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JAPAN
Aug 14, 2001

Reactions vary to Yasukuni Shrine visit

Opinions were divided among the thousands of people gathered at Yasukuni Shrine on Monday over Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's controversial visit the same day.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 12, 2001

Kim's final destination remains a mystery

SEOUL -- For Korean watchers, the overriding question regarding North Korean leader Kim Jong Il's visit to Moscow is whether it has brought him any closer to Seoul. Beyond receiving accolades for a summit in Moscow last weekend, the exact purpose behind the trip or, more precisely, Kim's final destination,...
JAPAN
Aug 12, 2001

U.K. family of JAL victim confused at redress delay

The British mother of two girls who lost their father in the world's worst single plane crash in 1985, has expressed both confusion and hope over the family's claim for official and direct compensation from Japan Airlines.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Aug 12, 2001

The life of spice in the big city

Our column last month on looking for laksa in Tokyo generated a good number of comments and recommendations. One correspondent felt we had not properly pointed out that these spicy noodles are also hugely popular in Singapore, not just in Malaysia. It was certainly not our intention to ignore or slight...
JAPAN
Aug 11, 2001

Reform of state-linked firms encounters stiff resistance

A government proposal to drastically overhaul government-backed corporations is facing resistance from the ministries and agencies that control them, according to a government report released Friday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Aug 11, 2001

Playing chicken with telecommunication big boys

To some he is a hero. To others an anathema. For this writer, who lives in trepidation of meeting with Japanese CEOs because (sorry guys) they tend to be so predictable, Sachio Semmoto is a breath of fresh air.
JAPAN
Aug 11, 2001

Ex-UNEP official pushes business solutions to environment problems

Despite a sign of global economic recession, the private sector can help solve environmental issues by creating new business and stimulating the economy, according to Noel Brown, former director of the North American regional office of the United Nations Environmental Program.
JAPAN
Aug 11, 2001

Tanaka to lose month's pay over two ministry scandals

Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka said Friday she will return one month's ministerial salary to the state's coffers as a self-imposed punishment over two financial scandals involving ministry officials.
JAPAN
Aug 11, 2001

Group takes credit for incendiary attack

A group calling itself a revolutionary army claimed responsibility Friday for Tuesday's fire in a lot adjacent to the office of a group that authored a controversial history textbook.
JAPAN
Aug 11, 2001

Authorities forced to slash water intake

Record-breaking temperatures and scant rainfall have prompted authorities across the nation to cut water intake, with the government warning that water shortages in the Kanto, Chubu and Shikoku areas could match those during Japan's worst recorded drought eight years ago.
JAPAN
Aug 10, 2001

Smokers sue as Japan Tobacco denies causal links

Matao Yamamoto, a 67-year-old former Kyoto cab driver, is one of a large number of smokers in Japan who deeply regrets acquiring the hard-to-quit habit.
COMMENTARY / WASHINGTON UPDATE
Aug 9, 2001

Times get tougher for Bush

WASHINGTON -- President George W. Bush has now been in the Oval Office for a little more than one half year, and it has been the best of times and the worst of times for him.
JAPAN
Aug 9, 2001

North Korea, Ukraine join saury fishing off Hokkaido

Russia has granted North Korean and Ukrainian boats permission to fish for saury in waters around Russian-held islands off Hokkaido that are also claimed by Japan, the Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Aug 9, 2001

Shiokawa vows to prevent negative growth

Finance Minister Masajuro Shiokawa reiterated Wednesday that the government will take all necessary measures to prop up the economy if it falls into negative growth on an annual basis.
JAPAN
Aug 8, 2001

Tokyo schools for disabled to get contentious history text

The Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education voted Tuesday to use a controversial history textbook at three public schools for disabled children.
BUSINESS
Aug 8, 2001

Daiei to sell off Printemps Ginza

Supermarket chain operator Daiei Inc. announced Tuesday it will sell its full stake in subsidiary department store Printemps Ginza SA to reduce its own debt.
JAPAN
Aug 8, 2001

Tanaka to delay own punishment

Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka said Tuesday that she will wait until a fuller picture emerges of the embezzlement scams enveloping her ministry before imposing punitive measures upon herself.
JAPAN
Aug 8, 2001

Cabinet trio plan to visit Yasukuni on surrender day

Three of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's 17 ministers confirmed Tuesday they will visit Yasukuni Shrine on Aug. 15, the anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II.
CULTURE / Film
Aug 8, 2001

Are the fishing fools running out of line?

Tsuri Baka Nisshi 12 Rating: * * 1/2 Director: Katsuhide Motoki Running time: 111 minutes Language: JapaneseOpens Aug. 18 Some sequels make sense, but a "3" or "4" after the title of a Hollywood movie is generally a good reason to stay away unless you happen to be feeling charitable toward a studio...
LIFE / Travel
Aug 7, 2001

On a quiet crusade to end a tradition of injustice

BANGKOK -- On the first lunar cycle of the first month of this year, Chatsumarn Kabilsingh, an eminent Buddhist scholar, threw away her makeup, gave up eating meals after midday and relinquished the luxury of a comfortable bed. A month later, one day before the auspicious date of Buddha's holy Makhapuja...
Events
Aug 7, 2001

Privatizing nursery schools irks Takaishi parents group

TAKAISHI, Osaka Pref. -- With Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi making vague noises on the importance of education, this city of 62,000 people is realizing that words alone aren't the answer.
JAPAN
Aug 7, 2001

Foreign Ministry sacks two more officials

The Foreign Ministry dismissed two ministry officials on Monday, following their indictment earlier in the day on charges they mishandled about 22 million yen in public funds, the ministry said.
JAPAN
Aug 7, 2001

Obituary: Masahisa Aoki

Masahisa Aoki, a former director general of the Environment Agency who turned to politics after a career in newspapers, died Monday of a heart attack at a hospital in Saitama Prefecture, his family said. He was 78.
BUSINESS
Aug 7, 2001

Minicar presence gains on automaker innovation

Minicars were once regarded by Japanese consumers as second-class, cheap vehicles.
JAPAN
Aug 6, 2001

Outdoor accidents claim nine lives

Nine people died, two went missing and five others were injured Sunday in accidents on rivers, mountains and seas across Japan, according to a Kyodo News survey.

Longform

Dangami House is a 180-year-old former samurai residence of the Kato clan, who ruled over Ozu, Ehime Prefecture, until the Meiji Restoration.
A house, a legacy and the quiet work of restoration in rural Japan