Search - japan

 
 
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 5, 2000

The odd debacle in the Diet

In an unprecedented development in Japanese political history, the opposition forces are boycotting all Diet proceedings to protest the ruling coalition's handling of the controversial legislation for reducing the number of Lower House seats. The Democratic Party of Japan, the Japan Communist Party and...
EDITORIALS
Feb 4, 2000

Time to stop playing games

The Diet is stuck in turmoil, with all opposition parties boycotting both plenary and committee sessions. In both Houses, all legislative procedures -- the delivery of key policy speeches, questions and answers, and even a vote -- have been conducted by and for the benefit of only the ruling-party members....
JAPAN
Feb 4, 2000

Calligraphy: window to soul of disabled

Staff writer NARA -- Keitaro Shimotsu, 21, leans forward over a desk from his wheelchair and moves his calligraphy brush on the paper. Suffering from cerebral palsy, he needs to gather great strength to complete one kanji character. But working on calligraphy is an expression of his inner spirit, creating...
JAPAN
Feb 4, 2000

Koreans want governor to push for their rights

Staff writer OSAKA -- A new Osaka governor will be elected today by some 7 million eligible voters in the prefecture, which has a population of 8.83 million. While voter turnout figures show nearly half did not cast ballots in the last three gubernatorial elections, some are unable to vote in local...
CULTURE / Stage
Feb 4, 2000

Dance fests spotlight solo performances

Tokyo is awash with festivals of dance this month, mostly by solo dancers, which is not surprising since the majority of performers here prefer the controlled environment of one-man shows. But what is surprising is that even with all the organization involved in planning these events, the sudden accumulation...
BUSINESS
Feb 4, 2000

Greenback looks ready to test 110 yen level

The dollar has broken out of a narrow range, recouping much of its recent losses against the yen.
BUSINESS
Feb 3, 2000

Citigroup unit to participate in pension business

A Japanese unit of Citigroup of the United States is ready to tie up with the vast nationwide network of state-run post offices in entering the new pension business.
LIFE
Feb 3, 2000

Harvesting the world's profusion

"In Japanese, we call that shrub an asebi," says botanist and potter Gufudo Watanabe. Without a pause, the sinewy man with the graying goatee tells me the two other common names in Japanese, the Latin name (Pieris japonica) and the English common name (Japanese andromeda).
JAPAN
Feb 2, 2000

Nago airport plan seen as dugong threat

Less playful than dolphins and not as awesomely powerful as whales, dugongs have somehow failed to capture the popular imagination like their more dynamic cetacean brethren.
ENVIRONMENT
Feb 2, 2000

Look out for masked bandits at roadside

It is amazing what one can see out of the corner of an eye.
JAPAN
Feb 2, 2000

Analysis: Obstinacy may backfire on both sides

The ruling coalition on Wednesday dug its heels in even deeper as a political battle for public sentiment with the opposition camp took another turn.
BUSINESS
Feb 2, 2000

Factors work to lift dollar

The dollar has rebounded strongly against the euro and yen amid optimism about U.S. economic growth.
BUSINESS
Feb 1, 2000

Today's full decontrols may put air fares in a dive

While the entry of new airlines two years ago accelerated industry competition in Japan, fares are likely to drop further as full deregulation is introduced today.
JAPAN
Feb 1, 2000

Citigroup unit to join post offices for pensions

Staff writer A Japanese unit of Citigroup of the United States is ready to tie up with the vast nationwide network of state-run post offices in entering the new pension business. "We stand ready to support them in any way that we can," Gary Jackson, director of defined-contribution plans at the Tokyo-based...
JAPAN
Feb 1, 2000

Nago base plan threatens dugong habitat

Less playful than dolphins and not as awesomely powerful as whales, dugongs have somehow failed to capture the popular imagination like their more dynamic cetacean brethren. But this endangered creature, found off the east coast of Okinawa's main island, may soon steal the limelight.
JAPAN
Jan 31, 2000

Deregulation likely to send air fares into nosedive

Staff writer While the entry of new airlines two years ago accelerated competition in the industry in Japan, fares are likely to drop further as full deregulation is introduced today. The revised Civil Aeronautics Law will eliminate regulations on domestic air fares. As a result, domestic airlines will...
ENVIRONMENT
Jan 31, 2000

