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JAPAN
May 4, 1999

Dioxin: Proximity to Tokyo dooms Tokorozawa

Second in a seriesStaff writer
CULTURE / Books
May 4, 1999

Artistry lost in translation

WHITE LETTER POEMS, by Fumi Saito, translated by Hatsue Kawamura and Jane Reichhold. AHA Books, 1998, 110 pp., $10. The title of this well-produced selection of tanka by the venerable poet Fumi Saito is taken from the first tanka in the book's first section, which contains work from "Gyo ka" (Songs...
JAPAN
May 3, 1999

Ready for 2000?: Japan's efforts overlooked when not in English

Sixth in an occasional series on Japan's Y2K preparedness
JAPAN
May 3, 1999

Kan's policy quest undeterred despite party's slump

Staff writer
JAPAN
May 3, 1999

Constitution's anniversary sparks debate on revision

With last month's Lower House passage of bills covering the updated Japan-U.S. defense cooperation guidelines as a backdrop, the nation on Monday celebrated the 52nd anniversary of the postwar Constitution with heated debate over the document itself.
COMMUNITY
May 2, 1999

Relaxation therapy for busy people

Shiatsu, acupuncture and moxibustion are for older men -- at least, that's what was believed.
EDITORIALS
May 1, 1999

A promise of change for women

It sometimes seems that the government chooses vague-sounding titles and odd release times for white papers and other official documents that contain information likely to embarrass Japanese officials when dealing with their foreign counterparts. This was the case when the Prime Minister's Office issued...
CULTURE / Stage
May 1, 1999

Expressing the microcosmos

Butoh dancer Goro Namerikawa, an ex-member of the Sankaijuku, and his troupe Art Amorphus will be holding a collaborative dance performance titled "Liminality" with Christophe Charles, a French composer and musician who has performed extensively in Japan and internationally. The event will take place...
CULTURE / Art
May 1, 1999

To capture a moment

Photographer Jason Unrau does a lot of waiting at gigs. He glues his eye to the camera and anticipates the moment when it all comes together. If it does, he can create a picture which, as he likes to put it, "has sound."
JAPAN
Apr 30, 1999

Ready for 2000?: Shinkansen on track for Y2K compliance

Fifth in an occasional series on Japan's Y2K preparedness
CULTURE / Music / PLAY BUTTON
Apr 30, 1999

Buffalo Daughter reinvents new rock again

After more than a year of touring, remixing, producing and more touring, Buffalo Daughter has returned home to the more mundane matters of daily life. Bassist and Moog player extraordinaire Yumiko Ohno recently tied the knot with longtime paramour Zak (producer of the Fishmans among others) while DJ...
JAPAN
Apr 29, 1999

State-employed Sony candidate upset with civil servant law

Staff writer
JAPAN
Apr 29, 1999

Nago to host G8; Fukuoka, Miyazaki get ministers

After weeks of heated debate and lobbying, Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi decided Thursday that Japan will hold the 2000 summit of the Group of Eight major powers in the city of Nago, Okinawa Prefecture.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Apr 29, 1999

D-I-V-O-R-C-E becomes final in one day

While divorce in Japan is increasing at what some people might call an alarming rate, it is still less common than it is in most Western countries, particularly the U.S., where it's projected that between half and two-thirds of all couples who marry this year will someday split.
LIFE / Digital / CYBERIA
Apr 28, 1999

Tyranny of temptation

The future was supposed to be darker. Technology, in the service of some vast, all-encompassing power, was going to enslave us. Human beings would be reduced to ciphers, forced to live anonymous, interchangeable lives.
JAPAN
Apr 27, 1999

Africa's image worries ambassadors

Ambassadors from five African nations said Tuesday that their continent's image and perception in Japan is too negative and that mutual understanding about Africa is needed at a grassroots level.
JAPAN
Apr 27, 1999

Defense bills evoke worry and comfort

Overseas reactions to Tuesday's Lower House passage of bills related to updated Japan-U.S. defense cooperation guidelines ranged from the warm welcome extended by Washington to the "deep concern" aired by neighboring China.
JAPAN
Apr 27, 1999

Ishihara calls for foreigners' rights

Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara said Tuesday that the Constitution should be amended to recognize the rights of foreign nationals settled in Japan on a long-term basis.
COMMENTARY
Apr 24, 1999

Test Pyongyang's sincerity

Senior officials from North and South Korea, China and the United States reassemble in Geneva April 24 for the fifth round of four-party talks aimed at replacing the existing 1953 Korean War armistice with a permanent peace treaty. The odds of a breakthrough appear slim, however, given North Korean Deputy...
JAPAN
Apr 23, 1999

Mom, 92, daughter, 65, found slain

A 92-year-old woman and her 65-year-old daughter were found stabbed to death in their apartment in Edogawa Ward, Tokyo, police said Friday.
JAPAN
Apr 22, 1999

Doyukai chief calls group consolidation nonsense

As the ongoing economic slump continues to plague many firms, some company leaders argue that Japan's four major business organizations, which have separately published a number of reports on similar issues, should somehow be consolidated.
JAPAN
Apr 22, 1999

Sharp-tongued Aoshima exits Tokyo tight-lipped

Staff writer
JAPAN
Apr 21, 1999

Survey shows children abused by 9% of moms

About 9 percent of mothers rearing preschool children repeatedly abuse them by beating or denying them necessary care, according to a survey released Wednesday by a Tokyo-based social welfare organization.
JAPAN
Apr 20, 1999

Readers Prize deadline near

The deadline is now approaching for readers of The Japan Times to apply for a total of 4.5 million yen worth of shopping coupons. The Readers Prize will offer 50,000 yen in vouchers to 30 subscribers and a 10,000 yen coupon to 300 other readers.
CULTURE / Stage
Apr 20, 1999

Nakamuras highlight double-suicide plays

During the month of April, the Kabukiza in Ginza is offering its annual Nakamura-kai program, featuring such major actors as Kichiemon, Jakuemon, Ganjiro, Tomijuro and Baigyoku, who belong to the Nakamura line of kabuki actors.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 20, 1999

East Timor reveals West's hypocrisy

Two places on opposite sides of the world share similar circumstances: innocent people killed and displaced by government forces and paramilitaries. The violence on one side of the world begets harsh condemnation and a series of threats from Western powers, followed by a massive bombing campaign. The...
JAPAN
Apr 19, 1999

Hokuriku Special: Love battling time for rare ibises

NIIGATA -- Aggressiveness is all you need to triumph in unrequited love.
EDITORIALS
Apr 18, 1999

Goodbye to all that

Sometimes -- make that usually -- the range of rational reactions to life on this planet seems dismally narrow, beginning with bafflement, passing through exasperation and rage, and ending in sorrow. We may distract or console ourselves with the doings of babies and small animals, the pleasures of music...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Apr 18, 1999

In Japan, if it can be done, it can be certified

Be honest, how many certificates do you have? Count them all -- in your desk drawer, on the wall, in the ashes in the incinerator.

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