2003.10.15

5 Japanese Once Abducted by North Korea Urge Release of Families [VOA] They are now hostages in a diplomatic standoff.   2003.10.15

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Japan offers $1.5bn to Iraq. [BBC News | Asia-Pacific | World Edition] Japan is offering the first tranche of what could be as much as $5bn over four years for Iraq's reconstruction.   2003.10.15

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N.Korea Rebuffs South on Nuclear Row, Blames U.S. (Reuters). North Korea curtly rebuffed South Korean efforts on Wednesday to prod the communist North to be more helpful in solving a nuclear crisis an said the solution of the year-old dispute was up to the United States.   2003.10.15

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Chiba-Quake   A moderately powerful quake shook the Kanto region at 1630 JST. Magnitude 5.0. Depth 80 km on coast of Chiba facing Tokyo Bay. No damage or injuries reported.     2003.10.15

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Miyagi Bomber (Mainichi)   A bomber is on the loose in Miyagi Prefecture.   2003.10.15

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N. Korea Diplomacy May Hinge on Summit (AP). North Korea isn't on the agenda when President Bush meets with fellow Pacific rim leaders at an economic summit in Thailand next week. And Kim Jong Il won't be in attendance.   2003.10.15

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S. Korea Urges N. Korea to Ease Tensions (AP). A top South Korean negotiator in Pyongyang today urged North Korea to work to ease tensions over the communist state's suspected development of nuclear weapons.   2003.10.15

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Japan-Markets   Nikkei closes off 66 points amid profit-taking of bank stocks. Dollar  stays above 109 yen on intervention ordered by the Finance Ministry.     2003.10.15

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Tinian-Earhart Grave? (Pacific Daily News)   Amelia Earhart: still missing   2003.10.15

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Ig Nobel-Japanese (AFP)   Japanese Ig Nobel award winner still doesn't get it.     2003.10.15

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In the shadow of death: Kim Jong-il [The Agonist] North Korean leader Kim Jong-il lives in constant fear for his life, using a fleet of luxury cars to act as decoys to confuse would-be attackers. A former bodyguard, Lee Young-kook, who has defected to South Korea, claimed the communist leader was concerned he would meet the same fate as the Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, who faced a firing squad after a revolt in 1989.     2003.10.15

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Fujii demands an open hearing [The Japan Times] JH head a thorn in sign to LDP reform platform in election campaign.         2003.10.15

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North American Leaders   It's North America week in Japan -- Mexico's President Fox is here now and U.S. President Bush arrives Friday.  Members of Kantei kisha club told to expect that Bush will ask Koizumi to halt foreign exchange intervention by BOJ.   2003.10.15

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