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COMMENTARY / WASHINGTON UPDATE
Jan 9, 2003

Democratic candidates burst out of the blocks

WASHINGTON -- Democratic presidential candidates got the best Christmas present possible from former Vice President Al Gore when he opted to stay out of the 2004 presidential elections. The decision made him a winner as well. It could not have been an easy choice, but it was sound and courageous.
JAPAN
Jan 9, 2003

Six men arrested over 2001 slaying

Six men, including a senior member of a religious organization, were arrested Wednesday alleged involvement in the slaying of a 70-year-old real estate agent in Tokyo, according to sources.
BUSINESS
Jan 9, 2003

Kansai businessman urges tax hike

OSAKA -- A Kansai business leader urged the government Wednesday to gradually hike the consumption tax to 10 percent from the current 5 percent to fund additional stimulative fiscal spending aimed at combating deflation.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 9, 2003

Opera in Manila to showcase famed Christian daimyo's life

A celebrated daimyo stands immortal in the middle of a plaza in the busy Paco district of Manila.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Jan 9, 2003

Emphasizing the positive

Perhaps more than any other individual today, Junko Edahiro is striving to share Japan's environmental successes with the world.
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Jan 9, 2003

Cultured 'man of forest' in peril

Culture, from a biological point of view, is behavior that is passed on through social contact. But what are the origins of culture? And what is it about humans that has allowed us to develop such rich and diverse cultures?
BUSINESS
Jan 9, 2003

Three firms given 'integrity awards'

Developer Mitsubishi Estate Co., industrial waste recycler Daiseki Co. and Mizuho Trust & Banking Co. were honored Wednesday as the most "sincere" companies in Japan.
JAPAN
Jan 9, 2003

New system to facilitate closer flying

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport plans to more than halve the minimum separation distance between commercial aircraft flying over the busy North Pacific and polar route between Japan and the U.S. East Coast.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jan 8, 2003

Can a foreign catcher succeed here in Japan?

A Happy New Year to all readers of the "Baseball Bullet-In" out there.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 8, 2003

Debate suffers as ruling parties dominate

LONDON -- The shape of politics is changing in the world's main democracies in a manner that Japan may find familiar. But the implications are only starting to seep through.
JAPAN
Jan 8, 2003

Osaka to tackle petty crime with increased streetlights, security

OSAKA -- The city of Osaka has announced a comprehensive plan to make local streets, parks and schools safer, combating a rise in petty crime that has put Osaka atop the national list for reported incidents.
EDITORIALS
Jan 8, 2003

Inducing banks to get on board

Japan's efforts to clean up the banking system will enter a new phase this spring when the government sets up a new body to help revive overly indebted but potentially viable borrowers. The "industrial revitalization corporation" will buy doubtful loans from creditor banks (excluding main creditor banks)...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Jan 8, 2003

Ladytron: "Light & Magic"

'They only want you when you're 17. When you're 21 you're no fun." This song, "Seventeen," the first single from their new album "Light & Magic," sums up what Ladytron are all about. Their lyrics can be cruel and direct ("Seventeen" is an indictment of the Lolita values of modeling agencies), but they...
JAPAN
Jan 8, 2003

Toyama softens position on school deregulation proposal

Education minister Atsuko Toyama said Tuesday that her ministry may support moves to allow stock companies to run schools, marking a shift from its previous opposition toward the proposal.
JAPAN
Jan 8, 2003

Chinatown to be more tourist-friendly

Yokohama Chinatown, proud of its 140-year history as a symbol of the city since the early days of the port's opening, is gearing up for a makeover that it hopes will draw tourists back to its streets.
BUSINESS
Jan 8, 2003

Seven-Eleven to sell 500 yen DVDs

DVDs featuring Warner Brothers cartoons will be available for 500 yen each at 200 outlets of Seven-Eleven Japan Co. in Saitama Prefecture starting later this month, Japan's largest convenience-store chain operator said Tuesday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / CERAMIC SCENE
Jan 8, 2003

Redeemers with feet of clay

Of the 14 ceramic objects designated as national treasures in Japan, the fact that no fewer than eight are chawan (tea bowls) is a clear sign of their importance in the culture.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jan 8, 2003

What goes around, comes around . . .

The career of the Austrian author and playwright Arthur Schnitzler (1862-1931) unfolded in Vienna during the heady 19th-century fin de siecle era, when major social and intellectual shifts were sweeping the city.
BUSINESS
Jan 8, 2003

Consumption tax may be raised

The government will consider raising the consumption tax to secure revenues, even though its priority remains the elimination of unnecessary spending, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said Tuesday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 8, 2003

Calling to the gods with a true, independent female voice

The career of composer, vocalist and dancer Makiko Sakurai has followed a unique path. She is the only woman who has been trained in shomyo -- the Buddhist liturgical chanting that dates back to the ninth century and is traditionally practiced only by males.
JAPAN
Jan 8, 2003

Extra DNA tests planned to identify more soldiers

The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry plans to increase its use of DNA testing to identify the remains of Japanese soldiers who were buried overseas, ministry officials said Tuesday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 8, 2003

Music of the saints

Someone once said that the best way to start building a jazz collection would be to buy a couple albums from each decade that Miles Davis was recording and, after that, choose a sideman from each of these selections and buy one of his solo albums. The same could be said of John Zorn and his collaborators,...
EDITORIALS
Jan 7, 2003

Mr. Putin's resurgent Russia

Remember Russia? The government in Moscow no longer commands the international respect -- or fear -- that it did during the Cold War days, but a decade after the collapse of its empire, Russia appears ready for a comeback. President Vladimir Putin has revealed a deft touch at home and abroad, besting...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 7, 2003

Maker of stylus-free record player has got his groove back

SAITAMA -- His friends backed him up 15 years ago when he left his lofty position at one of the world's largest electronics makers and ended up at a small audio manufacturer. But when he decided to pursue a piece of analog equipment seemingly destined to die in an increasingly digital world, they wrote...

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