search

 
 
EDITORIALS
Aug 8, 1999

Bringing peace to the Balkans

The avowed aim of the Sarajevo summit Aug. 6 was simple in its grandeur: to promote peace and prosperity in the war-ravaged region and prepare it for eventual membership in the European Union and NATO. Whether the means and the commitment exist to achieve this lofty goal remains to be seen.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 8, 1999

Japan makes its mark in U.S.

ALFRED BALITZER Special to The Japan Times The town of Kanab, population 4,500, is located on a two-lane highway between Zion National Park and Lake Powell in southern Utah. The country is filled with breathtaking scenery -- tall, lonesome bluffs, massive rock formations the color of copper, natural...
COMMENTARY
Aug 8, 1999

Uncle Sam doesn't need draft registration

WASHINGTON -- The Cold War has been over for a decade, but you wouldn't know it after looking at U.S. security policy. Spending on the military is rising; all 18-year-old men must register for the draft. However, a House appropriations subcommittee has voted to kill the Selective Service System, along...
COMMENTARY / World / GUEST FORUM
Aug 7, 1999

For the Japanese, the future is now

There has been much soul-searching among the Japanese in recent years, following the collapse of the bubble economy and the recession it triggered. Economic woes aside, a crisis of confidence exists at the most fundamental level. People have come to doubt not only the ability of society as a whole, but...
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 7, 1999

Nationalism to the rescue

LONDON -- A French philosopher remarked some years ago that national politics had become "a secondary activity." What he meant was that, with the globalization of finance and economic forces, and with the citizens of the world linking up across borders (700 million people will be linked to the Internet...
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 7, 1999

Afghanistan's miserable war continues

ISLAMABAD -- The fresh military victories scored by Afghanistan's Taliban militia in the past few weeks have once again thrown into doubt the prospects for a stable government in the war-torn central Asian country. Despite controlling more than 90 percent of Afghan territory, the Taliban is no closer...
EDITORIALS
Aug 7, 1999

A summer of new health threats

During what is proving to be one of Japan's hottest summers in recent memory, most people are concentrating on ways to beat the heat. Heat-related ailments pose a great health risk, especially among the very young and very old. It appears, however, that this summer the public should be paying even more...
CULTURE / Art
Aug 7, 1999

Through the unflinching eye of realism

Most painters, whatever style they eventually adopt, generally start their career by setting their own likeness down on canvas. It is a kind of baptism by fire attempted once and usually abandoned. This we know because there are far fewer portraits of artists in middle or old age than in their youth....
EDITORIALS
Aug 6, 1999

First a tally, now the trading

Almost two months after voting for the national assembly took place, Indonesia has its election results. Wednesday, President B.J. Habibie endorsed the final tally of the national election commission over the objections of several small parties who claimed ballot fraud. The holdouts represented less...
JAPAN
Aug 6, 1999

A-bomb doctor inspires Chernobyl aid worker

Staff writer
JAPAN
Aug 6, 1999

Unauthorized computer use soon to be crime

A bill prohibiting unauthorized access to computer networks was approved Friday by the Upper House Committee on Local Administration and Police Affairs, paving the way for chamber passage of the measure before the end of the current Diet session.
JAPAN
Aug 6, 1999

Diet gives big tax breaks to restructuring companies

The Diet passed special legislation Friday aimed at reviving Japan's industrial competitiveness by helping industries dispose of excess capacity and rebuild their operations through tax breaks.
JAPAN
Aug 6, 1999

New Komeito up for tieup, Liberals or no

Staff writer
CULTURE / Music / PLAY BUTTON
Aug 6, 1999

Number Girl's gotta have it

If Tokyo's live houses have provided little in the way of new musical inspiration recently, the provinces have picked up the slack with a vengeance. Sapporo's burgeoning hip-hop scene has produced new rap heroes the Blue Herb, while Kyoto, with DJs 1945 and Nobukazu Takemura, is becoming the home of...
JAPAN
Aug 6, 1999

Trains kill two on Joban, Mita lines

A man was instantly killed Friday morning when he threw himself onto the tracks of an oncoming JR commuter train on the Joban Line at Kameari Station in Tokyo's Katsushika Ward, police said.
JAPAN
Aug 6, 1999

Nonaka proposes removing war criminals from Yasukuni

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiromu Nonaka on Friday proposed separately enshrining seven hanged class-A war criminals memorialized at Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine and stripping it of its religious status to enable the prime minister and Cabinet ministers to pay official visits there to honor Japan's war dead....
JAPAN
Aug 6, 1999

Hiroshima marks 54th anniversary of Atomic bombing

Staff writer
JAPAN
Aug 6, 1999

Cleavage, legs advantageous in interviews, coeds told

Wear a skirt, keep the top of your blouse unbuttoned and smile.
JAPAN
Aug 6, 1999

Supply-side overhaul first step to competitiveness

Staff writer
EDITORIALS
Aug 5, 1999

China's East Wind blows ill

Earlier this week, China test-fired a ballistic missile. The practical significance of the test is minimal; it does little, if anything, to change the regional balance of power. Its timing, on the other hand, could not be worse. The launch sends the wrong message to every government with interests in...
JAPAN
Aug 5, 1999

State won't appeal base noise suit

The government will not appeal a high court ruling on a damages suit in which residents living in areas surrounding the Atsugi air base in Kanagawa Prefecture sought to halt evening and early morning flights of Self-Defense Forces and U.S. military aircraft, Defense Agency chief Hosei Norota said Thursday....
JAPAN
Aug 5, 1999

Japan, South Korea hold first joint naval drill

Staff writer
JAPAN
Aug 5, 1999

Identity of 'Kimigayo' composer remains mystery

Staff writer
JAPAN
Aug 5, 1999

Public favors flag over anthem, poll shows

Roughly 90 out of 100 residents polled by The Japan Times in Tokyo, Osaka and Hiroshima this week said they recognize the Hinomaru flag as a national symbol, but almost 40 opposed "Kimigayo" as the national anthem.
LIFE / Style & Design / BEAUTY EAST AND WEST
Aug 5, 1999

Want to be a love goddess? Indulge in a fragrant bath

It should come as no surprise that in almost every culture, the goddesses of beauty have also been the goddesses of love. They are also often goddesses of the arts, and of such essentials to life as mirth, happiness and laughter. These goddesses are not actively worshipped in many parts of the world...
JAPAN
Aug 5, 1999

Japan to reward UNIDO reforms with $830,000 in aid

The government will offer $830,000 in fiscal 1999 to the United Nations Industrial Development Organization in appreciation of its administrative reform efforts, Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura said Thursday.
CULTURE / Art
Aug 5, 1999

Thatched huts for the 21st century

TSURUI VILLAGE, Tokushima Pref. -- Still hidden away in Shikoku's remote Iya Valley, the thatch-roofed home made famous in Alex Kerr's "Lost Japan" is taking out a new lease on life -- one that may alter this country's approach to conservation and development.
JAPAN
Aug 5, 1999

JR West studies new erosion repair technique

OSAKA -- West Japan Railway Co. is considering a new method by which neutralized concrete along its bridges and tunnels can be repaired to undo the effects of erosion, company sources said Thursday.
JAPAN
Aug 5, 1999

General Motors looking for another nation to run

General Motors Corp., the world's largest auto manufacturer, is considering going into production in Japan, the Asia-Pacific head office of the company said on Thursday.
JAPAN
Aug 5, 1999

More cell phone antennas planned for tunnels, highways

The Construction Ministry said Thursday it will set up antennas in more than 200 tunnels on highways and national roads nationwide over the next five years to enable transmission for cellular phone use.

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