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JAPAN
Aug 12, 1999

Wiretapping, numbering bills clear Diet in all-night session

In a marathon, 28-hour plenary session, the Upper House on Thursday approved two controversial bills -- one to authorize wiretapping in organized crime investigations and another to have each citizen numbered for administrative purposes.
LIFE / Digital / CYBERIA
Aug 11, 1999

What's that sound?

Two years ago I wrote about how the Fuji Rock Festival's website saved me a two-hour trip to the festival. Early reports accurately painted a grim picture of chaos created by a freak typhoon, so I decided to stay in Tokyo.
LIFE / Travel
Aug 11, 1999

Journeying to the feet of the gods

POKHARA, Nepal -- There are few places where you can relax more completely than Lake Phewa, in the second city of Nepal. You will not be able to resist its tranquil waters, the birds singing in the lush greenery, the cascade of hills and beyond them the snow-covered Himalayas and Mount Machhapuchhare...
LIFE / Travel
Aug 11, 1999

Celebrating opening of old doors

NEWPORT, R.I. -- It's hard to faze the sophisticated residents of Newport, R.I., but Konishiki succeeded. The former ozeki was the star attraction at the Black Ships Festival here July 22-25.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / GETTING THINGS DONE
Aug 11, 1999

Like it is

Language is enriched by people who don't speak it very well, using phrases made up of words that contain the meaning of what they want to say but not the usual form. The result is sometimes quite effective. How about this one reporting a break in the summer heat: The weather is going down a bit, or this:...
JAPAN
Aug 10, 1999

City joins quest to list air raid victims of '45

Staff writer
JAPAN
Aug 9, 1999

Flag, anthem now official

The Diet enacted controversial legislation Monday that legally recognizes the Hinomaru as Japan's national flag and "Kimigayo" as its anthem.
COMMENTARY / World / GUEST FORUM
Aug 7, 1999

For the Japanese, the future is now

There has been much soul-searching among the Japanese in recent years, following the collapse of the bubble economy and the recession it triggered. Economic woes aside, a crisis of confidence exists at the most fundamental level. People have come to doubt not only the ability of society as a whole, but...
EDITORIALS
Aug 7, 1999

A summer of new health threats

During what is proving to be one of Japan's hottest summers in recent memory, most people are concentrating on ways to beat the heat. Heat-related ailments pose a great health risk, especially among the very young and very old. It appears, however, that this summer the public should be paying even more...
COMMUNITY / How-tos / GETTING THINGS DONE
Aug 4, 1999

Consider the alternatives

A woman asks about cats. She would like to do something to help them. She doesn't tell us what kind of help she would like to provide, but it is a reasonably safe assumption to think she wants to help homeless cats, the ones that gather in any neighborhood where residents will give them food. Mine is...
JAPAN
Aug 2, 1999

Teachers not teaching 'Kimigayo' face reprimand

Teachers who fail to guide students "appropriately" during ceremonies involving the Hinomaru and "Kimigayo" can face disciplinary action, an Education Ministry official said Monday.
CULTURE / Art
Jul 31, 1999

Time-honored craft may be blowing away

In Japan the sound of a furin (wind bell) tinkling in the breeze is believed to invoke a sense of coolness during a hot and humid summer.
JAPAN
Jul 30, 1999

Attachable rooms ease space problems for elderly

OSAKA -- A contemporary problem confronting many Japanese living in small homes is the search for space to enable proper care for elderly family members.
JAPAN
Jul 30, 1999

Service helps toothbrush maker clean up

Staff writer
EDITORIALS
Jul 29, 1999

New Komeito makes an about-face

A tripartite coalition among the Liberal Democratic Party, the Liberal Party and New Komeito has become a fait accompli. At a special party convention last weekend, New Komeito adopted a basic policy that prepared the second-largest opposition party for participation in the bipartisan ruling alliance...
JAPAN
Jul 28, 1999

Honor your notes: Taiwan lawmaker

A Taiwanese politician criticized the Japanese government Wednesday for refusing to honor wartime military bank notes and former German marks that Japan distributed in Taiwan when it colonized the area during World Wars I and II.
JAPAN
Jul 28, 1999

U.S. to share tracking data if Pyongyang fires missile

U.S. Defense Secretary William Cohen and Defense Agency Director General Hosei Norota agreed Wednesday to share information if North Korea test-fires a ballistic missile.
EDITORIALS
Jul 26, 1999

Drawing a line in Colombia

The abrupt suspension of the latest round of peace talks between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia has dealt a serious blow to efforts to reach a peaceful settlement to Latin America's long-running civil war and casts doubt on the viability of Colombian President...
JAPAN
Jul 22, 1999

'Kimigayo' controversy leaves students indifferent, confused

Staff writer
JAPAN
Jul 22, 1999

Flag, anthem march through Lower House

Breaking a long-standing political taboo, the Lower House, by a vote of 403-86, approved a bill Thursday to legally recognize the Hinomaru as the national flag and "Kimigayo" as the anthem.
JAPAN
Jul 22, 1999

Elderly traffic fatalities up 1.9%

The first half of 1999 saw 4,190 traffic accidents deaths, 0.9 percent fewer than the same period last year. But traffic fatalities among people aged 65 and older increased by 1.9 percent to 1,425, according to a National Police Agency report released Thursday.
EDITORIALS
Jul 20, 1999

Cobwebs on the lunar way station

What is this latest fuss about a landing on the moon? Don't get excited, nobody has walked on it again. For all the fun those astronauts had bouncing about up there in their moon-suits years ago, there has been nothing sufficiently interesting to lure human beings back since 1972. Remember the scene...
EDITORIALS
Jul 19, 1999

Iran's shrewd president

There is calm again in Tehran, but the peace is likely to be only temporary. After a fearsome counterstrike by conservative forces, the students demanding more freedom in Iran have retreated to their dormitories. But if their voices have been stilled, the reform movement that they have been spearheading...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jul 18, 1999

Becoming a black belt in things Japanese

When foreigners arrive in Japan for the first time, they are full of wonder. Many of us aren't familiar with the Japanese language or kanji and have only read about Japanese culture in magazines or books. We all start out with a "white belt" in things Japanese.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 17, 1999

How globalization can undercut security

Globalization is already a fact of life in the international-missile and military-armaments "community."
CULTURE / Art / ARTS AND ARTISANS
Jul 17, 1999

You can judge a book by its cover

Centuries ago in Europe, books were regarded as status symbols. Before printing became widespread in the 15th century, books had been luxuries only the privileged could afford. Having books meant the owners were not only wealthy, but also literate.
COMMUNITY
Jul 15, 1999

Designer rewrites the jean map

They look and act like ordinary blue jeans. When they're dirty, you throw them in the washing machine. The color will fade with numerous washings, and like any other denim, they may shrink a little in the dryer.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / GETTING THINGS DONE
Jul 14, 1999

Substitutes

A woman tells us she is a vegetarian in the real sense -- no meat, fish or animal byproducts, even gelatin. In England she could buy dried mixes that could be reconstituted by adding water and then used to make sausages (Sosmix) and burgers (Veggie Burger Mix). She wonders if there are any similar products...
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 10, 1999

India's window of opportunity in Kashmir

As the war drags on to a slow and gory conclusion on the Himalayan heights, India has an unprecedented opportunity to seize the moral high ground and take the Kashmir problem right off the international agenda.

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