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JAPAN
Sep 3, 1999

Yosano, Ishihara agree to aid small firms

Trade chief Kaoru Yosano promised Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara on Friday he would seek legislative measures in extraordinary Diet sessions this fall to help smaller firms overcome fundraising difficulties, officials of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry said.
EDITORIALS
Sep 2, 1999

Another stab at peace in Congo

One month after six of the seven parties fighting in the Congo signed a peace agreement, the remaining holdout has joined the ceasefire. Peace is desperately needed in the long-suffering nation, impoverished by decades of looting by former strongman Mobutu Sese Seko and then wracked by civil war after...
JAPAN
Sep 2, 1999

Kobe airport too pricey, suit claims

KOBE -- With only a few weeks to go before construction officially begins, the first of what opponents say will be a string of lawsuits has been filed in hopes of halting the Kobe airport project.
EDITORIALS
Sep 1, 1999

A peace process without peace

There are very good reasons to be deeply concerned about the Northern Ireland peace process. The first reason is that it looks to be breaking down. Disputes over the decommissioning of weapons by the Irish Republican Army and the seating of Sinn Fein representatives on the executive council established...
JAPAN
Sep 1, 1999

Maizuru in Pyongyang's sights?

Staff writer
JAPAN
Sep 1, 1999

Japan may host U.N. environment summit in 2002

Staff writer
LIFE / Travel
Sep 1, 1999

Eyes wide shut in North Korea

It's late afternoon in Beijing. Beside a gloomy, concrete platform an antiquated train lumbers into place. In the dim light, people scurry about looking for the right car. This is, in fact, important. The first four carriages are bound for Dandong, a small Chinese border town, but the last two will continue...
JAPAN
Aug 31, 1999

Russia still hopes for Yeltsin visit sometime

Russia is determined to have Boris Yeltsin visit Japan, visiting Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Khristenko told Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi on Tuesday.
CULTURE / Books
Aug 31, 1999

Buddhist riffs that are and aren't poetry

For some time now, the trappings (if not the tenets) of Buddhism and Buddhist philosophy have been making their way into the popular Western consciousness.
JAPAN
Aug 31, 1999

Obuchi tells MITI to design plan for small firms

The Ministry of International Trade and Industry will draw up measures to help nurture small firms and venture businesses ahead of the upcoming extraordinary Diet session this fall, MITI chief Kaoru Yosano said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Aug 31, 1999

Yanai to replace Saito as ambassador to U.S.

Former Vice Foreign Minister Shunji Yanai on Tuesday was officially appointed as the new ambassador to the United States, replacing Kunihiko Saito, who will be retiring from the Foreign Ministry.
JAPAN
Aug 30, 1999

Imperial Hotel announces anniversary events

To commemorate its 110th anniversary since it opened on Nov. 3, 1890, in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward, the Imperial Hotel Ltd. has announced special programs for its guests.
CULTURE / Art
Aug 28, 1999

Nihonga exhibit blossoming

To be able to admire paintings by the nation's top 120 nihonga artists in the confines of a single room sounds quite remarkable. Yet when the new assembly building of Zojoji Temple in Tokyo opens its doors in the spring of 2001, the coffered ceiling of its hall will be adorned with that number of Japanese-style...
CULTURE / Film
Aug 28, 1999

Rooting for a new life on the open road

After a bad day, I pamper myself by mapping out, hour by hour, scene by scene, a fantasy date with Jean Reno.
JAPAN
Aug 27, 1999

Educators seek funds for computerization

The Education Ministry will ask for nearly double its previous share of tax money in fiscal 2000 to put more of the nation's schools online, according to its draft budget request for next year, released Friday.
JAPAN
Aug 27, 1999

IOC warns Osaka over bidding conduct

Staff writer
EDITORIALS
Aug 26, 1999

Close the business loophole

During the last Diet session, the tripartite alliance of the Liberal Democratic Party, the Liberal Party and New Komeito voted a host of key bills into law on the back of their numerical strength. But not all major bills were cleared. Among them is a measure to ban corporate donations to politicians....
JAPAN
Aug 25, 1999

Kobe airport foes mull last-ditch options

Staff writer
JAPAN
Aug 25, 1999

2000 budget requests to top 82 trillion yen

Government ministries and agencies are expected to ask for more than 82.5 trillion yen in budget requests for fiscal 2000 beginning next April, it was learned Wednesday.
JAPAN
Aug 25, 1999

NPOs hit ambiguous application procedure

More than 80 percent of nonprofit groups that have applied for corporate status under a new law said regulators asked them to make changes to their application documents, with some instructions criticized as being ambiguous, according to a survey by NPO support organizations released Wednesday.
CULTURE / Music
Aug 25, 1999

Drumming up interest in traditional music

Your buddy asks if you're up for a night of dancing and you're likely to think: crowded, sweaty hall, vibrating with a booming backbeat.
JAPAN
Aug 24, 1999

Kan announces bid for third term at DPJ helm

Naoto Kan, leader of the Democratic Party of Japan, formally announced Tuesday that he would run for a third consecutive term as head of the nation's largest opposition party.
JAPAN
Aug 24, 1999

Ministry ponders widening of med school curricula

The Education Ministry will set up a panel to review medical school curricula for students with bachelor degrees in other fields, to allow people with more varied backgrounds to study medicine.
JAPAN
Aug 23, 1999

Rudderless retirees require coaching on how to enjoy life

Staff writer
JAPAN
Aug 23, 1999

Blackmailer of ballplayer walks

The Tokyo District Court sentenced a former gangster to a suspended three-year prison term Monday for attempting to blackmail pro baseball star Kazuhiro Kiyohara and his team, the Yomiuri Giants.
EDITORIALS
Aug 21, 1999

A super-bank in the making

A "super-bank" will soon be born in Japan. If everything goes according to plan, Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank, Fuji Bank and the Industrial Bank of Japan will combine to create a gigantic financial group with assets that will eclipse all other banking institutions in the world. The fact that the three banks...
COMMENTARY
Aug 21, 1999

Mr. Robertson's agenda

LONDON -- The appointment of George Robertson, formerly the British secretary of state for defense, as secretary general of NATO has rekindled discussion on a number of important defense issues facing Europe. Robertson should be able to influence the outcome, but decisions will largely rest with the...
CULTURE / Music / HOGAKU TODAY
Aug 21, 1999

Cool sounds for a hot season at Japanese music recitals

Summertime is usually a slow time for hogaku performances. In the old days, the halls weren't air-conditioned, and neither the performers nor the audience cared to sit for hours in the heat. The serious hogaku performance season and music festivals began in the autumn months, along with the cool breezes...
JAPAN
Aug 20, 1999

Demo flights to boast Y2K safety

The country's three major airlines will jointly conduct demonstration flights next month to show that airplanes will not be threatened by the Year 2000 computer problem, industry sources said Friday.
LIFE / Digital / CYBERIA
Aug 18, 1999

Faster, faster, faster

The vast majority of people access the Internet through a telephone modem. Plug it in, turn on your machine and ... wait. And wait. And wait a little more. First, there is the search for the modem, then the connection, then the handshaking. Once you're online, you wait for the software to load, the right...

Longform

An illustration features the Japanese signs for "ganbare" (good luck) and the Deaflympics, which will be held between Nov. 15 and 26.
A century of Deaf sport finds its moment in Tokyo