Yomiuri Shimbun/Daily Yomiuri articles from November 2001

Yomiuri Shimbun/Daily Yomiuri archives from November 2001

Medical fees to reach 30%.
November 30, 2001... Medical fees to reach 30% Yomiuri The government and the ruling coalition parties on Thursday reached an agreement on a reform of the nation's health-care system, under which the portion of medical expenses shouldered by salaried...

Koizumi keen to help rebuild Afghan education system.
November 30, 2001... Koizumi keen to help rebuild Afghan education system Yomiuri As part of the government's package to help build a post-Taliban Afghanistan, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will offer educational support, including money to build...

Justice Ministry: Refugees rejected because of changed sto.
November 30, 2001... Justice Ministry: Refugees rejected because of changed stories Yomiuri The Justice Ministry rejected the appeal of nine Afghan men for refugee status because, among other reasons, they repeatedly changed their stories about the...

Man held over S. Korean muder.
November 30, 2001... Man held over S. Korean muder Yomiuri OSAKA A 50-year-old transport company operator was arrested Thursday on suspicion of murdering an acquaintance at a hotel in Pusan, South Korea, in 1999, in an apparent effort to claim about...

Chogin-Chongryon ties said tight.
November 30, 2001... Chogin-Chongryon ties said tight Yomiuri A recent embezzlement scandal involving a failed credit union whose investors were mostly pro-Pyongyang residents of Japan has spotlighted the close relationship between the institution and...

Forum: AIDS patients' rights must be respected.
November 30, 2001... Forum: AIDS patients' rights must be respected Yomiuri KOBE The international community must do more to uphold the rights and dignity of people living with HIV/AIDS, participants in a World Health Organization symposium said...

ASDF planes begin transport missions.
November 30, 2001... ASDF planes begin transport missions Yomiuri The Defense Agency began transporting supplies Thursday between U.S. military bases in Japan using Air Self-Defense Force transport planes as part of rear-echelon logistic support it is...

Kyoto U. OK's stem-cell studies.
November 30, 2001... Kyoto U. OK's stem-cell studies Yomiuri KYOTO The ethics committee at Kyoto University's department of medicine on Thursday approved research into turning human embryonic stem cells into blood vessels. The young cells can...

Govt OK's human-animal embryo cloning.
November 30, 2001... Govt OK's human-animal embryo cloning Yomiuri A government council said Wednesday it had permitted cloning technology to produce combined human-animal embryos that someday could be used to produce human organs for transplants. ...

Prior screening practice abets pork-barrel politics.
November 30, 2001... Prior screening practice abets pork-barrel politics Yomiuri Prior screening--in which the ruling parties go over government-proposed bills before their submission to the Diet--is a peculiarity of Japan's political system unparalleled...

Editorial / Share of new burden unfair.
November 30, 2001... Editorial / Share of new burden unfair Yomiuri The government and the ruling coalition parties on Thursday worked out a general outline of the health-care reform plan that has been pushed by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi,...

The significance of women's colleges.
November 30, 2001... The significance of women's colleges Takeshi Suzuki Special to The Daily Yomiuri Yomiuri If you are a female student, which educational environment do you prefer, a coeducational school or a women's college? Well, your answer...

Eco-friendly fridges set for sale in '02.
November 30, 2001... Eco-friendly fridges set for sale in '02 Yomiuri Refrigerators that use ecologically friendly hydrocarbons, rather than the currently used fluorocarbons, for insulation and cooling are expected to be marketed by domestic...

'Stars sale nullified.
November 30, 2001... 'Stars sale nullified Yomiuri Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) has decided to retract its executive committee's controversial decision to allow the transfer of majority interest in the Central League Yokohama BayStars from Maruha...

Eagle powers Taniguchi.
November 30, 2001... Eagle powers Taniguchi Yomiuri Toru Taniguchi, bidding for his first victory of the season, holed his second shot on the par-4 seventh hole for an eagle en route to a 64 and the first-round lead in the Golf Nippon Series JT Cup. ...

Medical fees to reach 30%.
November 30, 2001... The government and the ruling coalition parties on Thursday reached an agreement on a reform of the nation's health-care system, under which the portion of medical expenses shouldered by salaried workers would be raised from the current 20...

Justice Ministry: Refugees rejected because of changed stories.
November 30, 2001... The Justice Ministry rejected the appeal of nine Afghan men for refugee status because, among other reasons, they repeatedly changed their stories about the persecution they suffered in Afghanistan, an Immigration Bureau official said at a...

