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COMMENTARY / World
Jan 15, 2001

No wonder Seoul's politicos get no respect

SEOUL -- Some days ago I received a telephone call from the Office of the Chief Spokesman of the National Assembly. A friendly public-relations officer invited me to write an article for the National Assembly Review with personal observations regarding the challenges for parliamentary politics in South...
JAPAN
Jan 15, 2001

ASEM conference stresses teamwork

KOBE -- Finance ministers from the 25-nation Asia-Europe Meeting group wrapped up their two-day conference here Sunday by adopting a chairman's statement emphasizing the importance of enhanced cooperation to avoid financial crises.
COMMENTARY
Jan 15, 2001

Calling off all bets on Japan

Predictions can be dangerous when Japan is involved.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 15, 2001

Italian lessons for Japan

Japan's political landscape could change dramatically, depending on the outcome of July's Upper House elections. Mikio Aoki, a Liberal Democratic leader in the Upper House, says the three ruling coalition parties -- the Liberal Democratic Party, New Komeito and the New Conservative Party -- must win...
JAPAN
Jan 15, 2001

Hijacking suspect arrested

OSAKA -- A 20-year-old cook was arrested Saturday night after hijacking a Kyoto city bus carrying only a driver and another passenger, police said Sunday.
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Jan 15, 2001

The effect of hormones on fatherhood

It is usually thought that men share only symbolically, if at all, in the experience of pregnancy, but recent studies have shown that paternal males undergo changes in the same hormones as maternal females. The work promises to biologically verify the experiences of new fathers.
COMMUNITY
Jan 15, 2001

New miracles from the 'first miracle drug'

Aspirin for people in Western countries is something more than Seirogan, the most popular household digestive medicine in Japan.
BUSINESS
Jan 15, 2001

A paradigm for economic recovery

With no end in sight to her suffering, Japan is crying for a new economic paradigm. To define this new equation in as few words as possible, Japan needs lower prices and higher interest rates. Much, much lower domestic prices and significantly higher interest rates.
JAPAN
Jan 14, 2001

Writer bucks corporate norm

Writer Hamao Yokota seems to enjoy portraying an eccentric image.
JAPAN
Jan 14, 2001

Homelessness being tackled from new angle

Asked why he became homeless, he said he was a victim of the current economic trend.
JAPAN
Jan 14, 2001

Making gardens accessible proving a slippery path

Legend has it that when the Koishikawa Korakuen Garden in Bunkyo Ward was built in the early Edo Period, it boasted gigantic rocks and majestic, ancient trees reminiscent of the steep mountains and dark valleys of China.
EDITORIALS
Jan 14, 2001

Hope for Myanmar's democrats

The announcement that Myanmar's military government and prodemocracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi had entered into direct talks is a welcome surprise from a country that has only managed to disappoint in recent years. Given the junta's stubborn refusal to negotiate with Ms. Suu Kyi, it is hard to be optimistic...
COMMENTARY
Jan 14, 2001

New Cabinet does little to boost Mori

Japan is enveloped in gloom at the dawn of the 21st century, as is much of the rest of the world. The administration of Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori continues to suffer from dismally low public-approval ratings, despite the major Cabinet reshuffle he carried out last month. The reorganization of the central...
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 14, 2001

China tightens grip on the Net

CAMBRIDGE, England -- The Chinese government has been issuing more regulations to control the use of the Internet. As with the earlier ones, there are no surprises. They simply tidy up what was already accepted practice and add nothing new. It is still the slow bureaucratic machine catching up with reality....
COMMUNITY
Jan 14, 2001

Turning gray offices into great places to work

Steven Louie, vice president and design director of Gensler Tokyo, is not only warm, open and charming; he's also sensitive, patient, and very very kind. This was illustrated by his treatment of the 16-year-old student from the U.K. (on a work experience program) who accompanied me, listening attentively...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jan 14, 2001

Danger! Americans may smother you in kindness

I always get a kick out my students when they come back from the United States and exclaim, "Wow! Americans are so friendly!" Of course, what they really mean is, "Wow! No one even tried to kill us!"
JAPAN
Jan 13, 2001

Drunk driver's term not extended

The Tokyo High Court dismissed an appeal by prosecutors Friday who claimed that a four-year prison term for a drunken trucker who caused the deaths of two toddlers was too lenient.
JAPAN
Jan 13, 2001

Defense head to tell U.S. forces to tighten discipline

Defense Agency chief Toshitsugu Saito said Friday that he will urge the U.S. military to take steps to prevent unruly behavior following Tuesday's arrest of a Marine suspected of lifting up a high school girl's skirt.
EDITORIALS
Jan 13, 2001

Help China to help itself

China promises to become an economic superpower in the 21st century, but it faces formidable environmental problems, such as acid rain, air and water pollution, desertification and soil erosion. According to a recent report from the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, the world's most populous nation could...
JAPAN
Jan 13, 2001

Diplomat quizzed on embezzlement

The Metropolitan Police Department has questioned a senior Foreign Ministry official who is suspected of having embezzled public funds, police sources said Friday.
JAPAN
Jan 13, 2001

Palace holds New Year poetry event

The Emperor and Empress attended the annual New Year's poetry reading at the Imperial Palace on Friday, where poems by Imperial family members and the general public were recited in traditional style.
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM MOSCOW
Jan 13, 2001

Muscovites get all fired up

"Real Chechnya" -- this is how Muscovites sum up their experiences during the recent holiday season. Fortunately, except for routine scuffles ignited by the excessive consumption of alcohol, there was no fighting in the Russian capital.
CULTURE / Film
Jan 13, 2001

Holy mother of threesomes!

Actor Edward Norton has only been in the business four years, but he makes you think that he's been there forever.
CULTURE / Art / CERAMIC SCENE
Jan 13, 2001

Pottery with a Korean foundation

A simple fact to begin the Ceramic Scene 21st century: Many great Japanese ceramic traditions of western Japan began with Korean potters.

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