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JAPAN
Dec 3, 2001

Debate likely on Imperial succession rules

The birth of a baby girl to the Crown Prince and Princess on Saturday, the first in the couple's 8 1/2-year marriage, is likely to refuel debate within political circles over whether the Imperial House Law should be revised to allow the nation to have a reigning empress.
JAPAN
Dec 3, 2001

Nation rejoices over birth of princess

Imperial family members, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and others on Sunday extended congratulations to the Imperial parents and grandparents of a baby girl born Saturday to the Crown Princess -- the first baby in her 8 1/2-year marriage to the prince.
EDITORIALS
Dec 2, 2001

Birth of an Imperial princess

A new baby is always cause for rejoicing, but the birth of a child to the Crown Prince and Princess on Saturday comes as especially bright news at this somber time. In an instant, the symbolic value of the monarchy -- sometimes doubted or forgotten -- becomes clear again. For a brief, shining moment,...
COMMENTARY
Dec 2, 2001

Chirac's competitive edge

PARIS -- So far, 10 men and two women have entered the race for the French presidential election in April and May. Only one of them has a small chance of being present in the second round -- Jean-Pierre Chevenement, former socialist minister for domestic affairs, whose hostility to the European Union,...
COMMUNITY
Dec 2, 2001

Expat skiers and snowboarders offer tips getting the best of Japan's snow

If you can't decide where to go this season, why not take a few tips from the veterans? To get the best ones, we asked a variety of expat skiers and snowboarders for their recommendations.
JAPAN
Dec 2, 2001

Crown Princess Masako gives birth to a girl

The Crown Princess gave birth to a girl Saturday afternoon, the first baby in her 8 1/2-year marriage to the Crown Prince.
COMMUNITY
Dec 2, 2001

What's hot on the slopes

According to Masataka Shiwaku of Victoria Wardrobe, a snow-wear retailer in Tokyo's Kanda Ogawa-cho district, this year "many people seem to be thinking of renewing their skiing or snowboarding wardrobes."
COMMUNITY
Dec 2, 2001

Skiing off the beaten tracks

If you're looking for something beyond and away from the mainstream ski options, you might want to consider the following.
JAPAN
Dec 2, 2001

Long wait over for royal couple

The waiting is now over for the Crown Prince and Crown Princess, who celebrated the birth of their first child -- a girl -- on Saturday, 8 1/2 years after their wedding.
JAPAN
Dec 2, 2001

'Harry Potter' flies into theaters across Japan

"Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" opened Saturday in about 340 theaters across Japan to large crowds eager to watch the wildly popular movie about the adventures of the young wizard.
COMMUNITY
Dec 2, 2001

Need a powder fix in Japan? Go boarding out of bounds

Anyone who has skied or boarded on a weekend in Japan knows the story: the well-groomed slopes, blanketed with skiers and boarders making their way up and down as loudspeakers blare pop music and shrill announcements. And then there are the cattle-corral cafeterias, the chaotic souvenir stands, the apres-ski...
SUMO
Dec 2, 2001

Hawaii's heavyweight hero is living his dream

Musashimaru is one of only two top-ranked yokozuna currently in Japan's national sport of sumo (the other is Takanohana), and last weekend he won the autumn basho in Fukuoka -- a victory that will boost earnings already estimated at 60 million yen a year.
JAPAN / Media / CHANNEL SURF
Dec 2, 2001

They're playing our song . . .

The Japanese penal system is a murky realm since contact between inmates and the outside world is limited. Much of what is reported about prison life is received from indirect sources.
COMMUNITY
Dec 2, 2001

'Float on Earth' at Japan's snow resorts

You draw in a sharp, crisp breath of clean air, point your board straight ahead and blast off full speed down a short, steep drop, then up a narrow slope that launches you high in the air. Landing in a meter-deep pillow of fluffy, white snow that swallows your board, your bindings and your knees brings...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Dec 2, 2001

