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EDITORIALS
Mar 9, 2001

Wary in Washington

South Korean President Kim Dae Jung is in Washington this week to coordinate his views with those of U.S. President George W. Bush. There is concern in Seoul that the new administration is not as firmly behind Mr. Kim as was President Bill Clinton. Initial reports from their meetings suggest the fears...
CULTURE / Film
Mar 9, 2001

Dirty, rotten, brilliant scoundrel

Woody Allen's films tend to be best when he manages to get beyond himself, which isn't often these days. But if there's one thing Woody loves more than a part in which he lands a younger leading lady, it's jazz. "Sweet and Lowdown," Allen's latest film, is a semifictional paean to guitarist Emmet Ray,...
BUSINESS
Mar 9, 2001

Japan reconsiders huge aid to China

Japan will no longer be as generous with its official development assistance to China because of its austere budget, according to a draft policy paper revealed to The Japan Times on Thursday.
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 9, 2001

Show me what you've got!

I'd like to greet all the players in the J. League and look forward to seeing the joy of football in Japan this year. I'd specifically like to welcome the new foreign players. My message to you, as well as to the Japanese players, is simply play your best, play football.
BUSINESS
Mar 9, 2001

Banker calls for writing off loans

Kiichiro Furusawa, chairman of the Trust Companies Association of Japan, on Thursday urged banks to promote writeoffs of problem loans even if it means falling into the red.
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 9, 2001

Big changes in Urawa as Reds aim to stay in top flight

After spending a year in Division Two, the Urawa Reds will make their comeback to the J. League's top flight when the 2001 season gets under way on Saturday.
JAPAN
Mar 9, 2001

Japan, U.S. to discuss handing over of suspects

Japan and the United States agreed Thursday to start discussions on revising the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement to facilitate the handover to Japanese law-enforcement authorities of U.S. service personnel suspected of committing crimes once arrest warrants are issued, officials close to the meeting...
BUSINESS
Mar 9, 2001

Yen's fate rests with government policy

As far as underlying economic fundamentals are concerned, the euro now appears to be in better shape than the dollar and the yen.
BUSINESS
Mar 9, 2001

Average household expenditures drop 0.5% in January

Average household spending fell a real 0.5 percent in January from a year earlier to 307,952 yen following a 2.1 percent gain in December, the government says in a preliminary report released Thursday.
BUSINESS
Mar 9, 2001

Strapped builder Kumagai Gumi to issue shares

Struggling contractor Kumagai Gumi Co. said Thursday that it will issue new shares worth 20 billion yen to 13 financial institutions and one of its affiliates to help replenish its depleted capital base.
BUSINESS
Mar 9, 2001

Volvo truck tieup remains: MMC

Struggling carmaker Mitsubishi Motors Corp. on Thursday denied a report that it is in talks with Swedish truck maker AB Volvo to end their tieup in the truck business.
JAPAN
Mar 9, 2001

Japan's history again haunts future relations

The ongoing controversy between Japan and South Korea over a new textbook for Japanese junior high schools has taken a toll on the bilateral diplomatic calendar.
COMMENTARY
Mar 9, 2001

The LDP just doesn't get it

Japanese politics is in a state of dysfunction. Symbolic of the problem is the fact that even though Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori's Cabinet survived an opposition-sponsored no-confidence motion, there are moves in the governing Liberal Democratic Party to unseat him.
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 9, 2001

Bad days are over, but J. League must change with the times

When the J. League was launched on May 13, 1993, it had 10 teams in a single-division format. Since then, the league has grown and now consists of 28 teams in two divisions.
JAPAN / STAGING A COMEBACK
Mar 9, 2001

Lifetime employment myth fades amid jobless realities

At the age of 40, Yoshiro Kamimura worked in sales at a chemical company, with a wife and two preschool children to support.
BUSINESS
Mar 9, 2001

LDP lawmakers appear set to block key NTT reforms

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Thursday blasted proposed changes to the telecom law, claiming they would undermine Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp.'s international competitiveness, LDP officials said.
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 9, 2001

J. League bets on Toto

This year, Japanese soccer fans (and others) can take part in "Toto," the nation's first soccer "lottery," which, effectively, is a form of betting on J. League games.
JAPAN
Mar 9, 2001

Trackside rites mark '00 subway crash

Memorial services were held Thursday morning near Nakameguro Station on the Hibiya subway line in Tokyo's Meguro Ward to mark the first anniversary of a train derailment and collision that claimed five lives and left 64 passengers injured.
JAPAN
Mar 9, 2001

Climber returns to Mount Everest to clear up Asian alpinists' garbage

Ken Noguchi, who in 1999 became the youngest person to climb the highest peaks on the world's seven continents, is returning to the last mountain he conquered -- Mount Everest.
JAPAN
Mar 9, 2001

Fifth suspect held for harboring Red Army chief

OSAKA -- A man in the city of Ashiya, Hyogo Prefecture, was arrested Thursday on suspicion of harboring Fusako Shigenobu, founder of the Japanese Red Army terrorist group, investigative sources said.
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 9, 2001

A big year for the J. League

Japanese soccer made a significant step last year with victory in the Asian Cup. For me, it was like the halfway point to the World Cup and it really represented a victory for the J. League clubs and the work they have put in.
JAPAN
Mar 9, 2001

Obituary: Shigejiro Tabata

Shigejiro Tabata, an authority on international public law, died Thursday of a heart attack at a Kyoto hospital, his family said. He was 89.
JAPAN
Mar 9, 2001

Mori pledges more aid to Micronesia

Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori on Thursday promised Micronesian President Leo Falcam that Japan will continue to provide economic and technical support to the western Pacific nation, a Japanese government official said.
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 9, 2001

They might be giants -- or 10 players who should be

Still don't know who's got what to offer in the J. League? Here's a quick guide to some of the players who should pique your interest in the coming season.

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