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JAPAN
Jun 20, 2001

Man on veranda arrested in fatal break-in

A 28-year-old man was arrested Tuesday for allegedly storming into an apartment building in Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward sometime Monday evening and bludgeoning a 78-year-old man to death and seriously wounding his 97-year-old mother.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 20, 2001

Europe confronts new reality

LONDON -- From the moment that George W. Bush won the U.S. presidency, Europeans sensed that they were entering an new era. After eight years of generally good understanding with his predecessor, Bill Clinton, they now faced a man whose world view would not necessarily be in tune with theirs. As the...
JAPAN
Jun 20, 2001

Sex change no cure for torment

In 1987, Masae Torai caught a flight to the United States with 4 million yen in savings to undergo a sex-reassignment operation and fulfill a long-held wish to become male.
CULTURE / Film
Jun 20, 2001

By the people, for the media

The Contender Rating: * * * * Director: Rod Lurie Running time: 127 minutes Language: English Now showing at Marunouchi Piccadilly and other theaters You see "The Contender" and you realize the level of puritanism in the United States, at least in terms of politics as presented by the media for public...
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Jun 20, 2001

Hot Cha

Hot Cha has become the Tokyo home of slightly askew pop. From the arty, new-wave gyrations of Delaware to Fan Boy There's equally arty jazz inflections, the label attempts to reshape Tokyo's pop landscape in its own eccentric image.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 18, 2001

The price of the 'New World blitzkrieg'

LONDON -- "The survivors are scraps," says evolutionary biologist Dr. John Alroy about the large mammal species that remain in North America after the wave of extinctions that followed the arrival of the first humans less than 14,000 years ago. And there is no longer any question about why all the rest...
MORE SPORTS
Jun 18, 2001

Home team improves, but still gives up eight tries to Wales

Wales outclassed Japan 53-30 in the second test in front of 23,000 spectators at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Stadium in Tokyo on Sunday.
JAPAN / WEEKEND WISDOM
Jun 17, 2001

Folklore researcher advocates power of story-telling for kids

In an age of rising violence and crime, parents and teachers who are at a loss over how to teach children the importance of life could find a treasure trove of hints in ancient tales.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jun 17, 2001

Some like it steamed

Many Japanese who grew up in the 1950s still recall roba no panya, horse-drawn bakery wagons selling mushi-pan (steamed bread). Popularized by Kyoto-based bread manufacturer Vitamin Pan Rensa-ten Honbu in the latter part of the decade, by around 1960 the company boasted 160 roba no panya across the country,...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jun 17, 2001

Gourmet meals on wheels

Chris Takahashi spent years making dishes for some of the world's most fussy eaters -- New Yorkers. On returning to his home country a few years ago after 27 years away, instead of trying to slot into some kind of salaried position in a society where he felt completely lost, he decided to do what he...
CULTURE / Music
Jun 17, 2001

Flying postpunk first class

Time is the nemesis of originality. The greater the number of artists who explore a particular discipline over time, the less likely it is that one of them will come up with something fresh.
BUSINESS
Jun 16, 2001

BOJ resists pressure, maintains monetary policy

The Bank of Japan decided to keep its monetary policy unchanged Friday, despite strong pressure earlier in the week from politicians and the Finance Ministry for further easing.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 15, 2001

Backers of Chinese press in Malaysia mobilize to defend its freedom

KUALA LUMPUR -- Despite stringent mass media laws, Chinese newspapers in Malaysia have built a reputation for objective, balanced and accurate political reporting and analyses. This widely-held perception among all ethnic groups in multiracial Malaysia -- Malays, Chinese and Indians -- often stands in...
JAPAN
Jun 15, 2001

Education key to Uzbekistan's future

Alisher Shaykhov, outgoing Uzbekistan ambassador to Japan, expressed gratitude Thursday for Japan's contribution to educational development in the Central Asian republic, which has been striving for economic reform since it became independent in 1991, following the Shaykhovbreak up of the Soviet Union....
SOCCER / THE BALD TRUTH
Jun 15, 2001

