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COMMUNITY
Jul 30, 2000

Getting the measure of a master suitsmith

Vijay Wadhwani is an international tailor. A very super-duper master craftsman, who runs a miniempire of cutters, machinists and hand stitchers in Hong Kong under the name "NobleHouse." His job is to travel the world to court customers, discuss clients' needs and take the full complement of 30 required...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jul 30, 2000

How many all-star games are enough?

Is one all-star game enough? Are three games too many? Whatever happened to two? Those questions were being bantered about as Japan pro baseball took its weeklong, midsummer regular-season break July 21-27, during which a trio of all-star contests were played, from Tokyo to Nagasaki, with a stop in Kobe....
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jul 30, 2000

A cell phone lets you say 'hello kitty' anytime

My suspicions have been confirmed: Cats need cell phones. If you think cats aren't smart enough to have cell phones, think again. Intelligence has never been a requirement for using a cell phone.
CULTURE / Art
Jul 30, 2000

Brown as they wanna be -- ganguro phenomenon on film

Katrin Paul is making good use of her time studying photography in Tokyo. Full of intense Germanic energy, Paul observes the social environment of Tokyo from the perspective of an outsider in "Playing Summer," her second exhibition in as many months. A closer look at the Shibuya youth scene, the exhibition...
CULTURE / Art
Jul 30, 2000

Of solitude and simple settings

In the early 20th century, Europe played host to a procession of distinct art movements which continued until a procession of black boots stomped the creative life out of the continent.
JAPAN
Jul 30, 2000

Summer nights and transient beauty

For many Japanese, summer just isn't summer without fireworks. The popularity of the displays can be attributed to the transient nature of their beauty, the same reason the short-lived cherry blossom is so appreciated.
COMMENTARY
Jul 30, 2000

Summit's worth questionable

LONDON — The Japanese government spent huge amounts of money in an attempt to ensure that the Okinawa summit and related events in Fukuoka and Miyazaki was a success, but was the money well spent and did the summit increase Japan's prestige in the world? The answer to both questions that I as a generally...
CULTURE / Music
Jul 30, 2000

Music for repressed romantics

Tokyo Geijutsu Daigaku Opera
EDITORIALS
Jul 29, 2000

Fujimori's last chance

Peru's president, Mr. Alberto Fujimori, was sworn in to begin his third term Friday. It was a bittersweet occasion for the president. The festivities were marred by massive protests against an election tainted by charges of fraud. Mr. Fujimori, a combative man who never backs down from a challenge, has...
JAPAN
Jul 29, 2000

Government eyes more big spending

Leaders of the government and the ruling coalition parties effectively agreed Friday that policy-related spending in the fiscal 2001 budget should at least be as expansionary as this year's 48 trillion yen, to help achieve a full-fledged economic recovery.
JAPAN
Jul 29, 2000

Debt-hit Kansai airport sinking fast

OSAKA -- Without a 20 billion yen reconstruction effort, those who land at Kansai International Airport may find themselves having to swim to the passenger terminal.
BUSINESS
Jul 29, 2000

FRC chief defends payments, benefits from Mitsubishi Trust

A scandal involving the chairman of the Financial Reconstruction Commission erupted Friday when it was reported that he had received millions of yen in advisory fees as well as money to cover the rental of offices and staff from Mitsubishi Trust & Banking Corp. over a seven-year period.
COMMUNITY
Jul 29, 2000

The miracle of life awaits at the end of a long, hard road

Organ donation is not something most of us have to think much about. But for Fernando, a Peruvian with a life-threatening kidney condition residing in Tokyo, the only option that offers any hope for the future is a kidney transplant.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 29, 2000

China continues to bully ARF

At this week's meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum in Bangkok, China will seek support for its opposition to U.S. plans to develop a theater missile defense. That is consistent with China's use of ARF as a forum for undermining support for the U.S. alliance structure in East Asia. China demands a free...
CULTURE / Music
Jul 29, 2000

Kiwi music offers delicious alternatives

For a nation with a population barely equal to that of an international metropolis, New Zealand's vibrant and diverse music scene commands respect for its innovative yet self-effacing approach. From the melodic pop-meisters of the pioneering indie label Flying Nun to the operatic grandeur of Kiri Te...
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
Jul 29, 2000

Play revives old debate over Nazi A-bomb

"Absence of A-bomb: Were the Nazis duped -- or simply dumb?" So asks the weekly U.S. News & World Report in a piece for its July 24-31 cover story, "Mysteries of History." The question is being revisited now perhaps because of a recent Broadway import from London: Michael Frayn's "Copenhagen."
COMMENTARY
Jul 29, 2000

Putin the big winner at G8 summit

Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori and Russian President Vladimir Putin, both attending a summit of major industrial powers for the first time, played markedly different roles at the Group of Eight Okinawa summit that ended July 23.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 29, 2000

Foreigners are key to economic reform

There are several indications that the Japanese economy is recovering from a serious depression. It seems that a large number of people share the opinion that structural reform is necessary to continue this recovery and put the economy on a steady and sustainable growth path.
EDITORIALS
Jul 28, 2000

Tough choices for ASEAN

ASEAN is back. That is the message coming from Bangkok this week as foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations hold their annual get-together. North Korea's debut at the ASEAN Regional Forum, which follows the foreign ministers' meeting, has contributed to the optimism, as has...
JAPAN
Jul 28, 2000

Crew safe after boat hijacked off Solomons

All 34 crew members of a Japanese bonito boat hijacked Wednesday in the Solomon Sea are safe, and the three hijackers have been detained, the vessel's operator announced Thursday morning.
JAPAN
Jul 28, 2000

JR Bon holiday travelers up 11%

The number of reserved train seats for the Bon holiday season in mid-August totaled 3.06 million as of Wednesday, up 11 percent from the same period last year, the Japan Railway group said Thursday.
JAPAN
Jul 28, 2000

Quick-change teens strut 'visual music'

When Naoko Kamui leaves home on Sunday mornings, her parents have little idea of how their 14-year-old daughter will spend the day. Certainly, they would not recognize her among the hundreds of youth who flock to Tokyo's Harajuku every Sunday.
JAPAN
Jul 28, 2000

China tourism pact welcomed

Kyodo News Japan's travel industry is hoping that this year will see an official agreement to allow Chinese from selected areas to visit Japan on package tours, and that more than 1 million Chinese tourists will visit in less than a decade.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji