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COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Oct 4, 2002

Finding out more about the law and you in Japan

You and the law To help you with any questions relating to you and law in Japan, The American Chamber of Commerce in Japan, as part of The Living In Japan Series, will present: Japanese Laws You and Your Family Should Know on Oct. 16, at 12 p.m. at The Tokyo American Club.
JAPAN
Sep 27, 2002

North Korea willing to reveal all about abductees: Foreign Ministry

North Korea has expressed readiness to disclose all information regarding the Japanese it abducted, including information on the cause of death of eight of them, a senior Foreign Ministry official said Thursday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
Sep 18, 2002

Talk about the passion . . .

Can Kiyoshi Hikawa save enka?
EDITORIALS
Sep 14, 2002

China's about-face on AIDS

After denying for years that it had a problem, China last week acknowledged the HIV-AIDS epidemic that is sweeping that country. But the relief that greeted this long-overdue candor was tempered by Beijing's admission that it has also detained the country's most outspoken AIDS advocate -- for exposing...
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Sep 6, 2002

Small-life, low-name -- let's not talk about me

There are some aspects of Japanese politeness that baffle even the Japanese. Like the habit of saying: "Kyoshuku desu (I'm terrified and shrinking)" in response to someone doing you a favor. And "Osoreirimasu (Fear has entered me)" instead of a plain "Arigato (Thank you)." Are other people really so...
BUSINESS
Aug 31, 2002

July unemployment unchanged at 5.4%

Japan's unemployment rate remained unchanged at 5.4 percent in July for the third consecutive month, the government said Friday.
BUSINESS
Aug 19, 2002

The good news about Japan's economic slump

There would appear to be little good news to be found in Japanese economic performance over the last 10 years. But in fact there is some good news to be found in Japan's longer economic slowdown: better relations with the United States.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Aug 10, 2002

All about God, the gold sweat shirt guy

When I was a child, I believed God was a bald guy in a gold cotton sweat shirt with the letter "G," for God, on it. I still believe this. Only now, his sweat shirt is 50 percent polyester and 50 percent cotton, preshrunk. The gold color has faded and the "G" is wearing off , peeling in little specks...
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Jul 25, 2002

Debunking strange myths about Asia, Part I

In 1980, I traveled through the United States just after the TV miniseries "Shogun" ended its run. Any time I mentioned to someone that I was living in Japan, he or she would invariably ask me one of two questions related to the program. One was, "Is it true that back then a samurai could chop off somebody's...
COMMENTARY / JAPAN IN THE GLOBAL ERA
Jul 8, 2002

Great country; pity about the institutions

LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- My good friend Philippe Pons, the Japan correspondent for the leading French daily Le Monde, wrote an excellent article, "Au Japon, la crise n'est pas ce que l'on croit" (In Japan, the crisis is not what people think), for the newspaper's June 19 edition. Pons rectifies many...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / NEW ART SEEN
Jul 3, 2002

A photographer records the naked truth

On April 25, 1990, San Francisco photographer Jock Sturges' life changed forever. On that day, police raided his studio and office. They confiscated cameras, film, prints, computers and records -- on the suspicion that Sturges was involved in the production and distribution of child pornography.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jun 30, 2002

Hear the one about the Japanese comedian?

Last Sunday, on the Fuji-TV show "Warau Inu no Hakken," two comic teams, Neptune and Uchan-Nanchan, attempted to "spread Japanese comedy" to the rest of the world. At a pre-World Cup exhibition match between the Russian national team and Shimizu S-Pulse held in Shizuoka, the five comedians who comprise...
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 25, 2002

Pele worried about Brazil in semifinal

YOKOHAMA -- Brazilian legend Pele is not too optimistic about Brazil's semifinal against Turkey, slated for Wednesday night at Saitama Stadium 2002, saying the absence of forward Ronaldinho is "a big loss for Brazil."
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 14, 2002

Hooligan fears prove unfounded

OSAKA — Fears of hooligans running rampant in Osaka on Wednesday after a key World Cup soccer tie between England and Nigeria proved unfounded, and now opinions are mixed over the heavy security and concern prior to the game.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / NEW ART SEEN
May 29, 2002

