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JAPAN
Feb 1, 2001

Mori highlights reform, recovery, IT

Introduction At the opening of the 151st session of the Diet, as the prime minister of Japan charged with the affairs of state as we mark the turn of the century, I would like to state my views as I once again brace myself to bear forward the burden of responsibility in this historical era.
CULTURE / Music / FUZZY LOGIC
Jan 30, 2001

Getting off on the art of noise

I got a beer in my hand and a slim bottle of Zubrovka vodka stuffed in my back pocket for back-up, but all this rock 'n' roll partying business seems rather inappropriate right now.
JAPAN
Jan 29, 2001

Mori's Diet-opening remarks to touch on restoring trust

Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori will pledge to strive to restore public trust in politics in his policy speech to be delivered at the outset of the 150-day regular Diet session convening Wednesday, government sources said Sunday.
COMMENTARY
Jan 27, 2001

KSD places Mori in peril

Dark clouds hang over Japanese politics. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party has been jolted by allegations that some of its leading members took payoffs from the mutual-aid organization KSD. The scandal came after Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori reshuffled his Cabinet last month and the restructured central...
JAPAN
Jan 27, 2001

South Korea wants more than token ties

Japan should be more reciprocative in efforts to solidify ties with South Korea, given the extent to which South Korean President Kim Dae Jung has pursued forward-looking bilateral relations, according to Seoul's ambassador to Japan, Choi Sang Yong.
COMMENTARY
Jan 26, 2001

Plagued by scandal yet again

Fukushiro Nukaga was forced to resign Tuesday as minister for economic and fiscal policy over allegations that he received 15 million yen from the mutual-aid organization KSD in return for favors. Nukaga denied accepting the money himself but admitted that one of his secretaries had received it. He said...
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 26, 2001

It's up to Japan to act on trade ties

The new administration of George W. Bush has placed low priority on trade policy toward Japan, making it crucial that Tokyo take the initiative in developing closer trans-Pacific economic ties rather than waiting for overtures from Washington, a U.S. think tank member told a symposium held just before...
EDITORIALS
Jan 24, 2001

Putting bureaucrats in the back seat

The Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy, an advisory panel to the Cabinet Office, is the highlight of the Jan. 6 government reorganization. The high-powered council, which includes private advisers, cuts across ministerial lines. It represents part of a comprehensive attempt to shift the policymaking...
LIFE / Digital / CYBERIA
Jan 24, 2001

Back in the loop

This is not what you would call a lede per se, but indulge me for a few paragraphs. This will take some explaining.
JAPAN
Jan 24, 2001

State minister Aso well-connected

Taro Aso, appointed minister for economic and fiscal policy and information technology on Tuesday, is a former Olympic competitor and grandchild of the late Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida.
EDITORIALS
Jan 22, 2001

Mr. Bush gets down to business

Texas Gov. George W. Bush was sworn as the 43rd president of the United States at noon on Saturday in Washington. Mr. Bush leads a nation that is more politically divided than at any time in its history. He must bring the country together. The U.S. must be united if it is to assume its role as a leader...
JAPAN
Jan 22, 2001

Experts reach agreement to preserve disputed isles

Scientists, conservation experts and policymakers from Japan and Russia on Sunday called for joint scientific research and a cooperative program transcending politics to preserve four pristine Russian islands that punctuate the southern Kuril archipelago northeast of Hokkaido.
JAPAN
Jan 20, 2001

Estrada may not get invitation to Japan

The embattled Philippine President Joseph Estrada's abrupt announcement Friday night to resign later this year has forced Tokyo to rewrite its diplomatic calendar.
COMMENTARY
Jan 19, 2001

EU overlooking a vital ally in Turkey

LONDON -- The Turkish "problem" is looming ever larger in European affairs.
COMMENTARY
Jan 16, 2001

Best politics money can buy

Under a new law, which will come into force shortly in Britain, all political donations of more than 5,000 British pounds (some 800,000 yen) will have to be reported and foreign donations will be disallowed. The rules have been brought in to deal with suspicions that large donations to party funds may...
CULTURE / Music / FUZZY LOGIC
Jan 16, 2001

