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Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 7, 2003

Prewar democracy bid once saw jury trials

The atmosphere of heated argument lingers ghostlike within a restored prewar courtroom of the Yokohama District Court, where 12 chairs for the jury face those of the prosecution and defense.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 7, 2003

Slump has silver lining: Cosmo chief

The economic slump offers unprecedented opportunities for new firms looking to carve out a niche in Japan, according to Kumi Sato, president of Cosmo Public Relations Corp., a Tokyo-based marketing consulting firm.
BUSINESS
Jan 7, 2003

Economic uncertainty mounting in 2003: business leaders

The leaders of Japan's three most powerful business groups said Monday that the uncertainty over Japan's economy is increasing this year due to the possibility of a U.S.-led war against Iraq, and predicted that annual economic growth will be between zero and nearly 1 percent.
JAPAN
Jan 7, 2003

New vehicles seep sick-building vapors

The interior of a brand-new vehicle could contain more than 30 times the acceptable level of volatile organic chemicals, known to cause symptoms of illnesses linked with sick building syndrome, according to a recent study by a public health researcher.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 7, 2003

Bacteria spreads across nation to create slimy, healthy treat

Across the country, from Hokkaido to Okinawa, bacteria brought back by a Japanese scholar from a remote village in the former Soviet Union have been multiplying like crazy.
BUSINESS
Jan 7, 2003

Mitsubishi pares operations

Mitsubishi Motors Corp. spun off its truck and bus business into a wholly owned subsidiary Monday in a bid to focus its resources on car operations.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Jan 7, 2003

Japan considers a flutter on casinos

It was a rare taste of Las Vegas in Tokyo, and for two days the casino crowds -- hosted by Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara -- pumped the handles of slot machines and betted feverishly on the roulette wheel.
COMMUNITY
Jan 7, 2003

Is crime taking the place of a political opposition?

The irony screamed -- so did I.
EDITORIALS
Jan 6, 2003

Prevent runaway human cloning

A n American cloning company associated with the Raelian religious sect has announced the birth of a human clone. We will have to wait until the results of tests to see whether the baby girl really is a clone, but the company says that another four baby clones are scheduled to be born in the next couple...
COMMENTARY
Jan 6, 2003

Time to rock economic boat

After remaining in the doldrums for more than 10 years, the Japanese economy is now plagued by deflation. The Tokyo Stock Exchange's benchmark Nikkei index has fallen to the 8,500 level, and the nation's unemployment rate remains high. Last fall the government announced a policy package for expediting...
COMMENTARY / JAPAN IN THE GLOBAL ERA
Jan 6, 2003

Atavistic racism: greatest impediment

LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- A central argument of many observers of Japan, myself included, is that there has been very little change and no leadership. The two are interwoven: leadership is required to generate and manage change. The Japanese system that was quite appropriate, dynamic and robust in the...
JAPAN
Jan 6, 2003

Scientists to undertake first magma drilling

Japanese researchers are planning to bore into a vent on the volcano Mount Unzen in Nagasaki Prefecture in late January for samples of magma in what would be the world's first volcano-drilling experiment.
JAPAN
Jan 6, 2003

Overseas travelers hit packed airports

Travelers returning from overseas New Year's vacations packed major airports Sunday, with 54,000 arrivals expected at Narita airport and 20,000 at Kansai International Airport, immigration and airport authorities said.
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM MOSCOW
Jan 6, 2003

Little progress, little protest

MOSCOW -- The Russian capital is gridlocked. This grim observation applies both physically and metaphorically: The city cannot manage its traffic, and the nation cannot handle its problems.
COMMENTARY
Jan 6, 2003

Time for a U.S.-South Korean divorce

WASHINGTON -- The United States has defended South Korea for 50 years. But newly elected President Roh Moo Hyun suggests that his nation might "mediate" in any war between America and the North. Whatever value the U.S.-ROK alliance once had has disappeared. The presence of 37,000 troops in South Korea...
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jan 6, 2003

Making an exit, Japanese style

My grandmother used to say that people of her generation never expected much out of life. In her prime, her mantra was "Ikiteiru dakede arigatai (I'm thankful just to be alive)" and in her final years, that changed to "Pokkuri ikitai (I want to die suddenly and quietly)."
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Jan 6, 2003

Navigating Japan health insurance

Deciding which I have lived in Japan and worked for the same company for six years. During this time the company has provided health insurance and paid all of the premiums. However, I will soon leave the company and thus lose my coverage.
LIFE / Lifestyle / ON THE BOOK TRAIL
Jan 6, 2003

"Human Body Revealed," "The DK Guide to the Human Body," "Eyewitness Pirate," " 'Slowly, Slowly, Slowly,' Said the Sloth"

"Human Body Revealed," Sue Davidson & Ben Morgan, Dorling Kindersley Limited; 2002; 38 pp. "The DK Guide to the Human Body," Richard Walker, Dorling Kindersley Limited; 2002; 64 pp. "Eyewitness Pirate," Richard Platt & Tina Chambers, Dorling Kindersley Limited; 2002; 72 pp. Ever wanted to look up...
JAPAN
Jan 6, 2003

Ferry adrift due to engine trouble

A Japanese ferry carrying 490 passengers went adrift Sunday after its engine broke down in waters off Akita Prefecture, the Japan Coast Guard said.
EDITORIALS
Jan 5, 2003

The tale of a Spix's macaw

Two weeks ago, a lonely specimen of one of the world's rarest birds made a very special trip. "Presley," a male Spix's macaw, had been found last summer living quietly in a Denver suburb with his owner, a woman who had no idea of his importance in the scheme of things. Now Presley was finally on a plane...
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Jan 5, 2003

Milner the hottest new kid on the block

LONDON -- James Milner will celebrate his 17th birthday on Saturday by signing a new contract with Leeds United that will earn the forward £800 a week -- 10 times his current apprentice salary of £80.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Jan 5, 2003

Author reveals the human face of Japan's kamikaze pilots

KAMIKAZE, CHERRY BLOSSOMS AND NATIONALISMS: The Militarization of Aesthetics in Japanese History, by Emiko Ohnuki-Tierney. Chicago/London: The University of Chicago Press, 2002, 412 pp., nine black-and-white photos, cloth ($45)/paper ($20) How is state nationalism developed? Why do individuals sacrifice...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / FUZZY LOGIC
Jan 5, 2003

Rock 'n' roll that's as good as it gets

OK, the best album of 2002 goes to a bunch of teenage upstarts from Merseyside, England, but the place to be was underground in Japan. Veterans Shonen Knife and Guitar Wolf delivered their best albums to date, Salt Water Taffy and All Tomorrow's Party kick-started the indie-guitar revival with heart-melting...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jan 5, 2003

All aboard: a nation in motion

Monday is the first business day of the new year, so on Sunday the nation's airports, highways and rail lines will be crammed to overcapacity by a mass migration known as the "U-turn."
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jan 5, 2003

Safety first on the shinkansen

July 15, 2000, was just another hot and humid summer's day in Japan. For the hundreds aboard the Joetsu Shinkansen "Asahi 402," though, it was a day they would never forget -- after they were trapped on the train for two hours without water or air conditioning.

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