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JAPAN
Feb 13, 2003

Fukuda laments differences of opinion over Iraq

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda expressed concern Wednesday that the rift between the United States and European countries skeptical of Washington's case against Iraq is sending "the wrong message" to Baghdad.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Jan 9, 2003

Emphasizing the positive

Perhaps more than any other individual today, Junko Edahiro is striving to share Japan's environmental successes with the world.
JAPAN
Jan 9, 2003

Japan has land lease on another Senkaku Island

Japan has been leasing land on another of the five disputed Senkaku Islands near Taiwan in a contract that runs through 2012, in addition to the three others recently reported to be subject to similar leases with the government, officials said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jan 4, 2003

Pressure called for

Takenori Kanzaki, the leader of ruling coalition member New Komeito, said Friday international pressure is needed to force North Korea to give up its nuclear development program.
JAPAN
Sep 23, 2002

Forum focuses on new oil source

OSAKA -- The eighth International Energy Forum moved into its second day Sunday with meetings between Asian energy ministers on how to cooperate more closely to ensure stable supplies in the face of mounting uncertainty in the Middle East.
JAPAN
Sep 21, 2002

Koizumi hints rice aid to North Korea may resume

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi indicated Friday that Japan may resume rice aid to North Korea before normalization of bilateral relations.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 13, 2002

Former Yakult executive sentenced to seven years

The Tokyo District Court on Thursday sentenced a former vice president of Yakult Honsha Co. to seven years in prison and fined him 60 million yen for engaging in illicit transactions of "Princeton bonds" over the past decade.
JAPAN
Sep 12, 2002

Forum to weigh peacekeeping role in East Timor

A three-day international conference on peacekeeping will be held in Tokyo starting Monday, the Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Sep 3, 2002

Tepco chairman, president announce resignations over nuclear coverups

Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Monday that President Nobuya Minami and Chairman Hiroshi Araki will resign over reported coverups of damage at the utility's nuclear power plants.
JAPAN
Aug 14, 2002

Koizumi restraint sidelines Yasukuni row

One year ago, a diplomatic row erupted over Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visit to Yasukuni Shrine on Aug. 13 -- two days before the anniversary of Japan's surrender ending World War II -- in the face of protests from China and South Korea.
EDITORIALS
Aug 3, 2002

Positive moves from Pyongyang

The good news about North Korea is that it is ready to resume diplomatic contacts with Japan and the United States. At the ASEAN Regional Forum in Brunei this week, Pyongyang's foreign minister, Mr. Paek Nam Sun, expressed a willingness to mend fences with Tokyo and Washington in talks with Foreign Minister...
BUSINESS
Jun 7, 2002

Kansai airport faces struggle over funds for extra runway

The top bureaucrat in the transport ministry said Thursday the specter of weak demand for a second runway at Kansai International Airport has made the ministry wary of taking any budgetary steps to fund its construction.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Jun 6, 2002

Communication need not be a medical emergency

In response to the newly arrived businesswoman seeking native English-speaking general practitioners/family doctors in Kansai and Kyoto, here is a quick round-up.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
May 29, 2002

And the 'nice try' award goes to . . .

It is my sad duty to report that the inaugural MTV Video Music Awards Japan, held May 24 at the Tokyo International Forum, was a less than spectacularly successful affair.
EDITORIALS
May 28, 2002

Sustainable usage is key for IWC

The International Whaling Commission's 54th annual gathering concluded last Friday in the traditional whaling port of Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture. Once again it sent a signal to the world that the forum is not ready for compromise. The meeting left U.S. and Russian indigenous peoples without a...
BUSINESS
May 9, 2002

U.S. presses for cross-border share swaps

The United States on Wednesday asked Japan to improve its environment for foreign direct investment by letting companies carry out cross-border stock exchanges for mergers and acquisitions.
JAPAN
Apr 25, 2002

Master exchange plan eyed for Japanese culture

An education ministry advisory panel on Wednesday recommended a set of measures to promote Japanese culture overseas by drawing up an international cultural exchange master plan.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Mar 17, 2002

The tower and the story

On Christmas Eve, 1958, thousands of people poured through Hamamatsucho Station in Tokyo's Minato Ward to take in Japan's first postwar shot at a "public attraction." There was nothing particularly cute about it; no fearsome rides, or cuddly characters to have your photo taken with. What's more, visitors...
COMMENTARY / WASHINGTON UPDATE
Mar 9, 2002

Democrats challenging Bush on defense

WASHINGTON -- As the month began, Democrats were beginning to question President George W. Bush's handling of the war against terrorism.
COMMENTARY
Feb 11, 2002

Fixing the Foreign Ministry

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi paid a high price for sacking Makiko Tanaka as foreign minister — a free fall in his Cabinet's popularity ratings. The debacle highlighted three major problems involving the Foreign Ministry:
BUSINESS
Dec 20, 2001

Wary foreign investors shunning Indonesia

JAKARTA -- Foreign investment in Indonesia has been locked in a downward spiral. Despite optimism at the appointment of the current government, the country has barely been able to attract capital from outside. The terror attack against the United Stated on Sept. 11 only partly explains the negative sentiment....
COMMENTARY
Dec 12, 2001

Pyongyang's lure as a U.S. terror target

SEOUL -- The success of the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan has triggered debates about the next target in the worldwide war against terrorists and their helpers. At the epicenter of this debate, which is not confined to opinion pages of the press, stands Iraq, whose regime many Americans perceive...
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 2, 2001

Blow away Big Tobacco's smoke screen

In an interconnected world, we're seeing ways that globalization may help or hinder our lives. Take the tobacco industry: It is using innovative means to bypass fledgling government tobacco control policies, particularly in developing countries. It is riding a wave to open regional trade in East Asia...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 22, 2001

Banker sees smooth euro cash start, no 'black fund'

FRANKFURT -- Japanese investors should have full confidence in the stability and strength of the euro as the currency is launched in its physical form at the start of next year, according to the European central banker coordinating the project.
COMMUNITY
Nov 10, 2001

Welsh Society to sing its heart out for seeing dogs

Think Welsh and imagine small, dark, tough people with a passion for rugby and choral singing, the red dragon of the national flag, sunny daffodils (the national flower) and the green valleys of southern Wales. Yet here is Ursula Bartlett Imadegawa (known to friends as Ursula Bi) -- a blonde with green...
JAPAN
Oct 11, 2001

Interministerial team to target cyberterrorism

Japan will set up an interministerial team to prevent cyberterrorism and protect its planned "cybergovernment" from attack, government officials said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Oct 6, 2001

Bourse curbs sought to rein in terrorists

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi wants legislation developed to prevent terrorist groups from making profits through futures contracts on Japanese stock markets, government officials said Friday.
BUSINESS
Oct 4, 2001

Japan faces a balancing act

The global economic woes triggered by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States will probably put Japan in the dilemma of trying to reconcile reform with growth, when finance ministers and central bank governors from the Group of Seven major economic powers gather Saturday in Washington.

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