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JAPAN
Jun 9, 2001

Eight dead in school stabbing spree

A knife-wielding man stormed into an elementary school Friday morning in Ikeda, Osaka Prefecture, and fatally stabbed eight children and wounded 15 others before he was subdued, police said.
COMMUNITY / THE PARENT TRIP
Jun 8, 2001

Trips, tripwires of expat parenthood

Life with Corey started long before we even knew what his name was to be. On a summer day in 1999, we were shown the first confirmatory ultrasound after pregnancy was suspected -- he was the size of a pea, if that. From there, we watched him progress through the months in a series of ever-more pronounced...
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 8, 2001

Japan books spot in final

YOKOHAMA -- Japan fought a tremendous rearguard battle in a steady downpour with only 10 men Thursday night to overcome a resilient Australia team 1-0 and reach the final of the Confederations Cup at Yokohama International Stadium.
JAPAN
Jun 8, 2001

Ginza denizens fight to preserve glory in face of commercialism

Tokyo's Ginza district may have lost some of its past glory but several elderly people there are working to ensure that it remains a showcase of bustling Tokyo.
JAPAN
Jun 7, 2001

Obituary: Kiyonaga Ito

Kiyonaga Ito, a Western-style painter specializing in pictures of female nudes and recipient of the Order of Culture, died Tuesday evening of heart failure at a hospital in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, his family said Wednesday. He was 90.
COMMENTARY / WASHINGTON UPDATE
Jun 7, 2001

Jeffords bombshell overshadows tax bill

It has been interesting to watch the blame game explode in the week since U.S. Sen. James Jeffords decided to leave the Republican Party. In the immediate aftermath, there was a sense of disbelief, mixed with a bit of "we'll get a Democrat to switch and all will be well."
ENVIRONMENT
Jun 7, 2001

In Asia, the swiftlet nest comes before the egg

Due to a belief in the high medicinal value of bird's nest soup, heavy Chinese demand for swiftlet nests has resulted in a multibillion-dollar industry that may be endangering the bird.
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Jun 7, 2001

Good intentions jinx the 'living dead'

Doom and gloom this week for those who believe in the essential goodness of the human race, with two papers in the journal Science that implicate humans in mass extinctions of mammals in North America and Australia.
BUSINESS
Jun 6, 2001

Hazama's 8.2 billion yen share issue set for June 27

Hazama Corp. said Tuesday it will issue 8.2 billion yen in new shares June 27 and allocate them to 194 companies and individuals that have ties with the struggling construction firm.
CULTURE / Film
Jun 6, 2001

Now you see her, but know you don't

Malena Rating: * * * * Director: Giuseppe Tornatore Running time: 92 minutes Language: Italian/EnglishOpens June 9 These days, we've become used to women in cinema meeting certain standards. They should be visually stunning, but they must also be brave, self-assertive, sometimes violent, smart and...
CULTURE / Film
Jun 6, 2001

It's deja vu all over again

The Mummy Returns Rating: * * * Japanese title: Hamunaputora 2Director: Stephen Sommers Running time: 129 minutes Language: EnglishNow showing at Shibutoh Cine Theater and other theaters One of the better summer flicks of recent years was 1999's "The Mummy," which was everything that this sort of...
CULTURE / Art
Jun 6, 2001

Fantasy master's real-life concerns

An exhibition of 50 works by fantasy artist Kirk Reinert opens June 8 at Shinjuku Muse in Tokyo.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 5, 2001

The trial of Unit 731

KHABAROVSK, Russia -- Late in December 1949, Soviet Communist Party leaders began distributing tickets in factories and institutes for an upcoming trial. Twelve Japanese physicians and military officers -- former researchers at a secret facility near Harbin, China known as Unit 731 -- stood accused of...
COMMENTARY
Jun 5, 2001

Labor's win, democracy's loss

LONDON -- It is possible that in some dark cavern by the River Thames, or wherever it is that Labor's inner circle does its thinking, party planners are already plotting who is going to do what in government for the next five years. Labor is confident of winning the election on June 7: Its lead in the...
MORE SPORTS / THE DUKE OF HAZARDS
Jun 5, 2001

