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BUSINESS
Jun 5, 2000

Companies must re-engineer anew

Information technology has revolutionized the economic system of the United States, and it is believed the U.S. economy is now in a long-term, high-growth phase in which growth is being led by rising productivity.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / GETTING THINGS DONE
Jun 4, 2000

Songs to be sung

Some of the world's most beautiful poems were sung in Japan well before the introduction of writing to record them. The writing came from China some 1,200 years ago, the songs are an even older oral tradition that was not recorded in words and preserved until the 8th century. The poems demonstrate the...
BUSINESS
Jun 3, 2000

Two firms plan car service Net site

Fujitsu Ltd. and Idemitsu Kosan Co. announced Friday that the two firms will set up a joint electronic commerce venture in July to offer auto-related services via the Internet.
BUSINESS
May 29, 2000

Job outlook rosy for 2001: survey

Employment prospects for students graduating in spring 2001 have improved for the first time in three years, thanks to a mild recovery in the economy, according to a survey by Kyodo News.
JAPAN
May 27, 2000

Rigid schools failing kids in tough times

The rigidity of Japanese schools is suffocating children and is one of the causes behind the recent rise in youth crime, according to education experts.
CULTURE / Books / POETRY MIGNETTE
May 21, 2000

Japanese poets write the book of love

Stroker, a publisher of chapbooks, is the distributor and copublisher of "2000 Japanese Poems for the Year 2000," a voluminous collection of chapbooks, 15 in all, translated by Howard S. Levy.
BUSINESS
May 20, 2000

Panels to focus energies on digital divide, hacking

Reducing the digital divide between countries and combating hackers who seek to ravage the Internet were two of the pledges made Friday by two government panels formed to accelerate the spread of information technology.
JAPAN
May 17, 2000

Half of top Japan taxpayers earned income from stocks

More than half of Japan's top 100 taxpayers last year earned income from stock transactions, with many making windfall profits from the listing of companies in which they have an interest, the National Tax Administration said Tuesday.
ENVIRONMENT
May 10, 2000

Trees and taste at Mito Botanic Garden

Mito, in Ibaraki Prefecture, is well known throughout Japan for natto (fermented soybeans), an acquired taste. It is also known for Kairakuen Garden, one of the Three Famous Gardens in Japan, which I've written about before. Just a couple of kilometers south of Mito in the lush green countryside, there...
COMMUNITY / How-tos / GETTING THINGS DONE
May 10, 2000

We all have problems

A foreign man, engaged to be married to a Japanese woman, has a problem. They have decided they want to buy a mansion (apartment) rather than pay rent for someone else's property. He has heard that foreigners wishing to buy property or arrange a mortgage are required to have permanent residence status,...
CULTURE / Music / HOGAKU TODAY
May 5, 2000

Classification, distinction and ecumenism

There is a tendency in Japan to adhere to strict classifications and distinctions. This is especially true in regards to music. Hogaku is one kind of music, Western classical is another. Pop and world music belong to yet other genres. Each genre is considered entirely separate, and performers, audiences...
COMMENTARY
May 1, 2000

Winner takes all? Not yet

The New York stock market remains volatile, even after rebounding from its worst-ever decline in points that was posted April 14. Following the crash, the Tokyo stock market also nosedived; it is troubled by even more jitters than Wall Street. Some analysts say the recent replacement of some of the stocks...
COMMUNITY
Apr 26, 2000

Celebrating the other Korakuen: Okayama

If I were asked to describe this garden with just one word, I would definitely choose "fantastic."
COMMUNITY / How-tos / GETTING THINGS DONE
Apr 19, 2000

The first to go

The outlook for the economy may be brightening, but the glow is not apparent among museums. First to close was Seibu's museum in Ikebukuro, followed by the Roppongi Arts and Crafts Museum in 1998 and Mitsukoshi's Shinjuku museum which closed last year. Next will be Tobu's Ikebukuro museum, which will...
CULTURE / Music / PLAY BUTTON
Apr 14, 2000

