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CULTURE / Art
Jun 11, 2000

The oldest gold in the Andes

The Andes are probably the only place in the world where a great civilization rose and flourished without ever developing a written method of record keeping. Though it stretched over 2,500 km, and involved elaborate economic and cultural exchanges between the coastal lowlands and the mountain heights,...
LIFE / Travel
Jun 11, 2000

A journey to golf's front line

PYONGYANG -- I don't know who was more surprised, the caddie, the minder or myself. It was a pretty average tee shot, but a ricochet of applause had startled the birds from the trees. We were not alone after all. Waiting for us over the hill were dozens of Young Pioneers, beaming, red-scarved children,...
JAPAN
Jun 11, 2000

Policy forum links politicians, public

OSAKA — Candidates who intend to run from the Osaka No. 9 constituency in the June 25 general election spoke before 280 people at a "kokai toron kai" policy forum held recently in Ibaraki Ward.
EDITORIALS
Jun 10, 2000

ABCs of the Microsoft decision

U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson delivered his long-anticipated ruling in the Microsoft antitrust suit earlier this week. To no one's surprise, he ordered that the software giant be split in two. Microsoft will now appeal. The case is likely to take a special "fast track" to the U.S....
BUSINESS
Jun 10, 2000

Four firms eye Daiichi Mutual's policies

Four companies have expressed interest in taking over the existing insurance contracts of Daiichi Mutual Fire & Marine Insurance Co., which collapsed last month, industry sources said Friday.
JAPAN
Jun 10, 2000

Report cites need for tech knowledge

Japanese people should gain more knowledge about science and technology and actively participate in the decision-making process about related issues, the government said in an annual report released Friday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Jun 10, 2000

May hit with 10-day suspension

Yomiuri Giants pitcher Darrell May was fined and suspended by the Central League on Thursday after throwing at the head of Hanshin pinch-hitter Yutaka Wada in Wednesday's 6-1 win over the Tigers.
BUSINESS
Jun 10, 2000

BNP Paribas unit punished for loss-hiding

The Financial Supervisory Agency slapped a range of punitive measures Friday on the securities unit of BNP Paribas, a large French bank, for helping three of its Japanese corporate clients hide latent losses on derivatives products it sold them, the FSA said.
BUSINESS
Jun 10, 2000

Sakura to purchase Minato Bank in 'friendly takeover'

Sakura Bank said Friday that it will acquire a controlling stake in Minato Bank, a second-tier Kobe-based regional bank -- the first takeover bid in the Japanese banking sector.
BUSINESS
Jun 10, 2000

Keidanren urges structural reform

Takashi Imai, chairman of the Federation of Economic Organizations (Keidanren), called on the government Friday to implement structural reforms to achieve sustainable economic recovery.
JAPAN
Jun 10, 2000

Pakistan urges Japan to lift nuclear sanctions

Shafi Niaz, a senior member of the Pakistani National Security Council, urged Japan on Friday to lift sanctions against his country, saying it is abiding by a unilateral moratorium on nuclear tests, a Japanese official said.
JAPAN
Jun 10, 2000

LDP-led bloc the only way, Nonaka says

A coalition government led by the Liberal Democratic Party represents the only viable choice when voters go to the polls June 25, according to the party's No. 2 man.
JAPAN
Jun 10, 2000

Products of nation's inmates up for sale

Items made by inmates at the nation's prisons and correctional facilities went on sale Friday at Tokyo's Science and Technology Museum to promote understanding of such institutions.
JAPAN
Jun 10, 2000

Coalition leaders place emphasis on solidarity

The leaders of the three ruling coalition parties met Friday and confirmed their solidarity in the hope that it will lead them to victory in the June 25 general election.
BUSINESS
Jun 10, 2000

New firms on Nasdaq Japan market

OSAKA -- The Osaka Securities Exchange on Friday approved the listing of three companies on the Nasdaq Japan market, bringing the number of listed firms to eight, exchange officials said.
BUSINESS
Jun 10, 2000

Belief in land as ideal asset is fading fast

"Landholding is everything," the popular credo espoused by many Japanese firms, is losing its appeal as the business world shifts its attention to real earnings rather than latent real-estate profits, according to a fiscal 1999 government white paper on land released Friday.
BUSINESS
Jun 10, 2000

TSE will offer online data at cost

The Tokyo Stock Exchange plans to refund the difference between the fees it charges brokerages for real-time market data for their Internet-based clients and the cost of running the system, commencing this fiscal year, TSE officials said Friday.
BUSINESS
Jun 10, 2000

0.5% '99 growth first rise atop minus line in two years

The economy grew 0.5 percent in fiscal 1999 from the year before, recovering from negative growth logged for the preceding two years but slightly falling short of the government target of 0.6 percent growth for fiscal 1999, the Economic Planning Agency said Friday.
JAPAN
Jun 10, 2000

EBC chair urges politicians to work for deregulation

Foreign businesses in Japan expect political leaders to facilitate fair competition by promoting further deregulation and harmonizing Japanese standards with global rules, said Isabelle Hupperts, chairwoman of the European Business Community.
JAPAN
Jun 10, 2000

Solomons travel advisory raised to 4

The Foreign Ministry upgraded its travel warning Friday for the Solomon Islands, urging Japanese people to leave Guadalcanal and postpone visits to other parts of the islands.
CULTURE / Art / CERAMIC SCENE
Jun 10, 2000

The pure and silent voices of Shino

Shino pottery, so pure and calm, has since its birth in the late 16th century tugged at the heartstrings of the Japanese. A Shino chawan (tea bowl) figured prominently in Yasunari Kawabata's masterpiece novel, "A Thousand Cranes." There is a divine presence in the best of Shino wares. When one gazes...
JAPAN
Jun 10, 2000

Japan to register expo bid in August

Japan will register its bid to host the 2005 World Exposition in Aichi Prefecture with an international expo body by late August, International Trade and Industry Minister Takashi Fukaya said Friday.
JAPAN
Jun 10, 2000

Wind storm hurts 17 in Kanto, Tokai

Strong winds brought on by a low pressure system hovering over Japan hit the nation's eastern and central regions Friday, injuring 17 people and disrupting transportation services in the Kanto and Tokai regions, officials said.
CULTURE / Music
Jun 10, 2000

A thick Kyoto sound, with all the right elements

"Thick," "intense," "heavy." These are the words people use to describe the new "Kyoto sound." The Kyoto band Elements is at the forefront of this movement, shown by the sellout sales of their latest recording, "Singular Sky," upon its release last month.
JAPAN
Jun 10, 2000

Mori unveils IT aid plan to visiting ASEAN leaders

Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori has unveiled a new assistance program to promote the use of information technology in Southeast Asia as part of Japan's efforts to focus on the IT issue at the Okinawa Group of Eight summit, a Foreign Ministry official said.

Longform

Dangami House is a 180-year-old former samurai residence of the Kato clan, who ruled over Ozu, Ehime Prefecture, until the Meiji Restoration.
A house, a legacy and the quiet work of restoration in rural Japan