The buy-or-die albums of 2000

In 2000 America rocked with Limp Bizkit, Slipknot and At The Drive In, while Britain got all soppy and introverted with Richard Ashcroft, Coldplay and Belle & Sebastian. As for Japan, I have mixed feelings. It was great that Melt-Banana, Audio Active and 54 Nude Honeys (my favorite Japanese bands) all...
CULTURE / Books
Jan 16, 2001

New looks at an enduring alliance

NEW PERSPECTIVES ON U.S.-JAPAN RELATIONS, edited by Gerald Curtis. Tokyo: Japan Center for International Exchange, 2000, 302 pp., paper. JAPAN-U.S. ALLIANCE: New Challenges for the 21st Century, edited by Nishihara Masashi. Tokyo: Japan Center for International Exchange, 2000, 191 pp., paper. It's...
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....
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 13, 2001

In Thailand, good losers teach a key lesson

SISAKET, Thailand -- "If the counting is fair, losers must accept the results," said Thai Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai, trying to calm down an anxious nation as rioting spread to over a dozen provinces in the wake of national elections Jan. 6. Having just lost the premiership as his party was trounced...
JAPAN
Jan 9, 2001

Liberal Party 'prep school' opened

The Liberal Party on Monday formally opened its "prep school" for future politicians at a hall in Tokyo.
EDITORIALS
Jan 8, 2001

Symbolism and the strait

In 1958, the Nationalist forces that ruled Taiwan conducted a 44-day artillery duel with the mainland, firing from the tiny islands of Matsu and Quemoy. At the time, the exchange prompted fears of a wider conflict. Slowly, however, the barrages became routine: China only fired on odd-numbered days to...
JAPAN
Jan 8, 2001

Opposition targets ruling camp's majority

Opposition leaders said Sunday they will do their utmost to ensure the tripartite ruling coalition loses its majority in the House of Councilors in July's election.
JAPAN
Jan 7, 2001

Ex-mob boss, cop critic sue police, claim freedom of speech violations

OTSU, Shiga Pref. -- In what may be the first case of its kind in Japan, a retired yakuza boss and a vocal police critic are suing Shiga Prefectural Police for what they consider a violation of their constitutional rights.
EDITORIALS
Jan 6, 2001

Good luck, Mr. Bush, you'll need it

At the start of a new century, the world situation remains in flux. The much-heralded "new world order" has yet to arrive. The United States, of course, holds the key. Developments in the next few years -- not only in the field of economics, but also in politics and security -- will depend largely on...
BUSINESS
Jan 6, 2001

Young information technology execs join social revolution

The role played by young people in promoting information technology in society was highlighted in early December when a teenage company executive was recognized and won an award for being the person most representative of the IT revolution.
JAPAN
Jan 6, 2001

Mori to embark on African trip

Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori leaves Sunday for a nine-day trip to South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria and Greece with the aim of boosting diplomatic ties with sub-Saharan Africa. He will be the first Japanese prime minister to visit the region.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jan 4, 2001

Blips that stayed on the media radar

Media Persons of the Year: Yasuo Tanaka and Shintaro Ishihara
JAPAN
Jan 1, 2001

Huge deposit offer draws suspicions

A businessman claiming to be the Japan representative of a U.S. welfare foundation in February approached a major Japanese bank proposing to deposit what he described as the huge assets of former Indonesian President Sukarno's half brother, industry sources said Saturday.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 1, 2001

New opportunities for Japan-U.S. ties

The administration of U.S. President-elect George W. Bush will include many pro-Japanese officials. This reflects U.S. political history. Many officials of President Bill Clinton's administration had served under President Jimmy Carter, who came to power 12 years earlier. For example, former Secretary...
COMMENTARY
Jan 1, 2001

It's time for bold diplomacy

In the 21st century, Japan should rise to the diplomatic challenge of developing strategies to create a new order in East Asia, where confusion still reigns after the end of the Cold War.

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