[0] Man held over S. Korean muder.
November 30, 2001... OSAKA--A 50-year-old transport company operator was arrested Thursday on suspicion of murdering an acquaintance at a hotel in Pusan, South Korea, in 1999, in an apparent effort to claim about 30 million yen. Police said Seiichiro...

[0] Prosecutors demand 10 yrs for Matsuo.
November 30, 2001... Prosecutors demanded Thursday a 10-year prison term for Katsutoshi Matsuo, a former chief of the Foreign Ministry's now defunct Overseas Visit Support Division, who pleaded guilty in July to embezzling hundreds of millions of yen. ...

Forum: AIDS patients' rights must be respected.
November 30, 2001... KOBE--The international community must do more to uphold the rights and dignity of people living with HIV/AIDS, participants in a World Health Organization symposium said Thursday. About 300 people attended the symposium at Kobe Portopia...

Kyoto U. OK's stem-cell studies.
November 30, 2001... KYOTO--The ethics committee at Kyoto University's department of medicine on Thursday approved research into turning human embryonic stem cells into blood vessels. The young cells can also be converted into other types of cells found in...

Japan, U.S. pollees say bilateral relationship good.
November 30, 2001... More people both in Japan and the United States believe the two nations have a good relationship at present, according to a survey jointly conducted by The Yomiuri Shimbun and Gallup Organization Inc. Seventy-two percent of respondents in...

Diet gets bill to ban spam mails on mobile phones.
November 30, 2001... Minshuto (Democratic Party of Japan) on Wednesday submitted a bill to the Diet to prohibit e-mail service companies from sending unsolicited commercial e-mail messages, often referred to as "spam," to mobile phones. The bill is aimed at...

Govt OK's human-animal embryo cloning.
November 30, 2001... A government council said Wednesday it had permitted cloning technology to produce combined human-animal embryos that someday could be used to produce human organs for transplants. The government's Council for Science and Technology...

Editorial: Share of new burden unfair.
November 30, 2001... The government and the ruling coalition parties on Thursday worked out a general outline of the health-care reform plan that has been pushed by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, stressing that each of the three parties concerned--patients,...

Bulletin Board.
November 30, 2001... IIEEC workshops on Xmas The Institute for the International English Education of Children will hold Christmas workshops for teachers on Dec. 2 from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Nagoya, Osaka and Fukuoka. The workshops will introduce songs,...

The significance of women's colleges.
November 30, 2001... If you are a female student, which educational environment do you prefer, a coeducational school or a women's college? Well, your answer might depend on what benefits you see in each system. I am currently teaching at Tsuda College, one...

Eco-friendly fridges set for sale in '02.
November 30, 2001... Refrigerators that use ecologically friendly hydrocarbons, rather than the currently used fluorocarbons, for insulation and cooling are expected to be marketed by domestic manufacturers early next year. Toshiba Corp., which is scheduled...

'Stars sale nullified.
November 30, 2001... Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) has decided to retract its executive committee's controversial decision to allow the transfer of majority interest in the Central League Yokohama BayStars from Maruha Corp. to Nippon Broadcasting System...

[0] Pele: Plenty of kick left in Canaries.
November 30, 2001... PUSAN, South Korea--Soccer great Pele said four-time World Cup champion Brazil has a good enough team to contend for the 2002 World Cup, despite struggling through the qualifying round. "Although Brazil has played very badly over the last...

Eagle powers Taniguchi.
November 30, 2001... Toru Taniguchi, bidding for his first victory of the season, holed his second shot on the par-4 seventh hole for an eagle en route to a 64 and the first-round lead in the Golf Nippon Series JT Cup. Taniguchi, who finished second in the...

Judge dismissed over teen-sex case.
November 29, 2001... The Diet's Judges Impeachment Court ruled Wednesday to dismiss a Tokyo High Court judge for paying minors for sex. Yasuhiro Muraki, 43, is the fifth court judge to be impeached since the current system was established in 1947, and the...

Chongryon exec among 6 arrested.
November 29, 2001... The Metropolitan Police Department on Wednesday arrested a former financial chief of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryon) and five former officials of the failed credit union Chogin Tokyo Shinyo Kumiai in...

2 Japanese in WTC declared dead by New York court.
November 29, 2001... NEW YORK -- The New York County Supreme Court on Tuesday officially declared dead two Japanese who were in the World Trade Center when it was brought down by terrorist on Sept. 11. The two were named as Satoshi Kikuchihara, 43, head of...

4 Thais arrested over suspected illegal bank.
November 29, 2001... MITO -- A Thai man and three Thai women were arrested Wednesday on suspicion of operating an underground bank in Tsuchiura, Ibaraki Prefecture, that illegally transferred money to Thailand, police said. According to police, one of the...

