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COMMENTARY
Mar 19, 2001

U.S.-South Korea summit a good start

South Korean President Kim Dae Jung's Washington summit meeting with U.S. President George W. Bush was not the unqualified success Kim had hoped for, but he did accomplish his primary objectives. As expected and desired, Bush endorsed Kim's Sunshine Policy of reconciliation and cooperation with North...
EDITORIALS
Mar 18, 2001

A hole in the sky

Sometime this week, space station Mir -- the brightest star in the once mighty Soviet and Russian space program -- will flicker out. After circling the planet for 15 years, at least three times its planned life span, the massive, aging station is scheduled to finally "deorbit" on Tuesday, "give or take...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 18, 2001

Torture continues to be big business

Recent events highlight the importance of the torture-weapons trade and the role that private companies in some countries, notably the United States and Britain, have in it. Their role was stressed in a recent Amnesty International document, "Stopping the Torture Trade," which calls for a stop to the...
BUSINESS
Mar 18, 2001

OPEC formalizes oil production cut

VIENNA -- The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries ended a two-day general meeting Saturday in Vienna by formalizing a plan to reduce oil output by about one million barrels per day from April 1.
CULTURE / Art
Mar 18, 2001

This way to youthful adventure

For a few wine-toasted moments, it almost felt like a New York City art night. Sure, Tokyo is half a world away, but there were three new shows up in a big old warehouse, critics and collectors floating about, photographers snapping the smiles on the faces of the beautiful people and, most of all, the...
JAPAN
Mar 18, 2001

Heir to reed traders promotes appreciation of the marsh grass

OMIHACHIMAN, Shiga Pref. -- When the wind blows, common reeds in front of Yoshihiro Nishikawa's house make a unique sound. Inside, the house is filled with all kinds of products made of the reeds. Nishikawa's head is also filled with reeds, or at least knowledge about them.
JAPAN
Mar 17, 2001

Father's plight raises immigration policy questions

Ken Imran Massey considers Japan his home. The Pakistani national has spent almost 18 years -- half his life -- in this country and his two children are both Japanese citizens.
BUSINESS
Mar 17, 2001

Sanwa to offer mortgages by cellphone

Sanwa Bank will begin accepting mortgage applications through mobile phones on Wednesday in a service that will be the first of its kind for commercial banks in Japan.
CULTURE / Film
Mar 17, 2001

Upon further meditation . . .

Sometime after Gus Van Sant had released "Goodwill Hunting," he took a trip to India. During his stay, he was faxed a screenplay from Sony Pictures. Written by an unknown anchorman called Mike Rich, "Finding Forrester" had everything that prompted Van Sant to cut off his journey and return to LA. Three...
JAPAN
Mar 17, 2001

Successor before new stimulus, Mori hints

Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori indicated his support Friday for holding the Liberal Democratic Party presidential race before compiling emergency measures to boost the ailing economy, effectively indicating he is not trying to hold onto power.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 17, 2001

Taliban fanaticism is not typical of Islam

LONDON -- The problem is that the world is actually a very provincial place. Most people in the non-Muslim parts of the world have never been in any Muslim country, so if Muslims anywhere in the world do something really stupid, they will readily believe that those actions are typical of Islam -- and...
BUSINESS
Mar 17, 2001

Miyazawa will not draft extra budget

Finance Minister Kiichi Miyazawa reiterated Friday that he has no plans to draw up a supplementary budget for fiscal 2001, which starts April 1.
CULTURE / Art
Mar 17, 2001

Taking the Watanabe optional tour

Few of us can understand why the Taliban in Afghanistan is destroying the awe-inspiring giant Buddhist statues at Bamiyan instead of turning them into profitable tourist sites generating millions of dollars in T-shirt and other souvenir sales. Someone who might, however, is Satoshi Watanabe, whose own...
BUSINESS
Mar 17, 2001

Fears over recycling law boost trade in appliances

The estimated output of household electric appliances in fiscal 2000 will rise for the first time in four years, with consumers buying goods prior to the enforcement of a recycling law on April 1, an industry body said Friday.
CULTURE / Stage
Mar 17, 2001

Two women, a ghost and a very big fish

An abridged version of Tsuruya Nanboku IV's 1809 play "Okuni Gozen Kesho no Sugatami" is being presented at the National Theater in Tokyo until Tuesday under the title "Imayo Kasane Kesho no Sugatami (Kasane Putting on Her Makeup)."
EDITORIALS
Mar 16, 2001

'The enemy of my enemy . . .'

That seems to be the principle guiding foreign policy in Moscow and Tehran. Those two governments have much to be dissatisfied with in international politics, and have decided that together they have a better chance of getting the rest of the world to pay attention to them. It is an alliance of convenience...
JAPAN
Mar 16, 2001

Stock market crisis may prolong Mori's tenure

Speculation is growing that Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori may remain in his post beyond April, partly because of the recent decline in share prices and the confusion over just who would succeed the unpopular leader.
JAPAN
Mar 16, 2001

Rise in shares stems fears of rout

Tokyo share prices rebounded strongly toward the close of trading Thursday, shrugging off worries about a global stock market rout.
JAPAN
Mar 16, 2001

Diesel woes spur truck firms to seek out alternative fuels

Delivery companies are starting to use trucks that run on compressed natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas in the face of stricter regulations on diesel-powered vehicles.
JAPAN
Mar 16, 2001

Prince's daughter ends nursery days

Kako, the 6-year-old daughter of Prince Akishino and his wife, Princess Kiko, graduated Thursday from her kindergarten in Tokyo's Toshima Ward.
BUSINESS
Mar 15, 2001

Slips of politicians' tongues hurt economy

The dollar appears likely to continue hovering around 120 yen for some time.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 15, 2001

The choice is North Korea's

WASHINGTON -- The curtain has come down on the first act of the Bush administration's Asia policy, and there are far more questions than answers about U.S. policy after President Kim Dae Jung's visit to Washington. The media feasted on the mixed messages from a skeptical President George W. Bush and...
JAPAN
Mar 15, 2001

Endocrine disrupter check widened

The Environment Ministry on Wednesday added four more substances to a priority list of agents that are being studied to determine the risks they pose as endocrine disrupters, ministry officials said.
BUSINESS
Mar 15, 2001

Bankruptcies rise, but less debt remains

The number of corporate bankruptcies rose 0.3 percent in February from a year ago to 1,448 for the first increase in two months, but debts left behind fell 7.6 percent to 1.115 trillion yen, a research institute said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Mar 15, 2001

Japan bans pork imports from France

Japan banned imports of French pork and pork products Wednesday following the confirmation of a case of foot-and-mouth disease Tuesday in France, Agriculture Ministry officials said.
COMMUNITY
Mar 15, 2001

Queuing for the exclusive

Harajuku, on any given Saturday, is filled with shoppers. On the main streets, the shops see a steady stream of customers move freely through their doors. In the back streets, however, the clientele is made to wait. The young people queue up -- for the privilege of buying basic street clothing off near-empty...

Longform

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
Rethinking that second drink: Japan’s Gen Z gets ‘sober curious’