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JAPAN
Jun 6, 2002

Japan sends Kyoto papers to U.N.

The Japanese government on Wednesday submitted ratification documents to the United Nations for the 1997 Kyoto Protocol on global warming, government officials said.
JAPAN
Jun 5, 2002

Japan officially ratifies Kyoto climate protocol

Japan ratified the Kyoto Protocol on Tuesday, officially committing to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, nearly 4 1/2 years after the pact was inked.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 4, 2002

Activists put themselves in firing line

It was April 1, and Aisa Kiyosue and nearly 100 other activists from around the world were marching toward the Dehesha refugee camp in Beit Jala, northern Bethlehem, in an attempt to block it from an anticipated attack by the Israeli Army. They were in high spirits, clapping and singing songs of protest,...
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 4, 2002

Brazilians battle back to beat Turkey

ULSAN, South Korea -- Four-time champion Brazil, which staggered through its World Cup qualification matches for South America, made heavy weather of a hustling Turkey team Monday night before winning 2-1, causing coach Luiz Felipe Scolari to exhort his players to keep it simple.
JAPAN
Jun 3, 2002

11th-hour reversal on online ticket sales has Cup fans' heads spinning

The Japan World Cup Organizing Committee reversed its policy Sunday and sold tickets online for the day's match between England and Sweden, some said adding to the confusion and frustration over ticket distribution for World Cup soccer finals.
BUSINESS
Jun 3, 2002

Will next-generation autos be in time to save Earth?

U.S. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham said that today 700 million cars navigate the industrialized world. He projected there will be 3.5 billion cars in 50 years.
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 2, 2002

Tomasson hits two as Denmark beat Uruguay 2-1

ULSAN, South Korea -- With a late headed goal from Jon Dahl Tomasson -- his second in a game that for periods descended into scrappiness and bad-tempered fouls -- Denmark started its 2002 World Cup campaign here on Saturday with an important 2-1 victory over Uruguay.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 2, 2002

Rebuilding Argentines' shattered hopes

NEW YORK -- After returning from Argentina, my native country, I am deeply puzzled. It is difficult to reconcile the image of the proud country I left more than 30 years ago with the one I saw again recently. How can I explain the hundreds -- or thousands -- of people who go scavenging every day as soon...
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 2, 2002

Germany routs Saudi Arabia 8-0

SAPPORO -- The World Cup finally arrived in Japan on Saturday and Germany ensured that opening day will long be remembered. In one of the most one-sided games in World Cup history, Germany beat Saudi Arabia 8-0 at the Sapporo Dome in their Group E match.
COMMENTARY
Jun 1, 2002

Beijing must walk a fine line on asylum

HONG KONG -- China's decision to allow five North Koreans who sought asylum in the Japanese Consulate General in Shenyang to go to Seoul via Manila reflects the delicate balancing act Beijing must perform in managing its relationship with North Korea, its longtime communist ally, and South Korea, its...
JAPAN
May 31, 2002

Students bringing soccer to Afghan kids

A Tokyo student group hopes to use the World Cup to cheer up kids in Afghanistan.
JAPAN
May 29, 2002

Special antitheft squad makes first arrests

Police said Tuesday that a special squad set up ahead of the upcoming World Cup soccer finals to prevent an increase in thefts and robberies has made its first arrests: three men are being held on suspicion of trying to steal a wallet in Tokyo.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
May 29, 2002

Star's role derails Streetcar classic

Demons inhabit the live-performance stage. Nobody can judge the success of a production until after the curtain has risen and fallen. This is what gives drama -- and musical and dance performances -- their peculiar zest. And when the director of a production is a titan of the international theater world,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
May 29, 2002

Salif Keita: 'Moffou'

Salif Keita -- otherwise known as the Golden Voice of Mali -- has taken some jabs from world music purists in recent years for straying from his traditional African roots in collaborations with the likes of Vernon Reid of Living Color and the keyboardist Joe Zawinal. With "Moffou," Keita has dropped...
BUSINESS / ON MANAGEMENT
May 28, 2002

