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CULTURE / Music / HOGAKU TODAY
Jul 1, 2000

Sinking to sulphurous musical depths

One of the few consolations amid the relentless damp and humidity of the Japanese rainy season are the irises and hydrangeas whose colors seem to become ever more limpid in the mist.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 1, 2000

War and peace in the coming century

Looking back to the anniversary of the start of the Korean War, on June 25, 1950, and looking ahead to potential crises in Asia, there is much to ponder on the question of military intervention.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 1, 2000

Corruption undermines India

In recent weeks, the gentleman's game of cricket has been rocked to its foundations by charges and confessions of match-fixing. A commission of inquiry set up in South Africa has confirmed the fall from grace of former captain Hanse Cronje, once the epitome of professionalism and dedication to God, country...
EDITORIALS
Jun 30, 2000

Germany says 'no nukes'

The agreement reached earlier this month between the German government and major electric-power companies to phase out that country's commercial nuclear program in about 30 years came as a fresh reminder of the global shift away from nuclear energy production. The "irreversible" landmark agreement is...
JAPAN
Jun 30, 2000

Evacuation order lifted on Miyake

The evacuation order for all residents of Miyake Island was lifted Thursday evening after authorities indicated that volcanic activity on the island is subsiding.
JAPAN
Jun 30, 2000

Big police presence checks 'sokaiya'

More than 7,000 police officers were out in force nationwide Thursday to provide security for 2,161 corporate stockholders' meetings held during the day.
BUSINESS
Jun 30, 2000

BOJ must forgo rate hike, Aoki says

The government wants the Bank of Japan to keep its ultraeasy monetary policy intact to ensure an economic recovery, Chief Cabinet Secretary Mikio Aoki indicated Thursday, apparently taking aim at growing views in the BOJ to end the policy.
BUSINESS
Jun 30, 2000

Dollar-yen rate to stay in limited range

With worries about Sunday's general election out of the way, the dollar-yen rate has returned to where it stood a week ago.
CULTURE / Stage
Jun 30, 2000

Real characters, made in Japan

KYOTO -- Humor may be, along with art and music, universal, but it often doesn't travel across borders very well. What has them rolling in the aisles in London may leave them rolling their eyes in Laos. A comedian who brings down the house in Athens, Greece, may receive only polite applause in Athens,...
JAPAN
Jun 30, 2000

Key cultist sentenced to die for role in two sarin attacks

Senior Aum Shinrikyo follower Yasuo Hayashi was sentenced to death Thursday for releasing nerve gas on a Tokyo subway train in March 1995 and for his role in the deadly June 1994 sarin attack in Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture.
EDITORIALS
Jun 29, 2000

The money-laundering hall of shame

After years of mounting frustration, the world is cracking down on countries that launder money and shelter funds for criminal enterprises. Several recent reports have identified primary offenders in the fight against money laundering. Sanctions are not yet on the agenda, but shame alone seems to be...
BUSINESS
Jun 29, 2000

Taisho gets 4.5 billion yen lifeline

The financially ailing Taisho Life Insurance Co. said Wednesday that it has avoided possible collapse by securing a pledge of 4.5 billion yen in fresh capital through outside funding.
JAPAN
Jun 29, 2000

Danger of eruption tapers off

Fears of a volcanic eruption on Miyake Island tapered off Wednesday as experts from the Meteorological Agency said there was "no possibility" of an eruption on the eastern part of the island or at the top of Mount Oyama.
JAPAN
Jun 29, 2000

Medical group probes endoscope defects

A national association of medical and dental practitioners has begun questioning its members about defects in endoscopes and manufacturers' responses to complaints, according to a group bulletin made available Wednesday.
COMMUNITY
Jun 29, 2000

Making home a school away from school

A typical day at school for 12-year-old Sophie Kimura could be a social studies lesson which involves finding out what life is like in Illinois where her "e-pal" Dawn lives.
COMMUNITY
Jun 29, 2000

Fresh ideas keep old traditions alive

"A hundred people must have told me it was impossible," said Sarah Cummings as we sipped sake in the stylish Kurabu restaurant in the village of Obuse.
BUSINESS
Jun 29, 2000

200 major firms hold shareholders' meetings

About 200 major companies across the nation held their annual shareholders' meetings Wednesday, beating the huge crush for such meetings that will take place today.
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Jun 29, 2000

Redemption just a haircut away

We've seen how popular shaved heads have become in sports. Whether for fashion or function, Michael Jordan, Andre Agassi and Brazilian soccer stars are among countless male athletes noted for taking it all off.
LIFE / Travel
Jun 29, 2000

Take the sunset road to Fukuoka's natural lifestyle zone

"Everyone wants to head west," an architect friend told me recently. "It's natural. That's where the sun sets, and where thoughts of relaxation turn to at the end of the day."
COMMENTARY
Jun 29, 2000

Japan's voters call for change

Voters apparently called for a change in the nation's politics in Sunday's elections for the House of Representatives. The Democratic Party of Japan consolidated its position as the No. 1 opposition party by winning an additional 35 seats, although it failed to win enough votes to allow it to establish...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jun 29, 2000

Marriage guide for men begs the question, 'Et tu, Brutus?'

In the cultural wars secular liberalism continues its slow, laborious march toward victory (two steps forward, one step back), but one bastion of male-centered tradition remains inviolate: the marriage proposal. Men do the asking, and women wait for them to ask. The vector indicated by this dynamic mimics...
BUSINESS
Jun 29, 2000

NTT breakup fails to level playing field

Nearly a year after the splitup of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp., the big experiment is coming under scrutiny as questions are raised over whether its new profile has actually made a difference.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 29, 2000

A Chinese teenager's dream of a better life ends in tragedy in the back of a truck

CHANGLE, Fujian -- Smartly dressed in a Calvin Klein T-shirt, jeans and white trainers, the teenager props up a motorbike in Changle, a city in the southern Chinese province of Fujian. His hair flopping over sunglasses, he flashes a shy grin at the camera. Jin Xicai hardly resembles the stereotype refugee,...
EDITORIALS
Jun 28, 2000

The finest map in the world

Rival researchers this week announced that they had completed a draft model of the human genome -- the blueprint of the human being. The breakthrough was hailed as "a milestone in science," a "revolution in medical science" and "the most important, most wondrous map ever produced by humankind." For once,...

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’