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JAPAN
Sep 17, 1999

Obuchi calls for loosening limits on SDF deployments

Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi said on Friday that he would seek to lift legal restrictions so that Japan can fully participate in U.N. peacekeeping operations, in an extraordinary Diet session expected to begin in October.
JAPAN
Sep 17, 1999

Ishihara rants after tour of U.S. military park

After touring the U.S. military's Tama Recreation Center in western Tokyo on Friday, Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara said what he saw made him question even more whether the 200-hectare site is necessary to U.S. forces and Japan's defense.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Sep 17, 1999

Ten reasons why English is an evil language

English is an evil language. If it wasn't, all Japanese people would speak fluent English upon graduating high school. After all, seven years of English study should be enough.
JAPAN
Sep 17, 1999

Ministry grants couple refugee status

The Justice Ministry said Friday that it has granted refugee status to two people, bringing to 11 the total number of refugees recognized this year.
CULTURE / Music / PLAY BUTTON
Sep 17, 1999

Chari Chari's evergreen sound

The term legend is often used lightly in music journalism. Kaoru Inoue, known as Chari Chari, is one of the few Tokyo DJs who could reasonably be called legendary.
JAPAN
Sep 17, 1999

Ministry issues sex tours warning

The Transport Ministry instructed the nation's travel agents Friday to redouble efforts to inform associates overseas that a domestic law banning the purchase of sex from anyone under 18 takes effect in November.
JAPAN
Sep 17, 1999

Man transferred to Nagoya loses damages claim

The Supreme Court turned down a damages claim Friday filed by a Tokyo pharmaceutical company employee who sued the firm for transferring him to Nagoya, separating him from his family.
EDITORIALS
Sep 16, 1999

New skills, old skills

New communications technologies pose unique dilemmas for parents. While a substantial majority of adults believe that familiarity with the Internet is an essential skill for children in the 21st century, they also fear the hazards lurking in cyberspace. They worry that adventurous youngsters will be...
JAPAN
Sep 16, 1999

Stag beetle hunter casts doubt on reported 10 million yen deal

Staff writer
JAPAN
Sep 16, 1999

NGOs vital for world peace, Chretien says

Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura and Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien stressed the importance of nongovernmental organizations in working toward world peace, at the Canada-Japan Joint Symposium on Peacebuilding for Development, held Thursday at the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Sep 16, 1999

Softbank, Best Denki to build e-store

Best Denki Co. and Softbank Corp. on Thursday agreed to establish a joint venture on Oct. 19 that will sell household electronics and other merchandise and services over the Internet, the companies announced.
JAPAN
Sep 16, 1999

Protesters slam WTO trade as Keidanren sets council

Carrying placards and handing out leaflets, more than 20 protesters gathered Thursday outside the Foreign Ministry, demanding that the government oppose the next round of World Trade Organization negotiations slated to begin in November.
JAPAN
Sep 16, 1999

JAMA seeks EU nod for lower carbon dioxide cut

The Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association has proposed a compromise to the European Union for a self-imposed reduction target for carbon dioxide emissions from new passenger cars, JAMA officials said Thursday.
JAPAN
Sep 16, 1999

Miyazawa and Hayami huddle over yen

Finance Minister Kiichi Miyazawa and Bank of Japan Gov. Masaru Hayami held an emergency meeting Thursday afternoon in a bid to curb the yen's surge against the dollar but failed to achieve an immediate halt to the yen-buying trend.
JAPAN
Sep 16, 1999

Execs' arrest to reveal Kofuku's idea of 'family business'

OSAKA -- The arrest of former top executives of the failed Kofuku Bank is expected to unveil the dubious nature of the bank's "family-run" business, which is believed common among many second-tier regional banks.
JAPAN
Sep 16, 1999

PKO law hindering SDF action, Kato says

Japan should revise the five principles under which the Self-Defense Forces can participate in international peacekeeping operations, a senior member of the Liberal Democratic Party said Thursday.
JAPAN
Sep 16, 1999

Japan to finance peacekeeping force for East Timor

Japan will contribute a "substantial" sum to a United Nations trust fund to finance a multinational force intended to restore order in East Timor, but will not dispatch any personnel until stability has been established, Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura said at a press conference Thursday.
JAPAN
Sep 16, 1999

Recitation contest open to readers

The Japan Times is inviting Japanese readers to participate in the 35th Annual Tape Recitation Contest now being presented by its bilingual weekly, Shukan ST, with the support of the Education Ministry.
CULTURE / Art
Sep 16, 1999

Indigo, a color to dye for

It's hard not to associate tie-dye with an image of long-haired grass-smoking, free-lovin', barefoot hippies dancing around in colorful dyed shirts and long skirts to the clang of a "far out" tambourine beat.
JAPAN
Sep 16, 1999

Kanazawa to get wired in experiment

Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp., Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. and Matsushita Communication Industrial Co. will begin a one-year joint experiment on a community-based information network in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, from April 2000, the companies said Thursday.
JAPAN
Sep 16, 1999

Road to closed captions no freeway for hearing impaired

Staff writer
JAPAN
Sep 16, 1999

Nikkei drops 700 at one point as dollar tumbles

Tokyo share prices plummeted broadly Thursday amid concerns about a preceding tumble in New York share prices and the yen's rise against the dollar.
EDITORIALS
Sep 15, 1999

Cautious optimism on the economy

Japan's economy in the second quarter of this year, April through June, expanded slightly at an annualized rate of 0.9 percent. This is a far cry from the 8.1 percent surge in the first quarter. But two consecutive quarters of positive growth make it reasonably clear that the protracted economic slump...
JAPAN
Sep 15, 1999

Report on faulty MOX fuel slow to reach Japan

Four days passed before concerned parties in Japan were told that mixed plutonium-uranium oxide fuel pellets to be shipped to Japan were improperly checked in Britain, it was learned Wednesday.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 15, 1999

A true believer's perspective on the Pyongyang regime

The Korean Central News Agency is the official English-language press agency of North Korea. When tensions escalate between the two Koreas, it is to this agency that the world press corps turns for comment.
JAPAN
Sep 15, 1999

Acupuncturist held for rape during arson probe

Investigators looking into a suspected arson at an acupuncture clinic in Tokyo's Chuo Ward arrested an acupuncturist Wednesday in a separate case on suspicion of raping a woman at the clinic after drugging her.
JAPAN
Sep 15, 1999

New ambassador looks to further U.S. ties

The government is closely watching Okinawa's efforts to select a new site for the U.S. Marine Corps heliport now at Futenma Air Station, with hope of seeing early progress in completing the process long-stalled by local opposition, Japan's new ambassador to the Unites States said.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / GETTING THINGS DONE
Sep 15, 1999

Opportunities

Today is Respect for the Aged Day. Once Japan was criticized for not having enough holidays. Now, with New Year's for winter celebrants, O-bon in the summer, Golden Week in the spring and an assortment of traditional and recently created special days in between (with Mondays off if they fall on Sunday),...
JAPAN
Sep 15, 1999

Office Depot tinkering to get it right

Staff writer
LIFE / Travel / ON THE ARCHIPELA-GO
Sep 15, 1999

Scarecrows are sprouting in Shitamachi

Over one hundred jauntily clad figures line the street where the Koto Ward Office once stood.

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