Search - 2002

 
 
EDITORIALS
Mar 11, 2002

Time to fasten the seat belt

The Lower House passage of the fiscal 2002 government budget on Wednesday represents a sort of victory for Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's administration. The vote ensures, by virtue of a constitutional provision giving priority to Lower House budget decisions, that the 81-trillion yen package clears...
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 11, 2002

Sluggish Jubilo goes top

Jubilo Iwata overcame a sluggish performance to rally over shorthanded Tokyo Verdy 1969 3-2, thanks to Toshiya Fujita's 85th-minute penalty on Sunday at Tokyo Stadium.
COMMUNITY
Mar 10, 2002

One nation under a hip-hop groove

Downtown West Shinjuku. The company workers have all gone home, leaving the streets quiet except for the sound of traffic.
COMMUNITY
Mar 10, 2002

The state of trance

Trance: It has seeped deep into this city's ambience. Aside from the clubs, where you'll likely find four or five trance events every weekend, and the massive summertime outdoor festivals, it's always in the air, and unmistakable. Wander into any Roppongi watering hole or strip club; pop into any funky...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Mar 10, 2002

'Genji': the long and the shorter of it

The Tale of Genji, by Murasaki Shikibu, translated by Royall Tyler. Viking, 2001, 1,174 pp., $60 (cloth) In the February 2002 issue of the monthly journal Eureka, Fusae Kawazoe gives a rundown of translations of Murasaki Shikibu's "The Tale of Genji" -- not only into foreign languages, but into modern...
LIFE / Food & Drink / VINELAND
Mar 10, 2002

A few blooming good wines

The month of March moves us toward spring and the brilliant profusion of cherry trees in bloom. During the gray, damp days on the late edge of winter, we daydream of hanami parties. In Tokyo, we'll play a guitar on a blanket in Inokashira Park, eat sushi rolls under the tunnel of blossoms in Aoyama Cemetery,...
BUSINESS
Mar 9, 2002

Can stock market continue its rebound?

Tokyo stocks have rebounded strongly in recent days, reflecting an increase in optimism among investors.
BUSINESS
Mar 9, 2002

Panel urges NTT units to cut access charges

A telecom ministry panel on Friday finalized a report that calls on NTT's regional carriers to cut access charges by more than 10 percent.
BUSINESS
Mar 9, 2002

Business heads call for reforms

Business leaders on Friday called on the government to promptly carry out tax reforms and take other steps to bolster economic activity after the latest key data confirmed that Japan is in a dire recession.
LIFE / Digital / SURFERSPUD
Mar 7, 2002

Enron mania and other diversions

www.wired.com/news/mac/0,2125,50688,00.htmThe Spudmeister feels like he's cheating a bit here, directing you to a mere article, but it may foretell the next step in digital piracy. The tool tomorrow's pirates are using today is the iPod.
BUSINESS
Mar 6, 2002

Tobishima to speed up debt cut

Construction company Tobishima Corp. said Tuesday it has devised a new rehabilitation plan to cut its group interest-bearing debts of 135 billion yen by 50 billion yen over three years.
SOCCER / THE BALD TRUTH
Mar 5, 2002

2002 on hold as JAWOC ponders making a decision

My Korean girlfriend has come to the conclusion that the Japanese couldn't organize a bun fight in a bakery, let alone a World Cup.
BUSINESS
Mar 5, 2002

Tepco plans 7% rate cut

Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Monday it will cut electricity rates by an average of 7.02 percent in April under a three-year business plan aimed at bolstering its competitiveness.
SOCCER / J. League / TALK OF THE TIMES
Mar 4, 2002

Cerezo hopes to take Kashima to third J. League title

Kashima Antlers boss Toninho Cerezo has had a remarkable two seasons with his J. League Division One club despite his short coaching experience.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 4, 2002

Bush suffers economic jet lag

What is it about a trip to East Asia that turns the minds of shrewd politicians like President George W. Bush and his national security advisers into mush? Once again, an American president and his entourage have traveled to Asia. And once again, jet lag, inadequate oxygen in Air Force One or something...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 3, 2002

Apologies to Seoul and Beijing

SAN DIEGO -- When it comes to the histories and cultures of the countries of the Pacific, the U.S. president either received a lousy education at Andover and Yale or else failed to study.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / FUZZY LOGIC
Mar 3, 2002

Wolves in wolves' clothing

How Guitar Wolf is still going after 15 years of unadulterated sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll madness is a miracle. It's not like they're cashed-up like Keith Richards and can hit an exclusive Swiss clinic to have their blood replaced with that of fresh virgins every other week.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Mar 3, 2002

Together, they made magic

THE EMPEROR AND THE WOLF: The Lives and Films of Akira Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune, by Stuart Galbraith IV. Faber & Faber, 2002, 848 pp. 32 pp. of b/w photos, $40 (cloth) Many directors have favorite actors and many actors have favorite directors. One thinks of John Ford and John Wayne, Ingmar Bergman...
BUSINESS
Mar 2, 2002

NTT seeks more ADSL circuits

NTT Corp. and its two regional carriers have announced a business plan for fiscal 2002 that calls for an increase in the number of circuits available for B Flet's fiber-optic broadband service to 620,000, up from the current 20,000.
BUSINESS / ON THE FRONT LINE
Mar 2, 2002

Dollar may test 140 yen level by end of year

The dollar could snap out of its current range between 132 yen and 135 yen in mid-March and test the 140 yen line toward the close of fiscal 2001.
BUSINESS
Mar 1, 2002

Market awaits followup to policy package

The much-awaited government package of measures to fight deflation has been unveiled, but the market's reaction has been muted as the content settled well within the range of expectations.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 28, 2002

State urged to double reform efforts

Private economic experts urged lawmakers during Wednesday's Diet session to double their efforts to make Japan's public finances sound again.
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Feb 28, 2002

Bush fiddles figures as the globe warms up

Last June, in the Rose Garden of the White House, President George W. Bush declared the Kyoto Protocol "fatally flawed in fundamental ways," and dubyaed it "unrealistic, arbitrary and not based on science."
BUSINESS
Feb 28, 2002

Daiei to get 520 billion yen from its main creditors

Struggling supermarket operator Daiei Inc. announced Wednesday a fresh three-year restructuring program that features 520 billion yen in financial support from its three main creditor banks, up 100 billion yen from an earlier plan.
BUSINESS
Feb 27, 2002

Nissan unveils first vehicle codeveloped with Renault

Nissan Motor Co. on Tuesday released the new version of its March compact car, the first vehicle to feature a platform jointly developed with its French partner, Renault S.A.
COMMENTARY
Feb 27, 2002

Beware the axis of hubris

WASHINGTON -- As U.S. President George W. Bush wandered across Northeast Asia, it appeared that he thought it was 1942, not 2002. He seemed to believe that the world was engaged in a twilight struggle between good and evil, and only overwhelming American military involvement everywhere could prevent...
JAPAN
Feb 26, 2002

World Cup coins go on sale today

Orders for commemorative coins for this year's World Cup soccer finals to be cohosted by Japan and South Korea will be accepted from today to March 11, the Finance Ministry said Monday.

Longform

Rock group The Yellow Monkey played K-Arena Yokohama in June as part of a nationwide tour. Concerts are increasingly popular in the age of social media as users value in-person experiences.
Inside Japan’s arena boom: Sports, sound and city-building