Japan owes Troussier a 'Merci'

Poor South Korea. Get blitzed 5-0 by France in the Confederations Cup opener, making Japan feel a whole lot better about life after Philippe Troussier's boys lost by the same score in Paris on March 25. Go out of the tournament on goal difference, while Japan finish top of Group B following wins over...
COMMUNITY
Jun 15, 2001

You're not leaving the table till you finish those vegetables

Some nights, I drift off to sleep feeling as smug as if I'd just outwitted the devil. My husband has clued in to my little G spot of contentment, so when he wants to get on my good side, he knows to whisper: "Rio ate lots of vegetables today."
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM MOSCOW
Jun 15, 2001

Bush and Putin square off

On Saturday, U.S. President George W. Bush is meeting his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in Ljubljana, Slovenia in what will be the first Russo-American summit of the 21st century. The issue that will dominate the talks is clear: Bush's grandiose plan for national missile defense. Like chess champs...
JAPAN
Jun 14, 2001

JCCI probes alleged exam leak

Questions on an accounting license examination conducted Sunday by the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry may have been leaked to students at accounting schools, JCCI officials said Wednesday.
ENVIRONMENT / IN BLOOM
Jun 14, 2001

Gaku-ajisai (Lace-cap hydrangea)

"We rode for some time within hearing of the Kinugawa River with an undergrowth of red azaleas, blue hydrangea the very blue of heaven, yellow raspberries, ferns. The redundancy of the vegetation was truly tropical, and the brilliancy and variety of its living greens, dripping with recent rain,...
JAPAN
Jun 14, 2001

NPOs rising but still short on cash: expert

The outlook for Japan's nonprofit organizations has improved in recent years due to legal support from the government, but they still face major hurdles like insufficient financial resources, Harvard University professor Susan Pharr said Wednesday.
LIFE / Digital / SURFERSPUD
Jun 14, 2001

Going somewhere?

www.orbitz.com The five biggest U.S. airlines got together on Orbitz to offer cut-rate fares and other travel specials. But since United, American, Northwest Delta and Continental don't belong to any of Asia's ticket cartels, you're not gonna get a discount if you're living in Japan (the regulations...
BUSINESS
Jun 14, 2001

Problem loans rising at regional banks

Problem loans at the nation's 64 regional banks rose 17.7 percent to 9.8 trillion yen during fiscal 2000 as borrowers fell delinquent and banks made more stringent assessments of loans, the Association of Regional Banks said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Jun 13, 2001

Low growth is the price of reforms

Japan will have to endure low economic growth over the next two to three years as the nation undergoes radical reforms, a key government economic panel said in the draft of a reform blueprint to be released later this month.
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
Jun 13, 2001

Super Butter Dog: Bow wow wow yippee yay

When I first saw Super Butter Dog at an industry showcase a few years back, I thought they were a joke. First, of course, there was the name. Super Butter Dog sounded like one of those quasi-edible agglomerations of animal byproducts and chemicals you buy at dubious-looking matsuri stalls. And the band...
CULTURE / Art
Jun 13, 2001

Quiet scenes from life and nature

"Suigen (Water Source)" (2001) by Tsuneo Nakaune A joint exhibition of nihonga (traditional Japanese-style painting) by Haruko and Tsuneo Nakaune will open June 19 at the Ginza Church Tokyo Gospel Fellowship Center. Readers may already know Haruko from her "Word Play" cartoons on The Japan Times' Friday...
JAPAN
Jun 12, 2001

Seibu to help disabled, elderly shop

Licensed guides will assist the disabled and the elderly at four Seibu department stores, including the flagship Ikebukuro store in Tokyo, starting later this month, according to Seibu officials.

Longform

Once smoky, male-dominated spaces, today's net cafes, like Kaikatsu Club, are working to make their operations more attractive to women customers.
The second life of Japan's net cafes