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JAPAN
Jan 4, 2000

India hijacking victim returns to Japan

A Japanese woman who was held for eight days aboard a hijacked Indian airliner in December returned to Japan on Tuesday, four days after her release. Chiaki Hisada, 30, arrived at Narita Airport aboard a Japan Airlines plane from New Delhi with her family, who had flown to India to join her. Hisada...
CULTURE / Books
Jan 4, 2000

The glorious mess of Bangkok

BANGKOK: Then and Now, by Steve van Beek. Bangkok: AB Publications, 1999, 132 pp, with numerous color and b/w photos, maps, drawings, etc. unpriced. Writing in 1900, the American consul residing in Bangkok marveled that only 35 years earlier there had been no streets in the capital, that all traffic...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jan 3, 2000

Bad predictions ring out 1999; New Year to see games in Nagano

Apparently, my ability to predict where Japanese free agent ballplayers would sign new contracts is no better than my infamous skill at picking pennant winners. You may recall in the Nov. 21 Baseball Bullet-In, I speculated on which teams the three high-profile Japanese free agents would eventually sign...
SOCCER / J. League
Jan 3, 2000

Grampus Eight hoists Emperor's Cup

Nagoya Grampus Eight walked off with what was probably the world's first soccer title of the millennium after downing Sanfrecce Hiroshima 2-0 in the final of the Emperor's Cup at Tokyo's National Stadium on a beautiful, sunny New Year's Day.
EDITORIALS
Jan 3, 2000

Soothing global economic jitters

Why, amid unmatched prosperity, is anxiety about future economic prospects so great? The framework that has guided international economic relations for the past 50 years has delivered results. What is behind the growing dissatisfaction with the international economic order, and what is to be done?
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 3, 2000

Planning cleaner, greener cities in Asia

The great cities of East Asia, such as Tokyo, Shanghai and Seoul are mature in terms of development and offer little scope for major environmental planning. But within the smaller cities around them exists room for improvement. The port cities of Layonko, near Shanghai, Kaoshang in Taiwan and Yokohama...
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 3, 2000

Korean Peninsula's political awakening

Special to The Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 3, 2000

Opposition parties headed for breakthrough

Staff writer Cashing in on the unpopularity of the "gigantic" ruling coalition, opposition parties are optimistic of making a big leap forward in the next general election -- and forecasts by political analysts suggest they have a favorable wind behind them. But it is not clear if the opposition forces,...
JAPAN
Jan 3, 2000

Exec's reckoning: Small firms still need help, Inaba says

Last of three parts Staff writer 1999 may prove to have been a pivotal year for small businesses. Scores of small and medium-size enterprises collapsed amid the prolonged recession, but the severity of the situation attracted public attention to their plight, leading the government to map out a legal...
BUSINESS
Jan 3, 2000

Wake-up call for the private sector

As the New Year begins, many corporate leaders and economic experts will be holding their breath to see what the Japanese economy will do -- work its way to a self-sustained recovery, or be pulled along by the steamroller of government spending.
LIFE / Digital
Jan 3, 2000

Wearable PCs set to liberate employees from keyboards

Xybernaut Corp. of Fairfax, Va. has begun enlisting some of Japan's top universities to help further its research and development of so-called "wearable computers," the worldwide market for which is expected to be worth around $2 billion by 2003.
JAPAN
Jan 3, 2000

Competition for civil work rises amid recession

Amid a prolonged recession, only one in 13.1 test-takers passed local government exams to become civil servants in April 1999 -- the lowest success rate on record, a Home Affairs Ministry report said Monday. According to the report, the ratio of applicants for local government screening tests to those...
JAPAN
Jan 3, 2000

New Year's return rush peaks

The rush of New Year's travelers returning from their hometowns reached its peak Monday, in time to return to work today -- when most companies reopen for business. However, the number of train and airplane passengers returning to Tokyo and other big cities was smaller than usual, probably because Y2K...
COMMENTARY
Jan 3, 2000

