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MULTIMEDIA / SPORTS SCOPE
Jan 10, 2002

Forget agents, get a comedian

Yakult Swallows pitcher Kazuhisa Ishii obviously didn't know what to do.
Events
Jan 8, 2002

Osaka hopes concerns ease in 2002 over economy, crime, the homeless

OSAKA -- From concerns over the economy to renewed hopes for the pro baseball Hanshin Tigers, here are some local issues, in no particular order, that many people in the Kansai region are focusing on for the coming year.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Jan 6, 2002

All the tricks, touch-ups and trip-ups of the trade

TV Asahi's new dramatic comedy series, "Trick 2," which premieres this week (Friday, 11:15 p.m.), fits comfortably into the current TV zeitgeist of pop spiritualism and magic shows. A lot of the renewed interest in paranormal phenomena has been boosted by the addition of debunking elements. On many recent...
LIFE / Digital / NAME OF THE GAME
Jan 3, 2002

Sometimes the gaming is too rough

When it comes to video games, Japan generally gets the good stuff first. Nintendo, Sony, and NEC hardware generally comes out in Japan before the United States. "Devil May Cry," "Final Fantasy X," and "Luigi's Mansion" all came out in Japan before they made it to the United States.
BUSINESS
Jan 1, 2002

Nikkeiren pushes job-sharing to stabilize unemployment

Employers and employees will eventually agree on wage cuts in the form of work-sharing as they undergo the much expected pains of ongoing structural reforms initiated by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, the chief of Japan Federation of Employers Association (Nikkeiren) said.
BUSINESS
Dec 29, 2001

Ishikawa files for insolvency proceedings

Ishikawa Bank on Friday filed for insolvency proceedings with the Financial Services Agency under the Deposit Insurance Law after its efforts to rehabilitate itself failed.
BUSINESS
Dec 29, 2001

Japan, South Korea and China eye launch of IT talks

Japan, South Korea and China are expected to launch regular ministerial talks on information technology issues, telecommunications minister Toranosuke Katayama said Friday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 28, 2001

Japan increasingly embraces dancing

Japan is increasingly embracing all kinds of dancing.
JAPAN
Dec 28, 2001

Foreign inmates could serve sentences at home

Japan may ratify an international treaty next year under which foreign inmates would be repatriated to serve out their prison terms at home, government officials said Thursday.
BUSINESS
Dec 28, 2001

WTO panel decides to hear global steel dispute in February

A major steel-trade row that has sharply pitted the United States against Japan, the European Union and nine other steel exporters is entering a new phase amid the global economic slowdown.
JAPAN / STAGING A COMEBACK
Dec 27, 2001

Top schools eye uneasy alliance with private sector

The agenda of top-flight domestic schools such as the University of Tokyo is changing along with the turbulent economic climate.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 27, 2001

Building-materials publishers under fire

The nation's public works projects -- notorious for their lack of transparency -- have sucked up tens of trillions of yen in taxpayers' money for decades, pushing government coffers to the brink of crisis.
BUSINESS
Dec 26, 2001

Fishery talks with South Korea fizzle

Japan and South Korea ended two days of fishery talks Tuesday without reaching agreement on specifics such as quotas for saury catches inside each other's 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zones.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 26, 2001

Ministers reach accord on Hansen's settlement

Health chief Chikara Sakaguchi said Tuesday he and Justice Minister Mayumi Moriyama have agreed to compensate former Hansen's disease patients who were not forced into sanitariums under the government's now-defunct quarantine policy.
COMMENTARY
Dec 24, 2001

Challenges for Korean civic education

SEOUL -- Consensus is growing in the family of democratic nations that democratic civic education constitutes a pillar of democracy. I use the term "democratic civic education" because we know there exist less benevolent intentions behind "political education" than the promotion of democratic principles...
COMMUNITY
Dec 23, 2001

Jewelry collectors: guardians of a glittering past

At first glance, the visitor would hardly guess that the austere-looking building nestled in the beautiful, green mountains of Nasu Kogen, Tochigi Prefecture, is the Akiba Museum of Antique Jewellery -- Japan's first private museum specializing in European antique jewelry.
COMMUNITY
Dec 23, 2001

Everlasting allure of gems shines on

Gems are among the most gorgeous examples of nature at work, even though the jewels we admire get a helping hand not afforded to phenomena like sunsets and snow-capped peaks.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 23, 2001

Argentina has no choice but to default

NEW YORK -- Argentina is now experiencing one of its most severe economic and social crises in recent history. Riots are spreading through the country and the government seems increasingly unable to control the situation. The declaration of a state of siege for 30 days, although a necessary measure to...
BUSINESS
Dec 21, 2001

Thailand's FTA idea has bureaucrats troubled

Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's recent unexpected proposal for a free-trade agreement has Japanese policymakers tearing their hair out.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 20, 2001

Scale of Sept. 11 determines type of trial

SEOUL -- While Afghanistan has historically been referred to as the great game among the Great Powers vying for political supremacy in central Asia, a great debate has emerged in the United States over whether the terrorists responsible for the attacks against the World Trade Center and the Pentagon...
JAPAN
Dec 19, 2001

Pediatrics strained to breaking point

It was just after midnight one recent weekend in the emergency room of Showa University Hospital in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward. Pediatrician Katsura Sugihara was treating his 12th patient of the night, when the phone rang.
BUSINESS
Dec 15, 2001

Investment pact near for Tokyo, Seoul

Japan and South Korea are likely to agree on the outline of a bilateral investment accord by the end of this year and put it into force in summer, Japanese trade officials said.
EDITORIALS
Dec 14, 2001

Caught in a worsening recession

Japan's economy is in serious condition. Despite years of recovery efforts, its vital signs continue to worsen. Gross domestic product in July through September contracted at an annual rate of 2.2 percent, posting two straight quarters of negative growth -- a condition that is technically defined as...
BUSINESS
Dec 12, 2001

NTT, SCE agree on fast link for PlayStation2

Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. said Tuesday it has agreed with NTT Broadband Initiative Inc. and Sony Communication Network Corp. to start offering broadband services for PlayStation2 computer game consoles in April.
BUSINESS
Dec 12, 2001

Chemical firms agree to pay $23 million in U.S. lawsuit

Daicel Chemical Industries Ltd. and Nippon Synthetic Chemical Industry Co. said Tuesday they will pay a combined $23.2 million as part of an out-of-court settlement of a U.S. antitrust lawsuit launched against them over their sales of sorbic acid.
BUSINESS
Dec 11, 2001

METI to urge steelmakers to cut production

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry plans to urge steelmakers to cut their combined production capacity for crude steel from 145 million tons to under 125 million tons within three years, ministry officials said Monday.

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