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JAPAN
Jun 10, 1999

Analysis: Lofty administrative goals not attained by bills

It has been said that the two sets of administrative reform bills moving on to the Upper House will bring about Japan's most sweeping reforms in 100 years and end the bureaucracy's dominance over the administration.
JAPAN
Jun 10, 1999

Teachers to oppose flag, song bill

The Japan Teachers' Union began a three-day regular meeting Thursday in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward to discuss action plans with a special aim to oppose government moves to legally recognize the Hinomaru as the nation's flag and "Kimigayo" as the anthem.
JAPAN
Jun 10, 1999

LDP OKs Hinomaru, 'Kimigayo' bill

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party approved a Cabinet plan Thursday to adopt a bill today to legally recognize the Hinomaru as the national flag and "Kimigayo" as the anthem.
JAPAN
Jun 9, 1999

Ready for 2000?: Line-by-line repairs not enough, expert says

Last in an occasional series on Japan's Y2K preparedness
LIFE / Digital / CYBERIA
Jun 9, 1999

The random walk

Hoping to tap into that Amazon.com magic right here in Japan, Softbank (a software and publishing company), Seven-Eleven, Yahoo! Japan and Tohan, a book publisher and distributor, last week announced a joint venture to sell books online. e-Shopping! Books (who thinks up these names?) plans to open for...
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 8, 1999

Recovery hinges on fast action

Following U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan's comments suggesting a change in U.S. monetary policy, the surging U.S. stock market has apparently entered an adjustment phase. To prevent the booming U.S. economy from overheating, it is necessary to fine-tune monetary policy.
JAPAN
Jun 7, 1999

SAS to increase Kansai cargo flights

Scandinavian Airlines System plans to expand its cargo service between Osaka and Goteborg, Sweden, this fall due to growing cargo demand between Japan and Europe, executives of the carrier said Monday.
EDITORIALS
Jun 5, 1999

A wakeup call for us all

About a year ago, biologists woke up to a startling phenomenon: Amphibians -- frogs, toads, salamanders and newts -- were vanishing. No one knows why, but the results are pretty uniform across the world. Many people will not spare much anguish for the amphibians, but the fate of the frog is worth pondering...
JAPAN
Jun 4, 1999

UNEP kicks off third global photo contest

The head of the U.N. Environment Program announced Friday in Tokyo the launch of the world's largest photography contest in anticipation of World Environment Day.
JAPAN
Jun 4, 1999

Ex-LTCB execs face criminal charges

The nationalized Long-Term Credit Bank of Japan filed a criminal complaint Friday against its former top executives, accusing them of falsifying the bank's balance sheets and illegally paying dividends to shareholders without earning enough profit.
CULTURE / Music
Jun 4, 1999

An audience with the Tokyo culture king

Moichi Kuwahara's office occupies a crumbing apartment building in Tokyo's Yutenji district. The warren of small rooms resembles an art squat -- packed full of editors, graphic designers, writers and other creative types who provide the artistic fodder for Club King, a company whose products, magazines,...
EDITORIALS
Jun 3, 1999

A new world for Japanese business

The latest earnings reports from Japanese corporations listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange provide a running commentary on their predicament. Reflecting a drawn-out recession, both sales and profits plunged in the year to March 1999 (fiscal 1998). On average, sales in all industries except financial services...
JAPAN
Jun 3, 1999

Obuchi, Mahathir discuss crisis mission plans

Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi told visiting Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on Thursday Japan will send an economic research mission in August to six Asian countries hit by the region's currency crisis, a Foreign Ministry official said.
JAPAN
Jun 3, 1999

Liberals seek legislation to back recovery

Japan should concentrate over the next two years on achieving economic recovery and enact a basic law toward economic resuscitation, according to a basic policy draft adopted by the Liberal Party's executive council Thursday.
JAPAN
Jun 2, 1999

