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COMMENTARY
Sep 24, 2002

Building corporate integrity

A spate of corporate scandals have rocked Japan this year. Snow Brand Foods Co. and Nippon Ham Co. mislabeled beef, abusing the government's buyback program that was set up to bail out the beef industry following the outbreak of mad cow disease in Japan. Trading giant Mitsui & Co. was implicated in a...
COMMENTARY / JAPAN IN THE GLOBAL ERA
Sep 11, 2002

Japan and Asia: facing the troubled past is a prerequisite to forging a better future

In two previous columns I quoted from one of the writers whom I most greatly admired, referring to him as the "late Shigeto Tsuru." It has been drawn to my attention that I was misinformed, as Mr. Tsuru, I am embarassed but really delighted to report, is alive and well. I offer my most sincere apologies...
JAPAN
Sep 6, 2002

Lower House committee votes to file perjury complaint against Suzuki

The House of Representatives Budget Committee voted unanimously Thursday to file a perjury complaint with prosecutors against scandal-tainted lawmaker Muneo Suzuki over testimony he made before the panel in March.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Sep 6, 2002

New transfer rule won't help rumor mill

LONDON -- The FIFA-imposed transfer window, which means Premiership clubs will not be able to sign any new players until Jan. 1, has brought different reactions from various parties.
JAPAN
Aug 28, 2002

Psychiatric group to investigate alleged abuse by China

YOKOHAMA -- The World Psychiatric Association has agreed to send a team of experts to China next spring to investigate claims that the communist government is confining political dissidents, including members of the Falun Gong sect, in mental wards, WPA president Juan Lopez-Ibor said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Aug 27, 2002

Psychiatry meet calls for better mental-health care

YOKOHAMA -- Psychiatrists from around the world on Monday adopted a declaration calling on represented countries to provide the best available treatment for those with mental illnesses.
ENVIRONMENT
Aug 25, 2002

Tackling the global water crisis

As attention turns to the Johannesburg summit, many regions of the world could be excused for being more concerned with the water crisis on their doorsteps.
JAPAN
Aug 18, 2002

Panel will attempt to curtail government waste in R&D

A Cabinet Office panel plans to eliminate money-wasting undertakings by reassessing some 90 government-run research and development projects.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Aug 11, 2002

We are more than just numbers, aren't we?

On Aug. 3, something interesting happened on the TBS newsmagazine "Broadcaster." Following a report on the new computerized resident registry network, commonly referred to as Juki Net, which would go into effect the following Monday, the show's presenter apologized for not covering the topic fully when...
EDITORIALS
Aug 7, 2002

Keep the antinuke torch burning

That fateful moment is etched in the minds of the Japanese people: At 8:15 a.m., Aug. 6, 1945, the world's first atomic bomb exploded over Hiroshima. Inscribed on the memorial cenotaph for the deceased victims, located at the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima, is a vow "never to repeat the mistake." The...
BUSINESS
Jul 29, 2002

Koo backs expansionary fiscal policy for Japan

Richard Koo appears to be one of the small group of dissenters vocally critical of the economic and fiscal policies of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and his Cabinet.
BUSINESS
Jul 27, 2002

8.7 trillion yen in 'zaito' funds not used by recipients

As much as 8.7 trillion yen of the government's fiscal investment and loan program, or 26.7 percent of the initial budget of 32.55 trillion yen, was left unused in fiscal 2001, according to a report released Friday by the Finance Ministry.
BUSINESS
Jul 23, 2002

LDP to form new panel to discuss online copying

In an attempt to define fair use in cyberspace, the LDP will form a panel on intellectual property rights that will propose tougher laws against online copying of animation and game software.
COMMENTARY
Jul 22, 2002

Tokyo, Seoul narrowing gap

The Japanese people's sense of Japan-South Korea friendship has heightened following the World Cup soccer tournament cohosted last month by the two countries. After South Korea advanced to the semifinals, many Japanese cheered the team on to an extent that puzzled some South Koreans.
EDITORIALS
Jul 21, 2002

New Cabinet, old problems

South Korean President Kim Dae Jung continues to make history. This month he selected the first female prime minister, a ground-breaking move in male-dominated South Korean society. Predictably, the decision has been derided as a political gesture to shore up the government's faltering support; opposition...
BUSINESS
Jul 19, 2002

Asset-backed securities enjoying surge of popularity in Japan

Since British rock star David Bowie surprised Wall Street in 1997 by selling his old song royalties in bulk by issuing bonds, asset securitization has attracted greater public attention in Japan.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 13, 2002

HIV epidemic taking its toll on Myanmar

NEW YORK -- According to the latest statistics, the number of HIV/AIDS cases in Myanmar continues to rise, fueled by drug abuse, population mobility, poverty and a lack of effective government policies. Thai medical experts report that the epidemic, if not controlled, may soon eclipse the worst situation...
JAPAN
Jul 11, 2002

Bad loans, job woes cloud China's 'rosy' future

Hardly a week goes by these days without Japanese companies advancing into China to tap its low labor costs or to gain a foothold in the huge market.
BUSINESS
Jul 9, 2002

BIS calls for honesty in banking policy

The Bank for International Settlements on Monday issued a dire warning to Japan over the shaky position of its banking system, urging the government to explain to taxpayers that their money could again be needed to clean up the problem-loan situation.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 4, 2002

Reserved but hardly remote

The June 8 article "A right royal celebration," by former British Ambassador to Japan Sir Hugh Cortazzi, described the Golden Jubilee celebration for Queen Elizabeth II. I was happy to read that the celebration was a great success, that the respect and affection of the British people for the queen were...
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 1, 2002

ATM-phobia marks banking leap in Laos

VIENTIANE -- It is only an ATM, but it might as well be an alien spacecraft that crash-landed in central Vientiane. People still do not know what to make of the country's first ATM, despite the fact that it was installed three months ago.
EDITORIALS
Jun 23, 2002

What's 'Onion' in Chinese

You have to feel a little sorry for those fellows over at the Beijing Evening News. Here they are a global laughingstock, and they still don't get why. But was it altogether their fault? Those of us who have tried and failed to comprehend humor, let alone satire, in a foreign language are privately thinking,...
JAPAN
Jun 20, 2002

Look for Japan to narrow gap in IT race

Can Japan catch up with the United States in information technology? The mere suggestion sounds preposterous, given the current climate of American triumphalism and Japanese gloom. Yet we should recall that not too long ago the U.S. and Japan were both declaring Japan's victory in the high-technology...
EDITORIALS
Jun 12, 2002

Unsure sign of recovery

The latest government report on Japan's gross domestic product -- that the economy in the first quarter of this year expanded 1.4 percent from the previous quarter, or at an annual rate of 5.7 percent -- has met with some skepticism. The general feeling appears to be that it is too good to be true. In...
COMMENTARY / WASHINGTON UPDATE
Jun 10, 2002

Tariff decisions proving costly for Bush

WASHINGTON -- I cannot help but remind everyone that I thought President George W. Bush made a bonehead decision when he imposed the quotas on imported steel a couple of months ago. I said it was a mistake for him politically, both domestically and internationally. I said it would destroy his hopes of...
EDITORIALS
Jun 5, 2002

Thinking the unthinkable

The fact that responsible individuals and governments are talking about the casualties that would be created by a nuclear exchange between India and Pakistan is a powerful indication of how close the prospect of war between the two countries truly is. Both the Indian and Pakistani governments deny that...

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