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JAPAN
Jan 11, 2001

Godzilla working the crowds on promotional campaign tour

Japan's long-beloved sci-fi creature, Godzilla, is currently advancing across the country in the form of various mascots making rounds to promote the giant reptile's latest movie.
EDITORIALS
Jan 10, 2001

Behind the quest for more babies

The continuing precipitous decline in Japan's birthrate -- in 1999 it was at the all-time low of 1.34 births per woman during her lifetime -- has long troubled planners in both the government and the private sector. Now Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori has put himself at the center of the issue by calling...
BUSINESS
Jan 10, 2001

Suntory director vows to make beer division profitable

Leading alcoholic beverage producer Suntory Ltd. on Tuesday pledged to make its beer production division profitable in 2001 for the first time in nearly four decades.
JAPAN
Jan 10, 2001

Huge windfall seen if Japan builds its own new SDF planes

The defense industry expects the government's project to domestically develop a new generation of antisubmarine patrol and transport aircraft would generate more than 1 trillion yen in demand.
BUSINESS
Jan 10, 2001

Kyocera's U.S. unit to buy drill firm

Kyocera Corp., a high-tech ceramics and equipment maker, said Tuesday that its U.S. subsidiary, Kyocera International Inc., will buy precision drill maker Tycom Corp., which specializes in manufacturing drills for integrated circuit substrates.
JAPAN
Jan 10, 2001

Shigenobu served fresh warrant for passport violation

Police served a fourth arrest warrant Tuesday on Fusako Shigenobu, founder of the Japanese Red Army terrorist group, on suspicion of falsifying an official document to obtain a passport for a friend in 1974, police said.
JAPAN
Jan 10, 2001

Train passengers up 7% over New Year

Passengers traveling by express trains operated by the six Japan Railway group firms during the New Year holiday season surged 7 percent to 11.1 million for the first year-on-year increase in four years, the group reported Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Jan 10, 2001

November spending fell by 1.3%

Average household spending in Japan fell a real 1.3 percent in November to 296,439 yen, marking the second straight year-on-year decrease, the Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications Ministry said Tuesday in a preliminary report.
BUSINESS
Jan 10, 2001

Farm minister to discuss rice with WTO chief

Yoshio Yatsu, head of the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry, will go to Europe next week to discuss a plan to slow growth in mandated rice imports into Japan with the World Trade Organization chief, ministry officials said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jan 10, 2001

Cop impostor just wanted respect

A 25-year-old man was arrested close to the Diet building with a fake lapel pin resembling those worn by members of a special police unit assigned to protect key figures as well as a false bar association membership card, it was learned Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Jan 10, 2001

Data supply firm issues new shares

U's Communications Corp., a telecom unit of cable broadcaster usen Corp., said Tuesday it has issued new shares worth 700 million yen via third-party allocation.
JAPAN
Jan 10, 2001

Miyake kids resume school in Tokyo

A new trimester began Tuesday for 176 children evacuated from Miyake Island who are living apart from their families at a Tokyo school some 200 km north of home.
JAPAN
Jan 10, 2001

Women tackle stalking menace head-on

Exercise combining aerobics and self-defense skills is the latest craze among young women in Tokyo, where the number of reported stalking cases is also on the rise.
BUSINESS
Jan 10, 2001

Kobe Steel, U.S. Steel agree on joint R&D work

Kobe Steel Ltd. on Tuesday said it has reached an agreement with U.S. Steel Group to jointly research and develop high-tensile steel sheets used for automobiles.
BUSINESS
Jan 10, 2001

Oji Paper to plant trees in China

Oji Paper Co. will begin planting trees in an area of the lower Yangtze river in March as part of a joint afforestation project in China between Japan's Federation of Economic Organizations (Keidanren) and the Chinese government, officials of Japan's biggest paper mill said Tuesday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Jan 10, 2001

Seibu Lions add Del Toro to staff

The Seibu Lions on Tuesday announced the acquisition of Mexican pitcher Miguel Del Toro, who played for the San Francisco Giants last season.
MORE SPORTS
Jan 10, 2001

Isuzu nets national hoops title

Center Lucius Davis scored a game-high 29 points Monday to lead the Isuzu GigaCats to a 79-61 victory over the Toshiba Red Thunders in the final of the men's national basketball championship.
LIFE / Digital / CYBERIA
Jan 10, 2001

What's it all about, IT?

2001 may well be the year of the IT revolution, but as far as I'm concerned, we're talking about utilITy. From here on, usefulness is going to be the benchmark for information technologies.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 10, 2001

Reflections on an imbroglio in Vientiane

CHIANG MAI, Thailand -- On the eve of the recent important meeting between the European Union and ASEAN in Vientiane, Laos, a great uneasiness and disappointment prevailed in ASEAN capitals because of the perceived lack of interest in ASEAN on Europe's part.
LIFE / Digital
Jan 10, 2001

Three decades of Mario and friends

In the beginning (about 30 years ago), geeky college students in the United States stole into engineering buildings at night and turned huge and expensive mainframes into playgrounds.
BUSINESS
Jan 10, 2001

IBJ to leave lending rate at 2.1%

The Industrial Bank of Japan, Shinsei Bank and Aozora Bank said Tuesday that they will leave the long-term prime lending rate at 2.1 percent, as fluctuations in the coupon rate on five-year debentures remain in a narrow range.

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