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COMMENTARY / World
Apr 14, 2001

A Japanese PM as seen from abroad

CHIANG MAI, Thailand -- It is beyond the parameters of this column to plunge into the murky waters of Japanese domestic politics. But the case of Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori -- and the ways this case has generally been reported in the foreign media -- calls for some scrutiny, especially since it automatically...
JAPAN
Apr 14, 2001

New proposal sees stalled beltway built underground

In a move that could lead to lifting a three-decade-old freeze on building, the Construction Ministry and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government on Friday proposed that a section of a controversial beltway will be built underground.
JAPAN
Apr 14, 2001

Steel giants NKK, Kawasaki to join

NKK Corp., Japan's second-largest steelmaker, and Kawasaki Steel Corp., No. 3 in the field, announced Friday that they have agreed to integrate their operations in October 2002 under a joint holding company.
EDITORIALS
Apr 14, 2001

The great Tiger Woods debate

Semantics and politics make a familiar pair. Every other day, it seems, something crops up in the mine-strewn worlds of domestic or international politics that makes us stop and think about the meaning of words. One day it's a foreign president's legalistic musings about the meaning of "is," the next,...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Apr 14, 2001

No more excuses for not knowing your fish

Confused by all the different kinds of fish in Japan? I have learned to recognize fish by studying their facial expressions as they lay on my plate. It also helps to know which fish are served in which seasons.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 14, 2001

Korean impasse is U.S.' fault

SEOUL -- "Sooner or later, the North Koreans will return to the negotiating table," said South Korea's former Foreign Minister Lee Joung Binn in an interview on the eve of his resignation. At this moment, political realities on the Korean Peninsula don't seem to justify his optimism. As the government...
JAPAN
Apr 14, 2001

Aum membership grew in 2000

The number of Aum Shinrikyo members living in the cult's facilities nationwide increased by about 150 to around 650 in the year 2000, Justice Minister Masahiko Komura said during a Cabinet meeting Friday.
JAPAN
Apr 13, 2001

Most unwilling to take child-rearing leave: poll

Only about 10 percent of workers are really willing to take child-rearing leave, even though the majority feel they should, a survey suggests.
JAPAN
Apr 13, 2001

Government line contradictory on Lee's visa status

Top government officials showed their indecision Thursday with inconsistent comments over an application for a visa to visit Japan by former Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui.
EDITORIALS
Apr 13, 2001

Diplomacy does the trick

The United States and China have resolved their crisis. Diplomats crafted a statement that allowed both sides to save face and permitted the 24 members of the U.S. spy plane to go home. The peaceful resolution of the standoff is a victory for diplomacy. Just as important, however, both governments now...
JAPAN
Apr 13, 2001

Whaling should not overshadow trade talks: Clark

While Wellington and Tokyo must agree to disagree over Japan's whaling program, the issue should not impede trade ties, visiting New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark said Thursday.
JAPAN
Apr 13, 2001

Quake-readiness achieved by only two prefectures

Only two out of 47 prefectures have completed their earthquake-readiness plans on time, according to a report by the Cabinet Office.
COMMENTARY
Apr 13, 2001

Media guilty of hounding Mori from office

Since political parties by definition seek to attain control of government, it is only natural that the Democratic Party and other opposition groups should have demanded Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori's resignation in unison. On the other hand, it is incumbent upon journalists to comment on government policies...
JAPAN
Apr 13, 2001

Social withdrawal acute among young: survey

The phenomenon of social withdrawal by people uneasy about interacting with others is a common problem in Japan, especially among teenagers, the results of a survey indicate.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / LEARNING BY HEART
Apr 13, 2001

Exploring a choice of futures beyond 17

"I am about to die," Takahisa Ide, 17, tells the camera. On his lap is a simple crayon drawing freshly made to illustrate the scene.
MORE SPORTS / THE DUKE OF HAZARDS
Apr 13, 2001

An ace can put a hole in your wallet

Ever scored a hole-in-one? I'm still trying, but I hope I don't do it in Japan.
JAPAN
Apr 13, 2001

Tokyo families spend more on education in 2000

Despite the prolonged recession, Tokyo households spent more on their children's education during the 2000 academic year -- which ended last month -- than during the previous year, according to an annual survey by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government released Thursday.
BUSINESS
Apr 13, 2001

NKK shares rise on merger rumors

The share price of NKK Corp. has been steadily approaching that of Kawasaki Steel Corp. over the past few weeks amid rumors of an imminent merger.
EDITORIALS
Apr 12, 2001

Forty years of flying and dreaming

Forty years ago today, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man to fly in to space. It was a short trip: one 108-minute circumnavigation of Earth, but it changed human history. When humankind escaped the bounds of the earth's atmosphere, our views of the world and our place in it changed forever....
BUSINESS
Apr 12, 2001

NTT to tap into demand for Net

Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. plans to establish a new company for high-speed fiber-optic Internet services as early as this summer under a three-year business scheme, company sources said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Apr 12, 2001

Issei's love of America tempered

A loyal American who cherishes Japanese values inherited from his issei parents, Henry Ikemoto's life bridges two cultures.
JAPAN
Apr 12, 2001

Youths' public service mulled

Education Minister Nobutaka Machimura told an advisory panel Wednesday to come up with concrete recommendations on mandatory community service by elementary through high school students.
JAPAN
Apr 12, 2001

Fashion school tied to tax dodge

Bunka Gakuen, the Tokyo-based operator of noted fashion school Bunka Fashion College, failed to declare some 250 million yen in income over a five-year period up to March 2000, sources close to tax authorities said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Apr 12, 2001

Investors sought for cancer probe

U.S. biotechnology venture is soliciting Japanese investors for what it claims is a next-generation medical device that can identify early-stage cancers with real-time analysis.
COMMENTARY / WASHINGTON UPDATE
Apr 12, 2001

Environment takes back seat to U.S. economic recovery

U.S. President George W. Bush continued his personal campaign to change previous U.S. policy two weeks ago by renouncing the nation's commitment to limit industrial emissions of carbon dioxide. He did it shortly after Environmental Protection Agency administrator Christine Todd Whitman had given the...
JAPAN
Apr 12, 2001

Civil suit ruling for Asahara gas atack due July 25

The Tokyo District Court decided Wednesday to hand down a ruling on July 25 in a damages lawsuit filed against Shoko Asahara, founder of the Aum Shinrikyo cult, over a 1994 sarin gas attack in Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture. The decision was made after the plaintiffs, eight family members representing...

Longform

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
Rethinking that second drink: Japan’s Gen Z gets ‘sober curious’