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COMMUNITY
Jul 26, 2000

The homesick cycad tree of Myokokuji Temple

On a hot August day last year I took the train and tram to Sakai City in the south of Osaka. I wanted to see the ancient Japanese sago palm (sotetsu, Cycas revoluta), a member of the Cycad family, which grows in the grounds of Myokokuji Temple. The temple was first built in 1562 by a wealthy merchant...
CULTURE / Music / MUSIC NOMAD
Jul 25, 2000

From the streets of Tokyo to Royal Albert Hall

The night before they left for Europe, Japanese group Cicala Mvta (pronounced Chicala Muta) played for about 50 people in Tokyo -- about par for the course for them. When they arrived in London the next day, theirs was the hottest ticket in town. Sort of.
CULTURE / Books
Jul 25, 2000

The debate on Nanjing is now closed

DOCUMENTS ON THE RAPE OF NANKING, edited by Timothy Brook. Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan Press, 1999, 301 pp., 2,616 yen. AMERICAN GODDESS AT THE RAPE OF NANKING: The Courage of Minnie Vautrin, by Hua-ling Hu. Carbondale, Ill.: Southern Illinois University Press, 2000, 184 pp. The adversity...
JAPAN
Jul 23, 2000

Nakao's middleman arrested in bribe case

The Tokyo District Public Prosecutor's Office has arrested the manager of an art gallery on suspicion of taking 10 million yen in bribes from Wakachiku Construction Co. in August 1996 in collusion with former Construction Minister Eiichi Nakao.
CULTURE / Music
Jul 23, 2000

Bernstein lives on in sounds of summer

In the nether regions near the waterfront wherein lie most of the nation's major cosmopolitan areas, Japan's tropical sun and heavy humidity militate against the kind of lighthearted family outdoor concerts which find so much favor in Europe and America. Nevertheless, summer is here again, and here again...
BUSINESS
Jul 21, 2000

OSE, U.S. Nasdaq market consider exchanging equity stakes

OSAKA -- The Osaka Securities Exchange and the U.S. Nasdaq market are in talks on taking equity stakes in each other in a bid to further strengthen collaboration, OSE sources said.
JAPAN
Jul 21, 2000

Greenpeace calls for action on forests

Environmental group Greenpeace on Thursday urged the Group of Eight countries to stop subsidizing "destruction of the last ancient forests" within two years.
JAPAN
Jul 20, 2000

Japan-EU summit concludes with pledges of cooperation

Japan and the European Union concluded their annual summit on Wednesday morning, issuing a joint statement covering their common objectives in a wide range of areas.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 20, 2000

Okinawans behind Japan-U.S. alliance

Following the tragic rape of a 12-year old Okinawa school girl by three U.S. servicemen in 1995, Secretary of Defense William Perry, perhaps the most respected member of President Bill Clinton's Cabinet, invited former Ambassadors Mike Mansfield and Richard L. Armitage to have lunch with him and the...
JAPAN
Jul 19, 2000

G8 chiefs' script covers debt relief, 'digital divide'

Helping developing countries ride the global wave of the information technology revolution will top the economic agenda at the Friday-Sunday Group of Eight summit in Okinawa.
BUSINESS
Jul 19, 2000

IT obstacles targeted by government panel

The government will start reviewing outmoded regulations hindering the development of information technology before establishing dedicated legislation aimed at developing the new technology, government officials said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Jul 19, 2000

BOJ chief reiterates desire to abandon 'zero-rate' policy

Bank of Japan Gov. Masaru Hayami on Tuesday reiterated his desire to abandon the current "zero-interest-rate" policy, describing it as "unnatural."
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Jul 19, 2000

Hats on where the seabirds nest

Wheesh! Crack! Something furious hit me on the back of the head.
BUSINESS
Jul 18, 2000

BOJ again decides not to raise interest rates

Amid concerns over the nation's economic future following the collapse last week of department store operator Sogo Co., the Bank of Japan on Monday once again decided against raising interest rates.
CULTURE / Books
Jul 18, 2000

