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JAPAN
Mar 25, 2001

Japanese doctor confirms Afghanistan statues destroyed

A Japanese doctor living in Pakistan said Saturday he has confirmed that the two world-famous Buddha statues in Bamyan have been destroyed by the country's Taliban authorities.
EDITORIALS
Mar 24, 2001

Direct elections are not the cure

The view that the prime minister should be elected by popular vote is gaining ground. Ironically, it is Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori himself -- one of the most unpopular prime ministers in memory -- that is contributing to this groundswell of opinion. It is not just ordinary citizens, academics and business...
COMMENTARY
Mar 24, 2001

Let the deal-making begin

Japanese politics is in a bizarre state of limbo. Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori on March 10 expressed his apparent intention to resign, when he said the governing Liberal Democratic Party's presidential election should be advanced from September, when they are originally scheduled. No date so far has been...
JAPAN
Mar 24, 2001

LDP panel pushes for collective defense

A panel of the Liberal Democratic Party called Friday for a change in government's interpretation of the Constitution so that Japan can engage in collective defense to reinforce its alliance with the United States in the Asia-Pacific region.
JAPAN
Mar 24, 2001

EU imports of mutton, pork banned

Japan decided Friday to ban all imports of pork and mutton, in addition to their processed products, from countries within the European Union, following reports that foot-and-mouth disease is spreading in the area, farm ministry officials said. The import ban will be effective beginning today.
JAPAN
Mar 24, 2001

Help on way for parents who might abuse kids

The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry has allocated funds to station psychiatrists at 114 child-counseling centers nationwide to help parents who may be at risk of committing child abuse.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 24, 2001

NATO's weakness threatens Macedonia

LONDON -- Ethnic peace has withstood an entire week of shooting around the Macedonian city of Tetovo, despite the efforts of ethnic Albanian guerrillas based in neighboring Kosovo to topple the small Balkan republic into civil war. Another week of fighting would probably do the trick, however -- so it...
BUSINESS
Mar 24, 2001

S&P urges Japanese banks to tackle bad-loan issue fully

Japanese banks should base their lending decisions on sound business principles in order to solve their bad-loan problems, Standard & Poor's Corp., a U.S.-based credit rating firm, said in a report released Friday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Mar 24, 2001

Giants' S. Korean hurler sidelined

South Korean right-hander Chung Min Tae will miss the opening of the season with the Yomiuri Giants next week because of an injury to his left leg, officials of the Central League club said Friday. Chung injured the achilles tendon in his left ankle Thursday covering first base in an exhibition game...
CULTURE / Film
Mar 24, 2001

Ritchie's rogues return

"Snatch" is more than a movie: It's a bubbling, babbling comic strip on wheels. Not fitting into the usual British movie mold -- it's neither a Merchant-Ivory rendition of upper-crust angst, nor a working-class saga passed on by Ken Loach -- "Snatch" is in a genre by itself, showcasing a crack ensemble...
BUSINESS
Mar 24, 2001

LDP execs call for tax panel to meet

In an attempt to accelerate efforts by the government and the ruling coalition parties to draw up specific proposals for an emergency economic package, two top policymakers of the Liberal Democratic Party agreed Friday to call a meeting of the party's tax panel in early April.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 24, 2001

Detours on Pakistan's road to democracy

ISLAMABAD -- Leaders of some of Pakistan's opposition parties took no time in boycotting a live broadcast on national television this week upon news of a crackdown on prodemocracy activists.
BUSINESS
Mar 24, 2001

Yatsu urges temporary curb on China's vegetable imports

The government should temporarily curb soaring farm product imports from China before it concludes a survey of their impact on the domestic market, Agricultural, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Yoshio Yatsu said Friday.
JAPAN
Mar 24, 2001

Diet chamber no place to check cellphone mail

Directors from a House of Representatives panel on Friday urged lawmakers to refrain from e-mailing on their cellular phones while the chamber is in session, panel members said.
BUSINESS
Mar 24, 2001

Contractor applies for court protection

Fujiko Co. applied to the Tokyo District Court on Friday for protection from creditors under the fast-track corporate rehabilitation law, the midsize Japanese contractor said.
BUSINESS
Mar 24, 2001

BOJ heavily favored discount rate cut

The Bank of Japan's policy-setting panel voted 8-1 to cut its official discount rate to 0.35 percent from 0.5 percent at its Feb. 9 meeting amid concern over the future of the Japanese economy, according to the minutes of the meeting released Friday.
JAPAN
Mar 24, 2001

Hawaiians slam JAL-funded resort

A group of native Hawaiians visiting Tokyo asked Japan Airlines on Friday to cease funding a golf resort being built on their ancestral burial grounds in South Kona, Hawaii.
BUSINESS
Mar 24, 2001

JAMA still uncertain of GM entry

Hiroshi Okuda, chairman of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, said Friday the group has yet to decide on whether to accept the proposal of American automaker General Motors Corp. to become a member.
COMMENTARY
Mar 24, 2001

The long view on the Kurils

Can Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori stage a political comeback via his March 25 talks in Irkutsk with Russian President Vladimir Putin? Aides have hinted that he favors the "two-island" compromise solution to Japan's long-festering dispute with Russia over ownership of the so-called Northern Territories....
JAPAN
Mar 24, 2001

Convicted youths to finish schooling

Children aged 14 and 15 sentenced to jail terms under the revised Juvenile Law will be able to complete their compulsory education before starting their sentences, the Justice Ministry said Friday.
BUSINESS
Mar 24, 2001

Asahi Bank faces 10 billion yen loss

Asahi Bank announced Friday that its efforts to write off 50 percent more of its nonperforming loans than initially targeted will result in a consolidated net loss of 10 billion yen for the business year ending March 31.
JAPAN
Mar 24, 2001

Japanese bankers jump ship for foreign investment firms

Last year, a steady stream of executives, traders and analysts poured out of Japan's banking system to join foreign investment banks.
JAPAN
Mar 24, 2001

Mori-Putin summit expectations low

After failing to meet the end-of-2000 target for resolving a territorial dispute and signing a peace treaty, Japan and Russia will hold their first summit this year in Russia's Irkutsk on Sunday, during which Japan hopes to set a future direction for resolving the decades-old row.
JAPAN
Mar 24, 2001

Japanese shortwave services fading out in cyberspace age

For Michiteru Takagi, 76, Sunday will signal the end of a daily ritual he has practiced for 42 years.
BUSINESS
Mar 24, 2001

Sharp adopts Java for PDA series

Sharp Corp. said Friday it has adopted the Java programming language for its personal digital assistants, mobile phones and other electronics gadgets with telecommunications functions.
CULTURE / Art
Mar 24, 2001

Ukiyo-e reflects turn of century mood changes across Japan

The Meiji Era is considered to mark one of the low points of ukiyo-e, Japan's distinctive art of woodblock prints. This, however, is not apparent from the current exhibition at the Ota Memorial Museum.
JAPAN
Mar 24, 2001

Owing 980 billion yen, Tokyo Mutual fails

In the insurance industry's fifth failure in fiscal 2000, midtier insurer Tokyo Mutual Life Insurance Co. filed for court protection from its creditors Friday after it was denied capital assistance from its main bank, Daiwa Bank.

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