Communing with Kerouac

Spoken word, the increasingly hip combination of poetry and music, has never really cut it in Tokyo. While New York, Chicago and London boast regular spoken-word club nights and poetry slams, one of Tokyo's few regular events is the Johnbull-sponsored event dubbed Bookworm.
LIFE / Food & Drink / NIHONSHU
Apr 13, 2000

Fish, sake and crowds come together at Uoshin

Like the indigenous beverages of most countries, sake developed along with its national cuisine. Indeed, there are great differences in Japanese cuisine from region to region, small country though Japan may be, and these differences are reflected in the subtle differences in the sake.
COMMUNITY
Apr 2, 2000

Activist monthly comes to Japan

When Caitlin Stronell first came to Japan in 1984 to spend a year in Tochigi Prefecture, her father gave her a subscription to the U.K. cooperatively produced monthly magazine New Internationalist. "He thought it'd keep me in touch with social and political activism in the rest of the world, while giving...
JAPAN
Mar 29, 2000

Aum knew routes used to transport nuclear fuel

One of the computer software companies affiliated with Aum Shinrikyo has been found to have kept a file showing routes for nuclear fuel being transported around Japan, police sources said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Mar 25, 2000

All 47 prefectures in the red in '98 for first time

The financial situation at prefectural and municipal governments continued to worsen in fiscal 1998, according to a government white paper released Friday.
BUSINESS
Mar 25, 2000

Bill to protect investors approved

The Cabinet approved a bill Friday designed to tighten controls on the sale of financial products and better protect investors against the risks involved in their investments, government officials said.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 20, 2000

Time to chase 'two hares'

Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi, citing a popular proverb, says his administration will not "run after two hares": It will first achieve economic recovery and then tackle fiscal reform. The official scenario is that the economy will pick up soon. The question is what will happen next. Without fiscal props,...
CULTURE / Books
Mar 7, 2000

Wanderlust and a pair of steel wheels

MOTORCYCLE VAGABONDING IN JAPAN, by Guy De La Rupelle, contributions by Owen Stinger. North Conway, New Hampshire, U.S.: Whitehorse Press, 1999; 255 pp., $19.95. With city centers in permanent gridlock and the availability of train and bus service decreasing in direct proportion to the distance from...
CULTURE / Music
Feb 19, 2000

Retracing Takemitsu's 'Steps'

In 1967 a performance occurred in New York City which changed hogaku forever. Under the direction of Seiji Ozawa, the New York Philharmonic Orchestra commemorated its 125th anniversary by commissioning pieces from composers around the world.
JAPAN
Feb 11, 2000

Economic seminar ends in split over IT emphasis

KYOTO -- The 38th annual Kansai Economic Seminar ended with participants recognizing the importance of information technology but divided on how much it should be embraced by firms whose traditional business is manufacturing. "Information technology is important for economic growth. But Japan needs...
JAPAN
Feb 10, 2000

Economic seminar ends in division over infotech

KYOTO -- The 38th annual Kansai Economic Seminar concluded Thursday with participants recognizing the importance of information technology, but divided on how much it should be embraced by firms whose traditional business is manufacturing. "Information technology is important for economic growth. But...
COMMUNITY / How-tos
Feb 9, 2000

Making a start

Some time ago I wrote of the passing of Tokyo Theater for Children, an organization with a long history of exciting, well-staged performances for adults as well as children. My report, fortunately, was premature. It needed new people to take over, and they came, drawn by the enthusiasm of Jude Kaye who...
BUSINESS
Feb 8, 2000

Tech rally not enough to hit 30,000 target

Market players were elated to see the benchmark Nikkei average climb past the 20,000 level briefly Friday, a formidable rising resistance line since 1992.
JAPAN
Feb 8, 2000

Business minds look for bright spots at Kansai seminar

Staff writer KYOTO -- The fear of losing out to the U.S. in economic globalization will be among the topics raised at the 38th annual Kansai Economic Seminar, which opens today in Kyoto. Sponsored by the Kansai Association of Corporate Executives, the seminar brings together the region's top business...

Longform

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