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JAPAN
Mar 11, 2000

Teito rejects accident theory

Teito Rapid Transit Authority on Friday denied media speculation that Wednesday's fatal subway collision was caused by the sliding of locked wheels, arguing that this situation would make a derailment unlikely.
JAPAN
Mar 11, 2000

Ministers to work on Atsugi dioxin case

Three Cabinet ministers reconfirmed Friday their plan to cooperate closely to resolve an air pollution problem at a U.S. military base in Atsugi, Kanagawa Prefecture.
JAPAN
Mar 10, 2000

Upkeep eyed in wreck

The wheels of the last car of a subway train and the track it was running on may have been improperly shaved and polished, possibly contributing to Wednesday's deadly accident, informed sources said Thursday.
COMMUNITY
Mar 10, 2000

Getting to the belly of the matter

In the West, the heart is the seat of the emotions. Here it's the hara (stomach).
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 10, 2000

India debates killing killers

NEW DELHI -- The recent execution of serial husband-killer Betty Lou Beets in Texas has been condemned by human rights institutions in many countries. They find it strange that the United States, which calls itself a champion of human rights, should resort to something as barbaric as capital punishment....
JAPAN
Mar 10, 2000

Aum cultists told to pay 668 million yen for attack

The Tokyo District Court on Thursday ordered former members of Aum Shinrikyo to pay a total of 668 million yen to survivors and the next of kin of those killed in the March 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system.
JAPAN
Mar 10, 2000

DPJ to accept Pyongyang invitation

The Democratic Party of Japan plans to dispatch a delegation of lawmakers to North Korea, possibly this summer, at the request of Pyongyang's de facto No. 2 man, party officials said Thursday.
JAPAN
Mar 10, 2000

More support daylight savings time

Nearly 60 percent of people are in favor of introducing a daylight savings time program in Japan, according to a government survey.
CULTURE / Music
Mar 10, 2000

Still much to savor in PPM

Take three vintage bottles of wine. Ignore every rule about proper storage. Open them about 40 times a year and serve them to whomever you meet. Within moments of tasting them, everyone is certain to experience the same thing: a deep, warm glow guaranteed to last a lifetime.
JAPAN
Mar 9, 2000

Passengers describe the sudden impact

Police, firefighters and subway workers shouted instructions to each other Wednesday as they attempted to rescue injured commuters and get them to hospitals in the immediate aftermath of a subway collision that ruptured Tokyo's morning rush hour.
JAPAN
Mar 9, 2000

Rail firm told to inspect all similar subway cars

A special committee under the Transport Ministry ordered the Teito Rapid Transit Authority to inspect all subway cars of the same type as the one that was involved in the fatal accident near Tokyo's Nakameguro Station on Wednesday morning.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 9, 2000

An Australian ethnic model for Japan?

Sophisticated and exquisite, the city of Adelaide in the state of South Australia was my home for the month of February. I have been coming to this city since 1976, and I now see it as a clear symbol of the profound transformation that has overtaken a country that was once a backwater of various repugnant...
JAPAN
Mar 8, 2000

Pyongyang food deal aims to help relations

The government announced Tuesday that it will resume food aid to North Korea, setting the stage for full-fledged talks on normalizing diplomatic relations.
COMMUNITY
Mar 8, 2000

The charms of Rinshi no Mori Park

A quiet woodland oasis in the heart of Tokyo, with many tall majestic trees, some of which are rarely seen in other metropolitan parks. Plenty of wild birds and insects. A small campsite (open from the beginning of May until the end of October). A play area for very small children, a paddling pond and...
JAPAN
Mar 7, 2000

Toyota to purchase 5% stake in Yamaha's motorcycle unit

In a bid to improve cooperation in the development of engines, Toyota Motor Corp. will soon purchase from Yamaha Corp. an equity stake of about 5 percent in motorcycle maker Yamaha Motor Co.
COMMUNITY
Mar 7, 2000

Town makes returns on back of boomerang boom

TOKAMACHI, Niigata Pref. -- Uninformed visitors to Tokamachi might be forgiven for thinking the small, central Niigata Prefecture city has a problem with UFOs.
JAPAN
Mar 7, 2000

Draft legislation would put a ban on human cloning

The Science and Technology Agency has compiled an outline of planned legislation that would ban human cloning and impose prison terms on violators, government sources said Monday.
COMMENTARY
Mar 7, 2000

E-nough of this e-mania

E-commerce fever has spread from the United States to Europe and Japan. New e-commerce companies are mushrooming everywhere and new issues are snapped up even if there is no prospect of profits for years. Young men and women with a bright e-commerce idea become millionaires overnight. The feverish demand...
JAPAN
Mar 7, 2000

Child law review must consider victims

Another ingredient has been added to the ongoing debate over revising the Juvenile Law, with crime victims' families clamoring for their right to information and for an end to unfair investigations.
BUSINESS
Mar 6, 2000

Indulge in a refresher course on basic policy coordination

One of the privileges of being a civil servant in this country is that you can participate in important decision-making processes related to policy, even if you are a junior official.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 6, 2000

Diplomacy without guideposts

Ten years after the Cold War ended, we are moving toward the 21st century. In the past decade, the international community has been trying to catch up with fast changes and to establish a viable theory for creating a new order. However, drastic changes in the world have made it impossible for human wisdom...
EDITORIALS
Mar 5, 2000

The public interest must be served

Japan's journalists, editors and broadcasters -- indeed, representatives of all of the popular media -- received a stunning surprise from the Osaka High Court last week. In a historic decision with potentially far-reaching consequences, the presiding judge overturned a lower-court ruling that had ordered...
JAPAN
Mar 5, 2000

Visaless family seeks resident status

KOBE -- For over six years, 40-year-old Peruvian Jose could enjoy his stay in Japan, where he had a stable job at a leather processing factory and his family had a peaceful life in Tatsuno, Hyogo Prefecture.

Longform

Once smoky, male-dominated spaces, today's net cafes, like Kaikatsu Club, are working to make their operations more attractive to women customers.
The second life of Japan's net cafes