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JAPAN
Dec 23, 2001

New Year travel by train likely to peak Dec. 29-30

The peak period for outbound passengers on Japan Railway trains over the New Year period will fall on Dec. 29-30, while Tokyo-bound trains will peak Jan. 3, according to bookings made for Dec. 28 through Jan. 6, according to the JR group.
JAPAN
Dec 23, 2001

Government admits rejecting report that warned of BSE

Japan rejected a report by the European Union that warned of a high risk of mad cow disease in Japan, before the discovery of the country's first case, officials of the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry has acknowledged.
JAPAN
Dec 23, 2001

Theater accident leaves one dead, four hurt

One man died and four others were injured at a theater in Tokyo's Kita Ward on Friday afternoon when they were crushed between the stage and a hydraulic platform they were inspecting, according to police.
JAPAN / Media / CHANNEL SURF
Dec 23, 2001

Remembering the year that was

It's the penultimate week of the year, which means regular variety shows get to save a bit of money by looking back at the year's highlights. "Sanma's Karakuri TV" (tonight at 7, TBS), a mix-and-match assembly of out-of-studio comedy skits hosted in-studio by Osaka funnyman Sanma Akashiya, presents an...
LIFE / Food & Drink / THE WAY OF WASHOKU
Dec 23, 2001

Kazu no ko — an eggcellent winter delicacy

Salted herring roe, kazu no ko, has been a staple of northern climate native fishing populations for as long as man has been casting a net into the ocean. Tribal groups in Alaska, aboriginal Scandinavians and the indigenous groups of Northern Japan have long considered this preserved food a delicacy,...
LIFE / Food & Drink / NIHONSHU
Dec 23, 2001

An o-tososan a year keeps the doc away

It's a rare occasion or ceremony that does not include some sake in Japan, and that harbinger of renewal, New Year's Day, is no exception. Although sake figures prominently in o-shogatsu celebrations from morning to night, opening the year with a prayer for health in the form of drinking o-toso is perhaps...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Dec 23, 2001

Robbing the little guy of life's pleasures

Following the government's eleventh-hour decision to forgo a planned increase in the tax on happoshu foamy liquor the Asahi Shimbun ran an editorial cartoon showing a happy man sitting at the kotatsu and hoisting a can of the beerlike stuff in tribute to his TV, which showed Koizumi father and son toasting...
JAPAN
Dec 23, 2001

Coast guard sinks suspect ship in East China Sea

An unidentified ship spotted within Japan's exclusive economic zone in the East China Sea sank Saturday night after being shot at by Japan Coast Guard vessels that had been pursuing it, coast guard officials said.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Dec 23, 2001

Rethinking the threat that never was

NO MORE BASHING: Building a New Japan-United States Economic Relationship, by C. Fred Bergsten, Takatoshi Ito and Marcus Noland. Washington, D.C.: Institute for International Economics, October, 2001, 328 pp., $23.95 (paper). What a difference a decade makes. Ten years ago, the United States was widely...
EDITORIALS
Dec 23, 2001

Milking maids for all they're worth

Here's a well-timed debate. In the runup to Christmas, the traditional season of generosity and good will to all, the citizens of Hong Kong have been arguing the rights and wrongs of their government's pending proposal to cut the minimum wage of foreign (mostly Filipino) domestic workers for the second...
COMMUNITY
Dec 23, 2001

Pearls reign as queen of gems

Pearls, the "Queen of Gems," have perhaps the longest history of any of the precious stones. References to them first appeared in 5,000-year-old Hindu legends in which the god Krishna was said to have discovered them and given one to his daughter Pandaa on her wedding day. China's "Shu King," a history...
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 22, 2001

Tanaka isn't the true target

HONOLULU — Japanese Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka has been engaged in a very public battle with Foreign Ministry officials since her appointment in April. While the controversy has focused on Tanaka's gaffes and her seeming inability to serve effectively as foreign minister, the real clash is more...
BUSINESS
Dec 22, 2001

Automakers happy, farmers angry

The domestic auto industry welcomed the compromise Friday between Japan and China on a trade dispute.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Dec 22, 2001

Finally, English made simple!

It would be nice if learning a foreign language were as simple as learning to drive. We ought to be able to buy a language manual, study the rules, practice a few weeks, and pass a test. But learning a foreign language, especially English, is far more complicated. Therefore, I propose we simplify the...
JAPAN
Dec 21, 2001

Teen killer moved to reformatory

A youth who murdered two children and injured three others in Kobe in 1997 has been transferred from a medical reformatory outside Tokyo to an ordinary juvenile reformatory, judicial sources said Thursday.
BUSINESS
Dec 21, 2001

Japan to provide Armenia with grant package

Tokyo promised Thursday to provide Armenia with up to 544 million yen in grants to help it improve its medical system and preserve historical documents, according to the Foreign Ministry.
JAPAN
Dec 20, 2001

Kin of missing slam Pyongyang move

OSAKA -- The families of 10 people who Tokyo believes were abducted by North Korean agents in the 1970s and 1980s were outraged at Pyongyang's announcement this week that it was suspending an investigation into the case.
JAPAN
Dec 20, 2001

Atomic bomb survivors seek official recognition

Atomic bomb survivors may file several lawsuits nationwide demanding that the government recognize their bomb-related illnesses and pay them special medical allowances, according to sources familiar with the case.
EDITORIALS
Dec 20, 2001

The danger next door

While the world's attention has been focused on the war in Afghanistan, tensions between India and Pakistan have been slowly building. A series of terrorist attacks on India has raised the specter of war once again between these two South Asian nations. Given the dangers involved -- both countries have...
JAPAN
Dec 20, 2001

War memorial panel holds first talks

A 10-member advisory panel set up to discuss an alternative way to pay tribute to Japan's war dead held its inaugural meeting Wednesday, agreeing to draw up a report in a year.
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Dec 20, 2001

People may fear it, but many trees thrive on fire

In the melange of pagan midwinter mythology and religion that we now call "Christmas," trees, particularly evergreens, have come to occupy a prominent place in the festivities. In times gone by, mistletoe and holly were most common, but since the 17th century the Christmas tree has typically been some...
CULTURE / Film
Dec 19, 2001

A familiar face in the mirror

Vanilla SkyRating: * * * Director: Cameron Crowe Running time: 135 minutes Language: English Now showing
CULTURE / Film
Dec 19, 2001

Fun and family bonding

Spy KidsRating: * * * 1/2 Director: Robert Rodriguez Running time: 88 minutes Language: English Now showing

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