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COMMENTARY
Apr 2, 2002

Ending myths about lifestyle

LONDON -- Japan 2001, a major manifestation of Japanese culture in Britain, ends this spring. Consisting of more than 2,000 events large and small, it has had a significant impact and has helped to spread understanding of Japan among people throughout Britain.
BUSINESS
Apr 2, 2002

Mizuho Holdings sees new dawn

Mizuho Holdings Inc., the world's largest banking group by assets, made a fresh start Monday as its three core banks merged into two -- Mizuho Bank and Mizuho Corporate Bank.
EDITORIALS
Apr 1, 2002

Banks must disclose more information

Banks in Japan enter a new era today when full deposit protection is abolished for time deposits and other similar savings accounts. In the event of a bank failure, the maximum refund per capita will be limited, in principle, to 10 million yen plus interest. And beginning April 1, 2003, the same limit...
COMMENTARY
Apr 1, 2002

French presidential election elicits yawns

PARIS -- A month before the first round of the French presidential election, the campaign is duller than ever. As Jonathan Fenby recently wrote in Time magazine, "Chirac and Jospin have so far failed to ignite voters' enthusiasm."
JAPAN
Apr 1, 2002

Many worried about pensions: poll

More than three out of every four Japanese have fears about the future, with many especially concerned about their pensions, Dentsu Inc. said in a recent survey report.
SOCCER / World cup / EXCERPTS FROM PHILIPPE TROUSSIER'S BOOK
Apr 1, 2002

Breaking the inferiority complex

"Passion" is the story of Japan soccer team coach Philippe Troussier, his struggle to make it as a player and manager and his travels around France, Africa and Japan. In the book, Troussier also details his philosophy and thinking as he prepares for the World Cup in June. In this, the third of 10 extracts...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 1, 2002

Nissan Construction Co., stiffed by Mycal, files for protection

Nissan Construction Co., affiliated with collapsed retailer Mycal Corp., has filed for protection from creditors.
BASEBALL / MLB
Apr 1, 2002

Tigers shock Giants

The Hanshin Tigers gave notice Saturday night that their preseason surge was no fluke.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 1, 2002

Risks in waiting on Koizumi

When he debuted as prime minister, Junichiro Koizumi pledged economic and political reforms, saying there will be "no economic recovery without structural reforms." To implement the reforms, Koizumi said he was ready to overhaul the governing Liberal Democratic Party. I have supported Koizumi's determination,...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 1, 2002

Beijing's WTO entry seen as start of Asia 'axis of virtue'

SINGAPORE -- China's entrance into the World Trade Organization does not represent a threat to the economic well-being of either Japan or the ASEAN countries. Rather, it marks the beginning of an axis of virtue in East and Southeast Asia and trade and investment opportunities for all.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 1, 2002

The role of nuclear weapons is deterrence

How do we justify the paradox of using a weapon of mass destruction to stop others from acquiring them?
JAPAN
Apr 1, 2002

More teens face charges under harsher law

Enforcement of the revised Juvenile Law has increased the number of 16- to 19-year-old suspects in serious crimes whose cases are being sent from family courts to prosecutors, where they are handled more severely, according to Supreme Court sources.
SOCCER / J. League
Apr 1, 2002

Vegalta keeps marching on

SENDAI -- Vegalta forward Yoshiteru Yamashita scored a 101th-minute header helping Sendai edge Vissel Kobe 2-1 in extra time at Sendai Stadium on Sunday to give the J. League Division One newcomer its fourth straight victory.
JAPAN
Apr 1, 2002

Okinawa tsunami warning canceled

The Meteorological Agency on Sunday afternoon issued a tsunami warning for the Okinawa region after a powerful earthquake centered in eastern Taiwan struck the region, but canceled it about 40 minutes later.
COMMENTARY / JAPAN IN THE GLOBAL ERA
Apr 1, 2002

Pundits part of the problem, not its solution

LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- For years the Japanese government has been arguing that, as one of the biggest financial contributors to the United Nations, it should have a permanent seat on the Security Council. Japan does indeed bring lots of money to the U.N., but it does not bring much else. One of the...
EDITORIALS
Mar 31, 2002

Wal-Mart, Sprawl-Mart

Two weeks ago, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. announced a deal with local supermarket chain Seiyu that would give the U.S. cut-price retail colossus a foothold in the Japanese market: a 6.1 percent share in Seiyu now, with an option to increase its stake to two-thirds by the end of 2007. The announcement has been...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 31, 2002

Who can blame U.S. for going it alone?

ATHENS -- It was a curious political moment in the cradle of democracy. A recent visit by Iranian President Mohammad Khatami sparked a flood of favorable media coverage about Iran -- and an avalanche of condemnation of America.
COMMUNITY
Mar 31, 2002

The horror from the heart of darkness

It was a rough drive to the Cambodian town of Takeo in 1992. Going faster than 30 kph would have been suicidal. National Highway 2 was an unsurfaced dirt road pockmarked with craters from shells and land mines. Takeo, about 60 km south of the capital Phnom Penh, served as a base that year for an engineering...
BASEBALL / MLB
Mar 31, 2002

Opening Day win for Buffs

Kintetsu Buffaloes cleanup hitter Norihiro Nakamura swung the big bat, going 3-for-4 with three RBIs, and newly acquired slugger Nigel Wilson slammed a solo homer as the defending Pacific League champions beat the Orix BlueWave 6-3 in their season-opener at the Osaka Dome on Saturday.
COMMUNITY
Mar 31, 2002

Keigo: A lexicon of control

Whether you're Japanese or not, chances are you have conflicting feelings about Japan's formal respect-language, keigo. On the one hand, it is one of the most difficult aspects of the language to truly master. On the other, many feel that it somehow contains and expresses a truly Japanese essence. Then...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / NIHONSHU
Mar 31, 2002

Sake with a raw bite

With the sakura in bloom -- in some places, anyway -- this is one of the best times for experiencing Japan's wonderful knack for tying just about everything in to the seasons. Clothing, food, drink, design; all seem to resonate with the sakura this time of the year. The sake world's seasonal equivalent...

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past