Mad cows reveal meaty contradictions

Two weeks ago, the Asahi Shimbun ran opposing editorials by an assistant professor at Kanazawa University and the president of a municipal board of education in Akita Prefecture. The two educators faced off over a program that had been proposed by an idealistic elementary school teacher.
SOCCER / World cup
Dec 2, 2001

Brazil is no pushover says Pele

PUSAN, South Korea -- Legendary Brazilian player Pele is optimistic about Brazil's performance in the World Cup in six months time despite the South American powerhouse's recent struggle in the qualifiers.
JAPAN
Dec 2, 2001

Birth of princess 'a delight' for the nation, Koizumi says

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi issued a statement Saturday congratulating the Crown Prince and Princess on the birth of their first child, describing it as a delightful event for the Japanese people.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Dec 2, 2001

Yosano's poetry in motion

TRAVELS IN MANCHURIA AND MONGOLIA, by Akiko Yosano, translated by Joshua A. Fogel. New York: Columbia University Press, 164 pp., with a map, $39.50 (cloth), $16 (paper) In 1928, the celebrated poet Akiko Yosano was invited to travel through Northeast Asia by the South Manchurian Railway Company.
CULTURE / Music / FUZZY LOGIC
Dec 2, 2001

And, now, the greatest shows on earth

Fancy some Yogurt Pooh? "Errr, no thanks." Ever seen Cruyff in the Bedroom? "Johan Cruyff? The '70s soccer star? Is he doing porn now?" How about Girls From Italia? "Yeah, OK, I'll have a bit of that."
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Dec 2, 2001

Restaurant J: Food that gladdens the heart of man

Restaurant J has been open for more than a year, so there's absolutely no reason for the Food File to wait any longer to bestow its seal of approval. But we're still reluctant to give it the unconditional thumbs-up it so richly deserves. Why so? It's the same old story: We're always loath to spread the...
EDITORIALS
Dec 1, 2001

Japan's role in rebuilding Afghanistan

International efforts are under way to begin a recovery process in Afghanistan now that anti-Taliban forces have taken control of Kabul. International cooperation in Afghan recovery and reconstruction is a logical follow-up to the internationally supported military campaign against Osama bin Laden and...
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 1, 2001

A (temporary) love affair with death

LONDON -- "I love death more than you love life," said Osama bin Laden in a recent interview, clearly convinced that this gave him moral superiority over the whole of Western civilization. There are plenty of young men in the refugee camps that litter the Muslim world who would make the same assertion....
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 1, 2001

The looming specter of nuclear terror

The fall of Kabul merely adds to the woes of a world that is increasingly worrying about deadly nuclear weapons falling into the hands of desperadoes.
COMMENTARY
Dec 1, 2001

No change in stormy economic outlook

Political and economic conditions at the end of November seem to be in a lull or stalemate both in Japan and abroad. But this is only a passing phenomenon. It may be the case that signs of turmoil and instability are only temporarily receding below the surface as the yearend and New Year approach.
COMMENTARY
Dec 1, 2001

'Caring' capitalism is needed

LONDON -- A decade ago, capitalism seemed almost totally triumphant. Its old enemy, communism, was discredited and in rapid retreat, global capital markets were beginning a phase of colossal expansion and countries everywhere were deregulating, opening their markets and unraveling their state sectors...
COMMUNITY
Dec 1, 2001

Talk to TELL if you get into any kind of trouble

If the time is between 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and 7 p.m. to 11 p.m., there is a Tokyo English Life Line volunteer counselor sitting alone at a secret address somewhere in Tokyo, waiting for the phone to ring. This counselor may be male or female, young or elderly, Japanese or non-Japanese. But he or she will...
SOCCER / World cup
Dec 1, 2001

2002 World Cup winner must qualify for 2006 finals

PUSAN, South Korea -- No more free rides. That was the message from FIFA president Sepp Blatter on Friday when he announced that the winner of the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea would not get an automatic qualifying berth for the 2006 finals in Germany.
BUSINESS
Dec 1, 2001

Investors fume as Enron-linked funds bleed

The phones are ringing off the hook at investment trust companies, as investors pull their cash out of money-management funds that fell below par value earlier this week.

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