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EDITORIALS
Feb 6, 2002

The only viable choice

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's policy speech to the Diet on Monday could not have come at a worse time. The week before, he had invited public anger by firing Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka, the most popular member of his Cabinet and the staunchest supporter of his reform plans. It was an "agonizing...
JAPAN
Feb 6, 2002

Ibaraki mayor arrested, suspected of bid-rigging

Public prosecutors Tuesday arrested the mayor of Shimotsuma, Ibaraki Prefecture, on suspicion of obstructing a public works tender by leaking information concerning a bid won by Toda Corp.
Japan Times
Events
Feb 5, 2002

Schoolgirls' soccer project exemplifies NPO's work

KOBE -- Three 12-year-old girls in Nagata Ward here are videotaping their classmates' soccer practice on the playground of their elementary school.
JAPAN
Feb 4, 2002

Seoul to request Crown Prince open World Cup soccer finals

South Korea plans to unofficially ask Japan about the possibility of Crown Prince Naruhito attending the opening ceremony of the World Cup soccer finals on May 31 in Seoul, a source close to bilateral relations said Sunday.
COMMUNITY
Feb 3, 2002

Sake brewed with a feminine touch

SHIBATA, Niigata Pref. -- Orderly chaos might be a good way to describe the Ichishima Sake Brewery on this bone-chilling January morning.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Feb 3, 2002

It's not just who's cast but how they're cast out

A nother milestone in Japan-Korea cultural relations is achieved with the two-part drama special "Friends" (TBS, Monday and Tuesday, 9 p.m.). Japanese idol Kyoko Fukada and Korean heartthrob Wonbin portray a couple who meet in Hong Kong and then strike up a cross-Japan Sea e-mail exchange that turns...
SOCCER / J. League
Feb 2, 2002

Antlers, FC Tokyo to kick off season

J. League champions the Kashima Antlers will visit FC Tokyo at Tokyo Stadium on Saturday March 2 to kick off the 2002 J. League season, the league announced Thursday.
JAPAN
Feb 2, 2002

Nago mayor race seen as base litmus test

Many in Tokyo and Washington will be keeping a close eye on a mayoral election Sunday in Okinawa that is likely to affect a matter of long-standing concern between the two governments.
JAPAN
Feb 1, 2002

Ogata gets government call

The government hopes Sadako Ogata, former United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, will become the new foreign minister, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda indicated Thursday, adding that the post Makiko Tanaka was fired from should be filled by today.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Jan 31, 2002

Taking a look at animals' 'me' and 'you'

We take for granted our ability to easily recognize the people we interact with regularly. We also take it as a given that we can distinguish between the many thousands of other people we meet superficially during our lives, perhaps never learning who they are, yet knowing each one of them as a different...
JAPAN
Jan 30, 2002

Snow Brand admits units in Kanto also in on scams

Snow Brand Food Co. acknowledged Tuesday that two of its Kanto-based meat units also misstated imported beef as domestic meat in early November in an attempt to reduce inventories and win government subsidies related to the outbreak of mad cow disease in mid-September.
JAPAN
Jan 30, 2002

Fresh warrants issued in bid-rigging case

Prosecutors on Tuesday served fresh warrants to the mayor of Ishioka, Ibaraki Prefecture, a former aide to a lawmaker and two others over a 2 million yen bribe in connection with alleged bid-rigging.
JAPAN
Jan 30, 2002

Life term upheld in '95 sarin attack

The Tokyo High Court on Tuesday upheld a life sentence handed down in 1999 to an Aum Shinrikyo defendant for his involvement in the 1995 gas attack on the Tokyo subway system.
COMMENTARY
Jan 28, 2002

Congress should do more than just spend

WASHINGTON -- With Congress back in session, economics is likely to come to the fore in Washington. President George W. Bush may be winning the war on terrorism, but congressional Democrats think they can recoup by blaming him for losing the surplus. This party of big spenders is ill-equipped to take...
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
Jan 28, 2002

The plastic nature of historic judgment

NEW YORK -- There is something mesmerizing about America's fascination with its own people of prominence, especially presidents. There is an endless stream of biographies, and some become immensely popular.
JAPAN
Jan 28, 2002

Mail order firm suspected of failing to repay members

Members of a Tokyo-based mail order firm have accused it of failing to refund their investments, industry sources said Sunday.
COMMENTARY
Jan 28, 2002

Toughen the antigraft law

"The establishment of political ethics is fundamental to parliamentary politics," states the code of political ethics approved by the Diet in 1985. "We must conduct ourselves with integrity and strive to eradicate political corruption."
CULTURE / Music
Jan 27, 2002

Merchant's rich harvest

When Natalie Merchant was a member of 10,000 Maniacs, the seminal '80s folk-rock group, her songs betrayed a liberal social consciousness. In contrast, her 1995 solo debut, "Tigerlily," was willfully insular: a song cycle of love-gone-bad and a glum, some might say pissed-off, cover portrait. Characterized...
BUSINESS
Jan 26, 2002

Business leaders push for free-trade pact

Japanese and South Korean Business leaders agreed Friday that the two countries should sign a bilateral free-trade agreement at an early date, providing impetus for both governments to launch a full study on the issue.
EDITORIALS
Jan 25, 2002

Ms. Macapagal Arroyo's gamble

The second front on the war against terrorism is opening up. The United States has dispatched military advisers to the Philippines to assist that country's armed forces as they fight a Muslim extremist group that is alleged to have ties to al-Qaeda. While the move was expected, it is not without risks....
BUSINESS
Jan 25, 2002

Supermarket sales sank 5% last year

Supermarket sales fell for the fifth straight year in 2001, reflecting depressed consumer spending, an industry association said Thursday.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 25, 2002

Daring assault in Calcutta hijacks peace moves

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's landmark pledge on television two weeks ago to crack down on religious extremist groups appears to have been hijacked by terrorists.
JAPAN
Jan 24, 2002

Site sought for fusion project

The government is expected to soon announce its candidacy to host an international nuclear fusion project, despite the concerns of citizens, lawmakers and scientists about its safety and feasibility.

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