Upper house passes laws to impose stiffer terms for traffic offenders.
November 29, 2001... The House of Councillors on Wednesday unanimously voted a set of bills into law to impose harsher penalties on serious traffic offenders and boost measures to force fine-defaulters to pay up. The laws will go into effect this year. ...

Kawasaki woman found murdered in bed.
November 29, 2001... YOKOHAMA -- A woman's body was found handcuffed under a blood-soaked quilt in her apartment in Kawasaki at about 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, police said. Police identified the woman Wednesday as Liu Maiyu, a restaurant worker from China. An...

Chogin Tokyo 'hid Chongryon ties' Credit union allegedly granted new loans to help problem debtors pay interest.
November 29, 2001... Failed credit union Chogin Tokyo Shinyo Kumiai repeatedly extended additional loans to problem borrowers related to the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryon) in "a large number of cases," apparently helping them pay...

Police obtain warrant in Pusan murder.
November 29, 2001... OSAKA -- Police Wednesday obtained a warrant for the arrest of a man living in Kyoto on suspicion of murdering a restaurant owner at a hotel in Pusan, South Korea, in 1999, The Yomiuri Shimbun learned on the day. Police plan to arrest...

5 Afghans refused refugee status.
November 29, 2001... The Tokyo Immigration Bureau informed five Afghan men Wednesday they would not be granted refugee status because they do not have clear evidence to show they would be persecuted due to ethnic or religious reasons upon their return to...

Reforms fall short of hopes Public corporations use cosmetic changes to dodge the ax.
November 29, 2001... Having agreed on the future of seven public corporations, including the Japan Highway Public Corporation, the government has shifted its focus to decide on the fate of 156 other corporations by the end of December. "I am satisfied with...

2nd Kansai airport runway facing 3 year delay.
November 29, 2001... OSAKA -- The opening of a second runway at Kansai International Airport is likely to be postponed for about three years, partly as a result of the post-Sept. 11 slump in the international airline industry, the Construction and Transport...

'Harry Potter' lives up to hype--almost.
November 29, 2001... Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone ****1/2 Dir: Chris Columbus Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Robbie Coltrane You've read the book, bought the spinoffs, listened to hours of merciless hype and now here...

Music resurrected: Albrecht shines light on Jewish composers' forgotten works.
November 29, 2001... In the Czech Republic, near its border with Germany, there is a small town called Terezin. It was here that the Nazis based a concentration camp used for propaganda purposes to "prove" to the outside world that they were not torturing and...

The many faces of the ever-changing Hyde.
November 29, 2001... Hyde, the character from Robert Louis Stevenson's classic novel, is a shape shifter. He periodically transforms from a courteous physician to a vicious criminal. Likewise, Hyde (aka Hideto Takarai), the vocalist from rock band L'Arc-en-Ciel,...

Classical Selection.
November 29, 2001... PLETNEV LIVE AT CARNEGIE HALL Mikhail Pletnev (piano) Deutsche Grammophon. 101:56 minutes (2 CDs). 289 471 157-2 Mikhail Pletnev has been a world respected pianist for more than 20 years, so it comes as some surprise to find that...

Oshogatsu, Kimura and samurai, oh my!
November 29, 2001... It happens every time. No sooner do I make a positive statement than it turns around and ambushes me. Last week, I praised Japanese TV for being a relatively gun-free zone where one could go for days without seeing a firearm. On Nov. 25,...

Limited entry to Ghibli Museum spawns ticket wars.
November 29, 2001... With the unprecedented popularity of the movie Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi (Spirited Away), sales of tickets to the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka, Tokyo, have also seen a sudden surge. The museum, which opened Oct. 1 and is located in...

Valuable film marred by cinematic faults.
November 29, 2001... Riben Guizi (Japanese Devils) ***1/2 Director: Minoru Matsui It would be wrong to say that Japanese ignore the history of World War II or that they refuse to talk about the past in order to prevent future wars. There are quite a...

Masako Shirasu lives on in house.
November 29, 2001... Masako Shirasu (1910-1998) admired the beauty of Japan, loved antiques and left behind reams of interesting prose. Her legacy also included the thatched house in which she lived for half a century. Located in Machida, Tokyo, the home was...

Art of Thai HIV-positive kids on display in Tokyo gallery.
November 29, 2001... An exhibition of about 250 paintings and photographs by HIV-positive Thai orphans opens today at the Axis Gallery in Roppongi, Tokyo. The works were executed by 25 children, aged up to 10, who live in an orphanage in Chiang Mai. The...

