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ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Jun 26, 2000

Is there free speech in Japan? Greenpeace activists arrested

"For the sake of good environmental policy, it is necessary to have freedom of expression which forms public opinion." These are the words of Sweden's environment minister, part of a press release issued in March 1999, following the arrest of several Greenpeace activists who were in Tokyo protesting...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jun 25, 2000

The do's and don'ts of business card etiquette

Please don't tell Mr. Watanabe that his business card is now in a million pieces strewn among the bras and underwear in my washing machine. This is just the latest faux pas in my history of malicious treatment of business cards.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 25, 2000

Making humanitarian aid more effective

NEW YORK -- One of the greatest challenges facing governments and international aid agencies today is how to respond better to humanitarian disasters.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 24, 2000

Korean summit remains a blank sheet

HONG KONG -- Perhaps it is in the nature of joint declarations that their merits tend to be exaggerated. The British did it with their joint declaration with China regarding Hong Kong, the Indians did it with their joint declaration with Pakistan at Lahore. Now the South Koreans, plus many foreigners...
CULTURE / Art
Jun 24, 2000

Glimpses of global tragedies on a long and winding road

A nameless road continues on for thousands of miles under thousands of different skies, wending its way through thousands of different landscapes. Along either side anonymous towns and cities flow by with regularity, like scenes in a photography album sorted by a methodical traveler.
JAPAN / ELECTION 2000: VOX POPULI
Jun 23, 2000

Dailies helping bureaucrats keep status quo: van Wolferen

Major Japanese newspapers are in league with bureaucrats to maintain the status quo and are the biggest obstacle to political reform, warns Dutch journalist Karel van Wolferen.
BUSINESS
Jun 23, 2000

7dream.com Web shop to open in July

7dream.com Ltd., a joint venture centered on convenience store chain Seven-Eleven Japan Co., announced Thursday that it will open one of the nation's biggest e-commerce shopping Web sites on July 1.
COMMENTARY
Jun 23, 2000

Victory predicted for LDP

The major Japanese newspapers that conducted polls on the June 25 Lower House election this week made these stunning forecasts:
CULTURE / Music / PLAY BUTTON
Jun 23, 2000

Bad boys of summer and good vibes of fests

The influx of hip-hop style and substance into white America's musical consciousness has given pop music a series of bad boys who, in another era, would be hanging out at the nearest fraternity keg party.
BUSINESS
Jun 23, 2000

Restructuring putting a damper on recovery

Recent economic reports indicate the nation has finally pulled itself out of a decade of doldrums.
BUSINESS
Jun 22, 2000

May trade surplus plunges 29% as oil leads import surge

Japan's trade surplus plunged 29 percent in May from a year earlier as imports outpaced exports, following a 10.3 percent surge the previous month.
BUSINESS
Jun 22, 2000

Shares bought on credit increase again

The balance of shares bought on credit rose for the second week in a row last week, with buying spreading to low- and medium-price stocks.
JAPAN / ELECTION 2000: VOX POPULI
Jun 22, 2000

Kin want focus on youth crime

While economic recovery may be the focal issue for the June 25 election, Ruriko Take, head of the Association for Victims of Juvenile Crimes citizens group, believes juvenile issues should be given more attention as they concern the people who will lead society in the future.
BUSINESS
Jun 22, 2000

Talks address Japan, U.S. e-commerce

While it may appear that the United States is far ahead of Japan and the rest of the world in embracing e-business, the U.S. itself is a newcomer to the field, and tremendous challenges lie ahead, a U.S. business school educator told a symposium organized by Keizai Koho Center.
JAPAN
Jun 22, 2000

Japan health systems ranked best

Japan's health systems are the best among the 191 member countries of the World Health Organization, according to a WHO survey in the World Health Report 2000, released Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Jun 21, 2000

Economy progressing toward self-sustained growth: EPA

Economic Planning Agency on Tuesday upgraded its assessment of the economy for the second consecutive month and said it is gradually approaching a self-sustaining recovery.
BUSINESS
Jun 20, 2000

TSE set for rally after bottoming out twice

The Tokyo stock market appears poised to stage a rebound after confirming a double bottom.
JAPAN
Jun 20, 2000

Forum decries gender inequities in journalism

A director of one of the world's main journalist organizations said Monday the status of female journalists worldwide has improved considerably but the issues of opportunity and gender equality still need to be addressed.
JAPAN
Jun 20, 2000

Scandal-tainted kingmaker also a 'caring man'

The political career of the late Noboru Takeshita was rocked by a series of scandals that forced him to largely wield his influence from behind the scenes after he stepped down as prime minister in 1989.
ENVIRONMENT
Jun 19, 2000

Project Phoenix: sitting by the phone

The SETI Institute, based in Mountain View, Calif., is currently conducting the world's most sensitive and comprehensive search for extraterrestrial intelligence, Project Phoenix. Phoenix searches for signs of other civilizations by listening for radio signals directly transmitted from other planets,...
JAPAN
Jun 18, 2000

Domestic violence victims demand new law

Ninety-six percent of female victims of life-threatening domestic violence and their supporters say a law to prevent such acts should be drawn up, a survey by a women's group showed Saturday.
CULTURE / Books / POETRY MIGNETTE
Jun 18, 2000

Cafe's tempting literary brew

Cafe Independent, a "rattle-bag collection of poetry, art, pearls of prose . . . ," is produced by Oliver Kinghorn and Shannon Smith in Kyoto.
JAPAN
Jun 17, 2000

Empress Dowager dies at 97; family at her side

The Empress Dowager, the widow of Emperor Showa, died Friday afternoon, two days after she began experiencing breathing difficulties, the Imperial Household Agency said. She was 97.
BUSINESS
Jun 17, 2000

Firms expected to raise capital spending 5.2%

Capital spending by major Japanese companies is expected to rise 5.2 percent in fiscal 2000 from a year earlier, the first increase in four years, a government advisory panel said Friday.
BUSINESS
Jun 17, 2000

Softbank unit to open shop in Seoul

Softbank Finance Corp., a Softbank Corp. subsidiary, said Friday it has agreed with its business allies in the United States and South Korea to set up an investment consulting company, Morningstar Korea Ltd., in South Korea in July.

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