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COMMENTARY
Apr 22, 2002

Role remains for British royalty

LONDON -- On March 31, the Saturday before Easter Sunday, Elizabeth, the queen mother, passed away peacefully at the age of 101.
BUSINESS
Apr 22, 2002

Japan's deflation a puzzling issue for Europeans

BRUSSELS -- Viewed from Europe, there are some signs that the Japanese economy might be starting to emerge from its 10-year slumber, but it remains essential that Tokyo focus on far-reaching structural reforms and antideflation measures rather than short-term policy lurches if the economy is to avoid...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 22, 2002

Nutritional company targets a 'priceless' market

Nature's Sunshine Products, the Utah-based company that revolutionized the nutritional supplement industry, this month celebrated its 30th anniversary with a convention in Fukuoka that brought together top executives and its Japanese "family."
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 21, 2002

Koizumi trade pitch misses

CAMBRIDGE, England -- At the Baoa Forum for Asia that met on Hainan Island in China earlier this month, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi made yet another proposal for a greater economic cooperation agreement for East Asia. This time Japan's focus is on an ASEAN-plus-five formula, as announced...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Apr 21, 2002

A force to be reckoned with

THE JAPANESE POLICE SYSTEM TODAY: A COMPARATIVE STUDY by L. Craig Parker, Jr.. London: M.E.Sharpe, 2001. 266 pp., $22.95 (paper) The Japanese police system has come under increasing pressure in recent years. Crimes have become more horrific, and the high level of professionalism generally ascribed to...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Apr 21, 2002

Peak attraction

When the cherry trees in the highlands of Nagano Prefecture start blooming, Hajimu Miyamoto of the Azumi Village tourist association begins to feel excited -- and a little nervous.
SOCCER / World cup
Apr 20, 2002

JFA sets bonuses for World Cup wins

Each of Japan's World Cup players will pocket a tournament bonus of 5 million yen if they get through the first round and 30 million yen if they win the quadrennial tournament, the Japan Football Association confirmed Thursday in Tokyo.
COMMENTARY
Apr 20, 2002

Comedy on the heels of traged

As the saying goes, "tragedy at first, followed by comedy." Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's dismissal of Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka on Jan. 29 was a tragic event in the political world. The collapse of the Koizumi-Tanaka team, at the forefront of the government that emerged in April 2001 to tremendous...
JAPAN / KANSAI BEAT
Apr 20, 2002

NGOs target immigration center

OSAKA -- Amid concerns over allegations of human rights abuses at the West Japan Immigration Detention Center in Ibaraki, Osaka Prefecture, local nongovernmental organizations will form an immigration watchdog group later this month.
COMMENTARY
Apr 19, 2002

West's terror goes unpunished

Call me old-fashioned, but was not the deliberate use of force by one nation against another nation once labeled as aggression? And was not aggression once seen as a war crime? Certainly a large number of Japanese and German leaders once were hanged for just that kind of behavior. Yet today's U.S. and...
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Apr 18, 2002

The invasion and colonization of Europe

Cooperation is the key to the evolution of life, even though natural selection favors genetic selfishness. Since all complex life, whether it's a tree or a whale, reproduces through sex, genes have only a 50 percent chance of getting into an egg or a sperm. This means that even genes have to cooperate,...
BUSINESS
Apr 17, 2002

BOJ voted 8-1 in favor of liquidity drive

The Bank of Japan Policy Board in February voted 8-1 to boost liquidity in the banking system by increasing the central bank's outright purchases of government bonds, according to minutes released Tuesday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 17, 2002

All we know of heaven and need of hell

There may indeed be "more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of" in human philosophy, as Hamlet told faithful Horatio, but when it comes to hell, the human imagination needs little prompting. From Dante Alighieri's "Divine Comedy" to the Bible itself, hell and its tempting concomitant, sin, have...
BUSINESS
Apr 17, 2002

Forum to tackle product piracy

A group of companies and industry associations set up Tuesday a forum to tackle what they see as increasing overseas infringement of intellectual property rights, especially in Asia.
BUSINESS
Apr 17, 2002

Japan faces tough sell at G7

Japan is expected to re-emphasize its resolve to achieve structural reforms aimed at revitalizing its economy when finance ministers and central bank governors from the Group of Seven major economic powers gather this week in Washington.
BUSINESS
Apr 17, 2002

Japan will fight U.S. curbs with EU: Hiranuma

Trade minister Takeo Hiranuma has reconfirmed that he will make joint efforts with the European Union to fight U.S. import curbs on steel products, a ministry official said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Apr 16, 2002

Ex-Daiwa Toshi president denies 2.9 billion yen scam

OSAKA -- Former Daiwa Toshi Kanzai President Hiroshi Toyonaga pleaded not guilty Monday to defrauding clients out of 2.9 billion yen through sales of securities by the failed mortgage-backed securities broker that were later found to be worthless.
JAPAN
Apr 16, 2002

Tokyo-Seoul history panel holds first meeting

A Japan-South Korea panel tasked with selecting members for and supporting the activities of a planned joint history research committee held its first meeting Monday afternoon in Tokyo.
BUSINESS
Apr 16, 2002

Australia seeking to boost economic ties with Japan

Australian Trade Minister Mark Vaile on Monday said he is seeking an expanded economic relationship that would activate economic interactions between Japan and Australia, a Foreign Ministry official in Tokyo said.
BUSINESS / ANALYSIS
Apr 16, 2002

Economic panel wants to go its own way on FTAs, farm trade

In a rather belated move aimed at giving the languishing Japanese economy a badly needed shot in the arm, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's key economic panel has put yet another sacred cow on its reform agenda: agriculture.
JAPAN
Apr 16, 2002

Yohei Kono readied to receive son's liver

Former Foreign Minister Yohei Kono, who is suffering from hepatitis C, may undergo a transplant operation Tuesday in which he will receive part of his son's liver, hospital sources said Monday.
BUSINESS
Apr 16, 2002

Debate brews over easing trade with poor countries

A tug-of-war is brewing behind the scenes within the government over whether Japan should do more to help the world's poorest countries by granting their products, especially seafood, greater access to its lucrative market.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 14, 2002

Britain and the euro: victory for the brave

BRUSSELS -- The introduction of the euro in 12 of the 15 member states of the European Union has been an unqualified success. The changeover had none of the hitches and glitches that many -- including myself -- thought would mar its early days.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / JAZZNICITY
Apr 14, 2002

Bigger, fresher, louder

In the last Jazznicity column, I focused on meat-and-potatoes big bands in Tokyo. But in addition to those bands that work directly in the jazz tradition, there are many others seeking to extend its range of possibilities.

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