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EDITORIALS
Jan 11, 2001

Uranium munition in the cross-hairs

NATO is coming under increasing pressure to investigate possible health risks associated with the use of depleted-uranium ammunition. A number of "Balkans Syndrome" cases have raised fears that the munitions exposed soldiers and civilians to unsuspected danger. Thus far, the threat is more imagined that...
BUSINESS
Jan 11, 2001

Economic indicators fall below 50% level

The index of coincident economic indicators fell to 42.9 percent in November -- below the boom-or-bust line of 50 percent for the first time in 19 months -- the Cabinet Office said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jan 11, 2001

Recycling law said hazy on responsibility

Waste policy is being reborn. But pundits and government harbor opposing views on what this rebirth will herald.
JAPAN
Jan 11, 2001

IMO targets harmful ballast water

The International Maritime Organization plans to devise a treaty to tackle harmful aquatic organisms found in the ballast water that freighters carry from one part of the world to another, Japanese sources said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jan 11, 2001

Adults, kids split on merits of baseball

Shunzo Nagashima recalls his wonder at seeing the New York Yankees in newsreels at a Tokyo cinema soon after World War II.
JAPAN
Jan 11, 2001

Emperor attends lecture program

The Emperor and Empress attended an annual New Year's lecture program Wednesday, the Imperial Household Agency said.
JAPAN
Jan 11, 2001

More tourists expected both at home and abroad

The tourist market expects to see more business this year, with the number of both domestic and overseas travelers projected to hit a record high, the nation's largest travel agency said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Jan 11, 2001

Tobu to lay optical fiber networks

Tokyo-based railway operator Tobu Railway Co. said Wednesday that it will set up broadband optical fiber networks alongside 400 km of its railways in Tokyo, Chiba, Saitama, Tochigi and Gunma prefectures, allowing it to rent out the lines by the end of March.
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Jan 11, 2001

Ichiro already a hit with fans in Seattle

It's great to see Major League Baseball teams and fans embrace their new Japanese signings. When I was in Seattle last summer, reliever Kazuhiro Sasaki's mug seemed to be everywhere, from the cover of the club's fan magazine to T-shirts being hawked on the streets to huge banners adorning the outside...
BUSINESS
Jan 11, 2001

Fed rate cut optimism replaced by gloom

Initial optimism regarding the effects of interest rate cuts by the U.S. Federal Reserve has turned sour.
LIFE / Food & Drink / NIHONSHU
Jan 11, 2001

Warmth of Tsukushinoko hits close to home

Slipping under the green noren and entering Tsukushinoko is a trip. "How'd they fit this joint in here," you think. Incongruous with its surroundings, Tsukushinoko is a very small sake pub that sits in a large, very new building. But you'd never know it from the inside. Warm and cozy, it feels more akin...
LIFE / Food & Drink / WINE WAYS
Jan 11, 2001

Kick off your year of wine-drinking with a refresher

Here's wishing you a Happy New Year, a bit belatedly. After all the hoopla a year ago, isn't it ironic that the new millennium didn't actually begin until 11 days ago?
BUSINESS
Jan 11, 2001

Japan to push joint research to avoid crises at ASEM meet

Japan will propose starting joint research programs between Asia and Europe on countermeasures for financial crises when finance ministers from the two regions meet this weekend in Kobe.
BUSINESS
Jan 11, 2001

NEC plans to spin off specialized chip unit

NEC Corp. plans to spin off its semiconductor business for high-speed communications networks, as demand is expected to grow in coming years, the company said Wednesday.
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jan 11, 2001

Taking stock of the new ryori

Before intrepidly setting out to eat our way through this brave new century, let us pause briefly to consider the state of contemporary Japanese dining. Needless to say, the situation is very different from 100 years ago, when most people were fed by itinerant hawkers, yatai stalls or simple food outlets...
JAPAN
Jan 11, 2001

14.3% of Fuchu prison inmates are elderly

Inmates over the age of 60 at the end of 1999 now account for 14.3 percent of all prisoners at Fuchu Prison, one of the largest correctional facilities in the nation, prison officials said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Jan 11, 2001

Yamaha, Ford discuss U.S. boat engine joint venture

Yamaha Motor Co. said Wednesday that it is in the final stages of discussions with Ford Motor Corp. on jointly setting up a company in the Unites States to manufacture and market stern-drive engines for large and midsize pleasure boats.
BUSINESS
Jan 11, 2001

Daiei announces new store strategy

Troubled supermarket chain Daiei Inc. on Wednesday announced a fiscal 2001 business plan that includes realigning its corporate management system and renovating all 243 of its general merchandise and discount stores by the end of fiscal 2003.
BUSINESS
Jan 11, 2001

Mineta, Hiranuma restart auto parts talks

Visiting U.S. Commerce Secretary Norman Mineta told his Japanese counterpart Wednesday that Washington wants a new bilateral agreement to increase American auto and auto parts exports to Japan, according to a Japanese official.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 11, 2001

China's 'democratic' option

LONDON -- The recently released details of the secret debate among China's leaders before they crushed the prodemocracy protests on Tiananmen Square in 1989 don't just tell us about China's past. They also tell us a lot about its present, and even about its likely future.
JAPAN
Jan 11, 2001

Former Chiyoda Mutual board sued for insurer's bankruptcy

Chiyoda Mutual Life Insurance Co., restructuring under the corporate rehabilitation law, filed a 7.136 billion yen damages suit Wednesday against former board members, claiming their reckless loan policies were responsible for the firm's failure.
JAPAN
Jan 11, 2001

Ohu professor 'boasted' about dentist exam leak

A former Ohu University professor arrested on suspicion of leaking questions on a national dentistry examination to students had bragged about obtaining information about the exam since 1999, university sources said Wednesday.

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