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JAPAN
Dec 25, 2000

Cabinet approves 2001 budget

The Cabinet on Sunday approved an 82.65 trillion yen general-account budget for fiscal 2001 that is aimed at ensuring the nation's recovery from the prolonged economic slump.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 25, 2000

Flexibility the key to success of alliance

Foreign policy focuses on change. New leaders, new technologies, new conditions -- all create the need for new policies. Experts are always planning for contingencies -- the crisis to come -- and when they hit it's usually because governments failed to recognize the new realities that created them. ...
CULTURE / Art
Dec 24, 2000

Rene Lalique: the magic of design

"Siren and Frogs" carafe by Rene Lalique Some of the best window shopping this Christmas season is being enjoyed at an exhibition of jewelry and glassware by Rene Lalique (1860-1945), currently on display at Tokyo's most elegant art gallery, the Teien. Held in the Art Deco building that was once the...
CULTURE / Art
Dec 23, 2000

Freshly packaged desires on sale at Parco's "Point of Purchase"

Visually speaking, "Point of Purchase" has to be the busiest art exhibition in Tokyo at the moment. The pageantry of graffiti tags-cum-advertising signs is a lot of things: a throwback to yesterday's dorky company logos; a reminder that advertising is far more insidious these days; and a warning that...
CULTURE / Music / PLAY BUTTON
Dec 22, 2000

The Captain reaches down deep into his inner funk

Funk usually brings to mind a heaving beat, thick, slapping bass lines and fashions straight out of "Shaft."
EDITORIALS
Dec 21, 2000

Taking it easy on tax reform

A basic agreement reached earlier this month by the three ruling parties on fiscal 2001 tax code changes is a case of being unable to see the forest for the trees. Their myopia distorts an overall tax review and undermines the basic principles of taxation: fairness, neutrality and simplicity.
BUSINESS
Dec 20, 2000

Members of new economic advisory panel named

The government on Tuesday unveiled the lineup of a soon-to-be-launched advisory panel that is hoped to play a key role in setting the direction of economic and fiscal policies.
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Dec 20, 2000

Glaciers prove ecological succession

That powerful forces have shaped the world we live in is somehow easier to grasp when one lives in a country wracked by earthquakes, dotted with calderas and pocked with active volcanoes.
JAPAN
Dec 17, 2000

Violent movie opens despite protest

A controversial Japanese movie that features a series of fights to the death between junior high school students opened Saturday at cinemas nationwide.
JAPAN
Dec 17, 2000

Tokyo to open parks and zoos for New Year's holiday season

The New Year's holiday season is one of the rare occasions when the hustle and bustle of Tokyo comes to a temporary halt as dwellers of the metropolis leave in droves.
JAPAN
Dec 16, 2000

25 trillion yen budgeted for SDF expenditures

The government's Security Council on Friday approved a new five-year procurement plan for the Self-Defense Forces totaling 25.16 trillion yen.
CULTURE / Art
Dec 16, 2000

Letting the genie of art out of its bottle

It was 112 years ago when Vincent van Gogh sat down to paint his bedroom in the famous yellow house at Arles. After a few hours of frantic work, the three-dimensional room had been transformed into a two-dimensional masterpiece.
JAPAN
Dec 14, 2000

LDP, partners hope tax relief fires economy

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partners reached a basic agreement Wednesday on a final draft of their annual tax code revisions for fiscal 2001 that features steps to support the nation's fragile economic recovery through tax breaks totaling some 177 billion yen.
LIFE / Digital
Dec 13, 2000

Deck the halls with boughs of games

Video games used to be the No. 1 gift request of preteen boys alone, but not anymore. With the release of sophisticated hardware such as Sony's PlayStation 2 console, the audience for games has expanded to include older gamers, both male and female.
CULTURE / Books
Dec 13, 2000

Television as a pillar of the state

BROADCASTING POLITICS IN JAPAN: NHK and Television News, by Ellis Krauss. Cornell University Press, 2000, 278 pp., $35 (cloth). Many of us know NHK (Nippon Hoso Kyokai) for its film documentaries, its cultural programs -- stunning or plodding, depending on your perspective -- or its Sunday morning singalongs....
LIFE / Digital / SURFERSPUD
Dec 13, 2000

Techno and tea

www.thump-radio.com If Napster is a community of listeners, Thump Radio is a legal-hassle-free community of clubbers, artists and labels, all neatly pulled together by streaming audio shared by all. Lots of opportunities to check out new DJs or established DJs' new stuff, then tell your friends about...
LIFE / Digital / CYBERIA
Dec 13, 2000

Next stop Wirelessland

A funny thing happened on the way to work . .
CULTURE / Music / MUSIC NOMAD
Dec 12, 2000

The best of the year that was

The concert scene in Japan tends to slow down a bit in the winter months, so this week I'll present my pick of this year's Japanese releases, and in my next column, releases from around the world.
BUSINESS
Dec 8, 2000

Auto-parts makers report improved earnings in first half

Japanese auto-parts makers registered improved earnings in the first half of fiscal 2000 as their sales grew both at home and abroad, the Japan Auto-Parts Industries Association said in a report released Thursday.
COMMUNITY
Dec 7, 2000

Cosmic wonders in Minami Aoyama

How about closing the century with a spectacular astronomical adventure? Special planetarium shows using cutting-edge technology will be held Dec. 13-30 at Spiral Garden, Minami Aoyama.
MORE SPORTS
Dec 4, 2000

Al Hilal beats Shimizu S-Pulse in first leg of Asian Super Cup

SHIMIZU, Shizuoka Pref. -- Shimizu S-Pulse's hopes of joining Jubilo Iwata in the Club World Championship were dealt a severe blow after a 2-1 defeat to Saudi Arabian team Al Hilal in the first leg of the Asian Super Cup at Nihondaira Stadium on Sunday.
CULTURE / Art
Dec 2, 2000

Treasures of ancient China

Until the 16th century, when the first Europeans reached these shores, China had, for over 1,000 years, been the sole foreign influence on the development of Japanese culture. Some of this influence had been refracted through Korea, but Korea itself was in a position similar to Japan's: a recipient of...
CULTURE / Music
Dec 2, 2000

Concert to raise funds for seeing-eye dogs

The St. David's Welsh Society is presenting its 14th annual Christmas Charity Concert 5 p.m. Dec. 3 at the Imperial Hotel.
SOCCER / J. League
Nov 25, 2000

J.League Emperor's Cup set to kick off

The Emperor's Cup will get under way Saturday across the nation with a total of 80 teams, including all J. League clubs and qualifiers from each prefecture, battling for the honor of being the nation's No. 1 soccer team.
CULTURE / Art
Nov 25, 2000

Farewell to art world's jewel

Some five weeks from today, a few artists and friends will gather in the Sagacho Exhibit Space.
JAPAN
Nov 22, 2000

Dual corporate tax system eyed

The Home Affairs Ministry on Tuesday proposed a dual corporate tax system that would force businesses to pay local taxes, even if they are operating in the red.
JAPAN
Nov 21, 2000

Yokota counts itself as abacus capital

YOKOTA, Shimane Pref. -- The curator of this town's abacus museum must have a sense of black humor to have included one of the first Sharp calculators in the display.
LIFE / Digital / CYBERIA
Nov 15, 2000

Whassup on the Web

It hasn't made it into Webster's Dictionary yet, but you already know this word. In fact, it's already in your head. It's that jingle, that logo, that look, that idea. It's called a meme, and there's a whole branch of social science devoted to it. Richard Dawkins, the man who coined the word in his book,...

Longform

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.