'Cats' stages a triumphant return.
November 29, 2001... OSAKA -- A reworked Japanese version of Cats, Andrew Lloyd Webber's celebrated musical about the feline world, marked its 5,000th appearance Sunday with a few special additions and a riot of laser beams. Produced and directed by Keita...

'Skylight' shows two views of life: Skylight Shimokitazawa Off-Off Theater, Tokyo, Nov. 16.
November 29, 2001... Skylight is a very intense play, recounted predominantly through the dialogue of two people--Kyra (Makiko Tomimoto) and Tom (Hiroshi Arikawa). Except for the first and last scenes, the play uses only the conversations of these main characters...

Globalization and the United Nations.
November 29, 2001... After the disastrous month of September, when terrorist attacks and retaliation contributed to storm clouds over the global economy, November demonstrated the resilience of globalization. The global economic downturn has led most of the world...

Publisher tells success story.
November 29, 2001... The prolonged recession has dealt a blow to the publishing industry, which previously was not susceptible to economic slumps. A survey by the Research Institute for Publications shows the number of books published annually during the boom of...

IMF mission will find Japan already reformed.
November 29, 2001... An exploratory mission by the International Monetary Fund is coming to Japan to prepare a review of the nation's financial system. Receiver governments usually dread such review missions by the IMF. So does the general population of the...

Consumers must be protected from financial swindlers.
November 29, 2001... Nineteen former executives of the business group led by Daiwa Toshi Kanzai, a failed mortgage securities company based in Osaka, including the former president and those of the company's affiliates, were arrested earlier this month by Osaka...

JATA confab seeks to revive tourism.
November 29, 2001... The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on U.S. soil have certainly dealt a heavy blow to the global tourism industry, but travel is safe and still plays a vital role in promoting world peace, Isao Matsuhashi, chairman of the Japan Association of...

Welteke: Euro's introduction nothing to fear.
November 29, 2001... Though European countries undoubtedly face logistic challenges in circulating the euro, its impact on the overall economy will be minimal, according to Ernst Welteke, president of the Deutsche Bundesbank, Germany's central bank. "This...

Life insurer solvency drops in FY01 1st half.
November 29, 2001... Hit by continued contract cancellations, falling stock prices and record-low interest rates, the nation's seven leading life insurers registered a marked decline in their solvency margins, the key gauge to assess the financial strength of...

Entrepreneurial spirit weak in Japan.
November 29, 2001... NEW YORK -- Ask most people to name a famous entrepreneur and an American will leap to mind, from John Rockefeller and his Standard Oil empire to Bill Gates and Microsoft a century later. But a recent comparison of entrepreneurs in 29...

Inamoto gets 1st start.
November 29, 2001... LONDON -- Japanese international Junichi Inamoto made his first start for English Premier League club Arsenal on Tuesday in a 2-0 victory over Grimsby in the fourth round of the League Cup. Predictably, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger made...

Baseball must learn from past.
November 29, 2001... These are troubling developments and owners on both sides of the ocean would be advised to brush up on their history before proceeding further. Around 100 years ago, both syndicate ownership and contraction occurred in the only major...

China put in Korea pool.
November 29, 2001... BUSAN, South Korea -- First-time qualifier China will play in South Korea at the 2002 World Cup, the decision was announced Wednesday. Ahead of Saturday's Final Draw for next year's finals, FIFA General Secretary Michel Zen-Ruffinen said...

Spain gets last seed for World Cup draw.
November 29, 2001... BUSAN, South Korea -- Brazil, Argentina, Italy, Germany and Spain will join South Korea, Japan and France as the eight top seeds for the 2002 World Cup finals, FIFA's World Cup Organizing Committee announced on Wednesday. Spain edged...

Upper house passes laws to impose stiffer terms for traffi.
November 29, 2001... Upper house passes laws to impose stiffer terms for traffic offenders Yomiuri The House of Councillors on Wednesday unanimously voted a set of bills into law to impose harsher penalties on serious traffic offenders and boost...

Chogin Tokyo 'hid Chongryon ties' Credit union allegedly g.
November 29, 2001... Chogin Tokyo 'hid Chongryon ties' Credit union allegedly granted new loans to help problem debtors pay interest Yomiuri Failed credit union Chogin Tokyo Shinyo Kumiai repeatedly extended additional loans to problem borrowers related...

Reforms fall short of hopes Public corporations use cosmet.
November 29, 2001... Reforms fall short of hopes Public corporations use cosmetic changes to dodge the ax Yomiuri Having agreed on the future of seven public corporations, including the Japan Highway Public Corporation, the government has shifted its...

