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BUSINESS
Jul 26, 2002

Stronger national identity sought

OYAMA, Shizuoka Pref. -- Education is the key to establishing a stronger national identity amid globalization, business leaders said Thursday.
JAPAN
Jul 26, 2002

Move to slash foreign aid sparks strong opposition

A government advisory panel submitted to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Thursday a final report on official development assistance policy criticizing the administration's moves to slash ODA spending under its reform drive.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jul 25, 2002

When the 'Big One' hits, help will be close at hand

Recently, the U.S. Ambassador to Japan, Howard Baker wrote to Mr. Minoru Mori, President of Mori Building Company to thank him, "on behalf of those in Japan for (his) kindness in providing a storage location for disaster relief supplies. . .and essential items such as bottled water,blankets, clothing...
JAPAN
Jul 24, 2002

Kawaguchi faces uphill battle over reform effort

Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi is set to map out her plan on ministry reform in August, but she faces a tough job satisfying a weary public and proposals from diverse circles on how to put the scandal-tainted ministry on track.
JAPAN
Jul 24, 2002

Russia ready for 'action plan': Losyukov

Visiting Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Aleksandr Losyukov told Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi on Tuesday that he wants to discuss the agenda for a bilateral "action plan" of cooperation measures during their talks this week, according to a Foreign Ministry official.
SOCCER / World cup
Jul 23, 2002

Zico takes charge, offers his vision

Former Brazil international and Kashima technical director Zico formally signed on with the Japan Football Association on Monday to coach the national team.
JAPAN
Jul 21, 2002

Kawaguchi to meet Ivanov in Brunei

Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi plans to meet with her Russian counterpart, Igor Ivanov, during the Asian regional security conference when it convenes later this month in Brunei, according to government sources.
SOCCER / World cup
Jul 21, 2002

JFA officially names Zico as new coach

The Japan Football Association officially approved the appointment of Zico as Japan's new national team coach, JFA president Saburo Kawabuchi said Saturday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jul 21, 2002

On the crest of something big

When you drop from the crest of a vertical wall of water teetering on a narrow piece of fiberglass, the human instinct for survival takes over and there's only primal fear and wild excitement in your heart. The ocean's roar engulfs you, though all seems strangely silent; time freezes, and the gods look...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jul 21, 2002

The man who would be dolphin

In the corner of a dive shop in a small city on the tip of the Boso Peninsula two hours' drive northeast of Tokyo, there is a shrine dedicated to Jacques Mayol, the French free diver immortalized in Luc Besson's 1983 film, "The Big Blue," who hanged himself last December.
JAPAN
Jul 21, 2002

Economic support to China necessary, Kawaguchi says

OSAKA -- Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi said Saturday she believes it is necessary for Japan to extend economic assistance to China, despite international concerns about the country's increasing military budget.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jul 21, 2002

Think aquatically, dive locally

Scuba diving in the waters of Palau, Hawaii, the Great Barrier Reef of Australia, Grand Cayman Island and the Red Sea certainly provides exciting and unforgettable experiences. I can say this with confidence because I have dived in then all.
JAPAN
Jul 20, 2002

Better deal urged for part-timers

Japan should improve working conditions for part-time and contract workers and try to bring conditions for this sector of the workforce more in line with regular employees, an advisory panel to the labor ministry urged in a report released Friday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / HONING ENGLISH
Jul 19, 2002

English education at early age gains momentum

Don't worry about grammar; listen more and enjoy speaking.
BUSINESS
Jul 19, 2002

PoweredCom, IIJ in tieup talks

PoweredCom Inc., a data communications firm owned by Tokyo Electric Power Co. and nine other utilities, is negotiating with Internet provider Internet Initiative Japan Inc. over a possible business integration deal, the two companies confirmed Thursday.
ENVIRONMENT
Jul 18, 2002

'Factory' fishing threatens marine stocks

Ever evening at sunset, Maruyama Keizo, 64, and his brother Motoichi, 54, of Minabe, Wakayama Prefecture, take their boat out and return the next morning at dawn with their catch: either flatfish or sardines, depending on the season. In his 50-year working life, Maruyama has seen shrinking catches, the...
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Jul 18, 2002

Net-based control system reality today

"The lights are on but nobody's home" used to be a slur, a criticism of inability, inadequacy, ineptitude. Not any more.
EDITORIALS
Jul 17, 2002

Dialogue: Pyongyang's only option

Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi's visit to South Korea over the weekend, coming after the naval clash between North and South Korean patrol boats in the Yellow Sea in late June, has served to spotlight the volatility of inter-Korean relations. The diplomatic fallout from the sea battle, in which the...
BUSINESS / ON THE FRONT LINE
Jul 17, 2002

Dollar southbound as U.S. bubble bursts

The dollar will remain under strong selling pressure, as if in line with bearish U.S. stocks. Although macroeconomic indicators are still firm, the market tends to trade on stock prices.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 17, 2002

It takes a village . . .

The feat of building a community takes vision, commitment and lots of time. But once every year, a massive village materializes on a mountainside in Niigata Prefecture in late July, only to vanish into thin air less than a week later.
COMMENTARY
Jul 16, 2002

Mark of Koizumi's mettle

At the end of the recent Group of Eight summit in Kananaskis, Canada, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi expressed confidence in successfully implementing his reform programs, including plans for highway administration and postal services. Koizumi said, "My G8 partners praised and encouraged me when I...
BASEBALL / MLB
Jul 14, 2002

Another stop on All-Star circuit for Powell

Jeremy Powell took the mound Saturday for the Pacific Leaguers in the second installment of the 2002 All-Star Series, it marked the first time in 41 years that a foreign pitcher from the Kintetsu Buffaloes had taken part in Japan's annual midsummer classic.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jul 14, 2002

Going to any lengths to avoid giving offense

Weird Tales of Self-Restraint No. 16: Heroes are Hard to Find
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jul 14, 2002

It's a wired, wired world

If you were among the hordes of shoppers itching to spend summer bonuses last weekend, perhaps you got caught up in the frenzy in Akihabara. Everywhere in Tokyo's "Electric Town," the hunt was on for air conditioners, computers, MD players, stereos and the latest flat-screen TVs.
SOCCER / World cup
Jul 13, 2002

With the World Cup over, J. League gets back to business

The World Cup may be over, but Japan's newly converted soccer fans will still have plenty to cheer about when J. League Division One action resumes Saturday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Jul 13, 2002

Ciaran Murray

"I had to come to Japan, to sit in a garden and discover something of Japanese culture, in order to write the history of my hometown," Ciaran Murray said.
BUSINESS
Jul 12, 2002

Benetton to open more megastores

Apparel giant Benetton Japan Co. announced Thursday it will open megastores in Sapporo and Tokyo in the fall as part of moves to increase its worldwide chain of large-scale outlets.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / JET STREAM
Jul 12, 2002

Cultivating tradition

Seventeen boys and girls from Furusawa Elementary School are up to their shins in mud. June is the traditional rice-planting month in the Isumi area of Chiba Prefecture and for the past three years, the local fifth-graders have tried their hands at planting rice the old-fashioned way.
COMMUNITY
Jul 11, 2002

Keep those cards and letters coming, folks

When customers sound off about problems, good companies listen, even in Japan

Longform

A sinkhole in Yashio, which emerged in January, was triggered by a ruptured, aging sewer pipe. Authorities worry that similar sections of infrastructure across the country are also at risk of corrosion.
That sinking feeling: Japan’s aging sewers are an infrastructure time bomb