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BUSINESS
Sep 24, 2002

EU energy chief details plan to keep oil reserves

OSAKA -- The ideal price for oil is just over $20 a barrel, or $8 less than the current price, the European Union's commissioner of energy and transport said Monday, indicating an EU plan to stockpile oil is in response to unforeseen emergencies.
BASEBALL / MLB
Sep 24, 2002

Sheldon goes deep as BlueWave sail past Lions

Scott Sheldon hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the fifth inning and Hisashi Ogura won his fourth straight decision Monday to help the Orix BlueWave to a 6-4 victory over the Seibu Lions.
SUMO
Sep 23, 2002

Maru overpowers Taka to take title

Yokozuna Musashimaru overpowered fellow-yokozuna Takanohana on the final day of the Aki Basho to win his 12th title with a 13-2 record. It was the 31-year-old Hawaiian-born yokozuna's third yusho this year; he also triumphed in March and May.
BUSINESS
Sep 23, 2002

Deflation and the Bank of Japan

I am treating this as a separate topic because several Japanese business leaders indicated to me during my July 2002 visit that they are lobbied hard by the Bank of Japan to accept the BOJ's current position, and that they are very concerned about these issues.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 23, 2002

Reform delays discouraging

Junichiro Koizumi was Japan's first prime minister to receive a mandate to push structural reforms by convincing the public that there would be no economic growth without painful reforms. It remains to be seen, however, whether Koizumi will succeed in his reforms. More than a year after launching his...
EDITORIALS
Sep 23, 2002

The great fire wall of China

Google was gagged. The Chinese government recently blocked access to the popular Internet search engine for several days -- before suddenly reversing course for reasons still unclear -- in an attempt to promote a "healthy atmosphere" in the runup to the November meeting of the Chinese leadership. While...
BASEBALL / MLB
Sep 23, 2002

Seibu's Pacific League crown ends four-year drought

This year the Seibu Lions cruised to their first Pacific League crown in four years -- a result expected by many.
COMMUNITY
Sep 22, 2002

William Tyndale: A martyr's memory heals old wounds

ANTWERP, Belgium -- William Tyndale, the first translator of the Bible into English from its original Greek and Hebrew texts, is making a comeback that -- if not miraculous -- is considered by many to be at least long overdue.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / VINELAND
Sep 22, 2002

Recession? What recession?

For many, the mere thought of Champagne is enough to make the pulse race and the tongue tingle. Josephine de Beauharnais, the wife of Napoleon and Empress of France 1796-99, once remarked that "making love without a bottle of Champagne alongside my bed is merely silly." For those looking to indulge in...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Sep 22, 2002

Hsia Yu: modern, universal and refreshing

FUSION KITSCH: Poetry by Hsia Yu, Translated by Steve Bradbury. Zephyr Press, Massachusetts, 2001, 131 pp., $13 (paper) The title of this book, the first bilingual collection of work by Taiwanese poet Hsia Yu, is apt. In fact, translator Steve Bradbury, a professor at National Central University in Taiwan,...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / THE WAY OF WASHOKU
Sep 22, 2002

Yes, you too can roll your own raw fish at home

Even after several years apprenticing in professional Japanese kitchens, I feel inadequate when it comes to slicing raw fish for presentation. This possibly comes from an intimate knowledge of the expertise of my mentors — though even my most astute customers may not notice a difference in quality....
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Sep 22, 2002

Pecs, posing and living sculpture

"The main thing I want people to understand is that bodybuilding is the real thing. Bodybuilders are doing what all athletes are doing -- dieting, working out. There are no secrets to it. But, if all people see is a bunch of oiled, near-naked guys striking poses up on stage, they're going to think it's...
COMMENTARY
Sep 22, 2002

Al Gore's amnesia on abuse of liberties

WASHINGTON -- Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore is apparently on the hunt for votes in the 2004 presidential race. He criticized the Bush administration on just about every ground at a recent dinner hosted by the Congressional Black Caucus. The greatest moment of unintended hilarity came when he said...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / PLAY BUTTON
Sep 22, 2002