The naked truth about (male) beauty

I'm thinking, as I write this, about beauty. I'm thinking about beauty because I'm flying over Siberia, and below me there is an expanse of softly sculpted white. I'm thinking about beauty because I'm returning from Paris, where I spent the last few days -- ostensibly on a writing assignment, but mostly...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
May 26, 2002

Waxing monstrously about the first Japanese I ever got to know

The first Japanese I fell in love with was a little taller than my wife.
Japan Times
JAPAN / KANSAI BEAT
May 17, 2002

Osaka homeless fear evictions

OSAKA -- For Kazutoshi Nishimura, a 61-year-old homeless man who, in his own words, is retired and living on a park bench near Nagai Park, the approach of the World Cup soccer finals in June is a case of deja vu.
COMMENTARY
Apr 2, 2002

Ending myths about lifestyle

LONDON -- Japan 2001, a major manifestation of Japanese culture in Britain, ends this spring. Consisting of more than 2,000 events large and small, it has had a significant impact and has helped to spread understanding of Japan among people throughout Britain.
JAPAN
Apr 1, 2002

Many worried about pensions: poll

More than three out of every four Japanese have fears about the future, with many especially concerned about their pensions, Dentsu Inc. said in a recent survey report.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Mar 24, 2002

How does your balcony garden grow?

If you're chafing about the city's dearth of green spaces, but you're blessed with a balcony, you could make your own garden. It could be your little contribution toward greening the city. If you haven't tried it before, you might be pleasantly surprised by how much joy a tiny space brimming with leaves...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Mar 6, 2002

What's this about Piazza and Griffey Jr.?

The Feb. 27 edition of the Nikkan Sports Japanese language newspaper carried a front-page banner headline, complete with blaring blue, yellow and red kanji characters featuring the names of major league superstars Mike Piazza and Ken Griffey Jr. Photos of the two sluggers were included on Page 1 as well....
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 26, 2002

Supermarket has no beef about providing information

Retailer Aeon Co. has installed a computer system at a supermarket in Kanagawa Prefecture that tells consumers about the beef it sells, including data on mad cow disease tests, the company said.
LIFE / Lifestyle / MATTER OF COURSE
Feb 8, 2002

It's time to say: Let's talk about sex, babies

In all my years of studying Japanese, I never learned the word I need right now. How do you say "nocturnal emission"? I need to know because my 10-year-old son is starting sex education at school, and I haven't told him that part of "the facts of life." His Japanese is pretty good, but I think he'll...
JAPAN
Feb 3, 2002

Ministry 'cared too much' about Suzuki

The Foreign Ministry should have ignored remarks by a key lawmaker that two nongovernmental organizations be barred from an international conference on Afghan aid, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Friday.
JAPAN
Jan 24, 2002

Site sought for fusion project

The government is expected to soon announce its candidacy to host an international nuclear fusion project, despite the concerns of citizens, lawmakers and scientists about its safety and feasibility.
BUSINESS
Jan 18, 2002

Finance minister concerned about stock market slump

Finance Minister Masajuro Shiokawa said Thursday that he is worried about slumping stock prices as Japan struggles to escape its third recession in a decade.
JAPAN
Jan 14, 2002

Out & About

Multilingual assistance available in Kodaira The Kodaira International Friendship Association holds weekly information services for foreigners facing language difficulties or cultural barriers.
BUSINESS
Jan 3, 2002

Hong Kong's ills raise serious doubts about fixed dollar peg

HONG KONG -- Argentina's economic crisis and the disappearance of the peso as the national currency will put the Hong Kong in the spotlight and the local dollar under pressure in foreign exchange markets.
JAPAN
Dec 16, 2001

65% worried or uncertain about their lives: survey

About 65 percent of Japanese people are worried or feel uncertain about their lives, the highest rate on record, apparently due to the continuing sluggish economy, according to a Cabinet Office survey released Saturday.
JAPAN
Nov 16, 2001

Film about Sorge in works

A veteran Japanese film director has announced he will begin shooting a movie next year on the wartime Sorge espionage case with focus on two journalists, one German and the other Japanese, who were hanged as Soviet spies.

Longform

Once smoky, male-dominated spaces, today's net cafes, like Kaikatsu Club, are working to make their operations more attractive to women customers.
The second life of Japan's net cafes