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Previews the upcoming elections in Japan. Details of prime minister Junichiro Koizumi's plan to privatize Japan's postal system and what it means for the country; How the old postal system has been beneficial to smaller towns and villages in the countryside, noting that post offices serve as banks in Japan; Discussion of the village of Hiwa and how it has benefitted from public spending projects; Comments from Japanese resident Shizue Miura regarding the importance of the post office branch in her town; Statistics indicating Japan's national debt, which Koizumi says is the result of propping up rural economies.

Assesses the impact of an airline using a certain airport as a hub. Comparison of the average one-way domestic fare out of Nashville (Tenn.) International Airport and that of the airport in Cincinnati (Ohio), according to the U.S. Department of Transportation, indicating it is less expensive to travel out of a non-hub city like Nashville; Why airline industry experts believe that big airlines will shrink their hubs; Indication of shrinking hubs, including AMR Corp.'s American Airlines in St. Louis (Mo.), US Airways Group in Pittsburgh (Pa.), Northwest Airlines in Memphis (Tenn.) and Delta Air Lines in Salt Lake City (Utah) and Dallas/Fort Worth (Tex.); How the relocation of an airlines' hub can improve the city losing the hub, including increased competition from other airlines.