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EDITORIALS
May 28, 2000

Say it with buses

Some Tokyo residents have been grumbling or sneering (or both) in the past few weeks about the latest head-turning novelty on the capital's streets: those giant moving billboards that used to be just plain old green-and-cream buses.
JAPAN
May 27, 2000

Visitors to Japan reach record 4.4 million

The number of visitors to Japan hit a record high of 4.44 million in 1999, up 8 percent from the pervious year, mainly due to the economic recovery in Asia following the 1997 financial crisis, according to a government tourism report released Friday.
JAPAN
May 27, 2000

Rigid schools failing kids in tough times

The rigidity of Japanese schools is suffocating children and is one of the causes behind the recent rise in youth crime, according to education experts.
JAPAN
May 27, 2000

Green energy nearing takeoff in Japan

Movements to promote so-called green energy, such as wind and solar power, are gaining momentum in Japan as opposition to the use of nuclear power increases following last year's fatal nuclear accident and rising pressure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
May 25, 2000

You say Fusaichi, I say Fusaichi

Whenever a Japanese name enters the sporting world's lexicon, all sorts of problems arise. Take the Nagano Olympics for example. Is it pronounced NA-ga-no or Na-GA-no? The foreign media wrestled with this question for two straight weeks during the winter of 1998. The confusion trickled down to the masses...
JAPAN
May 25, 2000

Children's diet suffers as more eat alone

More than half of Japan's schoolchildren have breakfast alone or without the presence of adults, and only about a third eat supper with their whole family.
JAPAN
May 25, 2000

NPA official held for allegedly buying drugs on Net

OSAKA -- Health and Welfare Ministry narcotics agents have arrested a technical official with the National Police Agency on suspicion of buying amphetamines via the Internet, an Osaka office of the ministry said Wednesday.
COMMENTARY / World
May 25, 2000

Japan's national security policy ignores public sentiment

The impression that one gets when looking at the evolution of Japan's security policy in recent years is that the Japanese public has consented to steps taken by Tokyo. After all, that is the fundamental expectation that democracies nurture. Following this reasoning, Tokyo should be developing a security...
LIFE / Food & Drink / NIHONSHU
May 25, 2000

Strong traditions flow through Iwate sake

Talk about a late bloomer. From its location in the northeastern corner of Honshu, Iwate Prefecture exerts a tremendous influence on the sake world. Yet, sake was not even produced there on any real scale until well after 1678, long after Nada, Itami and Kyoto were well into their sake-brewing heyday....
EDITORIALS
May 24, 2000

Caught in a legal nightmare

The belief that the law should be applied fairly to all, regardless of nationality, received a setback last week from Japan's judiciary. That is the reaction of people of good will to the rejection by the Tokyo High Court of the appeal filed over its earlier decision to allow continued police detention...
LIFE / Digital / CYBERIA
May 24, 2000

Shopping with the herd

We track the tickers of global auctions. We flock to comparative shopping sites seeking the deal of the century. We sign up for sweepstakes galore and even occasionally invite vendors into our in-boxes to inform us of their latest discounts.
CULTURE / Stage
May 24, 2000

Dervish dancing to oneness

The mystical tradition of Sufism is little known outside the Muslim faith, yet all people, regardless of religious background or inclination, can benefit from its methods for developing unity in one's body, mind and spirit.
JAPAN
May 23, 2000

Youth crime laid to insular life

Juvenile crimes stem from a society adults created, and changing laws to merely impose a stricter punishment on young offenders will not get to the root of the problem, according to a former family court examiner.
JAPAN
May 23, 2000

North Korea welcome in ASEAN forum: Kono, Cho

Foreign Minister Yohei Kono and visiting South Korean Defense Minister Cho Seong Tae agreed Monday that North Korea's expected membership in the ASEAN Regional Forum will help ease tensions, a Japanese official said.
BUSINESS
May 23, 2000

Think tank says GDP in good shape

A think tank reported Monday that the Japanese economy is estimated to have grown a real 2.4 percent in the January-March period from the preceding quarter, due chiefly to a rise in personal consumption.
JAPAN
May 22, 2000

Former foes seek helping hand from Ishihara

Some politicians in Tokyo planning to run in the general election next month are seeking the backing of Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara in an attempt to ride on the popularity the governor maintains among unaffiliated voters.
BASEBALL / MLB
May 21, 2000

Burrows tosses four-hitter as 'Wave edge Lions 2-1

Southpaw Terry Burrows tossed a four-hitter over seven innings Saturday as the Pacific League-leading Orix BlueWave edged the Seibu Lions 2-1 in Nagano.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
May 21, 2000

Bun-chan's pitching reminiscent of Bross

The pitching of Chunichi Dragons right-hander Mel Bunch during the first six weeks of this season reminds me of the way Terry Bross was throwing for the Yakult Swallows during the second half of 1995. If you were here then, you may recall Bross, also in his first year in Japan, posted a 5-5 record through...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
May 21, 2000

Mohan Kumar

NEW DELHI -- "Three things are necessary for a driver: a good horn, good brakes and good luck."
JAPAN
May 21, 2000

Chen seen as good for business, too

TAIPEI -- Tai Ya-Chang has just one word on his name card: "Taiwanese."
CULTURE / Music / HOGAKU TODAY
May 20, 2000

New made old, old new at Manabiya

I waited for the performance to begin, sitting amid the audience of 30 people or so, packed into the ground-floor room of a new building in the sprawling, nondescript suburbs of Yokohama.
JAPAN
May 20, 2000

Japan to recognize Palestinian state

Japan has pledged to immediately recognize a Palestinian state if it achieves independence peacefully during the first-ever ministerial dialogue between Japan and the autonomous Palestinian Authority.

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.