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COMMENTARY / World
Jul 2, 2000

Winds of change blowing through Asia

CHANG MAI, Thailand -- The recent historic handshake between South Korean President Kim Dae Jung and North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang captivated the world. As emotions over the summit subside, what can be said about Korean developments when viewed from a broader Asian perspective?
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Jul 2, 2000

Machiko Kobayashi

In "The Book of Tea," Okakura Kakuzo refers to the person "with no tea" in him, the one "insusceptible to the seriocomic interests of the personal drama." He mentions too the one "with too much tea" in him, "the untamed aesthete." Machiko Kobayashi, tea ceremony teacher and demonstrator, falls into neither...
COMMUNITY
Jul 2, 2000

Lovers of blood and sand form Tauro Tokyo Club

There are a huge variety of clubs in Japan. Table-tennis clubs and social dance clubs, hostess clubs and clubs where you can polish up your karaoke. But there is only one club devoted to the art of bullfighting.
JAPAN
Jul 2, 2000

Garbage, indifference fueling crow plague

His affliction started about six months ago when a pair of jungle crows decided to build a nest in a neighbor's tree.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 2, 2000

Kim Jong Il still an enigma

WASHINGTON -- Now that the novelty and euphoria of the remarkable Korean summit have faded, the world is left scratching its head and wondering what it all adds up to. Has one of the world's most dangerous flash points suddenly been defused? Have the tectonic plates of the East Asian strategic equation...
EDITORIALS
Jul 1, 2000

The Elian saga is over

Elian Gonzalez is home. After a seven-month legal battle, the shipwrecked 6-year-old boy has returned to Cuba with his father. His tale held the world captive -- and made plain the degree to which U.S. politics is held captive by a vocal minority of Cuban Americans in Miami. Now that the boy has been...
JAPAN
Jul 1, 2000

500 billion yen to go on public works this month

The Liberal Democratic Party will push the government to spend 500 billion yen in reserve funds on public works projects by the end of July to boost the nation's economy, reappointed LDP policy chief Shizuka Kamei said Friday.
BUSINESS
Jul 1, 2000

Sony, Tokyu in broadband tieup

Sony Corp. and railway operator Tokyu Corp. signed a memorandum of understanding Friday to form a strategic alliance to jointly promote broadband network business.
BUSINESS
Jul 1, 2000

Softbank gets nod to buy NCB

The Financial Reconstruction Commission on Friday approved the final agreement on the sale Aug. 1 of the nationalized Nippon Credit Bank to a consortium led by Internet investor Softbank Corp.
JAPAN
Jul 1, 2000

Life returning to normal for residents of Miyake

Work gets under way to restore island's water supplies, repair roads, check safety of schools Residents of Miyake Island got back into the routine of daily life Friday after the threat of a volcanic eruption receded and local authorities lifted evacuation orders the previous day.
EDITORIALS
Jul 1, 2000

Cutting the price of diamonds

The links between diamonds and some of the world's deadliest conflicts are becoming clearer every day. Diamonds play a critical role in the wars in Africa. It is estimated that Angolan rebels earned more than $4 billion in 1998 from the sale of the gems. The sale of mining rights has spurred foreign...
JAPAN
Jul 1, 2000

Snow low-fat milk makes over 1,500 sick in Kansai

OSAKA -- Health authorities have announced that 1,524 people have complained of illness in Osaka and seven other prefectures in western Japan after drinking low-fat milk products produced by Snow Brand Milk Products Co.
JAPAN
Jul 1, 2000

NPA alarmed by huge rise in lock-picking burglaries

Alarmed by the sharp rise in the number of burglaries involving picked locks, the National Police Agency is taking tougher measures to put the brakes on the trend.
JAPAN
Jul 1, 2000

Court rejects complaint over Shiseido tactics

The Tokyo District Court on Friday rejected a complaint by cosmetics retailer Kawachiya Co. that a sales affiliate of Shiseido Co. violated the Antimonopoly Law when it canceled its wholesale contract with the retailer after it began discounting Shiseido products.
BUSINESS
Jul 1, 2000

Mazda to combine 37 minicar units

Mazda Motor Corp. said Friday that it will consolidate its 37 local wholesale subsidiaries for minicars into one by the end of this year as part of its restructuring drive.
MORE SPORTS
Jul 1, 2000

Japan needs foreign touch: Troussier

THE HAGUE -- Japan soccer coach Philippe Troussier may not know if he's coming or going when dealing with the Japan Football Association, but when it comes to his players and the team he has no doubts whatsoever.
JAPAN
Jul 1, 2000

Japan and Russia plan new pact on economy

Japan and Russia are likely to compile a new comprehensive package of economic cooperation measures to replace the three-year Hashimoto-Yeltsin Plan, which is to expire at the end of this year, government sources said Friday.
CULTURE / Music
Jul 1, 2000

Inciting the huddled masses to Rage Against the Machine

Bruce Springsteen's controversial new song, "American Skin (41 Shots)," about the shooting death of Amadou Diallo by New York City policemen, has split his fan base of blue-collar male boomers down political lines. Bob Lucente, the president of the New York State chapter of the Benevolent Order of Police,...
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 1, 2000

What's in a name? Freedom, for one thing

Puritans have long been viewed as people who couldn't stand the thought of anyone anywhere having a good time. The original Puritans really weren't that way, but today the world seems to be full of such killjoys.
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.

Longform

Once smoky, male-dominated spaces, today's net cafes, like Kaikatsu Club, are working to make their operations more attractive to women customers.
The second life of Japan's net cafes