'Kimigayo' fliers not official state line: Nonaka

A leaflet explaining the lyrics of "Kimigayo," the de facto national anthem, that was distributed to Japanese embassies in more than 110 countries is not intended to be an official government interpretation, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiromu Nonaka said Wednesday.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / GETTING THINGS DONE
Jun 2, 1999

Found and lost

In looking through my file for information I needed for today's column, I was diverted by notes from readers that amused me, or might someday be useful. Here are a few of them:
JAPAN
Jun 2, 1999

Ishihara's Yokota visit fails to rally support

In a move designed to give another push toward the return or joint-use of the U.S. military's Yokota Air Base, Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara on Wednesday made a high-profile visit to the base and held a meeting with local mayors — but failed to forge local voices into a chorus.
JAPAN
May 31, 1999

Prange exhibit recalls Occupation's censorship

Staff writer
JAPAN
May 31, 1999

U.S. revokes $100,000 port tariffs

The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission has officially removed surcharges it had imposed in 1997, but later suspended, on three Japanese maritime carriers, Transport Ministry officials said Monday.
JAPAN
May 31, 1999

Rise in female smokers raises concern

KOBE -- Experts at an international symposium marking World No-Tobacco Day on Monday expressed concern over an increasing rate of young female smokers.
LIFE / Travel
May 27, 1999

Up, up and away in clear Saipan

A Japan Airlines Boeing 747 passed in front of me as I was taxiing to the runway in my rented Cessna 172. "Saipan Tower. 230. Request takeoff clearance," I said, trying to sound as if I had been doing this all my life.
ENVIRONMENT / GARDENING FOR ALL
May 27, 1999

Respect for the forest's elders

The Hokkaido University Botanic Garden is situated right in the heart of Sapporo, within easy reach of Sapporo Station. I really love to see trees grown at their best, and for those of you who feel the same, a visit to this garden is essential.
JAPAN
May 27, 1999

Storm, winds wreak havoc on Honshu

Strong winds and rain hit a wide area of Japan on Thursday, leaving one person dead and 15 people injured in Tokyo and Chiba Prefecture.
EDITORIALS
May 26, 1999

The IMF is called to account

The International Monetary Fund has already received a lot of flak from private experts for giving the wrong advice to troubled Asian economies. Another analysis to that effect, therefore, is nothing new. What is new -- and significant -- is that the Japanese government, in an official report, has now...
JAPAN
May 26, 1999

Foley defends Yokota base in meeting with Ishihara

U.S. Ambassador to Japan Thomas Foley stressed the importance of the U.S. Yokota Air Base in a meeting with Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara Wednesday, saying the base is "an essential part of U.S. forces' operations in Japan" and "a major hub of our transportation and supply services in East Asia."
JAPAN
May 24, 1999

April trade surplus shrinks 12.6% but rises against U.S.

The nation's trade surplus in April fell 12.6 percent from the year before to 1.07 trillion yen, as the fall in exports exceeded that of imports, the Finance Ministry said Monday.
JAPAN
May 20, 1999

Big shots endorse plan to rejuvenate manufacturing

To help Japan's ailing manufacturing firms in their restructuring efforts, an advisory panel of government and business leaders endorsed a set of proposals Thursday that include tax cuts to dispose of excess facilities and extended benefits for the unemployed.
JAPAN
May 20, 1999

Author blamed for Nanjing book cancellation

Kashiwashobo Publishing Co., which canceled publication of a Japanese version of the U.S. best-seller "The Rape of Nanking," said Thursday the translation deal collapsed because author Iris Chang rejected "corrections" the company wanted to make to the book.
JAPAN
May 19, 1999

Peru requests loans totaling $300 million

Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori asked Japan on Wednesday to provide $300 million in untied loans via the Export-Import Bank of Japan to help his nation's ailing financial institutions combat the region's financial crisis.
EDITORIALS
May 18, 1999

Keep trade reform alive

An open international trade system is the backbone of the global economy. Vigorous trade has been the instrument of international prosperity in the past half-century. The secret of the trading order's success has been its continual expansion in terms of members (the number of nations) and reach (such...

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