Asako Murakami - The Japan Times

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Asako Murakami

For Asako Murakami's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:

JAPAN

Nov 11, 2000

Women give each other boost at business forum

SASEBO, Nagasaki Pref. -- Female business leaders from 10 countries shared their experiences Friday and encouraged each other with the knowledge that their roles in business and society will be more important in the coming century.

JAPAN

Oct 29, 2000

Methods to cut emissions said already available

OSAKA -- With a United Nations conference on global warming just around the corner, a citizen's group is calling for existing energy-saving technologies to be more widely used to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

JAPAN

Oct 14, 2000

Society must hear crime victims: author

OSAKA -- While Japanese society has finally started recognizing the rights of crime victims, people must now begin listening to their messages, according to Eri Atarashi, the author of a recent book on support for crime victims.

JAPAN

Oct 1, 2000

Collective houses pushed for seniors living alone

KOBE -- With the Japanese population aging rapidly and lifestyle changes sweeping the country, more and more elderly people are finding themselves without family support.

JAPAN

Sep 17, 2000

Photos present child's view of life after Turkey quake

KYOTO -- A black-and-white photograph shows a mother preparing breakfast in a tent. Another picture depicts two children playing outside a row of tents.

BUSINESS

Sep 14, 2000

Nestle set to quench Japan's thirst for mineral water

KOBE -- It is cheap and safe to drink tap water in Japan. Still, the Nestle group, the world's top maker and supplier of mineral water, sees great potential for growth in the Japanese market.

JAPAN

Sep 7, 2000

Yaohan chief extracts success from failure

OSAKA -- It is considered difficult and extremely unusual in Japan for those who have failed once in businesses to have a chance to succeed again.

JAPAN

Sep 3, 2000

Antistalking law seen falling short

KOBE -- An antistalking law that cleared the Diet in May and goes into effect in November is being called insufficient, and speakers at a recent symposium here are calling for new, tougher legislation and urging police to change their attitudes about stalking.

JAPAN

Aug 31, 2000

Lake reclamation scheme canceled

MATSUE, Shimane Pref. -- Following the ruling coalition's termination of a 37-year-old controversial project to reclaim part of Lake Nakaumi and create 1,470 hectares of farmland, local municipalities are scrambling for new central government spending to make up for the aborted project.

JAPAN

Aug 31, 2000

Yoshino dam project may yet proceed; foes irked

OSAKA -- Opponents to the controversial Yoshino River dam project in Tokushima are dissatisfied with a ruling coalition proposal made earlier this week that the 100 billion yen project be returned to the drawing board.

JAPAN

Aug 26, 2000

Kansai business adviser gains fame for book on Hiroshima bombing

OSAKA -- While Yoshikuni Inoue's is a familiar face in Kansai business circles, he is better known for his efforts to boost the region's economy as joint chairman of the Kansai Association of Corporate Executives in the early 1990s than as a survivor of the 1945 Hiroshima atomic bombing.

COMMUNITY

Aug 20, 2000

Messages from Hanshin quake survivors move to the Internet

KOBE -- Masano Goto still exchanges letters with people from other prefectures who helped her overcome difficulties in the aftermath of the devastating Great Hanshin Earthquake in January 1995, which claimed more than 6,000 lives.

JAPAN

Aug 6, 2000

Marist headmaster inspired by nation's morals, quake ordeal

KOBE -- What is behind Japanese people's moral behavior remains a mystery to Brother George Fontana, although he has spent 11 years here as headmaster of Marist Brothers International School in Suma Ward.

COMMUNITY

Aug 6, 2000

Pundits ponder whether Japanese have sense of humor

The question of whether Japanese really have no funny bone was tackled by pundits at a recent gathering at Kansai University.

CULTURE / Stage

Aug 6, 2000

'Rakugo' artist takes sit-down shtick to Edinburgh festival, with subtitles

OSAKA -- Traditional comic storyteller Koharudanji Katsura will be participating in an international festival in Edinburgh this month, reciting a "rakugo" piece in Japanese.

JAPAN

Aug 5, 2000

U.S. POW, 80, forgives Japan but not his mine slave masters

KYOTO -- Despite the torturous experiences he underwent during his 31/2 years as a U.S. prisoner of war in World War II, Lester Tenney says he does not dislike the Japanese people.

BUSINESS

Jul 21, 2000

Corporate Japan needs concierges, group head says

OSAKA -- Not many Japanese know this, but the corporate concierge business is booming in the United States and Sara-ann Kasner predicts the same will soon happen in Japan.

JAPAN

Jul 20, 2000

Kadena Air Base noise stirs memories of war

NISHINOMIYA, Hyogo Pref. -- For many elderly people living near the U.S. Kadena Air Base in central Okinawa, aircraft noise is intolerable not only because it disrupts their sleep but also because it brings back unbearable memories of war, according to Kozo Hiramatsu, an expert in acoustic ecology.

JAPAN

Jul 9, 2000

Alternative school targets dropouts

KYOTO -- Parents whose sons or daughters stop attending school often research methods to encourage their children to return by reading books and attending lectures by experts.

JAPAN

Jun 25, 2000

Team gives small firms help in environment management

KYOTO — Although major companies are accelerating efforts to obtain international recognition of their environmental management systems, few small and medium-size firms are following suit due to the high cost of certification and a lack of knowledge.

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.

[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.

The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores

By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass

Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass

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