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EDITORIALS
Sep 9, 2000

Dreaming of a better world

It is tempting to dismiss this week's Millennium Summit at the United Nations as pure hype. After all, it declared its aim was the eradication of poverty and war in the 21st century. Good luck. Yet, if the U.N. and its members do not hold such ambitions, then there is very little hope for our world in...
JAPAN
Aug 30, 2000

Talks to hold up Kitakyushu as environmental success story

Asia, with more than half the world's population and economies that continue to grow, poses one of the biggest environmental challenges of the coming century. The United Nations predicts that by 2025 more than half the region's population will have moved to the already packed metropolises.
JAPAN
Jul 29, 2000

Debt-hit Kansai airport sinking fast

OSAKA -- Without a 20 billion yen reconstruction effort, those who land at Kansai International Airport may find themselves having to swim to the passenger terminal.
JAPAN
Jul 19, 2000

Rich elderly urged to foot insurance bill

The Health and Welfare Ministry, in a white paper released Tuesday, called on rich elderly citizens to cover a larger portion of social insurance costs, saying the nation's medical insurance and pension systems can no longer function without contributions from all members of society.
LIFE / Travel
Jun 29, 2000

Take the sunset road to Fukuoka's natural lifestyle zone

"Everyone wants to head west," an architect friend told me recently. "It's natural. That's where the sun sets, and where thoughts of relaxation turn to at the end of the day."
JAPAN
May 15, 2000

Future of transport just round the corner

It's a sunny morning in the spring of 2013. As you ride a commuter train, an information panel on the wall announces a 30-minute delay caused by an accident. With your cellular phone, you search for an alternative route and make a reservation to get to your destination.
SUMO
Mar 27, 2000

Lowly Takatoriki captures first Emperor's Cup

No. 14 maegashira Takatoriki stunned Miyabiyama and the entire sumo world Sunday when he upset heavily favored sekiwake Miyabiyama to clinch the championship of the Haru Basho in Osaka with a spectacular 13-2 record. It not only marked 'Riki's first yusho, but it was also the first time in sumo history...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 15, 2000

Putting post-Seattle pieces back together

Billed as the most important meeting of the new millennium, the U.N. Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD X) in Bangkok in mid-February deserved its designation as "mother of all conferences." While it might not have had the cachet of a Davos World Economic Forum, it did not lack for luster and...
JAPAN
Mar 6, 2000

Japan needs juggling act to secure future in Asia

With China expected to assume a greater presence as a regional power both economically and militarily early next century, Japan appears groping for a way to get along with its giant neighbor without disrupting its decades-old security partnership with the United States.
JAPAN
Jan 5, 2000

Rural regions accentuate their pluses to lure city dwellers

Staff writer AYA, Miyazaki Pref. -- A small window on the upper floor of a two-story log house offers a magnificent view of mountains covered in dense deciduous forests of various color gradations. This landscape, coupled with the area's policy of promoting organic agriculture, prompted Teruhiko and...
COMMENTARY
Aug 31, 1999

ODA helps Japan, the world

Medium-term policy guidelines for Official Development Assistance, announced by the government Aug. 10, set the standards for implementing Japan's ODA between 1999 and 2003. The guidelines place emphasis on aid to Asian countries to help them implement structural reforms aimed at solving their economic...
JAPAN
Jul 19, 1999

Toyota's consolidation not telecom pullout, exec says

Staff writer
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 7, 1999

Numbers shape U.S. political landscape

WASHINGTON -- For the past two decades, Americans have been living in the shadow of the "twin towers of debt" that overhung the federal government and threatened the economic well-being of future generations: the national debt and the international balance of payments. Both grew geometrically during...
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 18, 1999

Learning to break the cycle of poverty

Lack of education, particularly among children, continues to be one of the main challenges to the well-being and quality of life of children worldwide, concludes a recent Oxfam International report titled, "Education Now: Break the Cycle of Poverty." According to this report, there are currently 125...
JAPAN
Apr 9, 1999

Improved information systems may reduce regulation

Staff writer
JAPAN
Apr 1, 1999

Colombia urges more trade transparency

Colombia will join Japan in a comprehensive and collective approach to the coming round of global free-trade talks, but Tokyo must make efforts to abolish agricultural subsidies and improve the transparency of its farm trade rules, Colombian Foreign Trade Minister Martha Ramirez said Thursday.
LIFE / Digital / CYBERIA
Mar 31, 1999

It's a poor workman ...

