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JAPAN
Aug 2, 2002

Private-sector leader urged for postal entity

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Thursday that the public corporation that will take over the state-run postal service operations in April should be headed by someone from the private sector.
JAPAN
Aug 2, 2002

Tokyo cooling system in the pipeline

In an effort to curb Tokyo's ever-warming urban sprawl, the government is considering a massive project to cool the heart of the capital using an underground network of pipes -- tantamount to the world's largest radiator.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Aug 2, 2002

Flatworm

* Japanese name: Namiuzumushi * Scientific name: Dugesia japonica * Description: Flatworms are tiny animals a bit like miniature slugs, about 1 cm long. They have thin, gray-brown bodies with a brain and sense organs at the head end (you can see the eyes in the photo). Flatworms move by gliding --...
JAPAN
Aug 2, 2002

Disclaimers cause waves in scuba business

Recreational scuba divers in Japan are subject to a long-standing, and contentious, industry policy -- signing a waiver to accept all responsibility for whatever happens when they take the plunge.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 2, 2002

North Korean agent sought in abduction

Tokyo police obtained an arrest warrant Thursday for a North Korean agent who is suspected of acquiring a Japanese passport by pretending to be an Osaka man he abducted and spirited away to North Korea in 1980, police sources said.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 2, 2002

USJ struggles to save image from 'sophomore jinx'

OSAKA -- The Universal Studios Japan theme park, which drew 11 million people in the first 12 months after it opened in March 2001, is having a bad second year as it struggles to regain public trust following a series of management blunders.
COMMUNITY
Aug 1, 2002

TV news move boosts campaign to secure international channel

On July 25th, in a stunning about face, News Corporation announced the continued broadcast of the 24-hour news channel, Foxnews.
EDITORIALS
Jul 31, 2002

Defense bills need thorough review

As the regular Diet session draws to a close, several key bills remain on the table. Among these are three defense bills designed to deal with a direct attack on Japan, real or perceived. The proposed legislation, however, is flawed in so many ways -- including the lack of provisions for civilian protection...
BUSINESS
Jul 31, 2002

As plasma-display TVs come down in price, sales go up

After an inauspicious debut just a few years ago, plasma-display TVs have become one of the hottest home appliances around.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Jul 31, 2002

Eddie Palmieri: "La Perfect II"

Once upon a time, in a dance hall called the Palladium, in a city called New York, jazz bands vied with each other in all-night contests to see who could play the hottest, fastest and wildest dance music possible. Among those bands, Eddie Palmieri's La Perfecta was one of the most popular. But, with...
BUSINESS
Jul 31, 2002

Electronics makers' quarterly results reflect cost-cutting, surge in demand

Japan's major electronics makers either narrowed their losses or posted profits in the April-June quarter, aided by recovering semiconductor sales and restructuring efforts, according to quarterly earnings results released Tuesday.
MORE SPORTS
Jul 30, 2002

Tiger to play in Miyazaki

Tiger Woods will take part in his first stroke-play tournament in Japan in four years when he competes in the Dunlop Phoenix at the Phoenix Country Club, Miyazaki Pref. from Nov. 21-24, organizers announced Monday in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Jul 30, 2002

Motorists rebel against exorbitant expressway fares

Hidenori Wago used to get angry when faced with the exorbitant fees exacted at the nation's expressway tollgates. Now, he has a solution: Drive through, don't pay.
BUSINESS
Jul 30, 2002

Government clamps down on pork imports with tariffs

Japan will raise tariffs on pork for eight months beginning this week in an attempt to slow soaring imports, the government said Monday.
COMMUNITY
Jul 30, 2002

Learning goes both ways in JET program

I first came to Japan in 1991 as an English instructor with the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program and ended up staying twice as long as I originally planned. Here are some recollections from that period.
COMMENTARY
Jul 29, 2002

Chance to engage Pyongyang

In the first meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, foreign ministers and officials will gather in the Brunei capital of Bandar Seri Begawan on Wednesday to discuss tense situations on the Korean Peninsula and between India and Pakistan, plus other regional issues....
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM MOSCOW
Jul 28, 2002

Moronic student textbooks

MOSCOW -- When you visit a recently independent nation, ask what kind of elementary school textbooks their kids are reading. I must say the textbooks my kids use are horrific.
COMMENTARY
Jul 28, 2002

Land-mine removal cannot be put off

ISLAMABAD -- A bus driving along a quiet road in central Afghanistan earlier this month suddenly drove over the country's worst killer. A loud explosion could be heard across the surrounding neighborhoods as the bus was ripped apart, leaving 13 people dead and another six badly injured.
COMMUNITY
Jul 28, 2002

Into the unknown Sea of Okhotsk

The Bering Sea, 1999. A wave-dashed shore ahead; leaden skies above. The way the rough sea was lifting and pitching and rolling our ship was not promising. I could just make out a bleak and deserted beach backed by lush knee-high vegetation, with a low, steep bank beyond. Somewhere there, 250 years ago,...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jul 28, 2002

Look at her, she's dying to lose some weight

If there is still any question whether China has finally joined the so-called industrialized world, the current diet-aid scandal should put it to rest. Only an industrialized nation with a population that eats enough food on a daily basis to worry about extra kilos can support an industry dedicated to...
JAPAN
Jul 27, 2002

Envoy apologizes over Shenyang case

Japan's ambassador to China apologized during a Diet committee meeting Friday for mishandling an asylum bid by North Koreans who were seized by Chinese police after they entered the Japanese Consulate General in Shenyang.
BUSINESS
Jul 27, 2002

Spending by wage earners up 3.4%

Spending by wage-earning households rose an inflation-adjusted 3.4 percent in June from the year before, the government said Friday.
EDITORIALS
Jul 26, 2002

Steeling for a fight with Iraq

By every indication, the United States is eager to take the fight to Iraq and expel Iraqi President Saddam Hussein from office. President George W. Bush has said he is studying every option, and the U.S. appears to be proceeding with the diplomacy needed to prepare for conflict. Mr. Hussein's departure...
SOCCER / J. League
Jul 26, 2002

Yoo grabs goal in farewell game

Kashiwa's Europe-bound midfielder Yoo Sang Chul ended his spell in the J. League with a consolation goal in Reysol's 2-1 defeat to the Urawa Reds at National Stadium in Tokyo on Wednesday night.

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