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JAPAN
May 3, 2001

Japan's Major league idols cash in at home clubs' expense

With the sensational debut of Japanese outfielders Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners and Tsuyoshi Shinjo of the New York Mets, Major League Baseball is stealing the hearts of many Japanese.
JAPAN / CABINET INTERVIEW
May 2, 2001

Toyama sticks by controversial textbook

Newly appointed education chief Atsuko Toyama, continuing the policy of her predecessor, said her ministry will not seek additional revisions to a controversial history textbook even if South Korea officially lodges requests to this end.
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
May 2, 2001

Power Puffy girls

Is America ready for Puffy? The pop duo's record label, Sony Music Entertainment (Japan), apparently thinks so. Sony Music Imports released Puffy's most recent album, "Spike," in the U.S. on May 1, in the hope that Americans will go gaga over Ami and Yumi in the same way Japanese and other Asians have....
Events
May 1, 2001

Baseball fans clear air about stars 'Spaceman' Shinjo, 'boring' Ichiro

OSAKA -- While most of Japan has celebrated the American success of Ichiro Suzuki, baseball fans in the Kansai region are sharply divided in their enthusiasm for the Seattle Mariners newest superstar.
BUSINESS
Apr 25, 2001

Business confidence plunged in latest quarter

Business confidence in Japan deteriorated sharply in the January-March quarter amid declines in share prices and the deceleration in the U.S. economy, according to a government survey released Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Apr 24, 2001

Japan in quandary over Iran rail project

After several years of warming and rapidly advancing relations, Japan and Iran may be at a crossroads once again.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Apr 22, 2001

A bird's-eye view of history

JAPAN: A Short History. Supervised by John Gillespie. New York/Tokyo: ICG Muse Inc. 2001, 80 pp., map, profusely illustrated, 950 yen. When Ralph Waldo Emerson remarked that "there is no history, only biography," he was implying that our annals are really only accounts. Like so much else, history...
JAPAN / INTERNATIONAL RATIONALE
Apr 19, 2001

Top foreign fashion brands take direct approach

As consumer spending woes continue to weigh on Japan's sluggish economy, foreign apparel makers have expanded their business by taking a more direct approach.
CULTURE / Film
Apr 18, 2001

Journey to the center of the human volcano

HotaruStyle to Kill Rating: * * * Director: Naomi Kawase Running time: 164 min. Language: JapaneseEnds April 20 Rating: * * * * * Director: Seijun SuzukiLanguage: Japanese Now showing In 1997, a young documentary filmmaker named Naomi Kawase won the Camera d'Or prize at the Cannes Film Festival...
JAPAN
Apr 17, 2001

Stress hits 80%, mars lives of 40%

Nearly 80 percent of Japanese surveyed say they experience stress in work and in human relations, with about 40 percent saying it has an adverse effect on their lives, according to a recent survey by the health ministry.
JAPAN
Apr 16, 2001

1st-year elementary school pupils get more teachers

Education boards in 17 of Japan's 47 prefectures have increased the ratio of teachers to first-year pupils in elementary schools to combat the widely feared breakdown of classroom discipline, a Kyodo News survey showed Sunday.
JAPAN
Apr 14, 2001

LDP rivals back approval of textbook

All four candidates vying for the Liberal Democratic Party presidency are defending the government's recent approval of a junior high school history textbook that critics say glosses over Japan's wartime aggression in Asia.
JAPAN
Apr 14, 2001

New rules to trim public organizations

The Cabinet on Friday approved a set of guidelines to reform public organizations financially aided by the government or conducting charity, academic or other work on behalf of the state.
JAPAN
Apr 12, 2001

Youths' public service mulled

Education Minister Nobutaka Machimura told an advisory panel Wednesday to come up with concrete recommendations on mandatory community service by elementary through high school students.
MULTIMEDIA / SPORTS SCOPE
Apr 12, 2001

Playing politics is no game

It's a pity for the 24 Americans being detained on Hainan island in China that their little contretemps with the Chinese air force didn't take place a month ago, before the International Olympic Committee inspectors paid a visit to Beijing to check on its bid for the 2008 Games.
JAPAN
Apr 11, 2001

Miura plans to scale Everest in '03 at 70

Kyodo News Refusing to rest on his laurels, professional skier and adventurer Yuichiro Miura plans to scale the world's highest mountain in 2003 after turning 70.
SOCCER / J. League / ON THE BALL
Apr 10, 2001

Two-headed monster haunts Kawasaki

Are two heads better than one? Not, apparently, in Kawasaki.
LIFE / Travel
Apr 8, 2001

Float like a mayfly, sting like a bee

With Golden Week only a few weeks off, serious fly-fishing enthusiasts throughout Japan are staying up late tying new flies in preparation. Now is the best time of year for fly-fishing because this is when mayflies, caddisflies and stoneflies start hatching at many rivers across the country, making trout...
LIFE / Travel
Apr 8, 2001

Putting your best foot forward

When the mountains are blanketed with the fresh, green leaves of spring, it's peak hiking season. Hiking has always been a popular activity as it presents a challenge surmountable for most people, regardless of age. It's easy to prepare for and not as risky as rock-climbing or other hardcore outdoor...
JAPAN
Apr 7, 2001

Space agencies agree to unite rocket efforts

Three government-affiliated space agencies signed an agreement Friday to cooperate in technological development following mishaps with the government's launch of rockets in 1999 and 2000, officials said.
JAPAN
Apr 7, 2001

Joint effort urged on youth crime

An Education Ministry panel proposed Friday that parents and schools, police and other relevant bodies communicate with each other and work closely to try to detect early signs of juveniles contemplating crimes in a bid to stop them, ministry sources said.
LIFE / Lifestyle / JET STREAM
Apr 6, 2001

Opening the doors to the world

"How many Islamic people are there in the world?" Andrea Landis asks a class of 11th-graders at Ohara High School.
MORE SPORTS
Apr 5, 2001

IMG adds Takahashi to client list

The International Management Group has signed up Japanese marathon runner Naoko Takahashi, 48 hours after the women's Olympic champion got the nod to begin commercial activities, IMG officials said Wednesday. The sports management giant will manage out-of-competition commercial deals for Takahashi, the...
JAPAN
Apr 4, 2001

Disputed history text approved

After scores of revisions, the Education Ministry on Tuesday authorized a junior high school history textbook that has been roundly criticized by Asian countries charging that it glossed over Japan's wartime history.
MORE SPORTS / THE DUKE OF HAZARDS
Apr 3, 2001

Tiger's rivals finally get on the ball

Tiger Woods may be the runaway favorite for this week's Masters, but don't expect everything to go Tiger's way. His "slump" showed that the gap between him and the competition is not as great as some people thought.
SOCCER / THE BALD TRUTH
Apr 3, 2001

Japan stuck in the Twilight Zone

Now that the dust has settled after "Le Flop," Japan coach Philippe Troussier will have a clearer idea of what he needs to do to put his team's chemistry right before this month's friendly against Spain in Cordoba.

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