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JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Mar 19, 2001

Earthlings, meet your parent

The four planets closest to the sun are siblings of a sort. Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars have similar core properties and densities, suggesting that they probably formed from the same dust cloud in the early solar system, but they have very different surfaces and atmospheres. Mercury is hot, has low...
JAPAN
Mar 19, 2001

Japan to push ties with Latin America

East Asia and Latin America should shore up their cooperation and exchanges across the Pacific not only in politics and economics, but also in social areas, according to a report compiled by the Japanese government.
EDITORIALS
Mar 18, 2001

A hole in the sky

Sometime this week, space station Mir -- the brightest star in the once mighty Soviet and Russian space program -- will flicker out. After circling the planet for 15 years, at least three times its planned life span, the massive, aging station is scheduled to finally "deorbit" on Tuesday, "give or take...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 18, 2001

'Zapatour' gives hope to Mexico's poor

Seven years after stunning the world, the leaders of the Zapatista rebels have come out of hiding in the Lacandon jungle and traveled to the concrete jungle of Mexico City to promote indigenous rights and work toward a just and peaceful resolution to the simmering conflict in Chiapas state.
CULTURE / Film
Mar 18, 2001

Donald Richie: being inside and outside Japanese cinema

In his five decades as a writer, Donald Richie has investigated everything from the glories of noh to the mysteries of the Japanese tattoo, while attempting everything from the travel narrative ("The Inland Sea") to the historical novel (the meticulously researched, wittily engaging "Kumagai"). He is...
BUSINESS
Mar 18, 2001

Kansai mulls ways to attract U.S. cash

OSAKA -- Discussion on America's relationship with the Kansai region generally centers on business investment or the lack thereof.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Mar 18, 2001

Corey Paul: King of the Eastern League

Hoping to make the Seibu Lions' opening day roster is Corey Paul, a third-year-in-Japan American outfielder who also happens to be the third foreign position player on the team's roster. He's competing with teammates Alex Cabrera and Scott McClain in a system where non-Japanese player quotas allow each...
BUSINESS
Mar 18, 2001

OPEC formalizes oil production cut

VIENNA -- The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries ended a two-day general meeting Saturday in Vienna by formalizing a plan to reduce oil output by about one million barrels per day from April 1.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Mar 18, 2001

Where all your nightmares come together

I'm watching breathtaking video footage of a skier hucking air off 30-meter cliff then making smooth carved turns down a deadly 55-degree rock face. The last time I hucked and tucked a 55-degree rock face I woke up just before falling into a crevasse.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 18, 2001

Confucius rescues China's communists

CAMBRIDGE, England -- Sometimes it takes a while for the significance of statements made by Chinese leaders to sink in. At a propaganda conference organized by the Communist Party Central Committee on Jan. 10, President Jiang Zemin said that the rule of law alone is not enough; there must also be rule...
MORE SPORTS
Mar 18, 2001

Sports arenas upgrade to draw fans

KOBE -- With the weather gradually warming, outdoor sports fans are again starting to rejoice. J. League soccer teams kicked off a new soccer season last week and professional baseball games will get under way later this month. And this year, fans living in or near Kobe should be more motivated than...
CULTURE / Art
Mar 18, 2001

This way to youthful adventure

For a few wine-toasted moments, it almost felt like a New York City art night. Sure, Tokyo is half a world away, but there were three new shows up in a big old warehouse, critics and collectors floating about, photographers snapping the smiles on the faces of the beautiful people and, most of all, the...
COMMUNITY
Mar 18, 2001

For top U.K. ceramics, no need to see Cornwall

Koichiro Isaka was traveling with his wife in the south of England when he first became aware of a ceramic tradition. Like many Japanese, he knew the name Bernard Leach, who studied with Shoji Hamada in the early 1900s as part of Japan's folkloric revivalist movement and helped establish Mashiko as a...
JAPAN
Mar 18, 2001

Heir to reed traders promotes appreciation of the marsh grass

OMIHACHIMAN, Shiga Pref. -- When the wind blows, common reeds in front of Yoshihiro Nishikawa's house make a unique sound. Inside, the house is filled with all kinds of products made of the reeds. Nishikawa's head is also filled with reeds, or at least knowledge about them.
JAPAN
Mar 17, 2001

Youths expect parental help in future

About 70 percent of public high school students in Tokyo say they are likely to count on their parents for financial or other support 10 years from now, according to a recent survey of public school students.
JAPAN
Mar 17, 2001

Uwajima petition calls for ship to be raised

Uwajima Mayor Hirohisa Ishibashi submitted Friday a petition signed by about 750,000 people to Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori calling for the Ehime Maru to be raised and the cause of its collision with a U.S. nuclear submarine off Hawaii last month to be clarified.
JAPAN
Mar 17, 2001

State of deflation declared as assessment is downgraded

The government on Friday downgraded its overall economic evaluation for the second consecutive month, saying the nation's recovery appears to be stalling on weak production stemming from the U.S. economic slowdown.
BUSINESS
Mar 17, 2001

NEC plans Japan's biggest job site

NEC Corp. said Friday it will launch the largest job Web site in Japan next Thursday in cooperation with 14 major employment agencies, including Recruit Co. and Pasona Softbank Inc.
JAPAN
Mar 17, 2001

Mori, Bush expected to confirm macroeconomic cooperation

Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori and U.S. President George W. Bush are expected to issue a joint statement mainly on bilateral cooperation regarding macroeconomic policies when they meet in Washington on Monday, in an attempt to quell concerns over recent steep falls in stock markets in both countries.
EDITORIALS
Mar 17, 2001

Go, Mr. Mori, and soon

Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori has apparently acknowledged what the media have been saying of late: His days are numbered. But he has left everyone guessing exactly when he will step down. One thing is certain, however: The Liberal Democratic Party will select a new leader in a presidential election later...
JAPAN
Mar 17, 2001

171 fires per day in 2000: agency

There were 62,418 fires in Japan last year, up 3,892, or 6.7 percent, from 1999 for a second straight year of increase, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said Friday.
JAPAN
Mar 17, 2001

Snow Brand execs sent to prosecutors

OSAKA -- Police on Friday sent papers to prosecutors on nine officials of Snow Brand Milk Products Co. on suspicion of professional negligence in connection with the massive outbreak of food poisoning that hit western Japan last summer.
JAPAN
Mar 17, 2001

Confession made under duress: woman

After 10 days of confinement, Manalili Villanueva Rosal finally confessed to a Chiba Prefectural Police detective that she murdered her lover. She retracted her confession the next day -- and maintained her innocence throughout her trial -- but was sentenced to eight years in prison in September 1999....
CULTURE / Film
Mar 17, 2001

Upon further meditation . . .

Sometime after Gus Van Sant had released "Goodwill Hunting," he took a trip to India. During his stay, he was faxed a screenplay from Sony Pictures. Written by an unknown anchorman called Mike Rich, "Finding Forrester" had everything that prompted Van Sant to cut off his journey and return to LA. Three...

Longform

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