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CULTURE / Film
Apr 25, 2001

Hidden Gems

'Straight-to-video" is a term that carries a stigma, and deservedly so. So much of what emerges without theatrical release is either slasher, sleaze or sly made-for-TV imitations of a bigger-budgeted film (e.g., "Asteroid," released just prior to "Armageddon"). But here in Japan there is a surprisingly...
JAPAN
Apr 25, 2001

Koizumi promises to base appointments on ability

New LDP President Junichiro Koizumi on Tuesday pledged to fill his Cabinet and party posts according to ability rather than factional concerns.
EDITORIALS
Apr 25, 2001

A new era for the Americas

That is the best way to describe the decision reached last weekend by 34 Pan-American leaders. Gathering in Quebec City, they defied thousands of violent protesters and agreed to create the Free Trade Area of the Americas. The removal of trade barriers from the Arctic to the southern tip of Argentina,...
JAPAN
Apr 25, 2001

Koizumi takes LDP helm

Junichiro Koizumi was elected Tuesday as the 20th president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, gaining 298 votes in the initial balloting of the party's lawmakers.
JAPAN
Apr 24, 2001

Koizumi vows to destroy forces blocking reforms

Garnering a whopping 87 percent of the local vote in the LDP's presidential primaries, maverick reformer Junichiro Koizumi on Monday vowed to "destroy" forces standing against his reform agenda and launch a Cabinet free of the party's factional shackles.
JAPAN
Apr 24, 2001

China halts visits over Lee's trip to Japan

China has decided to suspend visits to Japan by its senior officials for the time being to protest former Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui's visit to Japan that began Sunday, a Beijing-based Japanese source familiar with bilateral relations said Monday.
BUSINESS
Apr 24, 2001

Japan in quandary over Iran rail project

After several years of warming and rapidly advancing relations, Japan and Iran may be at a crossroads once again.
BUSINESS
Apr 23, 2001

Dollar likely to stay firm against yen

The U.S. dollar is likely to be firm against the yen in Tokyo next week as uncertainty over Japan's politics and economy continues to restrain the currency, dealers said.
JAPAN
Apr 23, 2001

Taiwan's Lee arrives in Japan for checkup

OSAKA -- Former Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui arrived in Japan on Sunday evening for a five-day stay to have a medical checkup, a visit that China says will be met with a "necessary reaction."
CULTURE / Music
Apr 22, 2001

Killing the Buddha -- form vs. content in hogaku

Nagauta shamisen players and singers line up in perfect rows across the kabuki stage, facing the audience while singing deeply expressive music with deadpan faces.
JAPAN
Apr 21, 2001

Terms of Lee trip agreed upon

Japan and representatives of former Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui have agreed on the terms of Lee's trip to Japan, paving the way for the issuance of an entry visa, a top-ranking Japanese government official said Friday.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Apr 21, 2001

Jane Best Cooke

In Queen Elizabeth II's New Year's honors list, Jane Best Cooke was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire. She was awarded this distinction in recognition of her contribution to the promotion in Japan of British culture, and to a wide range of charitable and international friendship activities....
COMMENTARY
Apr 21, 2001

U.S. must seek three-way balance in Asia

LOS ANGELES -- China is about to get a new U.S. ambassador. But will it get a new U.S. China policy?
JAPAN
Apr 20, 2001

Japan set to issue visa to Lee if he pledges to avoid politics

Japan is likely to issue an entry visa to former Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui if he agrees to a condition set by Tokyo that the visit be solely for medical treatment, government sources said Thursday.
EDITORIALS
Apr 19, 2001

Beyond the textbook controversy

A junior high-school history textbook edited by a nationalist group continues to stir controversy and provoke anger, especially in South Korea. The textbook in question, written by the Japanese Society for Textbook Reform, which calls existing history textbooks "masochistic," recently cleared censorship...
JAPAN
Apr 19, 2001

LDP race: popular appeal vs. vote machines

Garnering support in the Liberal Democratic Party for former Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto before Tuesday's LDP presidential poll was no easy task for staffers.
JAPAN
Apr 18, 2001

Decision imminent on Lee visa problem

Japan may decide by as early as this afternoon whether to issue a visa to former Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui, who wants to visit Japan later this month to undergo a medical checkup for his heart condition, government sources said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Apr 16, 2001

LDP presidential candidates spar over cure for economy

The four hopefuls in the race to replace Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori remained divided Sunday over their prescriptions for Japan's diseased economy.
JAPAN
Apr 16, 2001

Lee urges Japan to issue his visa

TAIPEI -- Former Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui strongly urged Tokyo on Sunday to issue him a visa for a medical checkup in Japan, saying his heart condition is worsening.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 14, 2001

A Japanese PM as seen from abroad

CHIANG MAI, Thailand -- It is beyond the parameters of this column to plunge into the murky waters of Japanese domestic politics. But the case of Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori -- and the ways this case has generally been reported in the foreign media -- calls for some scrutiny, especially since it automatically...
JAPAN
Apr 13, 2001

Four candidates file for LDP presidency

The Liberal Democratic Party's presidential race kicked into gear Thursday as four big names officially filed their candidacies, supported by their policies to lift the economy out of its rut.
EDITORIALS
Apr 7, 2001

One year on for Mr. Putin

Surveying his first year in office, Russian President Vladimir Putin has reason for some satisfaction. The political situation has stabilized, a withdrawal of Russian troops from Chechnya has been announced and the economy is growing. Russia faces a much brighter future than it has at any time in the...
JAPAN
Apr 7, 2001

Hashimoto, Koizumi eye No. 1 spot

The race for the next Liberal Democratic Party president heated up Friday as both Ryutaro Hashimoto, minister in charge of administrative reform, and former posts minister Junichiro Koizumi indicated that they are ready to run.
COMMENTARY
Apr 2, 2001

Close the book on censorship

Since the end of World War II, the censorship of history textbooks in Japan has raised political and diplomatic issues. Recently, a social-studies textbook edited by a nationalist group again stirred controversy, offending the Chinese and South Koreans.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 2, 2001

Shattering the myth of a leaderless Japan

Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori's term in office is just about finished. He has had his summits, the budget has been passed, and he has completed one year in office. Gaffes notwithstanding, Mori can now step down with a clear conscience and some tangible accomplishments. Attention now focuses on picking...
EDITORIALS
Apr 1, 2001

A crime for the times

Italy, a country we are celebrating this year in Japan, is at the cutting edge of all sorts of things: food, fashion, fast cars, films and some interesting criminal practices. Oh, and bizarre opera plots. Sometimes it seems as if those last two get a bit entangled.

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