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COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
Apr 28, 2003

America is the greatest abuser of WMD

NEW YORK -- One duplicitous aspect of the United States' war on Iraq has been the use of the term "weapons of mass destruction" (WMD). No, I am not talking about the kinds of weapons that are assumed in the question raised by the conservative Chicago Sun-Times columnist Robert Novak on April 7 -- "Where...
COMMENTARY
Apr 28, 2003

Fair, transparent foreign aid

Last September the Japanese government was stunned by a lawsuit filed with the Tokyo District Court by 3,861 residents of Indonesia's Sumatra Island. The plaintiffs said their life had been disrupted by a dam for hydroelectric power and flood control built with Japan's official development assistance....
JAPAN
Apr 27, 2003

Research into diagnosis, cure for illness considered

Japan is to look for ways to efficiently diagnose and treat SARS, with several research projects scheduled to begin by the end of May, a science ministry official said Saturday.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Apr 27, 2003

Time after time, show after show

Though Cyndi Lauper is much more than a one-hit wonder, her sudden stardom in 1984 made the subsequent lack of fireworks in her career seem as if she'd put everything she had into her debut album, "She's so Unusual." It's not entirely true, but in any case that LP went platinum five times in the United...
Events
Apr 27, 2003

KANSAI: Who & What

Photos, poems reveal children's school days: An exhibition of photos and poems depicting the school lives of children in Asia and countries bordering the Mediterranean will be held between April 30 and May 4 at the Kyoto City International Center in the city's Sakyo Ward.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Apr 27, 2003

Enoshima: Kamakura's better half

Benten is one of those deities you can find yourself developing a soft spot for. She is the goddess of fortune and feminine beauty, she likes a bit of a song and, for a deity at least (as I was to discover), she seems like a game sort of girl.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 27, 2003

A shorter leash on China's Communists

LONDON -- Governments and political parties habitually find it hard to admit to having made mistakes. Ministers and party officials who resign after getting things wrong cover their tracks with talk of seeking new horizons or spending more time with their families. The more authoritarian a regime, the...
EDITORIALS
Apr 26, 2003

Lessons of a cult guru's trial

In the marathon trial of Aum Shinrikyo cult leader Chizuo Matsumoto (also known as Shoko Asahara) at the Tokyo District Court, prosecutors on Thursday demanded the death penalty. "The accused promoted teachings that even approved of murder," they said in a closing argument. "He planned and ordered indiscriminate...
JAPAN
Apr 26, 2003

Missile defense system debate heats up

As concerns mount over the threat posed by North Korea, the debate over Japan introducing missile defense systems is heating up.
JAPAN
Apr 26, 2003

Personal info bills OK'd by Lower House panel

A package of controversial bills aimed at protecting personal information was approved Friday by a special committee of the Lower House.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Apr 26, 2003

Jiro Hirano

When he was poised between high school and university in the late 1950s, Jiro Hirano had a vague idea that in life he wanted to do "something international." He knew he didn't want to study at the University of Tokyo, as his father and brother and cousins had before him. "I wanted to have a way of my...
EDITORIALS
Apr 25, 2003

Peace overture in South Asia

Overlooked amid the hostilities in Iraq and the brinkmanship pursued by North Korea has been the steady escalation of tensions in South Asia. Missile tests and killings by terrorists have fueled concern that the standoff between India and Pakistan will culminate in violence. Yet, in a surprising development,...
JAPAN
Apr 25, 2003

LDP wants to legalize SDF by amending Constitution

The dominant Liberal Democratic Party aims to amend the Constitution to state in explicit terms the legitimacy of the Self-Defense Forces, party lawmakers said Thursday.
BUSINESS
Apr 25, 2003

Tertiary industry activity down 0.8%

The index of Japan's tertiary industry activity fell 0.8 percent in February from January, partly affected by sluggish tourism amid fears about the war in Iraq, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said Thursday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 25, 2003

