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BUSINESS
May 30, 2002

Skymark Airlines to double operational scale

Skymark Airlines plans to double the scale of its operations by 2005, company officials said Wednesday.
JAPAN
May 25, 2002

Special committee to review refugee policy

Justice Minister Mayumi Moriyama said Friday a special committee to discuss the issue of refugees will be created next month under a private advisory group.
BUSINESS
May 22, 2002

Caribbean may end up top banana in paper manufacturing

Banana paper may provide cash-strapped Caribbean countries with the best hope for a brighter future.
JAPAN
May 20, 2002

Computers may outrank air traffic controllers

A transport ministry panel is considering putting priority on computer orders rather than instructions from air traffic controllers to avoid plane crashes, ministry sources said Sunday.
JAPAN
May 15, 2002

Tourists heading abroad fall 9%

The number of Japanese tourists traveling abroad dropped a record 9 percent in 2001 from the previous year to 16.22 million, while tourists visiting Japan rose a marginal 0.3 percent to a record 4.77 million, the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry said in a report Tuesday.
COMMENTARY / World
May 11, 2002

Indian state frenzy borders on genocide

NEW DELHI -- The continuing communal violence in the western Indian state of Gujarat has not only left hundreds dead, but has also led to embarrassing condemnation by world leaders. New Delhi finds itself in an utterly shameful spot, a situation brought on by its own inept handling of the Hindu-Muslim...
BUSINESS
May 10, 2002

Cabinet Office launches China study

The Economic and Social Research Institute, a research arm of the Cabinet Office, said Thursday it has set up a study group on China.
EDITORIALS
May 1, 2002

Toothless global-warming bill

Domestic global-warming debate is heating up as the Diet discusses a bill to revise the nation's global-warming prevention law and prepares to approve the Kyoto climate accord for ratification. The centerpiece of this law will be a new national scheme -- a Kyoto Objective Achievement Plan -- to cut greenhouse...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Apr 28, 2002

They came, they saw, they democratized

"Bataan," the C-54 transport carrying Gen. Douglas MacArthur, the Supreme Commander of Allied Powers (SCAP), landed at Atsugi, Kanagawa Prefecture, at 2:05 p.m. on Aug. 30. The general, wearing sunglasses and puffing on a corncob pipe, struck a dramatic pose near the top of the ladder for the more than...
LIFE / Digital
Apr 25, 2002

Lie detection infiltrating everyday life

When Bill Clinton first said, "I never had sexual relations with that woman . . ." back in 1998, a report flushed that a new Israeli lie detector figured he was being truthful.
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
Apr 24, 2002

Two men and a poor baby

I have a thang, as Isaac Hayes would say, for Yuki Koyanagi. Maybe it's her sultry pout. Maybe it's her bleached-blonde hair. Or it could be her gloriously trashy fashion sense.
JAPAN
Apr 19, 2002

Flawed MOX likely to be shipped back to Britain in June: Greenpeace

OSAKA -- Plutonium-uranium mixed oxide (MOX) fuel being stored at a nuclear plant in Takahama, Fukui Prefecture, will probably be shipped back to Britain in June, the environmental watchdog group Greenpeace said Thursday.
JAPAN
Apr 13, 2002

FSA's bank probe sparks downgrades for large borrowers

The Financial Services Agency on Friday officially disclosed the results of its latest inspections of major banks, downgrading credit assessments of 71 of the banks' 149 large corporate borrowers.
JAPAN
Apr 10, 2002

'Satoyama' key to preservation of rural settlements

The Environment Ministry said Tuesday it will use the term "satoyama" to explain a new biodiversity policy aimed at preserving areas in which residents have coexisted harmoniously with nature.
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Mar 25, 2002

Sinking investment signals need to embrace deflation

Two sets of key government statistics on economic conditions released earlier this month -- the October-December data on corporate activities issued March 6 and the quarterly 2001 annual gross domestic product released March 8 -- both highlighted the lackluster state of capital investment by Japanese...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 22, 2002