Post-Enron dilemma: share value vs. honor

"Nobody goes down with the ship anymore," complained a pundit recently. "Whatever happened to the idea of personal integrity?" he opined.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / BEST BAR NONE
May 26, 2002

Where to get your kicks

As Japan braces itself for the influx of soccer fans, the media is keeping a careful eye on potential hot spots -- including Roppongi, Tokyo's gaijin HQ. Though no World Cup matches will be played inside Tokyo, Roppongi is expected to take the brunt of post-game soccer fans out to celebrate their wins...
SOCCER / World cup
May 24, 2002

Cup tickets should be here by Saturday

The 150,000 undelivered World Cup tickets will be arriving in Japan by Saturday and the handing-out of tickets to purchasers at the venue on match day will hopefully only be limited to the games on June 1, the Japanese World Cup Organizing Committee said Wednesday in Tokyo.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
May 23, 2002

Buyers be wares -- shopping consumes Japan

I was once asked to translate a pamphlet published by the municipal government of one of the most beautiful and historically endowed cities in Japan. The material was aimed at foreign companies and their expat employees to entice them to the city.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
May 22, 2002

The beautiful game becomes art

Soccer commentators, in their hyperbolic struggle to convey the excitement of the sport, sometimes refer to it as an art. This analogy isn't totally offside, as there's no denying the aesthetic element of a sport requiring so much strength, speed and coordination. But what happens when the kinetic art...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
May 21, 2002

The hermit opens up to visitors

PYONGYANG -- It's not difficult to find your way around Pyongyang. The city has few tall buildings and wherever you go, the imposing monolith of the Tower of the Juche Idea -- topped by a red "flame" that glows at night -- enables visitors to get their bearings.
MORE SPORTS
May 21, 2002

Japan hammers Russia 59-19

Japan opened its build-up toward the 2003 World Cup with a resounding 59-19 win over Russia at the National Stadium in Tokyo on Sunday.
COMMENTARY
May 20, 2002

Too early to fete a new day for Myanmar

HONG KONG -- On May 7, Vietnam inadvertently hindered 50 million Myanmarese from learning that "at last Aung Sang Suu Kyi is no longer under house arrest." The Myanmar government's authoritarian habits prevailed at the very moment when hopes of future democracy were reborn.
COMMENTARY / World
May 17, 2002

Rude awakening for East Timor

JAKARTA -- The world's youngest democracy will have to stand on its own feet from Sunday. On this day East Timor will become the first newly independent nation of the 21st century. After more than 400 years of colonial rule by Portugal, 25 years of Indonesian occupation and over two years under U.N....
MORE SPORTS
May 15, 2002

Ogiwara hangs up his skis

Former world champion Kenji Ogiwara, who announced earlier this month he will retire from international competition, said Monday he will formally put an end to his 20-year career.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
May 12, 2002

Poetry that's music to the ears of millions

POEMS OF THE GOAT, by Chuya Nakahara, translated by Ry Beville. American Book Company, Richmond, VA, 2002, 77 pp., $15/2500 yen (paper) Why do some writers get translated and others -- better, more deserving -- remain obscure? This is a question that Ry Beville, a young Virginia native, asked himself...
COMMENTARY / World
May 11, 2002

Indian state frenzy borders on genocide

NEW DELHI -- The continuing communal violence in the western Indian state of Gujarat has not only left hundreds dead, but has also led to embarrassing condemnation by world leaders. New Delhi finds itself in an utterly shameful spot, a situation brought on by its own inept handling of the Hindu-Muslim...
COMMENTARY
May 11, 2002

A recipe for reconciliation

TAIPEI -- British writer George Bernard Shaw once said that Americans and Brits were two peoples separated by the same language. This is an even more apt description when describing the Chinese and Taiwanese. A week of visits to Taiwan and China leaves me once again to marvel at how poorly two peoples...
COMMENTARY / World
May 10, 2002

Learn the lessons, then let go of the past

The first step of Myanmar's democratization has begun following the bold step of the military regime, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), to free Aung San Suu Kyi on Monday. Though it was a small step, it was a giant leap for the victimized people of Myanmar, who will now be able to live...

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past