'Harry Potter' lives up to hype--almost.
November 29, 2001... 'Harry Potter' lives up to hype--almost Graham Dwyer Special to The Daily Yomiuri Yomiuri Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone ****1/2 Dir: Chris Columbus Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Robbie...

Music resurrected: Albrecht shines light on Jewish compose.
November 29, 2001... Music resurrected: Albrecht shines light on Jewish composers' forgotten works Yukiko Kishinami Daily Yomiuri Staff Writer Yomiuri In the Czech Republic, near its border with Germany, there is a small town called Terezin. It was...

Welteke: Euro's introduction nothing to fear.
November 29, 2001... Welteke: Euro's introduction nothing to fear Yomiuri Though European countries undoubtedly face logistic challenges in circulating the euro, its impact on the overall economy will be minimal, according to Ernst Welteke, president of...

Entrepreneurial spirit weak in Japan.
November 29, 2001... Entrepreneurial spirit weak in Japan Catherine Heins Yomiuri Shimbun New York Bureau Yomiuri NEW YORK Ask most people to name a famous entrepreneur and an American will leap to mind, from John Rockefeller and his Standard...

Survey finds governors split over Ishihara's hotel tax ide.
November 28, 2001... Survey finds governors split over Ishihara's hotel tax idea / 7 governors support, 8 others oppose plan Yomiuri Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara's plan to tax hotel accommodations has been causing a heated and at times acrimonious debate...

Shiokawa caves in over tax system.
November 28, 2001... Shiokawa caves in over tax system Yomiuri Finance Minister Masajuro Shiokawa said Tuesday the government might introduce a consolidated taxation system for businesses in April 2002 as originally scheduled. "There is ample...

Expert claims oil interests ruined U.S.-Taliban talks.
November 28, 2001... Expert claims oil interests ruined U.S.-Taliban talks Jean Serror Yomiuri Shimbun Paris Bureau Yomiuri PARIS Protecting the interests of U.S. oil giants led the United States to misunderstand the complex situation in...

Japan a model for Afghan rebuilding.
November 28, 2001... Japan a model for Afghan rebuilding Kuniko Inoguchi Special to The Daily Yomiuri Yomiuri Both the final phase to conclude the war in Afghanistan and efforts to rebuild the country are being simultaneously pursued, as seen by the...

Kuffour strike salvages Bayern's pride.
November 28, 2001... Kuffour strike salvages Bayern's pride Shintaro Kano Daily Yomiuri Sportswriter Yomiuri Patience is a virtue. Bayern Munich showed why. After a grueling 120 minutes of normal and extra time, European champions of Bayern...

[0] ANK plane narrowly avoids jet over Naha.
November 28, 2001... An Air Nippon Co. (ANK) flight with 88 people on board narrowly avoided a midair collision with a jet of unidentified origin about nine kilometers west of Naha airport in Okinawa Prefecture at 2:28 p.m. Monday. The captain of ANK Flight...

[0] 18 ex-execs rearrested over swindling.
November 28, 2001... OSAKA -- Eighteen former executives of Daiwa Toshi Kanzai, a failed mortgage securities sales firm, were rearrested Tuesday on suspicion of swindling clients out of 1.8 billion yen by selling them mortgage securities despite knowing the firm...

Survey finds governors split over Ishihara's hotel tax idea: 7 governors support, 8 others oppose plan.
November 28, 2001... Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara's plan to tax hotel accommodations has been causing a heated and at times acrimonious debate among prefectural governors nationwide. Seven governors, including those of Osaka, Aichi and Fukuoka prefectures,...

Noodle joint's appeal no secret.
November 28, 2001... OSAKA--Diners at a restaurant in Miyakojima Ward, Osaka, may be surprised to find their bowls of ramen noodles and gyoza dumplings being served up by staff dressed entirely in black, their faces hidden behind masks. This is Shinobi, an...

MPD: Chongryon link to credit scam possible.
November 27, 2001... MPD: Chongryon link to credit scam possible Yomiuri Metropolitan Police Department officers investigating a case of suspected embezzlement have widened their net to include former leaders of a powerful pro-North Korea organization,...

3.3 bil. yen of credit union's loans soured.
November 27, 2001... 3.3 bil. yen of credit union's loans soured Yomiuri Chogin Tokyo Shinyo Kumiai, the pro-Pyongyang credit union that went bankrupt in May 1999, extended to a Shinjuku-based building maintenance company a total of 3.3 billion yen in...

Finance Ministry likely to have more say in govt staff quo.
November 27, 2001... Finance Ministry likely to have more say in govt staff quotas Yomiuri The government has decided to adopt a plan to increase the Finance Ministry's ability to decide quotas for the number of employees along pay and rank scales...