'Tommy' Suharto trial also tests judiciary

JAKARTA -- The youngest son of former Indonesian President Suharto went to trial for murder Wednesday. The case is probably the most important test yet of the credibility of Indonesia's legal system. Hutomo Mandala Putra, better known as Tommy, stands accused of masterminding the murder of a Supreme...
LIFE / Lifestyle
Mar 17, 2002

The global village: small, but not always beautiful

The current No. 1 best seller in Japan is the cheery picture book "Sekai ga moshi hyakunin no mura dattara" ("If the World Were a Village of 100 People"; Magazine House), a retelling of a bit of "Netlore." Several years ago, the environmentalist Donella Meadows wrote a newspaper column on the global...
EDITORIALS
Mar 3, 2002

Cutting workers some slack

You have to give Britain credit. It may be a tired shadow of its former muscular imperial self, but it still has the energy to invent a way to put that very tiredness on the map. Last week, Britons observed their second annual National Slacker Day. (That is, they were urged to observe it; figures on...
EDITORIALS
Feb 1, 2002

Mr. Greenspan's cautious confidence

With trillions of dollars riding on his every utterance, U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan picks his words with extreme care. He once cautioned listeners that if he made himself clear, then he had been misunderstood. But there was no mistaking the tone of Mr. Greenspan's comments last week...
JAPAN
Jan 26, 2002

Snow to halt beef sales

Snow Brand Food Co., which has admitted to relabeling imported beef to get domestic subsidies, said Friday it will suspend beef-related operations, while its president indicated he may resign to take responsibility for the company's crooked behavior.
JAPAN
Jan 21, 2002

NGO envoys discuss future Afghan role

Delegates of 59 nongovernmental organizations, including 26 NGOs from Afghanistan, gathered at a Tokyo hotel Sunday to discuss the vision and role for NGOs in rebuilding the Central Asian nation on the eve of a two-day ministerial meeting on Afghan reconstruction.
EDITORIALS
Jan 17, 2002

Mr. Bush's nuclear sleight of hand

Last year, U.S. President George W. Bush proposed deep cuts in the U.S. nuclear weapons arsenal, a decision that was promptly echoed by Russian President Vladimir Putin. While the move was roundly applauded, there were concerns over the U.S. president's reluctance to codify the decision in a treaty....
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 7, 2002

One step up, two steps sideways in Nago

WASHINGTON -- On Dec. 27, Japanese central government officials and leaders from Okinawa Prefecture announced agreement on a basic plan for the proposed construction of a joint civil-military use airport on the reef off eastern Nago City. The announcement by the Futenma Relocation Committee ("Daitai...
JAPAN
Jan 5, 2002

More to laser surgery than meets the eye

Corneal laser surgery may be a sight for sore eyes for people suffering from nearsightedness or those just tired of wearing glasses, but experts warn that people considering the increasingly popular operation need to be well-informed about the procedure and its possible results before going under the...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 3, 2002

Death of domestic coal leaves legacy for future

Four decades of protection for the domestic coal mining industry are nearly at an end as the government moves to procure stable and more economical supplies from abroad.
SOCCER / J. League
Jan 1, 2002

Shunsuke reportedly off to Real

Yokohama F. Marinos and Japan midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura could be on his way to Spanish giant Real Madrid this month, a Japanese daily sports newspaper reported Monday.
JAPAN
Dec 30, 2001

Retiring politician's war memories spur his fight for peace

As Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi rose to power this year with pledges of radical reform, one 77-year-old Diet veteran made a brief return to the political arena before deciding to abandon his life's work.
BUSINESS
Dec 27, 2001

Nippon Steel, French firm holding talks

Nippon Steel Corp. said Wednesday it is engaged in talks with French steelmaker Usinor SA over cooperation in the U.S. market but nothing has been finalized.

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