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JAPAN
Mar 27, 2003

Shiokawa vows not to charter jets

Finance Minister Masajuro Shiokawa said Wednesday he will no longer charter flights for overseas trips after being criticized by an opposition lawmaker for wasting public funds.
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Mar 27, 2003

Fears over U.S. environmental ambush

Considering that the United States spends more for its military than any other nation on the planet, you might imagine the Pentagon taking a few extra steps to protect the environment -- but you'd be wrong.
EDITORIALS
Mar 26, 2003

Mystery disease raises new fears

The outbreak of a mysterious respiratory disease has set off alarms worldwide. Hundreds of individuals have been affected by the malady, which can result, if untreated, in death. Its rapid spread has reignited concern about the dangers of bioterrorist attacks. Although there is no evidence to suggest...
JAPAN
Mar 26, 2003

Disputed isles are target of new lawmaker group

A nonpartisan group of Diet lawmakers met Tuesday to mark the establishment of a parliamentary league seeking the speedy return of the four Russian-held islands off Hokkaido and more contact with their residents.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / NEW ART SEEN
Mar 26, 2003

Life: the home movie, Japan: the video game

Two very different female video artists have brought pleasantly complementary exhibitions of their recent work to the Tokyo Opera City Gallery. Elija-Liisa Ahtila, 43, from Finland, and Japanese artist Tabaimo, 27, both opened with impressive solo efforts at the spacious Shinjuku gallery Friday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Mar 26, 2003

Ibrahim Ferrer: "Buenos Hermanos"

"Buenos Hermanos" is yet another great album of Cuban music. But it's worth noting some of the other reasons why this album is such an achievement.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Mar 26, 2003

Libertines

Many rock bands want you to think they work and live outside normal society. London's Libertines are no different, but in their case it's as if they've never been in normal society in the first place. Last June, they cracked the British Top 40 with "What a Waster," a short, crass song that treats drug...
JAPAN
Mar 25, 2003

Sentences upheld over sewer bribe

The Tokyo High Court on Monday upheld the convictions of three former executives of Shimizu Corp. who were found guilty of bribing a governor to obtain favorable treatment in bidding on a public works project.
COMMENTARY
Mar 25, 2003

Weak tobacco pact reflects Japan's lukewarm attitude

The member-nations of the World Health Organization have recently approved a draft Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), putting an end to four years of negotiations. The draft is expected to be adopted at the general meeting of the WHO in May, and will take effect after 40 countries have ratified...
JAPAN
Mar 24, 2003

World Water Forum declaration

The following is a summary of the ministerial declaration adopted Sunday at the World Water Forum in Kyoto.
COMMENTARY
Mar 24, 2003

Smashing the payoff triangle

The history of the Liberal Democratic Party includes a long list of money scandals. The recent arrest of Lower House lawmaker Takanori Sakai, charged with violating the Political Funds Control Law, is the latest reminder.
JAPAN
Mar 24, 2003

40 Japanese in Iraq include NGO, activists, journalists

The number of Japanese nationals in Iraq rose to 40 as of Sunday morning, after three Japanese entered the country from Jordan, the Foreign Ministry said.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 24, 2003

Don't write off U.N. just yet

EDMONTON, Alberta-- The hawks in the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush finally got what they wanted -- in New York, as well as in the Middle East. The U.N. Security Council is deeply divided, the U.N. system itself seems paralyzed and a preemptive war is about to win "regime change" in...
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Mar 24, 2003

Will new BOJ governor be able to navigate tricky global waters?

Fukui Toshihiko was officially sworn in as new governor of the Bank of Japan on Thursday, with former Vice Finance Minister Toshiro Muto and Kazumasa Iwata, a senior Cabinet official, appointed as vice governors. Under the revised BOJ Law of 1998, all members of the BOJ Policy Board are to serve a five-year...
EDITORIALS
Mar 23, 2003

Invading ancient Mesopotamia

As war again comes to Iraq, the international community is rightly concerned about the human toll, civilian as well as military, long-term as well as immediate. Governments and humanitarian organizations already have relief plans in place to help the expected flood of refugees. Others worry about the...
JAPAN
Mar 23, 2003

Number of Japanese in Iraq increases to 32

The number of Japanese nationals in Iraq totaled 32 as of 1 p.m. Saturday, Japan time, with seven serving as human shields in protest of the U.S.-led war on Iraq, the Foreign Ministry said.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 23, 2003

U.S. must rethink North Korea strategy

MONTEREY, Calif. -- On the eve of South Korean President Roh Moo Hyun's swearing-in ceremony, North Korea lobbed a land-to-ship cruise missile into the Sea of Japan. This provocation took place as the world's dignitaries -- among them U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 22, 2003

Saddening absence of options for Japan

I don't wish to speculate on why the United States has embarked on a war against Iraq at this time. What is clear is that U.S. President George W. Bush and the influential aides in his administration believed -- without appearing to entertain the slightest doubt -- that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein...
EDITORIALS
Mar 22, 2003

A new kind of war

Now that the war has begun, the world hopes it will end swiftly with minimal casualties. But wars are almost always unpredictable. As U.S. President George W. Bush himself has warned, the conflict could be "longer and more difficult than some predict." There is also the possibility that, even if it ends...
BUSINESS
Mar 21, 2003

Economy is at mercy of conflict in Iraq

Financial markets in Japan, well prepared for the U.S.-led attack on Iraq, bounced back quickly Thursday after the onset of war. But some experts warned that the nation's fragile economy may be headed for tragedy.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 21, 2003

Panel advocates teaching patriotism

The Fundamental Law of Education should be revised to include the concept of patriotism and the importance of educating students about religion, a key government panel said in a report submitted Thursday.
JAPAN
Mar 21, 2003

'Daiken' waiver for Western-school grads on hold

The education ministry will freeze its plan to allow graduates of international schools taught in English to take entrance exams at government-funded universities without having to take "daiken" pre-admission tests, according to ministry 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