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BUSINESS / ON THE FRONT LINE
Aug 1, 2001

Poll victory not enough to convince market

Despite the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's victory in Sunday's Upper House election, the yen remains under downward pressure.
CULTURE / Art
Aug 1, 2001

Mario A's walking, talking, breathing, living doll

A new photography book titled "ma poupee japonaise" arrived in the post the other day, sent by German-Italian artist Mario A. After skimming through pictures of an apparently life-sized wooden doll posed mostly unclothed in a variety of private and public places, I uploaded a brief note about the publication...
JAPAN
Aug 1, 2001

Elderly seen warming to overseas home-stays

Yujiro Hamada, 77, is typical of a rising number of middle-aged and elderly Japanese who have rejected more common overseas package tours in favor of extended stays abroad.
JAPAN
Aug 1, 2001

Three men held over Chinese worker scam

A Japanese man and two Chinese men were arrested Tuesday on suspicion of taking commissions from the salaries of Chinese nationals whose services they had illegally procured for Japanese hotels and inns, authorities said.
BUSINESS
Aug 1, 2001

Unemployment hovers at 4.9%

The nation's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.9 percent in June from the previous month, matching the record for the third time this year, the government said Tuesday in a preliminary report.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 1, 2001

Fear of enemies still guides CCP policy

"Who are our enemies? Who are our friends?" Mao Zedong asked in 1926. It is a useful question to keep in mind in the wake of the "friendship treaty" just signed between Russian President Putin and China's President Jiang Zemin.
JAPAN
Aug 1, 2001

Victims to get info on criminals

This fall, the Justice Ministry will begin notifying people victimized by crimes, in advance if necessary, of the prison release date of perpetrators and where they will live after their release, Justice Minister Mayumi Moriyama said Tuesday.
EDITORIALS
Jul 31, 2001

Now Mr. Koizumi must deliver

The tremendous popularity of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi led his Liberal Democratic Party to an overwhelming victory in Sunday's election for the House of Councilors. His dedication to "structural reforms without sacred cows" generated enthusiastic support among voters for Mr. Koizumi and his party,...
COMMENTARY
Jul 31, 2001

Making decentralization work

In a recent report, a state panel urged the central government to transfer more tax-collection power to local governments and help them secure their own tax revenues. I have no objections to the proposal, made by the Decentralization Promotion Committee in its final report to Prime Minister Junichiro...
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 31, 2001

A realistic approach to missile defense talks

WASHINGTON — During the G8 meeting in Genoa, U.S. President George W. Bush and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin agreed to start discussions on how the 1972 Antiballistic Missile Treaty might be modified or replaced.
ENVIRONMENT
Jul 31, 2001

Dammed by the state: Displaced Chinese fight for their rights

JIANGSU, China -- Last August, the great Chang river (formerly known as the Yangtze) washed a modern day Noah's Ark from the heart of southwest China to the mouth of the Yellow Sea. Crowded aboard the ferry were 800 peasant farmers, nursing children, animals and seedlings on their three-day voyage to...
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
Jul 30, 2001

Is yellow journalism in vogue again?

Why do so many foreign commentators feel they can get away with anything they say about Japan?
COMMENTARY
Jul 30, 2001

Foreign policy falls short

LONDON -- Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi cannot afford to let Japanese foreign policy become a hostage to nationalist agitation and populist pressures. Japan needs friends in Asia as well as in the rest of the world. Its relationship with the United States remains crucial. Koizumi has worked hard to...
COMMENTARY
Jul 30, 2001

Leaders must fight for a cleaner planet

For the past century, the world's great powers have pursued better living conditions, fought against each other and worked frantically to develop technologies useful for fighting wars, all in total disregard of the environment.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 30, 2001

Luring investment to Japan

Japan is a risk for the world economy. Although Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's reform plans are vague and offer no guarantee of results, Japan, and the world as well, depend on the success of the reforms for their prosperity.
COMMENTARY
Jul 29, 2001

U.S. Asian policy takes shape

HONOLULU -- Slowly but surely, the Bush administration's Asia policy is taking shape. And, some changes in emphasis and approach notwithstanding, it shows a great deal of continuity with Clinton administration policy objectives. The U.S.-Japan relationship remains the "linchpin" of U.S. security strategy...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jul 29, 2001

The added cost of convenience

If you've got a rumbling in your tummy but little time or money, what could be better than a bento (boxed lunch) from the nearest convenience store?
COMMUNITY
Jul 29, 2001

Every breath you take

The children were considered lucky when they were admitted a place at the popular Sashigaya public nursery in Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward. Little did their parents know what a high price their young ones might have to pay for the privilege.
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM MOSCOW
Jul 29, 2001

Realpolitik outlook unites Putin and Bush

Why the honeymoon? This is a question an inquisitive person might ask when informed by the media that the second meeting between U.S. President George W. Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin had been a smashing success — like the first one a month ago. After a cold spring full of spy scandals,...
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 29, 2001

Multilateralism triumphed for Kyoto

With the Kyoto deal finally in the bag after a marathon round of negotiations, delegates to the resumed session of the climate change talks congratulated themselves on a job well done. For many of the negotiators who have followed these grueling negotiations over the last 10 years it was a bitter sweet...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jul 29, 2001

Just when you thought it was safe . . .

If you live in an old apartment or condominium complex of fewer than 10 units, you might want to check the tap water. Pour some into a clear glass and take a whiff. Does it smell of chlorine? If it does, you don't have too much to worry about. It might not taste good, but at least the chemical smell...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jul 29, 2001

Nursing your house back to health

What can you do to protect yourself from sick-house syndrome?
LIFE / Food & Drink / THE WAY OF WASHOKU
Jul 29, 2001

Hit the sweet spot with eel on the grill

Hunting up and down side-street stalls during the annual Gion Festival, I was looking for one thing. Okonomiyaki pancakes, griddle-fried yakisoba noodles and even little charred yakitori chicken skewers are fine for your average summer festival, but wasting your time on such trivialities at this Kyoto...
COMMUNITY
Jul 29, 2001

The makings of a home, sick home

Air pollution isn't restricted to areas with factories and heavy traffic. Though it may nestle in a rural idyll, your home itself could be a potent source of potentially harmful chemicals.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jul 29, 2001

Shochu appeal goes supersonic

FUKUOKA -- Kyushu folk are feeling quite tickled about something at the moment: a shochu boom in bars around Japan. The surging popularity of this once-lowbrow spirit, which originated in Kyushu, suggests that its old-fogy image may be disappearing for good and that lucrative times lie ahead for the...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Jul 29, 2001

Tie the knot, raise a family, take the plunge

TBS's new daily, 30-minute hiru-dora (afternoon drama) series premieres Monday at 1:30 p.m. "Kids War 3," which TBS is promoting as a "home comedy," is the third 45-episode series about the ups and downs of the Imais, a Brady Bunch-like family trying to make do in contemporary Japan. Haruko (Akiko Ikuina)...
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 28, 2001

Now it's time for New Labour to deliver

BRUSSELS -- The historic second landslide election victory for the Labour Party has given Tony Blair an opportunity that no Labour prime minister has had before -- a second term of office. For the first time in history, a Labour government can build on its work and set in place radical reforms to realize...
COMMENTARY
Jul 28, 2001

Policy priorities need balance

The nation goes to the polls Sunday for the Upper House election, which in essence is a battle between the coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party, New Komeito and the New Conservative Party on the one hand and the opposition group of the Democrats, Liberals, Communists and Social Democrats on the...

Longform

In 2020, 38% of all households were single-person. That figure is projected to rise to 44.3% by 2050.
The rise of AI companionship in a lonely Japan