Building peace in a new era

As we greet the new millennium, we should ask ourselves what Japan should do to contribution to peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region, establish military and nonmilitary security, help solve global problems and prevent conflicts.
COMMUNITY
Jan 3, 2000

Picture-book village looks to the children

Once upon a time, sometime in 1992, there were two communities, Kijo-cho and Ishikawauchi, nestled high in the mountains of Miyazaki Prefecture. As in many such rural communities, the sound of children's voices was becoming a rarity as young families left to find their fortune in the city of Miyazaki,...
JAPAN
Jan 3, 2000

Lawmakers look to home pages to expand public presence

The number of Diet lawmakers who have Internet home pages has gradually increased, reaching roughly 200 of the 752 legislators in both houses by the end of 1999. According to the lawmakers, the main reason home pages are gaining popularity is that they are less costly than printing posters and leaflets...
JAPAN
Jan 3, 2000

Another Century: Slump, aging Japan skew debate on foreigners

Staff writer One sector of Japan's immigrant community comes into view every Friday at around noon, when people wearing white caps walk into a single story prefabricated building in the city of Isesaki, Gunma Prefecture. This is Isesaki Jame-e Mosque -- a sanctuary since 1995 for about 500 Muslims living...
CULTURE / Music
Jan 3, 2000

It's not an easy trick to pick one out of 108 for best of year

It is time once again to look back over some of the most significant events of the previous year, 1999.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 3, 2000

Japan must actively contribute to new world order from 2000

The past decade has exposed cracks in the various systems that have run this country for the 55 years since its defeat in World War II. These cracks appear to be expanding, ranging from rampant corruption and declining ethics among lawmakers, bureaucrats and businessmen to the collapse of family ties...
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 1, 2000

Fighting the idea that justice is for sale

Special to The Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 1, 2000

The next loud bang could be in retailing

Just as foreign companies have accelerated reorganization of financial and automobile industries, powerful foreign chain stores are now gearing up to expand in the general merchandising market in Japan.
CULTURE / Art
Jan 1, 2000

Leaving an impression for time to come

Children can't wait for that moment on New Year's Day when they can snatch at the small, colorful envelope appearing from the purse or pocket of the gift-giver. Some sit upright before their parents and swear to behave well or study more during the year, while others happily speculate about how much...
COMMENTARY
Jan 1, 2000

Japan looks for a purpose

The 1990s is said to have been a "lost decade" for Japan. That may be true. In May 1991, Japan's economy plunged into a slump that would be called the "Heisei Recession." In October 1993, the economy "bottomed out," but ever since then it has remained in the doldrums. The protracted slump has had extensive...
EDITORIALS
Jan 1, 2000

Let's make a new start

People around the world are celebrating the arrival of a new century and the start of a new millennium. We all feel we are in a new age, and few are willing to wait another year, as the purists insist, before we close out the 20th century.This is particularly true for Japan, where the last 10 years have...
CULTURE / Music
Jan 1, 2000

A little air time for Japan's own

Television in Japan is not known for its extensive coverage of the traditional Japanese performing arts. It is much easier to tune into a performance of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra than it is to catch one of Japan's own Living National Treasures performing. There are weekly radio and television...
JAPAN
Jan 1, 2000

Public must face higher tax burden: Imai

Japan must act on its deteriorating financial health by launching discussions on fiscal reform and revealing the results to the public, said Takashi Imai, chairman of the Japan Federation of Economic Organizations (Keidanren).
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 1, 2000

Japan cannot escape nuclear weapons

Special to The Japan Times
EDITORIALS
Dec 31, 1999

Rudderless politics for Japan

The year that is now passing saw a giant coalition government come into being, with a triumvirate of the Liberal Democratic Party, the Liberal Party and New Komeito controlling about 70 percent of the influential Lower House and more than half of the Upper House.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 31, 1999

Japan's 'darkness at noon' Korean policy

U.S. diplomat William Perry has a policy of "cautious realism" regarding North Korea, and South Korean President Kim Dae Jung is identified with his positive "sunshine policy" vis-a-vis Pyongyang. It would be generous and accurate to characterize Japan's policy toward the North Korean regime of Kim Jong...
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...

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