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COMMENTARY
Feb 17, 2003

Korean stability matters most to China

HONG KONG -- "China should step up and defuse the situation," an American official in Washington said to me in December, referring to the North Korean nuclear issue. "That's what a great power would do -- exert its influence and defuse the problem."
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Feb 16, 2003

Climb every mountain, saving souls on the way

BONE MOUNTAIN, by Eliot Pattison. New York: St. Martin's Minotaur, 2002, 306 pp., $24.95 (cloth) Novelist Eliot Pattison really knows how to spin a story. He also wants you to sympathize with the plight of Tibetans, which is not difficult to do. "Bone Mountain," Pattison's third novel set in Tibet, is...
COMMENTARY
Feb 15, 2003

Why hasn't Saddam killed all Americans?

WASHINGTON -- Americans all should be dead. At least, Americans all should be dead if the Bush administration is correct about Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. It believes there is nothing today that prevents a weak and isolated Iraq from striking the United States, the globe's dominant power.
BUSINESS
Feb 13, 2003

WTO spotlighted as trade chiefs gather for Tokyo meeting

Trade ministers from 25 nations will enter three days of intense negotiations in Tokyo on Friday as part of a new round of World Trade Organization trade liberalization talks. Here is a roundup of some basic facts on the organization and issues to be discussed.
JAPAN
Feb 6, 2003

Union group may move over unpaid overtime work

A large umbrella group of unions in various industrial sectors has accused companies of forcing employees to work overtime without pay and is warning that it will file criminal complaints if the practice continues.
BUSINESS
Feb 5, 2003

Farm official to back European tariff proposals

Japan will send a senior vice farm minister to Geneva to directly tell the chairman of the World Trade Organization's agricultural negotiations body of its support for recent European proposals, farm minister Tadamori Oshima said Tuesday.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 2, 2003

Asian bridges via Okinawa

SINGAPORE -- Earlier this month a closed-door workshop and open public symposium focused on bridging the divisions within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and those between Japan and Okinawa as well as on strengthening the ASEAN-Japan partnership through governance, human security and community-building....
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Feb 2, 2003

How the 'modern' code was cracked

The headless body of a woman in her 50s was laid on a straw mat inside a hut at Kotsukahara in Edo's Senju area. Born in Kyoto and nicknamed "Aochababa," sketchy court records indicate the woman had been convicted of killing her adopted children. She had been executed by beheading that very morning,...
BUSINESS
Jan 31, 2003

FTA with ASEAN gets mixed reviews

About half of Japanese companies operating in other Asian economies expect positive effects from a possible free-trade agreement with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, according to a survey released Thursday.
BUSINESS
Jan 25, 2003

Supermarket sales declined 2.1% in 2002

Sales at supermarkets slipped 2.1 percent in 2002 on a same-store basis from the previous year for the sixth straight yearly fall, the Japan Chain Stores Association said Friday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 22, 2003

On a personal journey with the koto

While visiting Tokyo recently, saxophonist and composer John Zorn praised Michiyo Yagi, saying, "She's an example of a new kind of musician that can play all different styles of music in her own personal way."
JAPAN
Jan 22, 2003

Rightist admits killing politician

A 48-year-old rightwing extremist pleaded guilty Tuesday to stabbing to death Diet member Koki Ishii of the Democratic Party of Japan.
COMMENTARY / JAPAN IN THE GLOBAL ERA
Jan 20, 2003

Intellectual alienation spawns hazy polic

WASHINGTON -- The main purpose of my visit to Washington at the beginning of 2003 was to carry out discussions on U.S. perspectives, policies and strategies for the Doha Development Round, in particular, and global economic policy in general. Meetings were held with U.S. government departments, foreign...
BUSINESS
Jan 18, 2003

WTO meet in March should tackle investment rules: Japan

Japan wants the informal ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organization that it will host next month to address investment rules and other topics, in addition to the main issue of farm trade.
BUSINESS
Jan 11, 2003

Tokyo will host informal WTO meeting next month

Japan will host an informal ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organization on Feb. 15 and 16, Foreign Ministry officials said Friday.
JAPAN
Jan 9, 2003

Six men arrested over 2001 slaying

Six men, including a senior member of a religious organization, were arrested Wednesday alleged involvement in the slaying of a 70-year-old real estate agent in Tokyo, according to sources.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jan 8, 2003

What goes around, comes around . . .

The career of the Austrian author and playwright Arthur Schnitzler (1862-1931) unfolded in Vienna during the heady 19th-century fin de siecle era, when major social and intellectual shifts were sweeping the city.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 3, 2003

LDP eyes age limit in quest for new blood

Older lawmakers of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party may be feeling particularly jittery as speculation of an early dissolution of the Lower House for a snap election circulates in Nagata-cho.
JAPAN
Jan 1, 2003

Quest for disputed islands snarled by Suzuki scandals

Japan's efforts to get back the four Russian-held islands off northeast Hokkaido suffered an apparent setback last year.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Dec 29, 2002

A practical politician with his eyes fixed firmly on the stars

SPARKY: Warrior, Peacemaker, Poet, Patriot. A Portrait of Senator Spark M. Matsunaga, by Richard Halloran. Honolulu: Matsunaga Charitable Foundation, 2002, 259 pp., paper ($16.95) At a reception for a visiting Japanese prime minister held at the White House in 1981, Alexander Haig, recently confirmed...
LIFE / Digital / TANGLED WEBS
Dec 26, 2002

All it takes is a bit of inspired teamwork

Traditionally, the end of the year is a time of reflection. In good times, we congratulate ourselves on what we did right, and in bad times we brood over our mistakes.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 24, 2002

A healthy contrast to politics in Beijing

HONG KONG -- The openness, mutual personal criticism and freedom displayed during the latest Taiwanese election were a refreshing contrast to the secrecy, sycophancy and control displayed before, during and after the Chinese Communist Party's 16th Congress.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / PLAY BUTTON
Dec 22, 2002

Exploring musical compositions' demarcation lines

What is the difference between a track and a song? To the average listener, nothing -- the terms are often used interchangeably.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 15, 2002

Capturing today's relevant aspirations

On Oct. 8 I wrote about the second report by United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, published Sept. 23, on reforming the U.N. An important innovation in this report (Chapter Two entitled "Doing What Matters") is that it actually tackles the substantive agenda of the organization's work program....
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Dec 4, 2002

Are Petagine and the Giants a good fit?

Having lost superstar slugger Hideki Matsui to free agency and the major leagues, the Yomiuri Giants have acquired Roberto Petagine, the runnerup to Matsui in this year's Central League home run derby. The Giants have thus plugged Matsui's hole in their lineup with another Triple Crown threat, but three...
EDITORIALS
Dec 2, 2002

Rigorous, fair inspections first

United Nations-led inspections of areas where Iraq is suspected of developing weapons of mass destruction have resumed after a hiatus of four years. On the first day, last Wednesday, an 11-member team from the U.N. Monitoring, Verification and Inspections Commission, or UNMOVIC, as well as a six-member...

Longform

Rock group The Yellow Monkey played K-Arena Yokohama in June as part of a nationwide tour. Concerts are increasingly popular in the age of social media as users value in-person experiences.
Inside Japan’s arena boom: Sports, sound and city-building