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EDITORIALS
Feb 10, 2001

The best politics money can buy

The deportation of fugitive French businessman Alfred Sirven from the Philippines throws a twist into the trial of Mr. Roland Dumas, the former French foreign minister and head of the Constitutional Court. Mr. Sirven is alleged to be the missing link in the scheme to use funds from Elf-Aquitaine, the...
CULTURE / Film
Feb 10, 2001

Suspense from fear of mundanity

Director M. Night Shyamalan couldn't make it to Tokyo since he and his wife have a newborn child to look after, but that didn't stop the enterprising PR people at Buena Vista from setting up a virtual press conference for "Unbreakable."
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 10, 2001

Reflections on a ticklish relationship

CHIANG MAI, Thailand -- While I fully endorse the spirit and the letter of a recent article in The Japan Times by former British Ambassador Sir Hugh Cortazzi on civil servants and politicians, I am conscious that what follows may be dismissed as an instance of the well-known bureaucratic tendency to...
JAPAN
Feb 10, 2001

Tokyo plan will allow placement in university

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government plans to allow the enrollment in universities and colleges of applicants without high school diplomas, counter to central government policy, in as early as two years, metro officials said Friday.
CULTURE / Film
Feb 10, 2001

One for the guy upstairs

If God was in the mood for a really good movie, chances are he'd flip through the listings and make tracks for "Unbreakable." Everything about it has a huge appeal to the Omniscient: the dynamics of Good and Evil, the fundamental questions of Existence, man's helplessness in the face of accidental fate....
BUSINESS
Feb 10, 2001

Foreign investors' buying spree longest in 14 months

Foreign investors were net buyers of Japanese stocks for the sixth straight week last week, the longest duration in 14 months.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 10, 2001

Who's afraid of the WTO? Not China

CAMBRIDGE, England -- Among U.S. President Bill Clinton's wilder statements on China were those he came up with when recommending that Congress pass the Permanent Normal Trade Relations Bill. The bill, which Congress passed last September, was a necessary precondition for the United States' support of...
COMMENTARY
Feb 10, 2001

Upheaval on the horizon

Diet debate started Tuesday on the fiscal 2001 government budget. The debate is likely to see head-on confrontation between the ruling and opposition forces. The government and the ruling coalition are hoping to pass the budget before fiscal 2000 ends March 31 in order to prepare for an Upper House election...
JAPAN
Feb 10, 2001

BOJ cuts discount rate to record low of 0.35%

Coming under intense political pressure, the Bank of Japan decided Friday to reduce the official discount rate by 0.15 percentage points to a record low 0.35 percent.
JAPAN
Feb 10, 2001

Justice Ministry to ease visa rules for Indian IT experts

The Justice Ministry will effectively ease requirements for qualified Indian information technology experts to enter Japan for working purposes, the ministry announced Friday.
BUSINESS
Feb 10, 2001

Package not a quick fix for share prices

The package of measures to boost Japan's sagging share prices that was unveiled Friday by the ruling coalition may not be a perfect remedy, but it has brought a sense of relief to concerned analysts and market watchers.
JAPAN
Feb 10, 2001

Ministry, NPA to target drunk drivers

The Justice Ministry and National Police Agency said Friday they will launch a series of joint meetings next week involving lawyers, scholars and other outside experts to effectively cope with the problem of drunken and reckless driving.
BUSINESS
Feb 10, 2001

December machinery orders rose but outlook is gloomy

Japan's core private-sector machinery orders rose a seasonally adjusted 3.8 percent to 1.096 trillion yen in December from the previous month, after a 2.9 percent drop in November, the Cabinet Office said Friday.
JAPAN
Feb 10, 2001

Body parts found in a cave near Obara's coastal condo

Police investigating the July disappearance of Lucie Blackman found what appear to be parts of a woman's body Friday in a coastal cave in Miura, Kanagawa Prefecture.
BUSINESS
Feb 10, 2001

Tepco says nuclear plans will remain unchanged

Tokyo Electric Power Co. has assured the government it will proceed with its new nuclear plant projects as planned, despite postponing construction of other power plants, Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Takeo Hiranuma said Friday.
BUSINESS
Feb 10, 2001

Tepco says nuclear plans will remain unchanged

Tokyo Electric Power Co. has assured the government it will proceed with its new nuclear plant projects as planned, despite postponing construction of other power plants, Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Takeo Hiranuma said Friday.
JAPAN
Feb 10, 2001

Stiffer penalties sought on flagrant traffic crime

Nearly 80 percent of people who submitted opinions to the National Police Agency on its proposed draft of an amendment to the Road Traffic Law favor harsher punishments for flagrant violations such as drunken driving, the NPA said Friday.
JAPAN
Feb 10, 2001

Fukuoka prosecutor gets demoted

The Justice Ministry on Friday effectively demoted Eiju Yamashita, 51, the deputy head of the Fukuoka District Public Prosecutor's Office, for his alleged involvement in leaking police information to a judge about an investigation of the judge's wife.
JAPAN
Feb 10, 2001

Stiffer penalties sought on flagrant traffic crime

Nearly 80 percent of people who submitted opinions to the National Police Agency on its proposed draft of an amendment to the Road Traffic Law favor harsher punishments for flagrant violations such as drunken driving, the NPA said Friday.
JAPAN
Feb 10, 2001

Fukuoka prosecutor gets demoted

The Justice Ministry on Friday effectively demoted Eiju Yamashita, 51, the deputy head of the Fukuoka District Public Prosecutor's Office, for his alleged involvement in leaking police information to a judge about an investigation of the judge's wife.
JAPAN
Feb 10, 2001

Mori rules out cutting 'secret' diplomat funds

Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori on Friday ruled out cutting the amount of discretionary funds budgeted for the upcoming fiscal year despite the recent embezzlement case centered on the funds.
JAPAN
Feb 10, 2001

Chimp inserts chump change into machine

A 6-year-old female chimpanzee at a Tokyo zoo demonstrated her ability to buy drinks from a vending machine to an audience of some 50 reporters Friday, zoo officials said.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji