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COMMUNITY
Apr 2, 2000

Museum strives to keep kanji alive

KYOTO -- With the spread of word processors and computers, more and more Japanese are forgetting kanji. In an effort to curb this trend and increase interest in the characters, the Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation in Shimogyo Ward here will open a kanji museum Monday.
LIFE / Travel
Apr 1, 2000

English guide to Japan travel launched on Web

The Japan National Tourist Organization this week launched a powerful tool for English-speaking foreign visitors to Japan.
BUSINESS
Mar 31, 2000

Foley 'disappointed' at failure of NTT talks

U.S. Ambassador to Japan Thomas Foley on Thursday expressed disappointment at Japan's refusal to accept a U.S. compromise to resolve the two nations' differences over the size of planned cuts in interconnection fees charged by Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp., Japanese officials said.
BUSINESS
Mar 31, 2000

Hitachi, CSC to join in digital plan

Hitachi Ltd. and Computer Sciences Corp., a major U.S. system consulting firm, are discussing cooperating in the development of key component systems for Japan's "digital government" plan, industry sources said Thursday.
CULTURE / Music
Mar 31, 2000

Evolution of grunge and the cutting edge of simian style

It used to be that a band had to be dead and buried for a good decade before popping up in interviews and liner notes as an "influence." Not anymore. Though Kurt Cobain has been dead less than 10 years, the reverberations of the Seattle sound are beginning to be felt in Tokyo's live houses, most especially...
JAPAN
Mar 31, 2000

Japan praises 'successful' handling of Y2K problem

The government released a report Thursday on the measures it took to combat the Year 2000 computer bug and leap-year glitch, concluding that its handling of the situations was "very successful."
BUSINESS
Mar 30, 2000

Car sales help February industrial output leap 3%

Industrial output grew 3 percent in February from the previous month, thanks to strong sales of new-model automobiles and extra working hours because of the leap year, according to a preliminary report issued Wednesday by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry.
JAPAN
Mar 30, 2000

FSA eyes insurance-for-murder scams

The Financial Supervisory Agency plans to conduct an investigation into the sales activities of life insurers to forestall a recurrence of a series of insurance-for-murder cases, FSA officials said Wednesday.
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 29, 2000

Troussier lashes out at lack of cooperation by JFA

A day before the Japan Olympic team's friendly against New Zealand, Japan manager Philippe Troussier expressed his frustration with the Japan Football Association for its lack of cooperation in setting his preparation schedule with the Olympic team.
JAPAN
Mar 29, 2000

Former Yamaichi president given 2 1/2-year prison term

Two former top executives of the defunct Yamaichi Securities Co. were given prison terms, one suspended, by the Tokyo District Court on Tuesday for conspiring to conceal more than 200 billion yen in losses from shareholders between fiscal 1995 and 1997.
JAPAN
Mar 29, 2000

Japan to unveil new exchange-student goal to G8

The government plans to unveil a plan to double the number of foreign students in Japan from the current 56,000 by 2010 during the upcoming meeting of Group of Eight education ministers in Tokyo and Okinawa, the Education Ministry said.
BUSINESS
Mar 29, 2000

Toyota Tsusho to bail out Tomen

Toyota Tsusho Corp., a Nagoya-based trading firm, will inject 7.5 billion yen into troubled rival Tomen Corp. and form a business tieup, top executives of the two firms announced on Tuesday.
COMMENTARY
Mar 29, 2000

Cut red tape to boost business

LONDON -- Consumers everywhere are demanding deregulation. Most competitive businesses also want red tape and unnecessary regulation eliminated. Only the inefficient and uncompetitive, who believe that they are protected by rules restricting competition, are against the deregulation of their businesses....
BASEBALL / MLB
Mar 28, 2000

Giants give Cubs rude welcome to Japan

Monday night's game was supposed to be Sammy Sosa's moment to strut his stuff. It quickly turned into the Hideki Matsui Show.
BUSINESS
Mar 28, 2000

TSE approaching end of correctional stint

The Tokyo stock market appears to be crawling out of a correctional phase.
CULTURE / Books
Mar 28, 2000

The marvelous paradox of Ise

ISE -- JAPAN'S ISE SHRINES: Ancient but New, by Svend Hvass. Holte: Aristo Press, 146 pp., profusely illustrated, 6,000 yen. Ise holds one of the most important Shinto shrines in Japan. Enshrining the ancestral gods of the Imperial family, it has a long and varied political career. Such was its power...
BUSINESS
Mar 28, 2000

Fukaya, Lamy to push WTO round

Trade chief Takashi Fukaya said he and Pascal Lamy, the European Union's trade commissioner, agreed Monday to pursue efforts to jointly hold working-level meetings with the United States and Canada in Geneva on Friday to encourage the World Trade Organization to swiftly launch a new round of free-trade...
BUSINESS
Mar 27, 2000

Excessive currency liquidity fuels speculative rise in crude

Crude oil prices, which just a year ago appeared on the verge of falling below $10 per barrel, began a steep climb this year, at one point hitting $34 per barrel -- the highest level since the Persian Gulf Crisis. There are two major reasons behind this phenomenon.
JAPAN
Mar 27, 2000

State slow in Tokai fiasco, report notes

The government reacted slowly last year to the nuclear disaster in Tokai, Ibaraki Prefecture, which resulted in the first fatality from radiation exposure in postwar Japanese history, according to a government report obtained by Kyodo News.
ENVIRONMENT
Mar 27, 2000

World's forests cut to feed voracious Japanese industry

For those who suffer from cedar pollen allergies, these dry, sunny days of spring are sheer torture. After Finland and Sweden, Japan has the most forest cover in the world: 67 percent. My itchy eyes tell me 98 percent of those trees must be cedar.
COMMUNITY
Mar 26, 2000

So many blossoms, so little time

The last flower viewing of the century will be here and gone in a matter of weeks.
COMMUNITY / How-tos
Mar 26, 2000

Once around again

Except for a few well-seasoned apartment buildings, the street I moved to 10 years ago was lined with old-style houses. Now only one remains. It is still a quiet street in an upscale neighborhood, but nearby are several small industry suppliers engaged in cutting, shaping and shipping metal forms. They...
CULTURE / Art
Mar 25, 2000

Artist places new focus on gender roles in Japanese art

If one were to compile a list of things taboo in Japan, it would read a little like a catalog of Yoshiko Shimada's subjects over the last 10 years. Shimada, 41, has addressed feminist politics in general, the Korean sex slaves Japanese media euphemize as "comfort women" in particular, and even (gasp!)...
JAPAN
Mar 25, 2000

Inamine sees prosperity after summit

Okinawa Gov. Keiichi Inamine sees the upcoming Group of Eight summit as one step toward prosperity in his prefecture, which he said Friday has long been neglected and sacrificed for the economic growth of mainland Japan.
BUSINESS
Mar 24, 2000

Toyota, GM, Yamaha tie up on Web

Toyota Motor Corp. is planning to advertise on its Web site cars manufactured by General Motors Corp. of the United States and motorcycles made by Yamaha Motor Co., company sources said Thursday.
COMMENTARY
Mar 24, 2000

Police resisting vital reform

The Japanese police have long enjoyed a high reputation both at home and abroad, due partly to their efficiency in apprehending criminals. Today, however, the Japanese police system is suffering from a breakdown of ethics, caused in part by its insular nature.

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years