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EDITORIALS
Aug 15, 2001

The prime 'rogue state'

For the Japanese, the first half of August is a period of soul-searching, remembering those who died in World War II and renewing our hopes for world peace. But more than half a century after the end of the war, and in spite of the termination of East-West confrontation, the world today remains a potentially...
BUSINESS
Aug 15, 2001

Increasingly good massage chairs gain popularity

OSAKA -- Demand for electric massage chairs is steadily growing as more and more people seek attention akin to the touch of a professional masseur in the comfort of their own homes.
CULTURE / Art
Aug 15, 2001

Flights of fancy

Like a captivated child watching a magician's tricks, we demand to know "how?" How, that is, did a surge of Italian creativeness 600 years ago seemingly lay the foundations of the modern world?
JAPAN
Aug 15, 2001

Strong quake shakes north Japan

An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.2 jolted northern Japan on Tuesday morning, the Meteorological Agency said.
JAPAN
Aug 15, 2001

Text of Koizumi's Yasukuni statement

The following is the Foreign Press Center translation of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's statement on his visit to Yasukuni Shrine:
JAPAN
Aug 15, 2001

New religions target negative image

An umbrella group of new religions will provide telephone advice beginning Nov. 1 in an attempt to dispel negative images associated with new religions.
CULTURE / Art
Aug 15, 2001

Icons of a forgotten femininity

Western culture is replete with empowering images of women, from the warrior Amazons of Greek mythology to Wagnerian Valkyries to computer game and movie heroine Lara Croft. Western women are spoiled for choice when it comes to assertive role models. Japan, on the other hand, has always cherished a more...
BUSINESS / ON THE FRONT LINE
Aug 15, 2001

Is U.S. about to dump strong dollar policy?

There are growing calls in the United States, particularly from within the business community, for an end to Washington's strong dollar policy.
JAPAN
Aug 15, 2001

Compromise visit could dilute 'Koizumi effect'

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's decision Monday to bring forward his controversial visit to Yasukuni Shrine may have saved face for opponents at home and abroad to a certain degree.
JAPAN
Aug 15, 2001

State considers installation of train platform barriers

In an effort to equip more urban train platforms with automatic sliding gates to prevent people from falling onto the tracks, the transport ministry will request funds in the fiscal 2002 budget to conduct a survey on the matter, ministry officials said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Aug 15, 2001

DKB to lend Mycal 50 billion yen

Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank plans to lend an additional 50 billion yen to ailing supermarket-chain operator Mycal Corp. by the end of the month, industry sources said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Aug 15, 2001

Cop arrested after speed confession

The Metropolitan Police Department said Tuesday that it arrested a 41-year-old assistant police inspector on Monday on suspicion of consuming 0.3 gram of amphetamine.
JAPAN
Aug 15, 2001

Volunteers to be sought for disaster info network

The Cabinet Office is considering establishing a disaster preparedness program and soliciting volunteers to work for local governments as coordinators and contact points for victims, government sources said Monday.
BUSINESS
Aug 15, 2001

ATM boom reflects banks' struggle for survival

Automated teller machines are reaching deeper into your neighborhood, offering a range of services, including some that are unprecedented in Japan.
BUSINESS
Aug 15, 2001

Bankruptcies dropped in July for first time in four months

The number of corporate bankruptcies fell 3.1 percent in July from a year earlier to 1,567, the first fall in four months, a private research institute said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Aug 15, 2001

BOJ further eases credit policy

In a bid to improve the corporate outlook and fight falling prices, the policy-setting panel of the Bank of Japan decided Tuesday to further ease its grip on credit and boost liquidity by 1 trillion yen.
BUSINESS
Aug 15, 2001

Department store sales rise 0.3%

Sales at Tokyo department stores rose 0.3 percent in July from a year earlier to 203.8 billion yen for the second straight monthly gain, as store renovations and clearance sales generated demand, an industry group said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Aug 15, 2001

IT specialists available by hour

LINC Media Inc., a Tokyo-based firm that provides information technology-related services, has launched a new service to dispatch bilingual engineers on hourly contracts, company officials said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Aug 15, 2001

Bond investment trusts avoid mire

The balance of net assets in bond investment trusts, excluding money management funds, hit a record high for a fourth month in July.
CULTURE / Art
Aug 15, 2001

A 'subversive' finally brought in from the cold

In 1953, Kansuke Yamamoto wrote: "The surreal exists within the real. Tireless experimentation with new photography leads to the creation of a new beauty."
JAPAN
Aug 15, 2001

Teachers lash out at new text selection procedures

The selection period for textbooks to be used starting in April in elementary and junior high schools across Japan draws to a close today, but the past months saw the selection procedure draw fire along with some of the texts on view.
BUSINESS
Aug 15, 2001

Industrial output fell 0.8% in June

Japan's industrial production fell a seasonally adjusted 0.8 percent in June from the previous month, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said Tuesday, revising the figure downward from an initially reported 0.7 percent fall.
JAPAN
Aug 15, 2001

Japan tells Israeli envoy of concern

A Foreign Ministry official on Tuesday expressed concern to the Israeli ambassador in Tokyo over Israel's seizure of the Palestinians' unofficial headquarters in East Jerusalem in retaliation against terrorist activities, ministry sources said.
BASEBALL / MLB
Aug 15, 2001

Lowly Fighters clobber first-place Buffs

Yukio Tanaka and Michihiro Ogasawara hit two homers as the cellar-dwelling Nippon Ham Fighters routed PL leader Kintetsu Buffaloes 17-3 at the Tokyo Dome on Tuesday. The Fighters racked up 15 hits, six of which were home runs, and extended their win streak to five.
CULTURE / Film
Aug 15, 2001

The life sucked out of a film classic

Shadow of the Vampire Rating: * * * Director: E. Elias Merhige Running time: 93 minutes Language: English Now showing High-concept filmmaking goes indie? That certainly seems to be the case with "Shadow of the Vampire." An indie flick with a high-profile cast -- John Malkovich and Willem Dafoe...

Longform

After the asset-price bubble crash of the early 1990s, employment at a Japanese company was no longer necessarily for life. As a result, a new generation is less willing to endure a toxic work culture —life’s too short, after all.
How Japan's youth are slowly changing the country's work ethic