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JAPAN
May 20, 2001

Tanaka informs China Lee not welcome again

Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka told her Chinese counterpart, Tang Jiaxuan, earlier this month that Japan will not issue an entry visa to former Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui in the future, even for visits to receive medical treatment, informed sources said Saturday.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
May 20, 2001

Amid a whirlwind of change, an elegant history of Japan

JAPAN IN TRANSFORMATION: 1952-2000, by Jeffrey Kingston. Harlow, Essex, U.K.: Pearson Education/Longman, 2001; 230 pp., b/w plates XII, $12. As the British historian, the late A.J.P. Taylor, remarked: "History gets thicker as it approaches recent times." The broad outlines, the major themes, have...
JAPAN
May 19, 2001

Diet surprises with TV ratings

Public interest in daytime live television broadcasts of Diet proceedings -- more often than not shunned for being stiff, weighty and tedious -- appear to have been suddenly piqued.
BUSINESS
May 19, 2001

Nonresidents continue their spending spree

Foreign investors were net buyers of Japanese stocks for the eighth straight week last week.
JAPAN
May 19, 2001

Farmers' land improvement unions diverted membership dues to LDP

Government-subsidized "land improvement unions" of farmers in 17 prefectures have misappropriated union membership fees worth 46.13 million yen since fiscal 1996 to pay for union leaders' membership fees for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and to aid LDP lawmakers, the Agriculture Ministry said this...
JAPAN
May 18, 2001

Pygmy hippo survives debut at Ueno Zoo

A baby pygmy hippopotamus born on April 24 at Tokyo's Ueno Zoo made its first public appearance Wednesday.
BUSINESS
May 18, 2001

Man on street more optimistic

The economic outlook of workers with jobs particularly sensitive to economic shifts showed an improvement in April for the first turnaround in three months, the Cabinet Office said Thursday.
BUSINESS
May 18, 2001

Tepco, three banks buy into Recruit

Tokyo Electric Power Co. and three Japanese banks bought stakes in Recruit Co., a labor market publishing and information conglomerate, in late March, industry sources said Thursday.
BUSINESS
May 18, 2001

Months-old Japan-Brazil triangular aid deal is almost ripe for harvest

Well over a year after plowing the field, Japan and Brazil have finally begun to sow the seed in hopes of reaping their first crop as early as autumn.
BUSINESS
May 16, 2001

Casio posts 6.1% growth in profit

Casio Computer Co. said Tuesday its consolidated net profits for fiscal 2000 grew 6.1 percent from the previous year to 6.55 billion yen, thanks to favorable sales of electronics products such as digital cameras and mobile phones.
JAPAN
May 16, 2001

Three days of Bush bombardment ends

AWAJI ISLAND, Hyogo Pref. — In what turned into three days of criticism of U.S. foreign policy under President George W. Bush, former world leaders wrapped up the 19th plenary session of the Interaction Council on Tuesday.
JAPAN
May 16, 2001

Crown Princess three months pregnant

The Crown Princess is pregnant with a possible heir to the Imperial Throne, nearly eight years after marrying the Crown Prince, the Imperial Household Agency announced Tuesday.
CULTURE / Art
May 16, 2001

There goes the neighborhood. . . into the future

Until last week, I thought there were basically three types of factories: oily old clunkers where maybe the beaten-down workers go on strike and a gritty hero emerges who is played by Jeff Bridges in the made-for-television movie; gleaming, robot-dominated technological wonders; and grim Third World...
BUSINESS
May 15, 2001

Daihatsu Motor profits up 28.7%

Daihatsu Motor Co. said Monday its consolidated net profits for the 2000 business year grew 28.7 percent from the previous year to 15.65 billion yen, thanks to a sales boost resulting from the introduction of new models.
MORE SPORTS / THE DUKE OF HAZARDS
May 15, 2001

Could Daly be the man to challenge Tiger?

Despite his many problems over the years, John Daly is still one of world's favorite golfers.
Events
May 15, 2001

Itami's no-smoking goal draws fire

ITAMI, Hyogo Pref. -- The Itami Municipal Government's decision to target total elimination of adult smoking in its 10-year health plan has caused an uproar among tobacco lobbyists.
BUSINESS
May 14, 2001

Koizumi's chance to change privileged corporate entities

Now that Mr. Junichiro Koizumi has been elected Prime Minister on his campaign to "Change Japan," one issue that should not be overlooked is how Japan approaches its government-run special corporate entities, or "SPEs."
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
May 13, 2001

A passion for Japan

SIEBOLD AND JAPAN: His Life and Work, by Arlette Kouwenhouven, with Matthi Forrer. Leiden: Hotei Publishing, 2000, 112 pp., with 87 plates, 3,200 yen. Shortly after arriving in Japan in 1823, Philipp Franz von Siebold wrote to a relative back in Holland, "I do not intend to leave Japan until I have...
CULTURE / Books
May 13, 2001

Portrait of California's nisei generation brings out diversity

GROWING UP NISEI: Race, Generation, and Culture among Japanese Americans of California, 1924-49, by David K. Yoo. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2000, 180 pp., no price. The experiences of second-generation Japanese Americans -- the Great Depression, world war, postwar prosperity and Cold War...
JAPAN
May 11, 2001

Sumitomo settles copper trading suit

Sumitomo Corp. said Thursday it will pay an out-of-court settlement of $87.5 million to 51 companies that sued the firm in the United States in October 1999 over unauthorized copper trading by a former employee who is now in prison.
BUSINESS
May 11, 2001

Net profit at Bandai soars 906.7%

Bandai Co., Japan's largest toy maker, said Thursday its group net profit skyrocketed 906.7 percent in fiscal 2000 to 12.9 billion yen on strong sales of its character goods and one-off gains from the sale of some of its shareholdings in affiliates.
SOCCER / J. League
May 11, 2001

Japan side, coach Troussier honored with AFC awards

Japan's national soccer team and its coach Philippe Troussier were honored as the Asian Football Confederation's National Team of the Year and the Coach of the Year, while the Player of the Year award went to Saudi Arabia and Al-Hilal midfielder Nawaf Al Temyat, the Japan Football Association announced...
BUSINESS
May 10, 2001

Foreigners beat 1 trillion yen

Foreign investors' net purchases of Japanese stocks last month topped 1 trillion yen for the first time in 22 months.
BUSINESS
May 10, 2001

Shiseido posts first loss since 1945

Shiseido Co., the nation's largest cosmetics maker, said Tuesday that it posted its first loss in 55 years in fiscal 2000 ended March 31, 2001, due to shortfalls in its pension and retirement reserves.
COMMENTARY / WASHINGTON UPDATE
May 10, 2001

High marks for Bush at home

It's 100 days and counting for U.S. President George W. Bush. So far, so good. His approval ratings are better than those of most of his predecessors at this stage. He survived his first international crisis nicely, achieving the return of the American aircrew who ditched their EP-3 surveillance plane...

Longform

Japan's growing ranks of centenarians are redefining what it means to live in a super-aging society.
What comes after 100?