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ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Apr 24, 2003

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Dear readers, as you rarely get the last word, this week's column aims to put that right. Two weeks ago, I wrote about the dangers of our society's addiction to oil, and noted that much of the world still believes the primary purpose of the U.S. invasion of Iraq was to dominate its oil supplies and establish...
Japan Times
JAPAN / IN WITH THE NEW
Apr 24, 2003

DPJ's Noda intent on pursuing noble cause in Diet

Before Yoshihiko Noda took over as Diet affairs chief of the Democratic Party of Japan in December, his early morning weekday schedule was set in stone.
COMMENTARY
Apr 23, 2003

A bigger Europe may not be any better

LONDON -- A few days ago in Athens, the birthplace of democracy, EU leaders approved a major expansion of the European Union that will embrace 10 new members and 73 million more European citizens.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Apr 23, 2003

"Saddle Creek 50"

To the surprise of many, the American underground's most fertile soil is now found on the parched plains of Omaha, Neb. Despite the scarcity of clubs, record shops and other hipster-habitat markers, this remote Midwestern town has cultivated a bumper crop of interesting bands. Early bloomers Tom Bascle...
EDITORIALS
Apr 20, 2003

Concorde in mothballs

Have you ever flown on a Concorde? Know anyone who has? No, we didn't think so. Not many people have, despite the fact that the elegant, needle-nosed, supersonic aircraft has been plying the skies for 27 years. And there's a good reason for that. It boils down to a single number: $9,300, which is how...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Apr 20, 2003

All roads still lead to Paris

Mother, grandmother, createuse extraordinaire, Hanae Mori is a woman of impeccable taste, the holder of many coveted awards and Japan's -- and Asia's -- only member of the prestigious, Paris-based Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / NATURE TRAVEL
Apr 20, 2003

Look what the tide brought in

Venice Beach, Fla., and the sun is hot and strong. Most tourists are simply lounging on the sand turning various shades of furious red or "Baywatch" bronze. A few are chucking Frisbees or checking out the babes.
JAPAN
Apr 19, 2003

Amusement parks tap nation's love of hot springs

As amusement and theme parks nationwide struggle to attract visitors, operators in Tokyo are digging deep to tap one of Japan's favorite past times and lure a wider range of patrons.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 19, 2003

Stop demolitions of Palestinian homes

NEW YORK -- Systematic home demolitions, severe travel restrictions, curfews and town blockades are cruel occupation policies aimed at intimidating Palestinians and making them leave their lands. Since the start of Israel's occupation of Palestinian lands in 1967, more than 10,000 homes have been demolished,...
JAPAN
Apr 19, 2003

Tougher rules on motorbike exhausts eyed

An Environment Ministry panel compiled a proposal Friday to tighten restrictions on exhaust emissions from two-wheeled motor vehicles.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 19, 2003

View talks with skepticism

HONOLULU -- The North Koreans have set both doves and hawks all a-twitter in Washington, Tokyo and Seoul by agreeing to discuss its nuclear plans with American diplomats. But a word of skepticism is in order.
JAPAN
Apr 19, 2003

June eyed for SDF-Iraq bill

Legislation that would allow the dispatch of Self-Defense Forces to Iraq for postwar reconstruction will probably be submitted to the Diet in June, a senior member of the ruling coalition said Friday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 19, 2003

Daiei reports return to the black for '02

Ailing retailer Daiei Inc. reported Friday it returned to profitability in its 2002 business year due to lower restructuring costs, which weighed heavily on its earnings in the previous term.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / THE WAY OF WASHOKU
Apr 18, 2003

The air is clear and the food gives cheer

Now in my early 30s, I find myself no longer able to just pick up and head off for a break. Ten years ago, my friends and I would take off anywhere, just about anytime. One of our last considerations — being in motion was the first — was what to do when we got there or what to eat when the time came....
EDITORIALS
Apr 18, 2003

Indelible stain of injustice

Abuses by Japan's thought police during World War II belong in history, and so does the so-called Yokohama Incident in which special police in Kanagawa Prefecture arrested more than 60 editors and journalists on suspicion of plotting to revive a communist party. About half of them were indicted and found...
JAPAN
Apr 18, 2003

Hit-and-run accidents up 12.6%

The number of hit-and-run traffic accidents in 2002 rose 12.6 percent from the previous year despite the enactment of a tougher law to punish reckless drivers, the National Police Agency said Thursday.
JAPAN
Apr 17, 2003

Ibaraki seeks help with contaminated well

Ibaraki Gov. Masaru Hashimoto asked the national government Wednesday to help deal with a contaminated well in the town of Kamisu.
BUSINESS
Apr 17, 2003

Daiei to decentralize as part of reconstruction program

Ailing retail giant Daiei Inc. is likely to undertake more decentralized merchandising and store operations as part of its restructuring efforts, a key manager in its group said Wednesday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / INDUSTRY TRENDS
Apr 17, 2003

Big screens on grand scale win back new generation of film fans

The magic of Harry Potter and "The Lord of the Rings" may not be the only reason that people are returning to movie theaters.
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Apr 17, 2003

Not now, maybe never

As far as self-publicity goes, the U.S.-based Raelian cult has done better than most. Based on the alleged experiences of a one-time motor-racing journalist, Claude Vorilhon, who claimed to have been inspired by an extraterrestrial power lunch with Mohammed, Christ and Buddha, the cult drew attention...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Apr 17, 2003

A natural sense of belonging

I pass through the Heidelberg area of Baden-Buerttemberg in southwest Germany several times a year, and though I am transient there, I feel that I have roots -- roots that come from a natural connectedness with the earth. The several thousand hectares of land sandwiched between the gently rising hills...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / FRONT-RUNNERS
Apr 16, 2003

Sekisui Chemical touts energy-efficient homes

A Tokyo-based chemical firm is building energy-efficient homes that it claims will allow occupants to virtually do away with monthly electricity bills.
JAPAN
Apr 16, 2003

Divisions over Iraq offensive dominate Japan-Europe forum

ATHENS -- The rift between the United States and "Old Europe" over the Iraq war was the biggest cause for concern among Japanese participants at a Japan-Europe symposium held here recently.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 15, 2003

Confession-based convictions questioned

For more than a month after his arrest, Kazuo Ishikawa staunchly denied police allegations that he had raped and killed a high school girl in Sayama, Saitama Prefecture, in May 1963.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 13, 2003

From polarization to U.N. reconstruction

CHIANG MAI, Thailand -- A future historian will almost certainly view the current tragedy in Iraq more calmly than so many of today's analysts and commentators. As the drama is screened from sophisticated command rooms to the remotest television-equipped hut in a far corner of the world, emotions prevail...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Apr 13, 2003

Laying the ghosts of doubt in Laos

LOST OVER LAOS, by Richard Pyle and Horst Faas. Da Capa Press, 2002, 239 pp., $30 (cloth) In American hands, the deadly serious business of warfare, the very way war is conducted, can seem at times more like an extension of its own pop culture, a cartoon warp of the real grotesqueries.

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