Search - about-us

 
 
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK
Jun 6, 2002

Why do forests flourish on fish?

Ever since I went on my first expedition to the Canadian Arctic in 1958 I have kept a notebook, and this habit is still with me. Now, with this column on the first Thursday of each month, you too, Dear Reader, can share in these jottings from over the years.
EDITORIALS
Jun 5, 2002

Thinking the unthinkable

The fact that responsible individuals and governments are talking about the casualties that would be created by a nuclear exchange between India and Pakistan is a powerful indication of how close the prospect of war between the two countries truly is. Both the Indian and Pakistani governments deny that...
JAPAN
Jun 5, 2002

Man dies after explosive device detonates in car

An explosive device went off in a four-wheel-drive vehicle in Koto Ward, Tokyo, early Tuesday, fatally injuring a man in the vehicle, police said.
JAPAN
Jun 5, 2002

Politicians turn to fundraising parties

In one night, you may be able to earn as much as 100 million yen.
JAPAN
Jun 5, 2002

Beijing, Seoul given explanation about nuclear-arms remark

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said Tuesday he has provided China and South Korea with an explanation of what he meant by his controversial remarks on Japan's nuclear weapons policy.
COMMENTARY
Jun 5, 2002

Eliminate Pakistan's ability to commit nuclear blackmail

NEW DELHI -- With the issue of terrorism threatening to spark an open military confrontation between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan, U.S. President George W. Bush is rushing his defense secretary to the subcontinent in a last-ditch effort to persuade Islamabad to sever its links with terror groups....
JAPAN
Jun 5, 2002

Neglected farmland a potential disaster

Failure to properly maintain farmlands and forests in underpopulated areas could promote disasters in the 21st century, the government said Tuesday.
COMMENTARY
Jun 5, 2002

Debunking free-market dogmatism

Washington's propensity to say one thing and then do something quite different wins few friends. But U.S. determination to protect its domestic steel industry with high antidumping tariffs may not be quite as wicked as most assume. The move flies in the face of claimed U.S. devotion to free-trade principles....
JAPAN
Jun 5, 2002

Opposition parties to demand Nakatani resign over info list

Secretaries general of the four biggest opposition parties agreed Tuesday to demand the resignation of Defense Agency chief Gen Nakatani over his agency's systematic compilation of information on individuals who made information disclosure requests from the agency.
BUSINESS
Jun 5, 2002

Key gauge points to continuing economic expansion

The key gauge of the current state of the economy topped the boom-or-bust line of 50 percent in April for the second month in a row, the government said Tuesday in a preliminary report.
BUSINESS / ON THE FRONT LINE
Jun 5, 2002

BOJ resolve to keep yen weak faces test

The currency market remains caught in the crosscurrents of a growing wave of dollar selling -- or speculation about it -- and fears of central bank intervention.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 5, 2002

Billy Childish: cool way before your time

Being dyslexic hasn't stopped Billy Childish from writing two novels and 30 volumes of poetry. Being tone-deaf hasn't stopped him from singing in a bunch of garage bands. And his determination to do things his own way without giving a damn about being ignored by the mainstream has made him into an icon...
BUSINESS
Jun 5, 2002

Food Ministry not in cards: Takebe

Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Tsutomu Takebe on Tuesday denied a newspaper report his ministry is considering changing its name by as early as fiscal 2003.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jun 5, 2002

Celebrate football's field of dreams

It's twenty minutes before England's opening World Cup game at Saitama Stadium and I'm sitting almost directly behind the goal, sacred posts that I'm hoping Michael Owen will tune his gold-plated radar into the moment he walks onto the pitch.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 5, 2002

Shigenobu daughter pushes peace

OSAKA — While international calls are growing for another round of peace talks between Israeli and Palestinian leaders, May Shigenobu, daughter of the Japanese Red Army guerrilla group's founder, said little progress will be made unless Palestinian grievances are recognized.
BUSINESS
Jun 5, 2002

Hitachi, IBM to integrate their hard disk operations

Hitachi Ltd. and International Business Machines Corp. on Tuesday announced an agreement to integrate their hard disk drive businesses under a joint company to be majority-owned by Hitachi.
BUSINESS
Jun 5, 2002

Life insurance giants growing weaker

Hit by slumping share prices and mounting policy cancellations, the nation's top 11 life insurers are continuing to lose strength, earnings reports released Tuesday showed.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / NEW ART SEEN
Jun 5, 2002

A Japan-Korea joint show that's wide of goal . . .

By this time, even the most blinkered of Tokyo's art enthusiasts will be aware that the planet's premier sporting event, the World Cup, is taking place in Korea and Japan. There is just no ignoring the newspaper and magazine coverage, the live television broadcasts and the hordes of dumbfounded soccer...
CULTURE / Music
Jun 5, 2002

It all starts here: a garage rock primer

Wondering how to start your garage-rock record collection? We asked a bunch of players on the scene to name their top picks, and this is what they came up with.
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 5, 2002

Japan draws with Belgium in seesaw thriller

SAITAMA -- Tuesday was a historic day for Japanese soccer as the boys in blue earned the first-ever World Cup point for the cohosting nation after fighting to a 2-2 draw with Belgium.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jun 5, 2002

. . . but soccer hosts are a dream team on stage

As in soccer, so on stage. Japan-Korea collaboration (or is it Korea-Japan collaboration?) is happening all over.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 5, 2002

Raw power

The singer's name is Baba and he's the Japanese Iggy Pop -- when he was young and spritely. Baba's just smashed his head into a speaker, and blood from his nose splashes over the kids spilling onto the stage at a packed Shinjuku live house. In return, they offer him a similar rock 'n' roll sacrament...
BUSINESS
Jun 5, 2002

Snow Brand appoints consumer guru to board

OSAKA -- Snow Brand Milk Products Co. on Tuesday said it has appointed Nobuko Hiwasa, former chief of a leading consumer group, as an outside director in charge of food safety.
EDITORIALS
Jun 4, 2002

Hollow debate on Diet extension

Discussions and bargaining on an extension of the current session of the Diet, which is scheduled to end on June 19, are heating up. Speculation about the extension of a Diet session that is tied up with the existing political situation is not unusual in itself, but discussions that reflect a leadership...
COMMENTARY
Jun 4, 2002

Wake-up call on diplomacy

Shenyang, in northeast China, is a city of historical significance for both Japan and China. Formerly known as Mukden, it was the last battlefield in the 1904-05 Russo-Japanese War. Imperial Japan, emerging as a modern power after the Meiji Restoration, won a do-or-die war with imperial Russia, which...
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 4, 2002

The Palestinian intifada: a very American struggle

AL-BIREH, West Bank -- The Palestinian people have no grudge against the American public. We never did. As a matter of fact, if one resists the media spin and takes a closer look at what the Palestinians have been struggling for, it will be revealed that the Palestinian intifada is a very American struggle....
JAPAN
Jun 4, 2002

Single men in 30s save either a lot or naught

OSAKA — In terms of saving money, single males in their 30s generally fall into two extreme categories: those who diligently set aside their yen and those who spend all they have, according to a recent survey by a consumer credit company.
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 4, 2002

Brazilians battle back to beat Turkey

ULSAN, South Korea -- Four-time champion Brazil, which staggered through its World Cup qualification matches for South America, made heavy weather of a hustling Turkey team Monday night before winning 2-1, causing coach Luiz Felipe Scolari to exhort his players to keep it simple.

Longform

Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.
With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear