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CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Aug 11, 2002

Going where the wild things are

BEYOND THE LAST VILLAGE: A Journey of Discovery in Asia's Forbidden Wilderness, by Alan Rabinowitz. Aurum Press, 2002, 300 pp., 19.99 British pounds (cloth) Marco Polo went to Myanmar in the 13th century and saw jungles teeming with wild beasts and unicorns. Centuries later, during British colonial...
COMMUNITY
Aug 11, 2002

One god to rule them all

All new regimes know their enemies. Having swept away the forces of the shogunate, the architects of the 1868 Meiji Restoration found themselves facing another foe. This fifth column was invisible: Its ranks were made up of yokai (ghosts) and bakemono (monsters), kappa (water sprites) and tengu (goblins)....
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Aug 10, 2002

For country, for Coca-Cola, for cool companies

Jud Taylor is not only George Taylor, but George P. Taylor IX. His father was a psychologist, his grandfather a doctor and (according to family lore) the generations stretch back to a blacksmith who signed the American Declaration of Independence, for Pennsylvania, in 1776.
JAPAN
Aug 9, 2002

Accused killer of eight accepts competency claim

OSAKA -- The man accused of massacring eight children last summer at an Osaka elementary school said in court Thursday he does not plan to contest the prosecution's claim that he is mentally competent to be held accountable for the crimes.
COMMENTARY
Aug 8, 2002

Kim's last chance to shine?

MANILA -- Politically, South Korean President Kim Dae Jung's time is running out, and the alleged corruptive practices of his sons have accelerated the erosion of his authority tremendously. The recent thaw in inter-Korean relations may well be Kim's last chance to improve his tarnished image.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 8, 2002

Cities waging a new kind of bidding war

With Japan's public works projects having long been tainted by bid-rigging and bribery, the city of Yokosuka in Kanagawa Prefecture is taking an aggressive approach toward curbing such corruption.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Aug 8, 2002

UNEP envoy strikes the right eco-chord

Tokiko Kato has been popular in Japan for decades as a singer and songwriter who is passionate about people and the planet. Two years ago, when the Environment Ministry asked her to act as a Special Envoy to the United Nations Environment Program it was a natural fit. Since then she has established herself...
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Aug 8, 2002

DNA testing for all?

The 1986 rape and murder of a 15-year-old schoolgirl in an otherwise quiet village in central England did more than shock residents: It led to the worldwide acceptance of what Australian scientists Robert Williamson and Rony Duncan call in this week's Nature "the most important advance in forensics in...
COMMUNITY
Aug 8, 2002

Prominent figures raise questions over numbering system

Last Monday, Japan changed forever. The old city registration system has been dramatically changed to the "juki network," or basic residential register network system numbering system.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Aug 8, 2002

Looking after your mental and physical well-being in Japan

"Several weeks ago you published information about English-speaking doctors and wrote that you would be glad to receive information on others," writes Mary in Tokyo.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Aug 7, 2002

Artists of the Sun King eclipsed

Even as art galleries and museums around the world contend with falling visitor numbers, stepping inside a Japanese museum can feel more like braving Mitsukoshi on the first day of the summer sales.
CULTURE / Stage
Aug 7, 2002

Adult 'Fosse' is setting the stage alight

"Fosse" is here again, back in Japan after its first, hugely successful tour last year mobilized 100,000 fans of the late choreographer-director-actor-dancer Bob Fosse's astonishing oeuvre.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Aug 7, 2002

Sonic Youth: Murray Street

Jim O'Rourke is on a roll. First, post-rock's poster child released his best solo effort, "Insignificance," late last year, and now he's on two of the best albums of 2002. As well as having produced Wilco's breakthrough album, "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot," O'Rourke has become producer for -- and a member of...
EDITORIALS
Aug 6, 2002

ARF comes back to life

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations has signed up in the war against terrorism. That is the key development from the annual meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum, or ARF, Asia's premier security institution, which convened last week in Brunei. The U.S.-ASEAN agreement was the most notable outcome...
BUSINESS / ON MANAGEMENT
Aug 6, 2002