The building blocks of a good scene

As the torpor of summer dissipates into autumn's more tolerable temperatures, the music scene moves from the beaches of Shonan and the foothills of Fuji back into its dark and dank urban recesses.
Japan Times
JAPAN / BABY BUST
Sep 21, 2002

Isolation poses major danger to modern mothers

Yumi, the mother of a 17-month-old girl in Tokyo, said she started feeling the burden of raising a child even before she became a mom.
SUMO
Sep 21, 2002

Trio leads the way at basho

Yokozuna Takanohana pulled down a rampaging ozeki Chiyotaikai to move into a three-way tie for the lead as fellow grand champion Musashimaru fell victim to some fancy footwork by Kaio at the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament on Friday.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 21, 2002

Testing times for the U.N.

In finally taking the vexed issue of war with Iraq to the United Nations, U.S. President George W. Bush has presented the organization with a double-edged test of credibility. Will it lift its performance and remain relevant to U.S. foreign policy on Washington's terms, or in doing so will it be seen...
Japan Times
JAPAN / BABY BUST
Sep 20, 2002

Education costs seen adding fuel to fall in birthrate

At age 4, Mari takes swimming, gymnastics, drawing and English-conversation classes. And that's after kindergarten.
BUSINESS
Sep 20, 2002

Koizumi backs BOJ bad-loan disposal measures

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Thursday the government will take every possible measure in cooperation with the Bank of Japan to accelerate the disposal of nonperforming loans and prevent a financial crisis.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Sep 20, 2002

Japanese oakblue

* Japanese name: Murasaki shijimi * Scientific name: Narathura japonica * Description: If you catch sight of a butterfly flitting through the trees, it is likely to be an oakblue. The oakblue is a small (14-22 mm long) butterfly. Its black-bordered wings have beautiful, iridescent blue patches. It...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / THEN AND NOW
Sep 19, 2002

Watching the river's flow

In the best-selling 19th-century guidebook, "Edo Meisho Zue (Famous Places of Edo)," there are many prints showing the picturesque scenery and ancient shrines in the vicinity of Oji in present-day Kita Ward. Robert Fortune, the Scottish botanist who was in Japan in 1860 and 1861, enjoyed his visit there,...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Sep 19, 2002

Mind over matter and danger signals by design

Our emotions in relation to other living things are worthy of a whole lifetime of study.
BUSINESS
Sep 19, 2002

Temp work seen striking happy medium

According to Shinya Sato, an executive director at Japan Staffing Services Association, the CIETT meeting held in Tokyo in April provided momentum to help spur the Japanese temp industry toward further deregulation.
BUSINESS
Sep 19, 2002

Kim's calculated gamble to open up is born of desperation

PYONGYANG -- Even at the Koryo Hotel, one of the most luxurious accommodations for foreign visitors in Pyongyang, the energy shortage was apparent.
BASEBALL / MLB
Sep 17, 2002

Hawks' All-Star Pedraza leaves nest, vows to return

If Fukuoka Daiei Hawks slugger Nobuhiko Matsunaka appeared to be in a hurry to get home after Sunday's game against the Chiba Lotte Marines, there was a simple explanation. He had to cook a farewell dinner for his buddy Rodney Pedraza, who was spending his last night in Japan after being told Friday...
JAPAN
Sep 17, 2002

Depressive points the way out of the gloom

For 10 years, Rei Ueno, 40, worked hard as a freelance writer. He took on almost every job that came to him. It was not unusual for him to make it home after midnight -- he also played hard.
BUSINESS
Sep 17, 2002

Electric toothbrush sales increase as prices decay

Sales of electric toothbrushes are booming in Japan following a significant decline in product prices.
JAPAN
Sep 17, 2002

'70 Expo Osaka museum relocation stirs forum to mull site's future use

OSAKA -- The planned relocation to central Osaka of the National Museum of Art from the Expo '70 Commemoration Park in Suita, Osaka Prefecture, has drawn no public protest, but for some people it stirs deep emotions about one of their most memorable events in decades.
JAPAN
Sep 15, 2002

One in every 5.4 Japanese is 65 or older

The number of Japanese aged 65 or older will on Sunday reach a record-high of an estimated 23.62 million -- roughly one out of every 5.4 people -- according to a government survey released Saturday.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji