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COMMENTARY / World
Jun 17, 2000

Reconciliation on the horizon

The joint declaration signed between North Korea leader Kim Jong Il and South Korean President Kim Dae Jung during the latter's just-concluded visit to Pyongyang is a truly historic document. It will, and should, require a complete reassessment of what is and is not possible regarding North-South reconciliation...
CULTURE / Art
Jun 17, 2000

Sculptures that capture the mysterious rhythms of nature

The press release for the sculptor Susumu Shingu's "Wind Caravan" project opens charmingly with a quote from Christina Rossetti: "Who has seen the wind? Neither you nor I, but when the trees bow down their heads, the wind is blowing by."
EDITORIALS
Jun 16, 2000

Progress in Pyongyang

It has been a historic week on the Korean Peninsula. The summit between the leaders of North and South Korea, Mr. Kim Jong Il and Mr. Kim Dae Jung, has surpassed all expectations. It is tempting to say that the two men are writing the final chapter of the Cold War, but the temptation should be resisted....
COMMUNITY
Jun 16, 2000

Healing relationships bloom in 'renga'

A Japanese proverb says: Doki ai motomu (Like minds are drawn to one another).
BUSINESS
Jun 16, 2000

BTM will survive competition of new era, future chief says

The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi, currently the biggest bank in Japan, will strive to survive intensifying competition in the banking industry by utilizing its mostly upscale retail customer base and solid international networks, the future president of the bank said.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 16, 2000

Plan will shear Malaysia's Islamic Party of its spirit and charisma

KUALA TRENGGANU, Malaysia -- The Malaysian government's move to separate religion from politics has touched a raw nerve in the leading opposition party in Malaysia. It has incensed the theocratic Islamic Party (PAS), whose cardinal principle is Islam, to the last man.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 16, 2000

Pakistan gains clear edge over India in race for nuclear prowess

NEW DELHI -- It seems sad rather than tragic that warring India and Pakistan have not learned lessons that history taught us after such pain and suffering. In the summer of 1998, India exploded nuclear bombs. Pakistan did the same within days to begin what is clearly a disturbing sign in the subcontinent:...
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Jun 15, 2000

What does the 'i' stand for anyway?

I know we've covered this territory before, but under the heading, "They just don't get it," comes the following:
JAPAN
Jun 15, 2000

Mini body probe is no sci-fi fantasy

At just a couple of centimeters long, the future of medical technology is the size of a grain of rice.
BUSINESS
Jun 15, 2000

'Untied' aid limited by economic problems at home

While it has managed to keep its purse strings relatively loose for foreign aid despite its tight financial situation, Japan has cut back on "untied" loans -- loans with no strings attached -- to developing countries in recent years.
BUSINESS
Jun 15, 2000

U.S., Asia factors could shoot yen to 100

Calm has returned to the world's financial markets.
BUSINESS
Jun 14, 2000

Officials doubt adequacy of Canadian response to WTO auto tariff ruling

About four years after losing a legal battle at the World Trade Organization over liquor, Japan last month evened the score with Canada by winning a different legal battle there -- over autos.
JAPAN
Jun 14, 2000

Tokyo welcomes 'smooth' start to Korean talks

Japan welcomed South Korean President Kim Dae Jung's arrival in Pyongyang on Tuesday as a "smooth" start to the first-ever inter-Korea summit and expressed hope that the three-day meeting will yield "good achievements."
JAPAN
Jun 14, 2000

Nissan scholarships 'investing in the future'

In a ceremony earlier this week to mark the third anniversary of a Nissan Motor Co. scholarship program, Chief Operating Officer Carlos Ghosn described the program as an investment in the future.
LIFE / Digital / CYBERIA
Jun 14, 2000

Gateways to synergy

Every time I visit a particular convenience store, I wince at the repeated announcement of its Web site: "Eichi chi chi pi koron surashu surashu daburyu daburyu daburyu dotto . . . " It is supposed to be such a cutting-edge play, but it only reminds me of how clumsy the analog world can be, and of how...
JAPAN
Jun 14, 2000

Ballots from abroad begin arriving

The government began accepting ballots Tuesday for the June 25 Lower House election from Japanese living abroad or aboard ships — the first time overseas voting has been permitted for a national election.
LIFE / Travel
Jun 14, 2000

Bombardiers and polar bears

TORONTO -- The Bombardier died about 10 km out of Arviat, and that was a stroke of luck. It's nearly 800 km from Churchill to Rankin Inlet as the snowmobile travels and there are only two settlements along the way. We broke down close to one of them.
JAPAN
Jun 13, 2000

Asian minorities hope election spurs change: scholar

The June 25 Lower House election will test Japan's commitment to carry out reforms of its inward-looking political circles and accommodate various Asian views in the 21st century, Zhu Jianrong of Toyo Gakuen University said, noting the expectations of various non-Japanese Asians living in the country....
BUSINESS
Jun 13, 2000

More TV shopping coming thanks to QVC, Mitsui tieup

QVC Inc., the world's largest TV shopping retailer, will enter the Japanese market next year through a joint venture with trader Mitsui & Co., executives of the two firms announced on Monday.
COMMENTARY
Jun 13, 2000

Future rides on this election

The Japanese archipelago will be deafened by the din of election campaigning for the Lower House for about two weeks beginning today. Given the growing public distrust of politics, however, the ranks of voters who claim no party affiliation are swelling. Political parties have repeatedly embraced unprincipled...
JAPAN
Jun 11, 2000

Central America, Japan plan to cooperate in dealing with disasters

Top-level Japanese and Central American officials will meet in Tokyo in early August to discuss cooperation in weathering a spate of hurricane-triggered floods and other natural disasters that have afflicted the region in recent years.
COMMUNITY
Jun 11, 2000

Cybird flies big plans for mobile Net future

Kazutomo Robert Hori It came as a very pleasant surprise when an old friend rang from Osaka to tell me that her son's business had taken off like a rocket. The last time I saw Robert was at his wedding seven years ago -- a spectacular if crazy event held on top of a mountain in Hiroshima Prefecture....
CULTURE / Music
Jun 11, 2000

High jinks dropped as orchestra grows up

Budapesti Festivali Zenekara May 31, Ivan Fischer conducting in Suntory Hall -- Variations on a Theme of Haydn, Op. 56a (Johannes Brahms, 1833-97), Concerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 1 (Bela Bartok, 1881-1945) and "Zigeunerweisen" for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 20 (Pablo Martin Militon de Sarasate...
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 11, 2000

A summit of little consequence

The recent summit held by U.S. President Bill Clinton and Russian President Vladimir Putin resembled a rendezvous of two ships moving in opposite directions. Putin has just reached the epicenter of power, Clinton is departing. Putin has just begun his historic record, Clinton is finishing his. Putin...
CULTURE / Art
Jun 11, 2000

Public art goes to the grass roots

In the golden bubble days, when public money flowed like wine at an alcoholic's banquet, the urban landscape of Japan was colonized by sculptural objects of such widely differing quality that some areas took on the appearance of a garage sale. The public was not fooled and has treated these objects with...
EDITORIALS
Jun 10, 2000

ABCs of the Microsoft decision

U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson delivered his long-anticipated ruling in the Microsoft antitrust suit earlier this week. To no one's surprise, he ordered that the software giant be split in two. Microsoft will now appeal. The case is likely to take a special "fast track" to the U.S....
JAPAN
Jun 10, 2000

LDP-led bloc the only way, Nonaka says

A coalition government led by the Liberal Democratic Party represents the only viable choice when voters go to the polls June 25, according to the party's No. 2 man.
BUSINESS
Jun 10, 2000

Belief in land as ideal asset is fading fast

"Landholding is everything," the popular credo espoused by many Japanese firms, is losing its appeal as the business world shifts its attention to real earnings rather than latent real-estate profits, according to a fiscal 1999 government white paper on land released Friday.

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