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COMMENTARY
Mar 9, 2001

The LDP just doesn't get it

Japanese politics is in a state of dysfunction. Symbolic of the problem is the fact that even though Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori's Cabinet survived an opposition-sponsored no-confidence motion, there are moves in the governing Liberal Democratic Party to unseat him.
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 9, 2001

Bad days are over, but J. League must change with the times

When the J. League was launched on May 13, 1993, it had 10 teams in a single-division format. Since then, the league has grown and now consists of 28 teams in two divisions.
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 9, 2001

J. League bets on Toto

This year, Japanese soccer fans (and others) can take part in "Toto," the nation's first soccer "lottery," which, effectively, is a form of betting on J. League games.
JAPAN
Mar 9, 2001

Trackside rites mark '00 subway crash

Memorial services were held Thursday morning near Nakameguro Station on the Hibiya subway line in Tokyo's Meguro Ward to mark the first anniversary of a train derailment and collision that claimed five lives and left 64 passengers injured.
JAPAN
Mar 9, 2001

Climber returns to Mount Everest to clear up Asian alpinists' garbage

Ken Noguchi, who in 1999 became the youngest person to climb the highest peaks on the world's seven continents, is returning to the last mountain he conquered -- Mount Everest.
JAPAN
Mar 9, 2001

Fifth suspect held for harboring Red Army chief

OSAKA -- A man in the city of Ashiya, Hyogo Prefecture, was arrested Thursday on suspicion of harboring Fusako Shigenobu, founder of the Japanese Red Army terrorist group, investigative sources said.
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 9, 2001

A big year for the J. League

Japanese soccer made a significant step last year with victory in the Asian Cup. For me, it was like the halfway point to the World Cup and it really represented a victory for the J. League clubs and the work they have put in.
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 9, 2001

They might be giants -- or 10 players who should be

Still don't know who's got what to offer in the J. League? Here's a quick guide to some of the players who should pique your interest in the coming season.
BUSINESS
Mar 9, 2001

Marubeni to invest in China IT firm

Marubeni Corp. said Thursday it has obtained Beijing's approval to take a 10 percent stake in Shanghai Dragon Head Zhangjiang Business & Network, an information technology firm that operates an Internet portal site for textile companies.
JAPAN
Mar 9, 2001

Crime rise fuels quest for security

Increasing numbers of people are flocking to the home-security sections of their local hardware and do-it-yourself stores on weekends amid reports of a growing crime wave in Japan.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 9, 2001

Thais make an enemy out of Myanmar

No one knows who put a bomb on a Thai Airways jet scheduled to carry Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to Chiang Mai, but respected media outlets such as the Matichon newspaper and the Bangkok Post have hinted that the bombing may have something to do with drugs from Myanmar.
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 9, 2001

What the managers say

Takeshi Okada (Consadole Sapporo) It's my first season in J1 and we've done all we can to prepare for the season. Many of my players have stayed with the team, which has made my job easier, as they can understand what I want to do with them. We've set an initial target of reaching 10th place and winning...
EDITORIALS
Mar 8, 2001

Protection for women in war

In a historic decision, the United Nations war-crimes tribunal in The Hague last month convicted three men in trials that focused exclusively on sexual violence against women during war. By ruling that rape can be used as an instrument of terror against women, the court sets new standards for behavior...
EDITORIALS
Mar 8, 2001

Tightening the net

When the law finally caught up with Al Capone, the famed Chicago mobster, the instrument of justice was income tax invasion. That might seem strange given his life of crime, but law-enforcement officials do the best with the tools they have and getting the feared man behind bars was the goal.
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM MOSCOW
Mar 8, 2001

Putin plays a bad hand well

"I was deeply touched, when he smiled and looked at us with his blue eyes, my old sweet memories flooded back to me," a middle-aged Soviet-trained Vietnamese woman told the TV crew. The blue eyes in question belonged not to a movie star, but to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was visiting Hanoi,...
JAPAN
Mar 8, 2001

Japan urged to bring in more refugees

Japan should make financial contributions to the U.N.'s refugee body, but it should also accept refugees from Asia and Africa to show leadership in humanitarian affairs, Rudolphus Lubbers, the new U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said in Tokyo Wednesday.
JAPAN
Mar 8, 2001

Father of train crash victim accepts graduation certificate

The father of a 17-year-old boy killed a year ago in a collision between two subway trains in Tokyo's Meguro Ward received a graduation certificate in his son's name on Wednesday from the high school the boy attended.
JAPAN
Mar 8, 2001

Mori ready to resign, LDP officials suggest

Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori has decided to step down in late March or early April, soon after the Diet passes the fiscal 2001 budget, a senior member of Mori's faction in the Liberal Democratic Party said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Mar 8, 2001

Hayami sticks to his guns over monetary easing

Bank of Japan Gov. Masaru Hayami reiterated Wednesday that the state of the economy and price trends will guide the BOJ's decision on whether to revive its "zero-interest-rate" policy and implement quantitative monetary easing.
BUSINESS
Mar 8, 2001

Book-closing factor may clip dollar's wings

The yen could remain under downward pressure for some time amid growing worries about economic and stock market prospects in Japan.
BUSINESS
Mar 8, 2001

L.A. market touted as gold mine for struggling midsize firms

Mired in a decade-long economic slump, Japan may not seem to be the most eager country to engage in massive direct investment abroad. But Lee Harrington, president and CEO of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp., doesn't see it that way.
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Mar 8, 2001

'Samurai' blazing a trail in XFL

Being a pioneer has its rewards, but as many a sports trailblazer has learned over the years, going where no one else has gone before is not all glory. In fact, it can be downright tough.
JAPAN / STAGING A COMEBACK
Mar 8, 2001

Business law changes just scratch surface

Satoshi "Sonny" Koike believes Japan's commercial laws are rigid and inhibitive. Instead of accepting the status quo, however, the 41-year-old entrepreneur has used loopholes in vaguely worded legal terms to stake a claim in the fast-changing world of the Internet.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 8, 2001

Genetically modified corn slips into human food chain

The safety of the nation's food has recently been called into question following the discovery of StarLink corn in a shipment of corn imported from the United States.
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Mar 8, 2001

Pizza, extra artistry, hold the delivery

Sometimes the craving strikes and second-best just won't do.

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years