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Japan asks U.S. for more data on F-22 fighter WASHINGTON, May 1 (Reuters) - Japanese Defense Minister Fumio Kyuma has asked U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates for more information about the F-22 fighter jet built by Lockheed Martin Corp. , a senior Japanese official said on Tuesday. U.S. law currently bans any exports of the F-22 Raptor, but some lawmakers and defense officials say there is growing interest in making it possible to export a modified version of the advanced fighter to close allies such as Japan. "If we make the F-22 a candidate, we need full information on this...

Actress-turned-activist Bo Derek is spearheading a campaign to stop the export of horsemeat to Europe and Japan. Three European-owned factories in the U.S. send some 26 million pounds of horsemeat overseas each year. Now Derek, who first came to national attention in the 1979 movie "10,” has joined other celebrities and horse lovers in an attempt to shut down the plants — two in Texas and one in Illinois. In September, the House of Representatives passed the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, which bans the transportation and sale of horses for human consumption. But it’s unclear whether the Senate will...

WASHINGTON - President Bush (news - web sites) on Tuesday banned all U.S. exports to Syria except for food and medicine, ordering sanctions after long-standing complaints that the Middle Eastern nation was supporting terrorism and undermining U.S. efforts in Iraq (news - web sites). The actions of the Syrian government — including pursuing weapons of mass destruction and occupying Lebanon — represent an "extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy and economy of the United States," Bush said in signing an executive order imposing sanctions. The measures also include a ban on flights to and from the United States;...

Japan Eyes Joint Production on U.S. Missiles - Report By REUTERS Published: November 24, 2003 Filed at 3:38 a.m. ET TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan has plans for joint production of new interceptor missiles with the United States, a move that would require a review of Tokyo's decades-old ban on weapon exports, a Japanese newspaper said on Monday. The Defense Ministry wants to start production of some key parts for the next-generation missiles, which Japan is researching with the United States for a missile defense system, as soon as within the next few years, the Asahi Shimbun said. Such joint production...