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ENVIRONMENT
Mar 12, 2000

Worries balanced with hope in 'State of the World 2000'

Attempting to evaluate the state of our world is an absurdly complex task. Nevertheless, that is what the Worldwatch Institute has done every year since 1984, and has done once again this year with "The State of the World 2000."
COMMENTARY
Mar 12, 2000

Timing the general election

All proceedings in the current ordinary Diet session are going smoothly. The lull is in stark contrast to a period of turmoil from late January to early February triggered by the opposition boycott of the Diet over the ruling bloc's railroading of a bill for cutting the number of Lower House seats by...
EDITORIALS
Mar 12, 2000

Here comes the cashless society

The experts may be right that e-commerce and online shopping represent the unstoppable wave of the future. But with all the media attention being lavished on cybermarketing, perhaps not enough attention is being paid to other new ways in which determined merchants are trying to get reluctant consumers...
CULTURE / Art
Mar 12, 2000

'50 Masters' help to retune the eye

Compelling textures, mysterious forms and incredible skill: These are the vivid impressions of a visit to the exhibition "50 Masters of Contemporary Japanese Crafts," at Mitsukoshi's Nihonbashi store. Here are a hundred works in ceramics, textiles, lacquer, metal, wood, bamboo and the newer field of...
JAPAN
Mar 10, 2000

45% food self-sufficiency targeted for 2010

The Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry plans to increase Japan's food self-sufficiency in terms of caloric intake to 45 percent in fiscal 2010, ministry officials said Thursday.
JAPAN
Mar 10, 2000

DPJ to accept Pyongyang invitation

The Democratic Party of Japan plans to dispatch a delegation of lawmakers to North Korea, possibly this summer, at the request of Pyongyang's de facto No. 2 man, party officials said Thursday.
BUSINESS
Mar 10, 2000

FSA surprises Nippon Life with inspection of its assets

The Financial Supervisory Agency on Thursday conducted a surprise inspection of Japan's largest life insurer, Nippon Life Insurance Co., the latest in a series of inspections of life insurers, sources close to Nippon Life said.
JAPAN
Mar 9, 2000

Chronology of MOX falsification

* Aug. 20, 1999 -- BNFL discovers MOX data falsification related to fuel being produced for Takahama No. 3 reactor.
BUSINESS
Mar 9, 2000

Oversupply to stunt dollar's comeback

The dollar-yen rate is struggling to find direction.
COMMUNITY
Mar 9, 2000

Alley cats not just a local problem

For over 15 years, Bruno Ruggeri fed abandoned cats near his home in Kamakura daily.
MULTIMEDIA / SPORTS SCOPE
Mar 9, 2000

FIFA's unified calendar needs flexibility

The problem for people who come up with good ideas is that these pearls of wisdom are often put into practice by people with no idea.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Mar 9, 2000

No stereotypes in 'the House of Weeds'

So you think Korean food is all smoky yakiniku, meat-laden stews and fiery, spicy kimchi? That's a bit like saying Chinese people eat nothing but ramen and gyoza; or that Thai cuisine begins and ends with tom yam kung. Or that there's nothing to eat in Japan except sushi, tempura and sukiyaki.
JAPAN
Mar 9, 2000

Falun Gong branch fails to gain metro NPO nod

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has rejected an application to grant nonprofit organization status to the Japanese branch of China's outlawed Falun Gong spiritual movement, officials said.
JAPAN
Mar 8, 2000

Pyongyang food deal aims to help relations

The government announced Tuesday that it will resume food aid to North Korea, setting the stage for full-fledged talks on normalizing diplomatic relations.
LIFE / Travel
Mar 8, 2000

Steaming winter away in Yamagata

Water's three states converge at ground level in Yamagata Prefecture in winter: The white stuff never seems to stop falling, and the hot spring water never fails to bubble up, sending steam into the chilly air.
COMMUNITY / How-tos
Mar 8, 2000

Where it counts

People would often like to take their vacations in Japan to learn more of the history and culture, but when they start checking, they discover the price is too high and end up in other Asian countries that offer multi-bargains. A reader has heard of the new low fares soon to be available within Japan...
COMMUNITY
Mar 7, 2000

Town makes returns on back of boomerang boom

TOKAMACHI, Niigata Pref. -- Uninformed visitors to Tokamachi might be forgiven for thinking the small, central Niigata Prefecture city has a problem with UFOs.
COMMENTARY
Mar 7, 2000

E-nough of this e-mania

E-commerce fever has spread from the United States to Europe and Japan. New e-commerce companies are mushrooming everywhere and new issues are snapped up even if there is no prospect of profits for years. Young men and women with a bright e-commerce idea become millionaires overnight. The feverish demand...
EDITORIALS
Mar 6, 2000

Aiming at a million

It had to happen. The slick but savvy TV quiz show "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?," which first took Britain by storm and then went on to conquer America, is poised to invade Japan. Fuji Television announced last month that it will begin airing a tailored-for-Japan version of the show -- to be called...
JAPAN
Mar 5, 2000

Firms moving to push employees out

More and more firms are stepping up downsizing programs by transferring staff to subsidiaries or offering generous retirement deals, according to a survey released Saturday by Japan's largest trade union group.
COMMUNITY / How-tos
Mar 5, 2000

The arts

A woman who first came to Japan some 40 years ago remembers that in those days there were many dinner clubs that featured dancing and floor shows. One act she has never forgotten: A Chinese family sat in a row at a table with the grandmother in the middle and the youngest at the two ends. They were dressed...
CULTURE / Art
Mar 5, 2000

Treasures of the House of Orange

Four hundred years ago, in spring 1600, a Dutch ship made landfall in Kyushu, the sole survivor of five that had set out on the hazardous journey from Rotterdam two years before.
BUSINESS
Mar 4, 2000

Updated PlayStation lands in stores

PlayStation2, the advanced version of the world's most popular video game console, goes on sale today amid growing expectations that the new machine will serve as a powerful tool connecting homes to cyberspace in the near future.

Longform

"Shake hands with Lima-chan," a statue that shares the name of the Peruvian capital looks in the direction of Peru, where a sister statue, "Sakura-chan," is located. Erected in Yokohama's Rinko Park in 1999, it commemorates Peruvian-Japanese friendship.
The journey of Peru’s Nikkei: Finding identity in Japan