2003

Survey exposes school quake fears

Fewer than half of Japan's school buildings are quake-resistant, according to a Cabinet Office study released Wednesday.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / THEN AND NOW
Jan 16, 2003

Tokyo's refreshing oasis of history and nature

As the most important festival on the Japanese calendar, New Year is an occasion to make wishes and resolutions, and to wish others happiness in the coming year. Most people also like to visit a Shinto shrine or Buddhist temple, and to gather together with family and friends. On Jan. 2, crowds also visit...
BUSINESS
Jan 16, 2003

Columbia looks for early retirees

Columbia Music Entertainment Inc., a music and visual content provider, said Wednesday it will solicit early retirement applications from 110 members of its group workforce of roughly 800.
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Jan 16, 2003

When two hemispheres of the brain work as one

The French surgeon Paul Broca had a patient in his care in 1861 who had fallen and broken his hip. Eighteen months earlier the man, called Lelong, had collapsed with a stroke that left him unable to speak. When Lelong died on Broca's ward, a hip fracture being a fatal condition in those days, an autopsy...
BUSINESS
Jan 16, 2003

Subaru expects sales increases in '03

Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd., the maker of Subaru cars, unveiled on Wednesday a new 2003 worldwide sales target of 568,000 vehicles, up 2.4 percent from the year before.
BUSINESS
Jan 16, 2003

Daiei to sell stakes in four hotels

Struggling supermarket chain Daiei Inc. said Wednesday it will sell four hotels to Goldman Sachs Group Inc. of the United States for 45.4 billion yen. It also said it is also considering selling Fukuoka Dome.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 16, 2003

Berlin-Paris partnership faces challenges as EU grows larger

LONDON -- Forty years ago this month, President Charles de Gaulle of France and Chancellor Konrad Adenauer of West Germany signed a historic agreement to consecrate the end of 75 years of conflict between their two nations. The Franco-German Friendship Treaty came six years after the establishment of...
BUSINESS
Jan 16, 2003

Oracle Japan sees net profit decline 36% in first half

Oracle Corp. Japan, the Japan unit of U.S. software giant Oracle Corp., said Wednesday its unconsolidated net profit for the half year through Nov. 30 fell 36 percent from a year earlier to 6.08 billion yen, as corporate capital investment and consumer spending remained sluggish.
BUSINESS
Jan 16, 2003

Tokyo, Shenzhen bourses sign accord

The Tokyo Stock Exchange and China's Shenzhen Stock Exchange signed an agreement Wednesday on cooperation in developing financial markets in Japan and China, the TSE said.
JAPAN
Jan 16, 2003

Asylum brokers make cash demand

The Foreign Ministry has received a demand for a large sum of money from people claiming to be "helping" a 64-year-old Japanese woman married to a North Korean who recently fled to China from the reclusive state, government sources said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Jan 16, 2003

Airfares to rise with landing fees

Japan Airlines System Corp. is considering raising fares on almost all domestic flights in April to reflect a planned increase in landing fees, company officials said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Jan 16, 2003

Current account surplus grows 9% to 1.16 trillion yen

Japan's current account surplus grew for the second consecutive month in November, rising 9 percent from the same month in 2001 to 1.16 trillion yen, according to a preliminary report released Wednesday by the Finance Ministry.
SUMO
Jan 16, 2003

Asashoryu rolls on as Takanohana announces return

Mongolian ozeki Asashoryu delved into his arsenal to shoot down veteran Takanonami on Wednesday, maintaining his flawless start to the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament on a day that also saw yokozuna Takanohana announce his umpteenth comeback bid.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 16, 2003

100,000 yen alternative to anonymous burial offered by temple

If someone dies whose name is not known, or who leaves behind no money or known kin, the person's ashes may end up in an anonymous grave with other "muen botoke" remains.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Jan 16, 2003

Shame in a 'showcase'

Second of two parts I ended my last story by saying, "If it is wolves, or winter wilderness, you want to see, don't waste time wondering -- get to Yellowstone! But please, when you're there, don't rent a two-stroke snowmobile! I'll explain why in my next column."
JAPAN
Jan 16, 2003

Pampered pets seen turning porky

People seem to be handing out too many treats to their cats and dogs, as there are growing signs that household pets are getting a bit chubby these days.
JAPAN
Jan 16, 2003

Imperial Couple attend New Year's 'waka' poetry event

Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko attended the annual New Year's poetry reading at the Imperial Palace on Wednesday.

Longform

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