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JAPAN
Mar 13, 2001

Matsuo denies charges of fraud

A former Foreign Ministry logistics chief arrested on suspicion of swindling the government out of 42 million yen in discretionary state funds has denied the fraud charge, saying officials at the Prime Minister's Official Residence tacitly approved of his conduct, police sources said Monday.
JAPAN
Mar 13, 2001

Colombia urged to seek abductee's safety

Japan has asked Colombia to place priority on the safety of a 52-year-old Japanese executive who was kidnapped last month by rebels, Vice Foreign Minister Yutaka Kawashima said Monday.
JAPAN
Mar 13, 2001

'Sakura' tree seedlings to be planted along Nile's banks

The Japan-Egypt Association plans to plant 1,200 "sakura" cherry blossom seedlings on the banks of the river Nile in Egypt later this month as a gesture of friendship between the two countries.
CULTURE / Music / MUSIC NOMAD
Mar 13, 2001

Checkered history lives in a motley crew

Chindon-ya (brass, wind and percussion bands peddling goods or services on the streets) might not immediately spring to mind as a part of Japanese musical "tradition." Indeed, chindon has never been fully recognized as even a legitimate form of music.
JAPAN
Mar 13, 2001

October-December GDP grew 0.8%

Japan's gross domestic product expanded a seasonally adjusted 0.8 percent during the October-December period, the Cabinet Office said in a preliminary report Monday.
JAPAN
Mar 13, 2001

Appliance unions to seek 500 yen raise

Labor unions at Japan's top electrical appliance makers are expected to settle for a 500 yen hike in the average basic monthly wage for fiscal 2001, union sources said Monday.
BUSINESS
Mar 13, 2001

Bill to revise JR law expected to pave way to privatization

Administrative vice ministers drafted a bill to revise the Japan Railway law at a meeting Monday, paving the way for full privatization of three JR group companies, government officials said.
BUSINESS
Mar 13, 2001

Japan turns its attention to Brazil, MERCOSUR

After years of near neglect, Japan is now eager to cozy up to Brazil -- by far the largest Latin American economy.
JAPAN
Mar 13, 2001

Robots said more useful than pets

Kyodo News Electronic robots are gradually becoming familiar companions among some Japanese families and hospital patients, offering them entertainment and peace of mind.
BUSINESS
Mar 13, 2001

Light at end of TSE's long gloomy tunnel?

The Tokyo stock market is following movements in U.S. stocks that reflect concerns about economic and corporate earnings prospects.
EDITORIALS
Mar 11, 2001

When is a gaffe not a gaffe?

If you were to play the old word-association game with the name "Mori" today, chances are most people would instantly think "gaffe" (in Japanese, "shitsugen").
BUSINESS
Mar 11, 2001

'Perverse' individualist embraces opportunity where others see gloom

Makoto Naruke describes himself as a "perverse man" who avoids following the crowd and does things that others dare not. Many people questioned his actions when he quit as Microsoft Co. president last April, but Naruke simply pointed out he became sick of the post after nearly nine years of service.
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 11, 2001

Consadole stuns Cerezo in opener

Newly promoted J. League first-division side Consadole Sapporo made a dream start to its new life in the top flight Saturday with a priceless 2-1 away win at Cerezo Osaka on the opening day of the 2001 season.
BUSINESS
Mar 11, 2001

Public funds may ensure uniform local NTT charges

The Telecommunications Ministry may use taxpayer money to help telecom giant Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. maintain uniform local call rates nationwide, ministry sources said Saturday.
JAPAN
Mar 11, 2001

North Korean bomb victims to receive aid from Japanese

Japan will send a group of doctors and government officials to North Korea on Tuesday to check the health of North Korean people exposed to radiation in the 1945 atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, officials have said.
COMMENTARY
Mar 11, 2001

Regionalism threatens global prosperity

LOS ANGELES -- Not many prominent Americans saw the huge cloud forming over globalization as early as did then-President Bill Clinton. After an address on the subject at last year's World Economic Forum in Davos -- in which he virtually pleaded with well-heeled corporate execs to put themselves in the...
JAPAN
Mar 11, 2001

Hedges, rooftop gardens grow in Tokyo

While you won't find any virgin forests in Tokyo's Edogawa Ward, you will find hedges -- nearly 30 km of them. Ironically, these strips of greenery were planted to combat the problem of the ward's dearth of other vegetation. These verdant stripes, bordering roads and buildings, are part of a ward-engineered...
JAPAN
Mar 11, 2001

U.S. naval inquiry reveals inadequate search

HONOLULU -- A computerized simulation shown at a navy inquiry Friday revealed the Ehime Maru would have been clearly visible had the USS Greenville conducted a standard three-minute periscope search closer to the surface and at a higher power.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 11, 2001

Trade NMD for the CTBT

The new administration in Washington has taken office firmly committed to the concept of a national missile defense system, arguing that future U.S. security needs take precedence over arms-control agreements rooted in Cold War history. Its views on the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, an agreement signed...
JAPAN
Mar 11, 2001

National agency to sell space station images

Japan's space agency has announced it will sell the rights to use live broadcasts and video footage from the International Space Station.

Longform

The students at Mitaka Municipal No. 7 Junior High School have access to various cooling devices for when they play sports.
Japan's extreme heat is causing a rethink of school sports