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JAPAN
Apr 5, 2001

Direct talks open with U.S. over dropping of Kyoto Protocol

Japan on Wednesday began direct communication with the United States over Washington's decision to abandon the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, a treaty aimed at curbing global warming.
JAPAN
Apr 5, 2001

17 billion yen set for Costa Rica electric plant

Japan has pledged up to 16.68 billion yen in loans to Costa Rica to help the country build a hydroelectric power plant 70 km south of San Jose, a Foreign Ministry official said.
CULTURE / Film
Apr 4, 2001

The genius boy in a bubble

My mother used to say that she could read me like a book. A compliment? At the age of 15, I didn't think so -- I didn't want anyone "reading" me, let alone dear old Mom. Worshipping at the altar of cool, I wanted to be an inscrutable, unflappable James Bond, not a hapless innocent walking down the pitiless...
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 4, 2001

The second intifada at a turning point

Over 350 Palestinians dead, Israeli army blockades wherever they turn, growing poverty and nothing to show for it all: Six months into the second intifada, the Palestinian facade of unity is crumbling, and leader Yasser Arafat's authority, never very impressive, is getting weaker by the day.
JAPAN
Apr 3, 2001

Mori, Holkeri agree on U.N. reform

Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori and U.N. General Assembly President Harri Holkeri agreed Monday on the importance of carrying out reforms in the world body, including the Security Council, a Japanese government official said.
JAPAN
Apr 3, 2001

Former acting prime minister cleared

Prosecutors have decided not to indict former Chief Cabinet Secretary Mikio Aoki for allegedly illicitly appointing himself acting prime minister after Keizo Obuchi suffered a stroke last year.
SOCCER / World cup
Apr 3, 2001

FIFA satisfied with Japan venues

FIFA vice president and inspection committee chief Antonio Matarrese on Monday gave good marks to Japanese venues for the 2002 World Cup after visiting six of the 10 venues in a five-day inspection tour.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 2, 2001

End the neglect of mental-health care

World Health Day, April 7, 2001, focuses on an undervalued and often misunderstood aspect of our health -- our mental health. The World Health Organization and its partners in public health are taking steps to change this perception.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 1, 2001

A time of hopeful change in the Philippines

MANILA -- Political life is always exciting in this fascinating country of over 7,000 islands, be it in periods of great upheavals, as with the two famous "EDSA" popular movements or during subsequent periods of transition in search of calm and stability, as at the present moment.
JAPAN
Apr 1, 2001

Expert urges new approach to learning language

When Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the moon in July 1969, Kumiko Torikai was with them every step of the way, repeating their every word. For Japanese around the nation who witnessed the historic event, Torikai was their communication lifeline, the person who relayed...
CULTURE / Music
Apr 1, 2001

Modern gagaku: Experiments with tradition

In the late 1960s, the National Theater of Japan made a decision to commission new music for gagaku (court music) orchestra and changed the destiny of traditional Japanese arts.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Apr 1, 2001

Let us now praise famous men's mothers

It's spring and time for the networks to start rolling out their latest batch of series.
LIFE / Food & Drink / KISSA KULTUR
Apr 1, 2001

Tea fit for royalty glows at L'Epicier

For the last three months, I have been inexplicably drawn to tea shops with yellow color schemes. Is there a magical connection? Maybe only in a subliminal desire for the very best.
BUSINESS
Mar 31, 2001

Ministers urge curbs on Chinese imports

The ministers of agriculture, trade and finance reached a basic agreement Friday on the need to invoke temporary curbs on surging imports from China of stone leeks, fresh shiitake mushrooms and rushes used to weave tatami.
COMMENTARY
Mar 30, 2001

Jockeying to replace Mori

Executives of the governing Liberal Democratic Party have reportedly decided to hold the party's presidential election around April 20, although Prime Minister and LDP President Yoshiro Mori claims he has never expressed his intention to resign. Mori and the LDP are totally irresponsible.
JAPAN
Mar 30, 2001

Obituary: Noboru Kojima

Noboru Kojima, an award-winning author of books on World War II, died of a stroke Tuesday at a hospital in Tokyo's Setagaya Ward, his family said. He was 74.
BUSINESS
Mar 30, 2001

More mobile phones anticipated

Ownership of mobile phones in Japan is expected to rise to around 66.8 percent of the population in fiscal 2004 from 57.1 percent in fiscal 2001, according to a survey released Thursday.
EDITORIALS
Mar 30, 2001

Chiba sends a signal to the parties

Vernacular papers report that the governing Liberal Democratic Party will elect its new party president on April 22. The winner of that vote will become prime minister and will then launch his or her Cabinet on the following day. These reports are attributed to multiple -- but all unidentified -- sources...
JAPAN
Mar 29, 2001

Profit-based nursing-care system under fire from providers

It's almost become routine for Yoshiko Nakamura to wake up at 2 a.m. to a phone call from a desperate elderly person who has no one else to turn to.
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Mar 29, 2001

The ABCs of Japanese sportsu

As I'll be heading back to Canada next month, this will be my last Sports Scope. I thought I'd write some sort of reflection on what covering sports in Japan has meant to me, but all I kept coming up with were buzzwords and catchphrases.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 28, 2001

Cash, traditions standing between elderly and proper care

For 61-year-old Nayako Yamaguchi, taking care of her 66-year-old sister, Etsuko, is a job she does 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
JAPAN
Mar 28, 2001

Japan set to join 'guns for butter' aid program in Cambodia

In a fresh show of solidarity with Europe toward arms control and prevention of regional conflicts, Japan will launch its portion of a unique "guns for butter" joint project in Cambodia next month.
BUSINESS
Mar 27, 2001

Japan stuck between Mori and a hard place on farm trade

If the world's poorest countries harbor high expectations about any fresh trade concessions from industrialized countries at a key international conference in May, Japan will probably turn out to be a real letdown.
BUSINESS
Mar 26, 2001

New global financial products require careful tax treatment

During my time as a Diet member, I often raised the importance of using the Advanced Ruling System.

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