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COMMENTARY
Nov 15, 2001

Legacy of 'jihad' may linger

ISLAMABAD -- Chants of "jihad" (holy war) have repeatedly resonated on the streets of Pakistan in the weeks following Washington's decision to launch military attacks on Afghanistan.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 15, 2001

Japan makes pitch for Afghan peace role

The United States has high expectations of Japan's role in the reconstruction of Afghanistan after Taliban rule ends, and Tokyo should engage in the peace process from an early stage, former Japanese Ambassador to the U.S. Shunji Yanai said.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 14, 2001

Forum focuses on English skills in business

Company managers, educators and journalists met Tuesday at a forum in Tokyo to discuss the English language's influence in business, and the possibility of making it an official language in the Japanese corporate world.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 14, 2001

Patients, professionals slam health insurance reform

The winter after an unusually hot summer is especially risky for the elderly, whose vulnerable immune systems have been taxed by intense heat.
CULTURE / Film
Nov 14, 2001

See how happy we are?

The Anniversary Party Rating: * * * * Director: Jennifer Jason Leigh / Alan Cumming Running time: 115 minutes Language: English Opens Nov.23 at Chanter Cine Theater
JAPAN
Nov 13, 2001

State, doctors, patients wrangle over health bill

As Japan's population ages at an unprecedented pace and the economy fails to generate high growth, the question of who should shoulder the nation's rising health costs is becoming a bone of contention.
JAPAN
Nov 11, 2001

Officials ignore domestic violence: poll

Japanese women who have survived abuse at the hands of their husbands or boyfriends say police, government offices and people around them typically turn a blind eye to their suffering, according to a Cabinet Office survey.
JAPAN
Nov 11, 2001

Obituary: Sachiko Hidari

Veteran actress Sachiko Hidari died Thursday of cancer at the National Cancer Center in Tokyo, her family said Saturday. She was 71.
CULTURE / Music / JAZZNICITY
Nov 11, 2001

Fusion is dead, long live fusion

Fusion is the style of jazz pioneered by Miles Davis in the 1960s, most famously with his album "Bitches' Brew," in which the power, decibels and feedback of Jimi Hendrix were fused with the searing, exploratory complexity of John Coltrane.
JAPAN
Nov 11, 2001

Officials ignore domestic violence: poll

Japanese women who have survived abuse at the hands of their husbands or boyfriends say police, government offices and people around them typically turn a blind eye to their suffering, according to a Cabinet Office survey.
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Nov 11, 2001

Kanetanaka-So: Modern kaiseki set on the right course

These are not the best of times for Tokyo's ryotei, those rarefied houses of inconspicuous consumption, whose prime purpose is as venues for wining and dining, mutual back-scratching and political intrigue. With captains of industry cutting back on expense accounts, and Nagata-cho's mandarins under increasing...
BUSINESS
Nov 11, 2001

Agency offering vacation in New York for 20,000 yen

OSAKA -- A discount travel agency based here will offer a package trip to New York for a mere 20,000 yen, which includes a donation of 3,000 yen for cleanup operations after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
JAPAN
Nov 10, 2001

Calls for Cabinet shakeup dog Koizumi

Speculation that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will reshuffle his Cabinet sometime after the current Diet session ends Dec. 7 has not ebbed, despite his repeated denials.
COMMENTARY
Nov 10, 2001

Brace yourself for the new McCarthyism

NEW YORK -- According to The Wall Street Journal I'm "probably the most bitterly anti-American commentator in America." The National Review calls me "a big fat zero, an ignorant, talentless hack with a flair for recycling leftist pieties into snarky cartoons that inspired breakfast-table chuckles among...
JAPAN
Nov 10, 2001

Calls for Cabinet shakeup dog Koizumi

Speculation that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will reshuffle his Cabinet sometime after the current Diet session ends Dec. 7 has not ebbed, despite his repeated denials.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Nov 10, 2001

Exotic Japan found in mundane things

I had just purchased a sweat shirt at the Gap, picked up some shampoo at the Body Shop and ordered pizza from Pizza Hut when I received an e-mail saying: "You live in Japan? How exotic!"
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 9, 2001

Howard ahead as election draws near

SYDNEY -- In these days of crisis -- as Australia sends troops to fight the Taliban in Afghanistan and thousands of boat people try to reach Australia illegally -- what more does Prime Minister John Howard need to win a national election this coming Saturday?
JAPAN
Nov 9, 2001

Obituary: Shun Oide

Shun Oide, a former House of Representatives member of the Social Democratic Party and former minister of posts and telecommunications, died Thursday at a Yokohama hospital. He was 79.
BUSINESS
Nov 9, 2001

Sharp, Taiwan firm agree on tieup

OSAKA -- Sharp Corp. said Thursday it has agreed with Taiwanese microchip maker Winbond Electronics Corp. to jointly develop next-generation flash memory chips in a deal aimed at slashing development costs.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 8, 2001

For many Arab regimes, the 'war on terror' begins at home

BEIRUT -- The United States has long divided Arab regimes into two broad categories: the friendly, pro-Western "moderate" ones and the less friendly, "radical" ones. Since Sept. 11, two key "moderates' -- Egypt and Saudi Arabia -- have undergone a drastic change of status in American eyes. Only arch-villain...
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 8, 2001

Taxing currency speculators

LONDON -- The decision by European economy and finance ministers in Liege on Sept. 23 to commission a study of the effect of "Tobin-style" taxes on currency transactions indicates a new and surprising high-water mark of support for taxation on speculative capital flows.
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Nov 8, 2001

All the leaves are brown -- anyone know why?

In Japan, the beauty of leaves in autumn is revered with almost religious fervor. Part of the autumn weather forecast is devoted to showing the "leaf front" as the color change in trees moves across the country. Millions of tourists travel to marvel at the display.
JAPAN
Nov 7, 2001

Surname law now said out of sync

After years of debate and shifting social trends, legislation that would allow Japanese married couples to keep separate surnames may finally hit the Diet floor.
JAPAN
Nov 7, 2001

Tanaka pursues meetings as shenanigans continue

Embattled Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka said Tuesday that she has still not given up on attending U.N. General Assembly and Group of Eight foreign ministers' meetings in New York, despite her request again being turned down by the Diet.
CULTURE / Film
Nov 7, 2001

Hosoya serves up some excellent cheese

OK, let's play Guess The Filmmaker. Here's the flick: it's called "Home Sweet Hoboken," it's set in a New Jersey neighborhood, and it features two jobless young slackers who live with their grandmother while subsisting on pizza and beer. Their foul-mouthed dialogue is along the lines of "S***, I gotta...
CULTURE / Art
Nov 7, 2001

In search of simplicity

In turbulent times, we turn to the simple things of life with relief. But in fine art, simplicity is not easy, and it is a brave painter who spends his life depicting pots and pans, apples and pears.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 7, 2001

Better living through recycling

In the world of haute couture, it is generally the design ideas that get recycled, not the clothes themselves. Barely has one decade ended before its trends resurface as retro chic: new clothes, same old look.

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