Personal relationships are everything

STAKEHOLDING: The Japanese Bottom Line, by Robert J. Ballon and Keikichi Honda. Tokyo: The Japan Times, 2000, 240 pp., 38 tables, 6 figures. 3,000 yen (cloth). One year, an acquaintance recalls, her family started getting an unusually large number of "oseibo" (yearend presents) and "ochuugen" (midyear...
BUSINESS
Jul 18, 2000

Japan sets up advisory panel to review assistance to China

The Foreign Ministry has set up an advisory panel to make recommendations on reviewing Japan's official development assistance to China, with its inaugural meeting scheduled for Wednesday, the ministry said Monday.
JAPAN
Jul 16, 2000

Yamazaki starts recall of moldy curry buns

OSAKA -- Yamazaki Baking Co. has retrieved more than 4,100 curry-flavored buns it recalled after convenience stores in Osaka and Hyogo prefectures reported that some of the products appeared to contain mold, officials of the company's factory in Osaka said Saturday.
JAPAN
Jul 16, 2000

Row blazes over merits of parking garage

Near the north end of chic Shibuya shopping street Koen Dori, roughly 50 local residents and construction workers have held a standoff every night for nearly a month.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Jul 16, 2000

Setsuko Arima

For the greater part of her life, Setsuko Arima has lived in the same district of Kanazawa-ku in Yokohama. She is devoted to the neighborhood, which is highlighted by the 13th century Shomyoji Temple, its garden with red bridges over a wide pond, and its background of an open field and wooded hills....
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 16, 2000

Whalers come out on top in IWC meeting

SYDNEY -- Once again Japanese whale-meat eaters have outwitted the world's whale lovers. Though those diners need not raise too many self-congratulatory cups of sake. Within a year or two the Tokyo whale restaurant tables could be overturned.
BUSINESS
Jul 15, 2000

No retrenchment until recovery is achieved: EPA

Japan should emphasize developing its IT infrastructure to allow for sustainable growth and only embark on fiscal reconstruction after ensuring an economic recovery, the Economic Planning Agency said in its annual report released Friday.
JAPAN
Jul 15, 2000

G8 leaders may agree to pursue trade talks

The leaders of the Group of Eight nations appear likely to agree next week to pursue the launch of a new round of global trade liberalization negotiations by the end of this year, but many obstacles remain.
JAPAN
Jul 15, 2000

180-member medical team on standby for G8 summit

The government will send an emergency medical team of 180 top-level doctors and nurses to Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, the venue for the July 21-23 Group of Eight summit, to prepare for emergencies, particularly acts of terrorism, involving leaders from the eight countries, officials said Thursday.
JAPAN
Jul 15, 2000

Tax panel proposes overhaul of system

An advisory panel to the prime minister on Friday called for a radical overhaul of the tax system that would potentially involve tax hikes in order to tackle problems related to the aging population and get rid of the government's debt.
JAPAN
Jul 15, 2000

Snow Brand plants face inspection

The Health and Welfare Ministry on Friday set up a 12-member team to carry out its own inspections of Snow Brand Milk Products Co.'s 20 plants.
JAPAN
Jul 15, 2000

Okinawans see railway as ticket to ride

NAHA, Okinawa Pref. -- A middle-aged cabby here says he has never seen a train in his life except on television, much less ridden one. His story, however, does not surprise locals.
EDITORIALS
Jul 14, 2000

Japan, by the numbers

Japan's economic statistics are, by and large, rated highly for their diversity and accuracy. So it comes as no surprise that Japanese experts are helping developing countries improve their own statistical systems. Recently, however, that reputation seems to have been somewhat tarnished because of media...
JAPAN
Jul 14, 2000

Miyazaki Initiative caps talks

MIYAZAKI-- The Group of Eight foreign ministers ended their two-day gathering here Thursday by adopting a statement covering a wide range of international political issues and a comprehensive "Miyazaki Initiative for Conflict Prevention."

Longform

A sinkhole in Yashio, which emerged in January, was triggered by a ruptured, aging sewer pipe. Authorities worry that similar sections of infrastructure across the country are also at risk of corrosion.
That sinking feeling: Japan’s aging sewers are an infrastructure time bomb