Fighting the illegal wildlife trade

PRETORIA -- Praised as the best wildlife law-enforcement agency in all of Africa, South Africa's Endangered Species Protection Unit combines perilous undercover investigation and hardline law enforcement with a passion for one of Africa's most precious resources -- its wildlife.
BUSINESS
Jan 31, 2000

Gateway tweaks sales strategy by applying Dilbert principle

Gateway is bullish on Japan, especially on the smaller businesses it is targeting, and the computer maker is counting on a perhaps unlikely character to help make the sale: a mouthless, bespectacled, befuddled -- yet likable -- dweeb named Dilbert.
JAPAN
Jan 31, 2000

Galleon to virtually re-enact first contact with Europe

Staff writer Visit the Osaka Maritime Museum when it opens this summer, and you might want to take along a waterproof poncho, motion sickness pills and a sword. This has nothing to do with the location of the all-glass, globe-shaped museum, which floats like a giant mirror ball on the waters of Osaka...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jan 30, 2000

More Japanese baseball games on the horizon?

Japanese sports papers are saying the Central and Pacific Leagues are thinking of expanding their season schedules to 140 games in 2001, and the PL is considering re-adopting its split-season format used between 1975 and 1982. If they follow through, it will be the most games played by the teams here...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Jan 30, 2000

Rihito Kimura

To answer the question what is bioethics, professor Rihito Kimura wrote a book and more than a hundred articles. "It is a huge subject," he said. "Many people think its focus is on medical issues, but it is much wider than that. It has ethical, legal and social implications too, in an environmental context....
BUSINESS
Jan 28, 2000

Finance meeting ends rates speculation

Last week's Group of Seven meeting of financial leaders in Tokyo provided Japan with an opportunity to clear up doubts about its monetary policy options.
JAPAN
Jan 28, 2000

Obuchi calls for creation of level, not vertical, society

In a speech before a Diet devoid of opposition members, Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi called Friday for the creation of a nation in which individuals are not submerged in society but showcase their abilities and help invigorate the country. The opposition decided to boycott the session to protest the...
JAPAN
Jan 28, 2000

Obuchi, Putin reaffirm need to advance relations

Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi and acting Russian President Vladimir Putin reaffirmed Friday their dedication to work toward the early realization of a summit meeting, hopefully before the July Group of Eight summit in Okinawa, a Foreign Ministry official said. In a 20-minute telephone conversation, Putin...
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 27, 2000

Bringing an end to South Asia's cycle of violence

South Asia once again is in a cycle of violence. It began with the drama of the seven-day hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight 814. The ordeal came to a shocking end on the eve of the new millennium as India's external affairs minister, who vowed to not give in to the terrorists' demands, swapped three...
JAPAN
Jan 27, 2000

Softbank unit, Lehman form online bond-trading venture

Softbank Finance Corp. and Lehman Brothers announced on Thursday the establishment of a joint venture tasked with operating Japan's first online bond-trading system. Named E-Bond Securities Co., the new brokerage will operate a proprietary trading system to deal mostly in municipal bonds, bank debentures...
JAPAN
Jan 27, 2000

State considers move to inflation targeting

Staff writer With little room left for government spending to stimulate the fragile economy, political pressure on the Bank of Japan is rising. The Liberal Democratic Party's panel on financial affairs decided Thursday to launch a working team next week to study whether the BOJ should adopt inflation...
JAPAN
Jan 27, 2000

Team attempts Khmer software to computerize Cambodia

Staff writer When you send e-mail, either in English or Japanese, you assume it can be read on the recipient's computer screen without any problems. But if the message is in Khmer, chances are that it will be turned into a series of symbols that make no sense. "What is common in Japan (and other industrialized...
COMMUNITY
Jan 26, 2000

Bright lanterns, big New Year

Chinese New Year is always explosive, and that has nothing to do with Y2K. It is a three-day whirl of festivities, dancing dragons and lions, prayers, fiery lanterns, "lucky money" for children and mountains of exquisite dishes.
JAPAN
Jan 26, 2000

Panel asked to find better ways of teaching English

To produce more Japanese who can communicate effectively in the international community in the 21st century, the Education Ministry set up an advisory panel Wednesday to map out recommendations on better ways of teaching English. At the panel's first meeting, Education Minister Hirofumi Nakasone said...

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