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JAPAN
Sep 9, 2001

Koizumi hails U.S. relations on anniversary of treaty

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi commemorated the 50th anniversary of the signing of the San Francisco Peace Treaty on Saturday by emphasizing the continued importance of solid U.S.-Japan relations.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Sep 9, 2001

Making space to swing a cat in a rabbit hutch

Blame for the consumer spending slump is usually pinned on widespread anxiety over an uncertain future. But another reason, one that isn't discussed as much, is that most citizens already have everything they want.
JAPAN
Sep 7, 2001

Japan holding tight to Fujimori

Despite facing new murder charges in Peru, former Peruvian Prime Minister Alberto Fujimori will likely be allowed to stay in Japan.
LIFE / Lifestyle / JET STREAM
Sep 7, 2001

Pedaling along the Silk Road

Justin Jeffrey and his wife, Miyuki, have set off on a journey of epic proportions. On bicycles laden with camping equipment and summer and winter clothes, they are traveling overland from Sapporo to London. Their journey is taking them through some of the most spectacular and challenging terrain in...
JAPAN
Sep 6, 2001

Trash outside game parlor rendered fire door useless

A mountain of garbage on the landing outside a mah-jongg game parlor destroyed in a fatal fire early Saturday was blocking a fire door, stopping it from automatically closing when fire alarms went off, police investigating the blaze said Wednesday.
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Sep 6, 2001

Evolution: Who's responsible?

The human impact on earth has been well-documented: There's climate change, environmental destruction and pollution. Today an American scientist says that humans are driving another, more subtle change that may have consequences that are just as damaging: Evolution in other species is speeding up, and...
JAPAN
Sep 5, 2001

Lethal gases blamed for Shinjuku inferno deaths

Most of the 44 people who died from a fire in a building in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward at the weekend are believed to have died less than two minutes after inhaling carbon monoxide or hydrocyanic acid gas, investigators said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Sep 5, 2001

'Eiken' tests to go on despite ministry

The Society for Testing English Proficiency, Inc. said Tuesday that it will continue to hold its "eiken" English proficiency test despite an education ministry decision to halt official recognition of the exam.
COMMUNITY
Sep 2, 2001

What's off the menu?

Types of vegetarians and definitions, according to the British-based International Vegetarian Union:
JAPAN
Sep 1, 2001

Dirty waters surround Kenya dam plan

A group of lawmakers will arrive in Kenya on Sunday for a two-day inspection tour that is likely to end up endorsing a controversial hydroelectric dam project.
JAPAN
Aug 31, 2001

Use of counterfeit passports to enter Japan on the rise

The number of arrests for entering Japan on fake passports rose sharply in the first half of the year, the National Police Agency said Thursday.
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Aug 30, 2001

Ichiro prefers to let his bat do the talking

He may be the ultimate Mariner, but when it comes to dealing with the media, baseball superstar Ichiro Suzuki can act more like a clam.
COMMENTARY / WASHINGTON UPDATE
Aug 29, 2001

A bearded Gore and the shrinking surplus

WASHINGTON -- At long last, Al Gore has reappeared! He is pursuing the political training school program that he had floated in a more full-blown way last spring. Al, sporting a full beard, is working with his fellow Tennessee loser, Republican presidential wannabe Lamar Alexander, training young people...
JAPAN
Aug 29, 2001

Middle-aged men suffering increase in health disorders

A growing number of Japanese men in their 40s and 50s are suffering from liver function disorders, high cholesterol and other diseases stemming from irregular lifestyle patterns, an organization of hospital administrators said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Aug 29, 2001

Coast guard report now easier to read

The Japan Coast Guard released its annual white paper Tuesday featuring a more detailed and easy-to-read format, coast guard officials said.
JAPAN
Aug 29, 2001

Robot project seeks to give industry boost

The government has announced plans to launch a project to foster the robot industry, viewed as a possible dynamo for economic growth, with subsidies and related legislative measures in fiscal 2002.
JAPAN
Aug 29, 2001

Trio held in loan scam tied to credit union NSK

Three people, including the head of a Tokyo-based consulting company, were arrested Tuesday for allegedly swindling a credit union out of some 160 million yen.
BUSINESS
Aug 29, 2001

Pressure on reforms likely as bleeding starts

The nation's unemployment rate, which hit an all-time high of 5 percent in July, may present the greatest threat to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's reforms, begging the question, "Is reform worth the pain?"
EDITORIALS
Aug 28, 2001

The world without the Soviet Union

Ten years ago this month, the Soviet Union collapsed in one final, drunken spasm. After decades of fear, the Soviet threat vanished with the proverbial whimper when Communist hardliners launched a last desperate coup attempt to bring then Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev back into line. They failed,...
LIFE / Travel
Aug 28, 2001

Whither the mighty Mekong?

"The boat moves off, the river banks remain." -- Old Khmer proverb
EDITORIALS
Aug 26, 2001

Europe, the euro and you

Remember the runup to Y2K? The predictions of catastrophe? The hand-wringing over unpreparedness? It's happening all over again, on a smaller scale, with the runup to the cash launch of the euro. Although the new European currency will not be legal tender until New Year's Day, armored trucks will start...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Aug 26, 2001

Dogs and penguins and affairs, oh my!

If you have a dog who doesn't do what you say, you might want to tune in this morning to Asahi TV's Sunday talk show "Tokusuru TV (Beneficial TV)" (9:30 a.m.), where actors Masayuki Watanabe and Wakako Shinozaki play-act at being a couple who entertain guests with interesting tips for everyday life....
CULTURE / Books
Aug 26, 2001

Shaping the future:the politics of language

LANGUAGE PLANNING AND LANGUAGE CHANGE IN JAPAN, by Tessa Carroll, Richmond, Surrey: Curzon, 276 pp., 40.00 British pounds (cloth) Most countries consider their official language to be an area of state responsibility requiring "planning" by government agencies or special institutions. Language, from...
JAPAN
Aug 25, 2001

Japan's public schools grow more violent

A record 40,374 cases of violence were reported at public schools across Japan in the school year ending in March, the education ministry said Friday.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Aug 25, 2001

The way of using a Japanese-style toilet

The Western-style toilet in my house has illustrated instructions on the lid. For boys, it shows a picture of a man standing facing the toilet. For girls, it shows a picture of a girl sitting on the toilet. The man looks more like he is waiting for the bus, and the girl looks more like she's waiting...
EDITORIALS
Aug 24, 2001

ODA also needs reform

Japan's official development assistance is expected to be reduced by 10 percent in fiscal 2002 as part of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's program of "structural reform with no sacred cows." According to the budget outlines announced earlier this month, ODA will be cut by 100 billion yen from the current...
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 24, 2001

Mahathir goes all out to remove thorn in his side

SINGAPORE -- After months of futile attempts at various kinds of measures, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad may have hit upon the right combination to effectively deal with a formidable political opponent -- the fundamentalist Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS).

Longform

An illustration features the Japanese signs for "ganbare" (good luck) and the Deaflympics, which will be held between Nov. 15 and 26.
A century of Deaf sport finds its moment in Tokyo