Mayumi Negishi - The Japan Times

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Mayumi Negishi

For Mayumi Negishi's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:

JAPAN

Mar 31, 2000

Local governments shy to follow in capital's tracks

Despite widespread public support for the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's plan to levy a new tax on major banks, other local governments have been slow to follow suit -- because they realize the capital's situation is unique.

COMMUNITY

Mar 26, 2000

So many blossoms, so little time

The last flower viewing of the century will be here and gone in a matter of weeks.

JAPAN

Mar 12, 2000

Landfill seen dooming Edo fishing tradition

The fish that used to throng in the Edo-mae shallows of Tokyo Bay haunt fishermen today.

JAPAN

Mar 4, 2000

Nine staff of Hiroo hospital charged

A case credited with shedding light on a tendency within the medical community to cover up malpractice has taken another step into uncharted waters.

JAPAN

Jan 30, 2000

Tokyo barely balances budget despite spiking haloed items

The Tokyo governor has lost 7,000 supporters for his next election, promises marathon aficionado Taeko Hara.

JAPAN

Jan 16, 2000

Hub offers glimpse of the past

Eighty-six years after its construction, Tokyo Station has grown to contain the hustle and bustle of an estimated 386,500 people who part, meet or pass through every day.

JAPAN

Jan 16, 2000

Viva Odaiba! Ishihara dreams of casinos in the bay

Cigarette smoke wafts out of noisy pachinko parlors, crowds armed with racing forms jostle one another on trains on horse racing days, and lines form in front of lottery ticket booths. You may or may not call it gambling, but playing to test your luck has grown into a huge industry in Japan.

JAPAN

Dec 28, 1999

Bungling bureaucrats just another day at work for Ishihara

Staff writer The harried city official sighs as he looks at a poster designed to promote the Year 2000 countdown celebrations in Tokyo's Odaiba district. "He didn't like it," the Port and Harbor Bureau official says, bewildered. "He said we should think it out more, be more creative." A little while later he was back with a new poster, in which the lines of the laser beams cross each other -- instead of merely going straight up and down -- and with minute alterations to the countdown numbers and the city's symbols. Fearful of the reaction, the official submitted the new design to the governor's office. To his relief, it was accepted. "I never thought he would say anything about a poster," he said. Eight months into his term as Tokyo governor, Shintaro Ishihara has said "no" to diesel engines, the U.S. Yokota Air Base, relocation of the capital's functions and to parents who do not raise their children properly. But his most telling -- and immediately effective -- rebuffs have been directed at city officials. When it comes to the majority of Tokyo's financial, environmental and economic problems, change is hard to effect, Ishihara admits. Notwithstanding his campaign boast that a decisive leader with imagination would be able to solve the bulk of Tokyo's problems within three years, Ishihara said that with the exception of some of the city's health problems, most are going to take longer. "It's because they involve the central government," Ishihara said during an interview with The Japan Times. "It's much too sluggish." City officials, however, are finding it hard to ignore the governor's anger. Recently, Ishihara chastised officials for not showing him a copy of a poster in which he poses with a deep frown and a thumbs-down to show exactly what he thinks of the government's proposed plan to relocate most of the functions of Tokyo to a new capital. "I just found out about them today, after the posters have already gone up," Ishihara growled to reporters, his public relations officials cringing in the background. "We move too slowly around here." It is just the kind of public criticism that bureaucrats instinctively fear the most. "The scary thing about the governor is that when he sees a problem or remembers something, it's all very sudden," said a top Bureau of Policy and Information official who coordinates meetings between the press and the governor. "The range of things the governor pays attention to is incredible," observed another official. In recent months, Ishihara's wrath has descended on the city's mail delivery system and the naming of a city subway line. And he usually manages to get his own way -- as demonstrated by his refusal to listen to city officials' repeated pleas that he live in the governor's official residence. His predecessors did not always win their battles with bureaucracy. Not all officials are intimidated, however. A number have even found themselves inspired by their new leader. One of the most significant steps Ishihara has taken since being elected governor was to break with custom by choosing Yasushi Aoyama, who had yet to head a bureau, as one of the city's vice governors. "That sends the message that you don't have to wait to move up if you can do the job," said a director of the Policy Coordination Division. But while officials insist they are working harder, Ishihara remains skeptical. "It's easy to say there have been changes, but I'll believe it when I see results," he said.

JAPAN

Dec 22, 1999

New game rides in the slow lane

Staff writer After test-driving a simulation game and ramming right into a curb, Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara announced Wednesday, "I guess I wasn't meant to be a bus driver." "Tokyo Bus Guide," created for Sega Enterprises Ltd.'s Dreamcast game console, focuses on an ungainly, slow-plodding mode of public transportation. But city officials hope the game will promote the image of city buses as well as bring in some much-needed extra revenue. Created by the computer graphics company Fortyfive Co., with the cooperation of the city's Bureau of Transportation, the game features visual and sound effects recorded from city buses, such as announcements, engine sounds and views from the driver's seat. Royalties consisting of a percentage of sales in the initial year, projected to be about 10 million yen in total, will be injected into the bureau's coffers. Another game the bureau helped design -- "Toden de Iko," ("Let's Go by City Rail") -- was made for Sony's PlayStation and sold a modest 3,000 copies after it was put on the market in summer last year. "Tokyo Bus Guide" was given high marks last week by critics in the computer game magazine "Famitsu" and is expected to do better, officials say. Like the popular PlayStation game "Densha de Go" ("Let's Take a Train,") the game calls for the player to obey traffic rules and pay attention to time schedules. The game features nighttime and daytime maneuvering in such areas as Odaiba, Aomi and downtown Tokyo, with views of Tokyo Tower and the Rainbow Bridge. "Driving a sluggish bus feels more real than flying any F-1 fighter (in a game)," said Ishihara. "The game makes doing 60 km feel dangerous."The game goes on sale today and is priced at 5,800 yen.

JAPAN

Nov 26, 1999

Tokyo to urge scolding as solution to societal ills

JAPAN

Nov 18, 1999

Beijing boycotts sister-city celebrations

JAPAN

Nov 12, 1999

Japan hit over weak antinuclear stance

JAPAN

Nov 11, 1999

Tokyo governor's house goes Italian

JAPAN

Nov 5, 1999

Ishihara outraged over misplaced mail

JAPAN

Nov 1, 1999

Child pornographers vanish as law takes effect

JAPAN

Sep 27, 1999

Storm-delayed MOX ship docks amid tight security

JAPAN

Sep 22, 1999

High waves hamper MOX fuel delivery

JAPAN

Sep 2, 1999

Low-dose birth control pill makes debut

JAPAN

Jul 22, 1999

'Kimigayo' controversy leaves students indifferent, confused

JAPAN

Jun 24, 1999

Ministry wants flag, anthem promoted in textbooks

Social studies textbooks must help instill respect for the Hinomaru flag and the "Kimigayo" de facto national anthem among the nation's children, according to the results of last year's textbook screening released Thursday by the Education Ministry.

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

When trying to trace your lineage in Japan, the "koseki" is the most important form of document you'll encounter.

Climbing the branches of a Japanese family tree

By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Students ‘study abroad’ on island of Suo Oshima

Students ‘study abroad’ on island of Suo Oshima

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