Reducing icebergs to snowballs:How to avoid sinking the ship

"Ever had all your dreams come true, only to find yourself in the middle of a nightmare?" asked a wry acquaintance recently. In his case, he hand followed through on a lifelong dream starting his own advertising boutique. A careful planner, he had determined his own strengths and weaknesses and approached...
JAPAN
Aug 6, 2002

Hibakusha promotes peace through student encounters

HIROSHIMA -- A group of American teenagers sat in a circle in rapt silence, listening to a 72-year-old Japanese woman speak.
JAPAN
Aug 5, 2002

Man shoots brother with improvised model gun

The 56-year-old owner of a Tokyo soba noodle shop was shot in the chest Sunday by his younger brother, who used a a retooled Italian model gun with a handmade bullet, police said.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 4, 2002

Japan playing a vital role in Myanmar

Aung San Suu Kyi has completed two successful and delightful long-distance inland political journeys since her release from a second house arrest about 10 weeks ago. The State Peace and Development Council, or SPDC, the military regime, has provided full security for her travels in Mandalay and Mon states....
JAPAN / WEEKEND WISDOM
Aug 4, 2002

Salaryman quits to devote time to family name: Tokugawa

Tsunenari Tokugawa drew a salary for more than 38 years, climbing the corporate ladder to become executive vice president of major marine shipping company Nippon Yusen K.K.
JAPAN
Aug 4, 2002

Congresswoman meets A-bomb victims

HIROSHIMA -- The only member of the U.S. Congress to oppose the U.S. military campaign in Afghanistan met survivors of the 1945 atomic bombing here on Saturday, three days ahead of the 57th anniversary of the attack.
COMMUNITY
Aug 4, 2002

Touched by the hand of the fire god

Akiko Amano says she once saw the God of Fire. It was around 10 years ago when she first started working as a hanabishi (professional fireworks setter). That night, she was working at a countryside fireworks festival.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Aug 4, 2002

Reform by fiat and persuasion

INSIDE GHQ: The Allied Occupation of Japan and its Legacy, by Eiji Takemae. London: Continuum, 2002, 751 pp., $40 (cloth) The U.S.-led Occupation of Japan ended 50 years ago, but still casts long shadows over the country and remains hotly debated among scholars and pundits. It is indeed fortunate, therefore,...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 3, 2002

Bank notes to get high-tech makeover

The government will start replacing 10,000 yen, 5,000 yen and 1,000 yen bills with new notes that include sophisticated features to beat counterfeiters as early as April 2004, Finance Minister Masajuro Shiokawa announced Friday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / MUSEUM MUSINGS
Aug 3, 2002

Artist's work brings copper plate color prints to life

An impression of stillness amid the wonder of color is a beautiful thing to behold.
BUSINESS
Aug 3, 2002

Nonresident investors sell off stocks for sixth week

Nonresident investors remained net sellers on the Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya bourses in the week of July 22-26 for the sixth straight week, with the largest sales value per week for the year, the Tokyo Stock Exchange has said.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Aug 1, 2002

A camphor by any other name

Growing among the the laurel-dominated evergreen forests of central and southern Japan is a tree with a host of names and a host of uses.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK
Aug 1, 2002

Pot-shot summer with no room at the inn

Summertime, and the living is easy . . . for me, anyway.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Aug 1, 2002

Isles trampled in white elephant stampede

Japan's islands have long been a source of tearful TV documentaries that focus on aging populations and families abandoned by children who have left for the cities.
ENVIRONMENT
Aug 1, 2002

Tokyo's paradise isle under threat

Mikura Island in the Izu Islands south of Tokyo is a spectacular natural paradise known the world over for its community of bottlenose dolphins, estimated to be almost as numerous as the island's 240 inhabitants.

Longform

Japan's growing ranks of centenarians are redefining what it means to live in a super-aging society.
What comes after 100?