Hogan's 'home' course set to host U.S. Open

Summer in Tulsa, Okla., is hot and humid. The golf season's second major of the year, the U.S. Open, will be held at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa from June 14-17. The defending champion, of course, is Tiger Woods.
LIFE / Travel
Jun 5, 2001

Sparks fly in Mexico's city of artists and artisans

SAN MIGUEL DE ALLENDE, Mexico -- Having grown up in Los Angeles, where only the sanest of fireworks were legally sold, I was taught that colorful sparks shooting up higher than 30 cm would surely make someone pay for their reckless abandon. How happy I was to discover here that it's not necessarily true....
JAPAN
Jun 4, 2001

Group calls for education of illegals' kids

OSAKA — Members of an Osaka group supporting children of illegal immigrants in Japan will deliver to the United Nations letters from children facing deportation with their parents but who wish to remain in Japan to continue their studies, group members said.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jun 3, 2001

It's bargain time for antique lovers

The atmosphere is gloomy at the Ikebukuro Folkcraft and Antiques Hall.
CULTURE / Music / FUZZY LOGIC
Jun 3, 2001

Bite into some music for thought

"You've got to come and see Gaji. They'll kill you," said the gig's promoter.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Jun 3, 2001

From simple folk to the royal couple

When the American folk revival landed on the shores of Japan in the early '60s, it gave rise to the "modern folk" movement. Japanese musicians copied The Kingston Trio and Peter, Paul and Mary, and it was only a matter of time before students started writing songs that reflected their own situations....
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 1, 2001

Dour and dark outlook pulling Japan farther from neighbors

Japanese hopes to play a leading role in Asia are endangered by a growing split between its views and those in other countries in the region. In its most recent survey on global values, the Dentsu Institute for Human Studies depicts a pessimistic country that is groping toward an uncertain future.*
BUSINESS
Jun 1, 2001

Fiscal panel eyes release of public entities

A key government panel on economic and fiscal policy is expected to recommend next month a partial privatization of employee pension programs and sweeping deregulation, government sources said Thursday.
JAPAN
Jun 1, 2001

Discrimination suit against golf club fails

An ethnic Korean resident in Tokyo lost a damages suit Thursday seeking compensation from a Chiba golf club operator for denying him membership because of his nationality.
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 1, 2001

Japan debuts with 3-0 victory

NIIGATA -- Japan got off to a good start in the Confederations Cup, beating Canada 3-0 in a Group B game Thursday night at Big Swan Niigata Stadium.
JAPAN
May 31, 2001

Italy wants Japanese to take in its countryside

The Italian tourism industry hopes to bring more Japanese visitors to less-traveled destinations in the country's rural areas, a senior official of the Italian State Tourism Board said.
BUSINESS
May 31, 2001

U.N. forum cautions against globalization's impact on poor

The advance of economic globalization should improve the life of people in developing countries and bring about sustainable development, according to Carlos A. Magarinos, director general of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization.
JAPAN
May 31, 2001

New curriculum sees parents push English for infants

Second of two parts Staff writer Yukiko Wada left her Tochigi home at 8 a.m. one Saturday with her 2-year-old daughter, Hinami. While their journey to Tokyo's Eifuku-cho in Suginami Ward seemed a bit long, it became worthwhile when they encountered an American acquaintance near their destination.
CULTURE / Film
May 30, 2001

The ecstasy and the agony

Quills Rating: * * * * Director: Philip Kaufman Running time: 123 minutes Language: EnglishShowing at Hibiya Scalaza and other theaters The face of a beautiful woman appears in intense close-up, her fair skin offset by the clear blue sky behind her. The faint sighs of her soft, heavy breath are amplified...
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
May 30, 2001

'Lovers Leap': Dan Bryk

In art, confession treads a fine line between catharsis and showing off. A subset of current punk bands like Wheatus and Blink 182 utilizes the geek mode to comment on classic macho-rock poses, but since they have nothing original to say (girls ignore you at school? figure it out), geekiness turns out...

Longform

Mamoru Iwai, stationmaster of Keisei Ueno Station, says that, other than earthquake-proofing, the former Hakubutsukan-Dobutsuen (Museum-Zoo) Station has remained untouched.
Inside Tokyo's 'phantom' stations — and the stories they tell