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JAPAN

Dec 31, 1999

Japan celebrates new year free of major Y2K problems

Japan ushered in the new year with various celebratory events Friday night that included fireworks, all-night dancing and concerts while much of the public harbored concerns over possible Y2K-related problems. Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi addressed the nation from the Prime Minister's Official Residence...

JAPAN

Dec 31, 1999

Hotels, stores cashing in on Y2K scare

By Rob Gilhooly and Taiga Uranaka

Staff writers Y2K wise men say, only fools rush out on New Year's Eve. Yet, as many stayed home for the definitive moment, tens of thousands of private company officials left their homes Friday to stand guard at their offices for possible Y2K problems, unwittingly providing a millennium windfall to...

JAPAN

Dec 31, 1999

Pyongyang 'spy' tied to hijackers

A man believed to be detained in North Korea entered the country as part of a group organized by a former leader of the Red Army faction, according to sources close to Tokyo-Pyongyang relations. The sources said a five-member group led by Takaya Shiomi, 60, left Narita airport Nov. 30 and arrived in...

JAPAN

Dec 31, 1999

Obuchi rings in the new year with old pledge for recovery

Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi greeted the New Year with a pledge to keep striving for full-scale economic recovery and to create a society in which all generations can live in harmony. "In 2000, I want to push ahead with the 'economic renaissance' policy for real economic recovery," Obuchi said during...

JAPAN

Dec 31, 1999

2000 'pivotal' in ties with Pyongyang

By Yosuke Naito

Staff writer For better or worse, future historians may characterize 2000 as a pivotal point in Japan's foreign policy toward its hermetic neighbor, North Korea. This is mainly because one of Japan's long-standing diplomatic issues -- normalization talks with Pyongyang -- is likely to enter a critical...

JAPAN

Dec 31, 1999

Obuchi tasked to dissolve Lower House

By Yoko Hani

Even if Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi manages to see New Year's Day pass without serious Y2K problems, a big decision lies ahead of him — when to dissolve the Lower House and call a general election.

JAPAN

Dec 31, 1999

Another Century: Pollution legacy may linger

By Mick Corliss

This is the first installment in a yearlong series on the blueprints of Japanese society in the 21st century. Staff writer Japan's beaches may be little more than a memory when the end of the 21st century rolls around. Conservative estimates predict it will be sayonara for about half of them, while...

JAPAN

Dec 30, 1999

Nikkei ends on high, up 37% for year

The Tokyo Stock Exchange ended 1999 on an upbeat note, with the key market gauge finishing the year higher for the first time in four years. The benchmark 225-issue Nikkei average rose 123.76 points to finish the half-day session at the year's closing high of 18,934.34. In a turnaround from a 9.3 percent...

JAPAN

Dec 30, 1999

Complaints of shoddy new homes on rise

By Rob Gilhooly and Taiga Uranaka

Staff writers Despite the colorful sofa and classy light fixtures, it's the long crack running along the ceiling and down the west wall of the living room that catches the eye. Sodden floorboards in the hallway further dampen the fresh feel that usually accompanies a newly built home. That's what one...

JAPAN

Dec 30, 1999

Japan urged to consider free-trade pacts

By Tetsushi Kajimoto

Mazda Motor Corp. plans to start producing passenger cars in Europe by 2002, company sources said Thursday. Mazda will use the European production facilities of U.S. auto giant Ford Motor Co., its largest shareholder, and purchase engines from PSA Peugeot-Citroen of France, they said. The company plans...

JAPAN

Dec 30, 1999

Stores hit by Y2K stockpiler feeding frenzy

By Kenzo Moriguchi and Junko Takahashi

Staff writers With just two days left before 2000 kicks in, shoppers crowded supermarkets and department stores Thursday, making last-minute purchases of water, food, oil heaters and other stockpiles to prepare for the possible breakdown of lifelines. Daiei Inc., the nation's largest supermarket chain,...

JAPAN

Dec 30, 1999

This year's fundraising campaign for refugees and children in need, in Japan and abroad, comes to an official close today. The donations received as of Thursday totaled 3,637,158 yen. Money received after the end of this year's campaign will be included in next year's charity fund drive. We are most...

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Dangami House is a 180-year-old former samurai residence of the Kato clan, who ruled over Ozu, Ehime Prefecture, until the Meiji Restoration.

A house, a legacy and the quiet work of restoration in rural Japan

By Hanako Lowry

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

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Fujitsu crafts sustainable innovation for itself, society

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