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BUSINESS
Dec 17, 2001

Discount chains thrive amid Ginza's chic boutiques

With the end of the year just around the corner, Christmas shoppers visiting Tokyo's posh Ginza commercial district may find a new aspect to the area this winter.
COMMUNITY
Dec 16, 2001

From 'shashin' to snapshots

Shashin, the Japanese word that came to mean "photograph," was used quite differently when it first entered everyday language here. Derived from the two characters for "reflect" and "true," it arrived in the early Edo Period from China, where it was used to refer to portraits that were thought to express...
COMMUNITY
Dec 16, 2001

From pinholes to pixels, photgraphy keeps evolving

The camera on a tripod outside Edward Levinson's countryside home in Chiba Prefecture is deceptive in its simplicity. It has no lens or viewfinder, no focusing dial, and no shutter-release button.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Dec 16, 2001

The final downfall of a hard-boiled harridan

Just audible under the cheers that greeted the birth of the new princess was the tip-tapping of bored fingers coming from the direction of the "wide shows," where smiling faces and mandatory keigo barely masked acute impatience. Nine months of being forced to keep quiet about the crown princess's pregnancy...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Dec 16, 2001

Young Japanese struggle to find their way

As another year comes to an end, the Japanese media continue to wonder at the new generation at school and at work. The term "shinjinrui" (new species) seems to have fallen out of use but the prevailing attitude is still one of bemusement and even dismay.
BUSINESS
Dec 14, 2001

MMC contracts IBM to manage its IT system

Mitsubishi Motors Corp. will outsource the management and maintenance of its information technology systems to IBM Japan Ltd. in 2002, the two firms revealed Thursday.
JAPAN
Dec 14, 2001

Foreign Ministry officials to give to charity

Five sub-ministerial political appointees within the Foreign Ministry will each donate one month's allowance money to worthy causes as a form of punishment over the latest scandal to hit the ministry, Senior Vice Foreign Minister Seiken Sugiura said Thursday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 13, 2001

Asylum seekers' fates hang in balance

Refugees in danger of persecution, or migrants seeking work and wealth?
BUSINESS
Dec 13, 2001

Seiko unit to produce in Thailand

Seiko Corp. said Wednesday its wholly owned subsidiary Seiko Precision Inc. will shift domestic production of camera devices to Thailand to enhance its competitiveness.
JAPAN / LAST CALL FOR SAKE
Dec 13, 2001

Sake brewers seeking to please palates overseas

NIIGATA -- When movie star Robert De Niro visited Hokusetsu Shuzo's cellar in the village of Akadomari on Sado Island in fall 1998, he reportedly held up a 10-year-old bottle of sake and said he wanted it shipped to his restaurant in the United States.
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Dec 13, 2001

Global warming: WWF expert tells it like it is

Have difficulty getting your head around global warming? Join the club.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 12, 2001

Afghan NGOs explain obstacles to reconstruction

Nongovernmental organizations from Afghanistan on Tuesday explained the key issues facing their post-Taliban country at the start of a three-day conference in Tokyo to discuss rebuilding the war-torn country.
BUSINESS / ON THE FRONT LINE
Dec 12, 2001

Some see weak yen as last-ditch policy ploy

The dollar has risen steadily against the yen in recent weeks and now appears poised to test its April 2 high of 126.84 yen.
BUSINESS
Dec 12, 2001

Deregulation measures target health and labor

Japan should seek early deregulation in six priority areas, including health care, to build a consumer-friendly society and revive the faltering economy, a government advisory panel on deregulation said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Dec 12, 2001

Gist of deregulation steps

The following is a summary of key deregulation measures proposed Tuesday in a report drafted by the Council for Regulatory Reform, a 15-member panel consisting of academics and business leaders:
BUSINESS
Dec 12, 2001

Japan, Mexico to hold FTA talks

Japan and Mexico will hold a two-day meeting in Mexico City to study details of a proposed bilateral free trade agreement, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Dec 11, 2001

Cable & Wireless eyes PSINet unit

Cable & Wireless PLC of Britain announced Monday it has agreed to acquire the Japanese subsidiary of PSINet Inc. of the United States for 7.2 million British pounds to expand Net-related business here.
BUSINESS
Dec 9, 2001

Jichiro execs 'knew of tax evasion'

Former executives of the scandal-hit Jichiro labor union were aware it was allegedly evading tax by not declaring commission income from insurance companies in the 1990s, labor and investigative sources said Saturday.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 9, 2001

Jerusalem attacks benefit extremists on both sides

LONDON -- Hamas has had a very good weekend. The suicide bomb attacks that killed at least 25 people in Jerusalem and Haifa last Saturday and Sunday have driven any last remaining thoughts of a compromise peace settlement with the Palestinians out of the minds of most Israelis. Since the Islamic extremists...
JAPAN
Dec 9, 2001

Jazz singer only trying to make today better than yesterday

Making one's musical debut at the age of 40 night be seen a source of amusement in an industry dominated by the younger generation, but for jazz singer Chie Ayado the release of her first album, "For All We Know," in June 1998 was the start of her rise to fame.
BUSINESS
Dec 7, 2001

Economy still lagging under 50%

The government said Thursday its key gauge of the economy remained below the boom-or-bust line of 50 percent in October, marking its 10th consecutive month under this line.
BUSINESS
Dec 7, 2001

Deregulation panel seeks to relax medical advertising curbs

A final report currently being drafted by a government deregulation panel says restrictions on advertising by medical institutions should be relaxed by the end of March, panel sources said Thursday.
BUSINESS
Dec 6, 2001

Revised code limits liability of executives

The Commercial Code was revised Wednesday to make it easier for firms to limit the damages corporate executives must pay in lawsuits brought by shareholders.
JAPAN
Dec 6, 2001

Group to rally NGOs next week over Afghan aid

A Japanese nonprofit organization will hold a conference for nongovernmental organizations in Tokyo next week to discuss ways to provide assistance to Afghanistan, according to organization officials.
COMMUNITY
Dec 6, 2001

Theme park operator laughs in face of yakuza, Mickey Mouse

While yakuza gangs and Mickey Mouse may be intimidating for her colleagues, Hatsue Takai merely brushes them aside.

Longform

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