Readers probably haven't noticed, but The Japan Times has a new computer system. It's a lot like our old one, although it is speedier and it integrates a whole host of functions in one terminal; no longer do we have to leave our desk to accomplish different tasks.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 17, 1999

Exxon Valdez damage lingers, 10 years on

Ten years ago, March 24, 1989, the oil tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground on Bligh Reef south of Valdez, Alaska, precipitating the largest oil spill in North American history and forever altering the image of Prince William Sound as a largely untouched ecosystem.
JAPAN
Oct 21, 1998

Action agenda for Africa targets poverty, illiteracy

African countries and their development partners pledged Wednesday to attempt to halve the extreme poverty on the continent and achieve universal elementary school education by 2015.To this end, Japan pledged 90 billion yen, mostly grants for educational and health facilities."The ultimate objective...
JAPAN
Sep 14, 1998

Elderly population hits record high

The number of people in Japan age 65 or older have reached a record 20.49 million, accounting for 16.2 percent of the total population, the Management and Coordination Agency announced Monday for Respect for the Aged Day, which falls today.
JAPAN
Dec 3, 1997

Some hope dreamland will arise from returned base sites

GINOWAN, Okinawa Pref. -- On some 480 hectares of land in the heart of this subtropical island prefecture, a futuristic urban center, touted as an Asian hub for international exchanges, has been envisioned.
JAPAN
Apr 24, 1997

Okinawa, surplus, and Koreas to dominate U.S. summit

Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto and U.S. President Bill Clinton are expected to reaffirm their commitment to further strengthen bilateral relations, especially in the security field, when they meet April 25 in Washington.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 22, 2023

Putin’s nuclear scare tactics will fall flat

Ukraine and the West are smart to take Russia’s nuclear doctrine at face value: No nukes will fly until and unless Russia faces an existential threat. So far, it hasn’t.
Japan Times
SOCCER / Women's World Cup
Jun 22, 2023

Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan make fourth U.S. World Cup team

The two-time defending champion will be without captain Becky Sauerbrunn, 2023 leading scorer Mallory Swanson and veterans Sam Mewis and Catarina Macario due to injuries.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jun 22, 2023

'Nowhere to run': Islands stress climate risk at finance summit

Rising sea levels and cyclones made more deadly by global warming have put some areas on the front lines of climate impacts.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 21, 2023

The post-American Middle East

The recent cease-fire between Israel and Islamic Jihad, the detente between Iran and Saudi Arabia and the de-escalation in Yemen have all been accomplished with minimal Western involvement.
Japan Times
SOCCER / Women's World Cup
Jun 20, 2023

Nadeshiko coach says Women's World Cup TV blackout will harm game

FIFA had threatened a blackout in major European markets before reaching an agreement with broadcasters in Britain, Spain, France, Germany and Italy last week.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / Sac Bunts
Jun 19, 2023

Giants laid foundation for pennant race with solid interleague campaign

The Yomiuri Giants were in a good position to win NPB’s interleague title for the first time since 2014 before a sixth-inning error and ensuing two-run home run spoiled it all at Tokyo Dome on Sunday afternoon.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 19, 2023

COVID-19 was a natural experiment for climate policy

When fossil-fuel demand declines only in some countries, supply does not fall because other parts of the world will absorb the unused fuel at lower prices.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 19, 2023

Iran wants to make a deal the U.S. must refuse

Khameini thinks he has the leverage for an agreement easing punishment while keeping Iran's nuclear infrastructure. The response should be sanctions, sanctions and more sanctions.

Longform

Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.
With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear