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EDITORIALS
Apr 18, 2001

Mr. Mori's year in review

A new prime minister of Japan will take office later this month, following the election of a new Liberal Democratic Party president next Tuesday. It does not matter that Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori has not yet publicly announced his resignation. His exit has been a foregone conclusion for some time....
JAPAN
Apr 18, 2001

Isahaya gates to remain shut

An advisory panel to the agriculture minister on Tuesday took action that will delay by at least one year any reopening of a large part of Isahaya Bay in Nagasaki Prefecture to the Ariake Sea.
BUSINESS
Apr 18, 2001

Angel firm to invest in university-bred ventures

A group of experts headed by Keio University professor Takatoshi Matsumoto has established an investment firm for information technology ventures set up by college professors and students.
CULTURE / Film
Apr 18, 2001

That's, like, what living is like, in'it?

Ratcatcher Purely Belter Rating: * * * * 1/2 Japanese title: Boku to Sora to Mugibatake Director: Lynne Ramsay Running time: 93 min. Language: English Now showing Rating: * * * * Director: Mark Herman Running time: 99 min. Language: English Opens April 28 So often, children in British cinema are...
JAPAN
Apr 18, 2001

Ohta touts Osaka as movie capital

OSAKA -- Osaka Gov. Fusae Ohta voiced her support on Tuesday for plans to encourage moviemakers to shoot their films in the western Japan prefecture.
JAPAN
Apr 18, 2001

Tanaka's no-dam stand finds locals split

Staff writer SHIMOSUWA, Nagano Pref. -- It began raining heavily around 1 p.m. on Jun. 29, 1999. Startled by a strange sound from a nearby river, Koichi Kato approached the bank to see a dirty torrent swelling up to only 30 cm below the edge of the embankment.
COMMENTARY
Apr 18, 2001

The crew's home; now what?

HONOLULU -- The release of the crew of the American EP-3E reconnaissance plane from Chinese "protective custody" may have defused the crisis but hardly represents the end of this affair. Meetings are now under way between U.S. and Chinese officials to deal with the aftereffects. While both sides agree...
JAPAN
Apr 18, 2001

Japan to lobby U.S. at green talks

Members of Japan's delegation heading to New York on Thursday for closed-door climate change talks said Tuesday that they will continue to urge the United States back to the Kyoto Protocol negotiating table.
JAPAN
Apr 18, 2001

1,900 join spring bash with Imperial Couple

About 1,900 people, including Olympic judo gold medalist Ryoko Tamura and Nobel Prize winner Hideki Shirakawa, on Tuesday attended a spring garden party hosted by the Emperor and Empress.
BUSINESS
Apr 18, 2001

Whales consuming five times global fisheries yield: Japan

The Fisheries Ministry defended its "research" whaling in an annual report released Tuesday, countering criticism from the United States and other antiwhaling countries.
JAPAN
Apr 18, 2001

Cabinet imposes emergency curbs, tariffs on Chinese farm imports

The Cabinet decided on Tuesday to impose emergency import curbs on three agricultural products, starting Monday.
COMMENTARY
Apr 18, 2001

Mistaken cures for the Japanese economy

The debate over economic reform in Japan, especially the alleged need to force banks to dispose of bad loans, resembles the story about the hospital patient on life support because of a serious blood-circulation problem. One result of that problem is badly swollen feet. But the doctors can only focus...
JAPAN
Apr 18, 2001

Japan faces dilemma over Kyoto Protocol

Japan should start focusing more diplomatic attention on Russia if it wants to put the Kyoto Protocol climate change agreement into force -- with or without the United States.
BUSINESS
Apr 18, 2001

Stock market incentives won't be considered until May

The Tax Commission, an advisory panel to the prime minister, agreed Tuesday to establish a subcommittee in mid-May to discuss proposed tax revisions that would encourage individuals to invest in the stock market, panel chairman Hiromitsu Ishi said.
CULTURE / Film
Apr 18, 2001

Europe goes Hollywood

Enemy at the Gates Rating: * * * 1/2 Director: Jean-Jacques Annaud Running time: 132 minutes Language: EnglishNow showing You could probably count on one hand the number of European directors with the budgets and grand vision to compete directly with Hollywood films. Somewhere between Luc Besson and...
JAPAN
Apr 18, 2001

Muraoka irked by son's election loss

Liberal Democratic Party bigwig Kanezo Muraoka said Tuesday he offered to resign over his son's defeat in Sunday's gubernatorial race in Akita but was prevented from doing so by party elders. Muraoka heads the LDP's decision-making Executive Council.
BUSINESS
Apr 18, 2001

Ministry to nudge NTT to cut stake in DoCoMo

Telecommunications Minister Toranosuke Katayama said Tuesday he will urge Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. to voluntarily craft and submit a business plan to increase competition among its group firms.
BUSINESS
Apr 18, 2001

LDP leadership shift key to market cheer

The Tokyo stock market is counting on an imminent change in Liberal Democratic Party leadership to provide impetus for a positive tone through this month and beyond.
CULTURE / Film
Apr 18, 2001

Hollywood goes indie . . .

The Mexican Rating: * * Director: Gore Verbinski Running time: 123 minutes Language: EnglishNow showing "Brad, meet Julia." And with that, the makers of "The Mexican" probably sat back smugly and started dreaming of box-office dominance. With casting like that, you could make a film called "Steaming...
BUSINESS
Apr 18, 2001

Venture to create No. 2 wafer maker

Sumitomo Metal Industries Ltd. and Mitsubishi Materials Corp. announced Tuesday they will fully integrate their silicon wafer operations by forming a new joint venture in January.
BUSINESS
Apr 18, 2001

Bad loans are not the problem, says banking bigwig

The head of the Japanese Bankers Association on Tuesday denied international and domestic assertions that banks' bad loans are responsible for the nation's economic woes.
CULTURE / Art
Apr 18, 2001

The pursuit of faith through art

An exhibition of paintings by Japanese-American artist Makoto Fujimura is now on show at Sen Gallery in Tokyo's Setagawa Ward.
CULTURE / Art
Apr 18, 2001

Growing in new directions: Yanobe's star rises again

Just in case you didn't know already: Kenji Yanobe is back.

Longform

A sinkhole in Yashio, which emerged in January, was triggered by a ruptured, aging sewer pipe. Authorities worry that similar sections of infrastructure across the country are also at risk of corrosion.
That sinking feeling: Japan’s aging sewers are an infrastructure time bomb