Search - 2002

 
 
EDITORIALS
Jan 13, 2004

Prospects dim for wage round

Japan's economy is showing increasing signs of recovery, yet there is nothing to cheer about concerning the job situation as labor and management brace for what promises to be yet another difficult bargaining season. Once again, wage restraint will be the main theme of negotiation in spring 2004.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Jan 13, 2004

Forensic science fiction

We periodically hear from nationalists about Japan's distinctiveness -- how "Japaneseness" is a matter of "race" and "blood," not citizenship or culture. This is usually disregarded as mere unscientific sentiment from fringe elements.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Jan 13, 2004

Prize trouble, study in Oz, and a recap

Student rants Let us begin on a note of tolerance and goodwill, with two similar reactions to the letter from student J. in southern Japan with fellow student troubles (Lifelines; Nov. 25, 2003).
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 12, 2004

China lights Vietnam's path

SINGAPORE -- Profound similarities bind China and Vietnam together today more than ever. Twelve years after their brief border war in 1979, Hanoi and Beijing normalized relations in 1991 after resolving the "Cambodian problem" at the Paris Peace Conference. This normalization of relations put to rest...
JAPAN
Jan 11, 2004

Public interest in North Korean problems increasing: survey

Public interest in security issues concerning North Korea has increased substantially over the past year or so, with most people responding to a government survey released Saturday saying they are concerned about the issue of Japanese nationals abducted by the North.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Jan 11, 2004

Discriminating professor takes provincial view of Izumo

IZUMO-JIN: The People of Izumo, by Daisetsu Fujioka, translated by Caroline E. Kano and Toshiko Yamakuse. Matsue: Harvest Publications, 2002, 138 pp., with maps. 1200 yen (paper).
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 10, 2004

Dialogue raises hope on the subcontinent

MADRAS, India -- Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee have met and shaken hands many times. But when they shook hands in Islamabad at the recent summit of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, the world heaved a sigh of relief. There was...
JAPAN
Jan 9, 2004

Pollen sufferers can thank cold summer for easier 2004

Tree pollen levels are expected to be lower than average in 2004 due to the cold summer last year, according to weather information provider Weathernews Inc.
BUSINESS
Jan 9, 2004

Japan, U.S. plan to restore faith in beef

WASHINGTON (Kyodo) Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Shoichi Nakagawa and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman ended a meeting here Wednesday without discussing concrete steps toward lifting Japan's ban on imported American beef.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Jan 9, 2004

Scrutiny will increase if Eriksson becomes Chelsea manager

LONDON -- Will he stay or will he go?
EDITORIALS
Jan 8, 2004

High economic hopes for 2004

The economic outlook is looking up. Most economists think the world's economy has bottomed out and is now poised for strong growth. The U.S. recovery and Chinese stability will be key factors in the near future, but longer-term growth depends on consumer confidence and a renewed commitment to trade liberalization....
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 8, 2004

Travel agencies on guard for SARS but see no heavy cancellations yet

Japanese tour agencies are on the lookout for the spread of SARS in China and other destinations but have not detected any large-scale cancellations following the confirmation of the first case of the season in China this week, agencies said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jan 8, 2004

Fukuda wary of motive behind North Korea thaw

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda remained wary Wednesday over a string of events indicating a possible softening of North Korea's stance toward Japan.
BUSINESS
Jan 8, 2004

Decision on beef ban will wait for fact-finding team

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said Wednesday the government will not rush to decide whether to lift a ban on U.S. beef imports following confirmation that an American cow infected with mad cow disease was born in Alberta, Canada.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 8, 2004

100 yen video games score millions for software entrepreneur

At a time when playing just one game costs 200 yen on many arcade machines, a Tokyo company is bent on offering gamers a staggering value-for-money option via its 100 yen PC game software.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 7, 2004

Fukuda cool on specter of secular alternative to Yasukuni

It is premature for the government to establish a secular memorial as an alternative to Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine, which honors the nation's war dead, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Jan 7, 2004

Japan Telecom lines up new boss

Fixed-line carrier Japan Telecom Co. plans to appoint Hideki Kurashige, a former vice president of IBM Japan Ltd., as its new president, industry sources said Tuesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 6, 2004

Sumo ranks' crime patrols also good PR

The night echoes with the heavy footsteps of sumo wrestlers, moving slowly and casting sharp glances, but their opponents this time will not stand before them under the bright lights of the elevated clay "dohyo" ring.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 5, 2004

Anatomy exhibit's real bodies prove popular draw

Women giggle and men turn pale at the "Mysteries of the Human Body" exhibition at the Tokyo International Forum in Chiyoda Ward.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 5, 2004

As axis turns, Pyongyang feels the squeeze

SEOUL -- It turns out that the construct of the "axis of evil" was more than an applause line in the 2002 State of the Union speech by U.S. President George W. Bush. What it really has come to convey is the interaction between axis members, which was little appreciated by Bush speechwriters at the time....
JAPAN
Jan 3, 2004

Koizumi takes more flak over new year Yasukuni visit

Protests continued Friday in Beijing, Seoul and Tokyo over Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's surprise visit to Yasukuni Shrine on New Year's Day.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Jan 3, 2004

Struggling Spurs lining up Hiddink as next manager

LONDON -- It may be a meaningless statistic in terms of promotion or relegation, but Tottenham Hotspur has earned fewer points -- 36 -- than any other club in the Premiership during 2003.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 3, 2004

Kato back -- but he's not his old self

Two months after his Diet comeback in November, Koichi Kato seems to be in two minds over whether to keep a low profile until he is no longer dogged by scandal -- or else reclaim his outspoken political identity.
JAPAN
Jan 3, 2004

Japan poised to hand U.S. industrial espionage suspect

The government may begin procedures this month to hand over a Japanese man wanted in the United States on charges of industrial espionage, according to government sources.

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami