Japan, N. Korea set to agree on 3 groups in bilateral talks: Aso
December 21, 2005Japan and North Korea are set to reach a basic agreement in upcoming bilateral negotiations to resume stalled talks to normalize ties and handle in parallel the other contentious issues of North Korea's abductions of Japanese nationals and its nuclear ambitions, Foreign Minister Taro Aso indicated Thursday. ''We made the proposal on the condition that it will be accepted, so given that they said (bilateral talks) will be held, it is common sense to think that the three working groups will be set up,'' Aso said at a news conference following a Cabinet meeting.
Japan antiterrorism envoy to double as N. Korean nuke issue rep
December 21, 2005The Foreign Ministry on Thursday gave Tadamichi Yamamoto, who currently serves as government envoy on antiterrorism and Iraq issues, the additional post of special envoy on the North Korean nuclear issue. Yamamoto will head a Japanese delegation handling the North Korean nuclear problem if a working group to discuss the issue is set up under the six-party framework or Japan-North Korea talks, ministry officials said.
Gov't eyes volunteer program to keep kids safe after school
December 21, 2005In light of a spate of crimes and accidents involving young children during after school hours, the government plans to implement a pilot program of having retirees and experienced housewives volunteer to take care of children until their working parents get home, officials said Wednesday. The program was proposed the same day by Cabinet Secretariat special adviser Haruo Shimada to the government's liaison committee on preventing children from falling prey to crimes, and the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare expressed interest in introducing it, the officials said.
Sanyo to raise 300 billion yen via private placement
December 21, 2005Sanyo Electric Co. said Wednesday it will raise some 300 billion yen through a third-party allotment of new shares in a bid to boost its depleted capital. The announcement was made amid the prospect that Sanyo Electric will fall deep into the red in fiscal 2005 for the second year in a row. For the current fiscal year to next March 31, the maker of consumer electronics is predicted to incur a group net loss of 233 billion yen.
Soccer: Japan to begin World Cup build-up with Miyazaki camp
December 21, 2005Japan will begin the World Cup year with a weeklong training camp in Miyazaki next month ahead of two friendlies against the United States and Finland. Japan coach Zico is set to name a domestic-based group of players for the Jan. 29-Feb. 4 get-together in the southwestern Japanese resort before the Asian champions head to San Francisco to play the United States on Feb. 10.
Chen loses lawsuit, ordered to apologize to opposition leaders
December 21, 2005Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian was ordered by a court Wednesday to apologize to opposition leaders for having accused them of plotting a coup d'etat after he won the 2004 presidential election by a slim margin. The Taipei District Court said in the ruling on a defamation lawsuit filed by former Nationalist Party Chairman Lien Chan and People First Party leader James Soong that Chen must make public his formal apology to the pair on the front pages of three leading Chinese-language papers.
Marathon: Kenya's Ndereba to run in Osaka women's marathon in Jan.
December 21, 2005Olympic silver medalist Catherine Ndereba of Kenya heads the list of invitees to the Osaka International Women's Marathon next month, race organizers said Wednesday. Ndereba, who finished second to Japan's Mizuki Noguchi in Athens last year, will make her first full-marathon appearance in Japan in the Jan. 29 race when she competes against the likes of Romania's Lidia Simon and Latvian Elena Prokopcuka.
Police to establish case against design firms as well as Aneha
December 21, 2005Police have decided in addition to establishing a case against former architect Hidetsugu Aneha to press charges against four firms which subcontracted structural designs to him in connection with the quake-resistance data fabrication scandal, sources close to the matter said Wednesday. Subject to the case are four properties whose quake resistance has been found to be weaker than the government-set standards due to data fabrications by Aneha, the sources said.
Nikkei briefly tops 16,000 on hopes of end to deflation
December 21, 2005The Tokyo stock market accelerated its upswing Wednesday amid optimism that Japan will soon get out of deflation, with the benchmark Nikkei index briefly topping the 16,000 line for the first time in five years and two months. The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average ended the day at 15,957.57, up 316.31 points, or 2.02 percent, after hitting 16,010.17 at one point, its highest intraday level since Oct. 6, 2000.
Seibu Railway shareholders OK plan to reorganize group operations
December 21, 2005Shareholders of Seibu Railway Co. endorsed a plan Wednesday to reorganize the operations of the Seibu group under a holding firm, putting an end to control of the railway and resort conglomerate by business tycoon Yoshiaki Tsutsumi through Kokudo Corp. Under the reorganization scheduled to be completed by the end of next March, Seibu Holdings Inc. will be established to put Seibu Railway Co. and Prince Hotels Inc. under its wing.
Soccer: Takahara to return to Japan for tests on knee
December 21, 2005Hamburg SV striker Naohiro Takahara is to return to Japan to undergo tests after sustaining a knee injury in a Bundesliga match at the weekend, Hamburg officials said Tuesday. The Japan international hurt his right knee after coming on as a substitute in Hamburg's 1-1 draw away to Werder Bremen on Sunday in their final match before the winter break.