Tokyo under pressure to do more to upgrade ASEAN state economies

The success of Japan's proposal for a comprehensive economic partnership with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations depends greatly on Tokyo's "strong interest and capacity to assist ASEAN's industrial upgrading and competitiveness," said Hank Lim, director for research with the Singapore Institute...
JAPAN
Apr 25, 2003

Arsonist appeals death sentence

A man sentenced to death for the murder of six people in Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture, by setting fire to a jewelry shop and stealing 140 million yen worth of jewels filed an appeal against the ruling with the Supreme Court on Thursday, his lawyers said.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Apr 25, 2003

Un Cafe: I'm falling in love again

Going back to favorite restaurants after a gap of several years is much like meeting up with an old flame after being out of touch for too long. Anticipation is likely to be tempered by a good measure of anxiety. How have they changed? What if they don't look so good any more, or they've gone to fat,...
EDITORIALS
Apr 24, 2003

Quick action needed to stabilize Iraq

Last Sunday marked one month since the war began in Iraq. The United States and its allies have yet to declare victory, but for all intents and purposes the military operation is over. In fact, the fighting in strategic areas ended in less than four weeks, making this war one of the shortest in history....
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Apr 24, 2003

Feedback

Dear readers, as you rarely get the last word, this week's column aims to put that right. Two weeks ago, I wrote about the dangers of our society's addiction to oil, and noted that much of the world still believes the primary purpose of the U.S. invasion of Iraq was to dominate its oil supplies and establish...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT
Apr 24, 2003

Shooting from the soul

Mark Deeble and Victoria Stone met at a diving class when they were students. Then, after graduation, they worked on an environmental-impact assessment project in the beautiful Fal estuary in Cornwall, southwest England, where a new port was being planned. It was the love of the sea and nature they developed...
JAPAN
Apr 23, 2003

Events slated to promote studying English abroad

Two events of interest to anyone studying English -- Language Fair (Ryugaku Expo) 2003 and Study USA 2003 -- will take place next month at four locations around Japan, according to organizers.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 23, 2003

Europe-based executive MBA program pitched at Japanese

European business school INSEAD has recently begun offering an exclusive executive MBA program -- and is hoping to attract some Japanese students.
JAPAN
Apr 23, 2003

10 of 12 suspected cases of SARS turn out to be negative

A health ministry panel said Tuesday that 10 of the 12 SARS cases in Japan classified as either "suspected" or "probable" are not the deadly virus, but judgment is being withheld on the remaining two cases.
JAPAN
Apr 23, 2003

Governor urges more talks on dam plan

Thorough and open discussions are the most important way of approaching a controversial dam project on the Kawabe River in Kumamoto Prefecture, Gov. Yoshiko Shiotani said Tuesday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / NEW ART SEEN
Apr 23, 2003

Could it be you, baby?

My mind is weary, and this is because since last weekend I have been thinking hard about how different the world would be if men could get pregnant.
JAPAN
Apr 23, 2003

74 members of Diet visit Yasukuni

Seventy-four Diet members, including a Cabinet minister, visited the controversial Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on Tuesday during its annual spring festival.
EDITORIALS
Apr 22, 2003

The meaning of low interest rates

The global economic outlook remains dim despite the swift and decisive coalition victory in Iraq. In Japan the prospects are darker still, with deflation getting worse, not better. Stock prices are at their lowest level in about 20 years. Banks are still burdened with piles of bad debt. Prime Minister...
BUSINESS
Apr 22, 2003

Job-creation policy sought by ministry

Economy minister Takeo Hiranuma asked the leaders of two major business lobbies Monday to propose ways to boost employment, particularly for young people.
BUSINESS
Apr 22, 2003

Central bank managers want ins and outs of ABCPs

Bank of Japan Gov. Toshihiko Fukui met a torrent of questions about the central bank's proposals to support banks' lending activities to small and midsize companies when he held his first meeting with branch managers Monday.

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