2003.10.23

Roh 'Under Siege' (with audio) [VOA] South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun says he is under siege.   2003.10.23

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Chinese Leader to Talk With N. Koreans (AP). China said Thursday that its No. 2 leader, Wu Bangguo, will visit communist ally North Korea next week as Beijing tries to encourage a second round of six-nation discussions about Pyongyang's nuclear program.   2003.10.23

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Japanese Cell Phone Technology Essential for Pervasive Computing?  [Nikkei BP ] IBM  is promoting the concept of "pervasive computing" -- a computer environment that will allow people to access any data they want from wherever they are. IBM is already working to develop the necessary software and services. But the word "pervasive" is as yet almost unheard of in Japan.   2003.10.23

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N.Korea to Probe Bush Offer, Host Key China Guest (Reuters). North Korea signaled on Thursday it may be inching back toward nuclear crisis talks, announcing a visit by a top Chinese leader and moving to sound out President Bush's offer of security assurances.   2003.10.23

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Bush: Pressure Is Building on N. Korea [Washington Post: World News]   2003.10.23

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LDP-Nakasone (Kyodo) Former prime minister and octogenarian Nakasone to ignore LDP's mandatory retirement age. Calls current prime minister Koizumi "rude" for asking him to start collection a pension and says party had promised him he could stay the elected top dog "for life." NGG note: This is a serious slap in the face to Koizumi and he does not need this sort of distraction in an election season. This intra-party feuding combined with the brewing road construction scandal which the Japan Highways boss threatens to unleash if fired could give the DPJ a stellar opportunity to come to power.       2003.10.23

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Japan-Markets (Bloomberg) Nikkei Meltdown! Benchmark index plunges 554 points in Thursday session -- biggest drop since 9/11 attacks. Brewing political scandal involving Japan Highways vs. LDP cronies said to be a factor.   2003.10.23

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Japanese Hospitals-Smoking   Sad but True Department:  Japanese hospitals are no refuge from the toxic fumes of cigarettes. I am sure those in other developed countries are puzzled by this, wondering why Japanese hospitals allow smoking at all. Well, the no-smoking sections in hospitals are, in fact, a recent innovation.     2003.10.23

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Seaweed identified as potential flu remedy [The Japan Times] Have the sniffles and feeling the chills? Reach for the seaweed.     2003.10.23

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N.Korea to Contact U.S. Over Bush Remarks - Source (Reuters). North Korean representatives at the United Nations will contact U.S. officials soon to ascertain the "true intention" of recent remarks by President Bush on security assurances for the communist state, a diplomatic source with close ties to Pyongyang said in Tokyo today.   2003.10.23

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N. Korea Buys Weapons Despite Poor Economy (AP). Despite its economic plight, North Korea has bought $400 million worth of second-hand fighter jets, submarine parts and other weapons in the past five years, South Korea's Defense Ministry said today.   2003.10.23

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Report: N. Korean Prisons Starve Inmates (AP). Between 150,000 and 200,000 political prisoners are confined to camps in North Korea, subjected to starvation diets, inhumane conditions and torture, according to a report by a human rights group that collected satellite photographs and accounts from former prisoners.     2003.10.23

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Makiko Tanaka to leave LDP. [BBC News | Asia-Pacific | World Edition] Makiko Tanaka, a fierce critic of Japan's prime minister Junichiro Koizumi, has said she will leave the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.     2003.10.23

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