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COMMENTARY / World
Jul 28, 2003

Political reformers of Japan unite!

The new buzzword in Japanese politics these days is "manifesto." The Japanese language does not use capital letters, but if it did, you can be sure "manifesto" would be written with a capital M to convey the weighty tone with which it is pronounced by those who believe it is the answer to Japan's political...
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
Jul 28, 2003

Commodore Perry's legacy of curiosity

NEW YORK -- In the sesquicentennial of U.S. Commodore Matthew Perry's visit to Japan, I am happy to imagine that I must be one of the few owners of the original edition of his report: "Narrative of the Expedition of an American Squadron to the China Seas and Japan, Performed in the Years 1852, 1853,...
BUSINESS
Jul 28, 2003

Chinese currency system must face step-by-step liberalization

We recently hear a lot about the need for China to adjust the exchange rate of its currency, the yuan. In fact, Federal Reserve Board chairman Alan Greenspan, during the U.S. Senate Banking Committee hearing July 16, said it is "increasingly evident" that China should allow its currency to trade freely...
JAPAN
Jul 27, 2003

Crystals for lasers to be made in space

In a move that could lead to the realization of "space factories," Japan's space agency said Saturday it will make the world's first attempt to manufacture in space photonic crystals to be used in commercial laser equipment.
JAPAN
Jul 27, 2003

Rainy season ends later in west

The rainy season has apparently ended in the northern Kyushu, Chugoku, Shikoku, Kinki and Tokai regions six to nine days later than usual and between five and six days later than last year, the Meteorological Agency said Saturday.
EDITORIALS
Jul 27, 2003

Demystifying the meow

So, the geniuses at Takara Co. Ltd. who last year gave this country the "Bowlingual," the gadget that supposedly translates dogs' thoughts into human language, have now announced a November launch for "Meowlingual," which is touted as doing the same for cats. (One sign that the inventors might actually...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 27, 2003

Time, place of dispatch still hazy

Despite Diet approval of a bill to allow the dispatch of Self-Defense Forces personnel to Iraq on Saturday, the government continued to wrestle with exactly when and where the SDF should be sent.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Jul 27, 2003

Fabrics for summer fun

MATSURI: Japanese Festival Arts, by Gloria Granz Gonick. University of Washington Press, 2003, 256 pp., $40 (paper). The UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History has published eight books on Asian textiles in the past 14 years, and it seems particularly proud of this latest addition "Matsuri," which focuses...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jul 27, 2003

Brands vie for your thirst

"Advertising," as it's often defined, "is the creation of wants."
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jul 27, 2003

Bottlers ride a 'purity' wave

Japanese people have for generations believed that whatever the times have in store, life's essentials such as water and safety would always be theirs for free.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jul 27, 2003

So much to soak up in Yamagata

OK, let me put this out there: Yamagata-ken, just like any sensible prefecture in Japan, loves tourists. But you get the feeling that Yamagata Prefecture Tourist Division tries a little harder to promote its treasures. They even occasionally invite journalists up for a spin around the countryside.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Jul 27, 2003

A laconic energy from days gone by

TALES OF DAYS GONE BY: Woodcuts by Naoko Matsubara, English translation and annotation by Charles De Wolf, design by Yoshiki Waterhouse. ALIS, 2003, 64 pp., 3,900 yen (cloth). ALIS (Arts & Literature International Service) is a small Japanese publisher that specializes in illustrated books and acts as...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / NATURE TRAVEL
Jul 27, 2003

Close-up with a Cathar

Back in the 12th century, some Christians began to question the status quo. They looked at the leading figures of the Roman Catholic world and they decided that the Church establishment was missing the point.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jul 27, 2003

Just go with the flow

You know the summer routine: The sun comes up, the mercury goes up . . . and the heat and humidity get you down, down, down.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jul 27, 2003

With missing persons it's not where, but why?

After it was revealed last year that at least a dozen Japanese were kidnapped by North Korean agents in the 1970s and '80s, the Japanese government was criticized for not aggressively pursuing the disappearances of these people as abductions. But the truth is that thousands of people disappear every...
COMMENTARY
Jul 27, 2003

China shifts toward activism

HONOLULU -- Northeast Asia watchers were treated to a curious sight last week: high-profile foreign policy activism by Beijing. The Chinese government was publicly pushing the United States and North Korea to the negotiating table. It's unclear whether this approach marks a new phase of Chinese diplomacy...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jul 27, 2003

Have a Bali good time at Shiseido's spa

BALI, Indonesia -- Imagine, if you will, a paradise.
JAPAN
Jul 26, 2003

Power outages unlikely: Hiranuma

The Tokyo metropolitan area will probably be spared summer power shortages because four nuclear reactors have been reactivated and various energy-saving efforts have proven effective, Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Takeo Hiranuma said Friday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 26, 2003

Bottom line for personal seals is they're obsolete, forgeable

Hideo Matsuzaki creates names that will last a lifetime, one deft knife stroke at a time.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 26, 2003

Man on scooter stabs five men

A man on a scooter stabbed five men at random in Tokyo's Shibuya district late Thursday, inflicting light injuries.
JAPAN
Jul 26, 2003

Firms pitch brands via short Web movies

An increasing number of firms are featuring original short films on their Web sites as an advertising strategy to enhance their image.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 26, 2003

Take another shot at Four Party talks

SEOUL -- While the United States and North Korea remain stuck in a standoff over the format of future meetings to deal with the North's programs to develop weapons of mass destruction, a scout on the upper deck has sighted an iceberg -- not landfall ahead. The warnings of this seasoned statesman issued...
BUSINESS
Jul 26, 2003

Hiranuma stresses import of WTO meeting

An upcoming informal World Trade Organization ministerial talk in Montreal is important for the success of a full ministerial meeting to be held in Cancun, Mexico, in September, trade minister Takeo Hiranuma said Friday.
JAPAN
Jul 26, 2003

Greater range of foods to carry point-of-origin info

The Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry decided Friday to increase the range of processed food products that must carry labels indicating the ingredients' points of origin.
JAPAN
Jul 26, 2003

Chongryun tax breaks face hard scrutiny

OSAKA -- For nearly half a century, the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryun) has been the primary voice of the North Korean community in Japan, representing nearly 200,000 people.

Longform

Members of the nonprofit group Japan Youth Memorial Association search for the remains of dead soldiers in a cave in Okinawa Prefecture in February.
The long search for Japan’s lost soldiers