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SOCCER / World cup
May 26, 2002

Troussier satisfied with team

Having worked with Japan's World Cup squad since Tuesday, Japan coach Philippe Troussier expressed satisfaction with his players' attitude and their work ethic at the team's final preparation camp.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / NIHONSHU
May 26, 2002

Romancing the sake rice

With wine, it's all about the grape, and this leads to boundless potential for conversation and enjoyment above and beyond flavors and aromas.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
May 26, 2002

Pro-whalers living on a harpoon and a prayer

The increasing media flurry over the upcoming World Cup must be frustrating to the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry, which had been preparing for a year to make sure that this past week would be their moment in the spotlight. As the de facto hosts of the 54th annual plenary session of the...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / THE WAY OF WASHOKU
May 26, 2002

You say tomato, we say delicious

As summer starts to roll out its smothering blanket of heat across Japan, the markets begin to fill with some of the best produce of the year. Though tomatoes are now often grown in hothouses and available year-round, they are at their best when raised outdoors during the months when the sun beats down,...
COMMUNITY
May 26, 2002

Tea to soothe the soul

Outside, evening commuters splash through the Tokyo rain and a train conductor is shouting to be heard above the rush-hour din.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
May 26, 2002

Let the coverage begin!

This week, there will be lots of television activity to help soccer enthusiasts prepare for the World Cup, which starts Saturday.
JAPAN
May 26, 2002

Kawaguchi seeks talks on islands

Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi is hoping to inject fresh momentum into bilateral peace treaty negotiations with Russia by holding talks with her Russian counterpart, Igor Ivanov, on the sidelines of the upcoming meeting of the Group of Eight foreign ministers in Canada, sources said Saturday.
JAPAN
May 25, 2002

IWC meeting ends in a bitter divide

SHIMONOSEKI, Yamaguchi Pref. -- The International Whaling Commission's weeklong annual plenary meeting ended Friday with a ban on commercial hunting in place for another year but nations bitterly divided over aboriginal whaling.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 25, 2002

Secret funds have oiled wheels for decades

The practice of using the Cabinet secretariat's discretionary funds for "Diet affairs" -- buying off both ruling camp and opposition lawmakers to ensure important legislation gets passed smoothly -- dates back decades, according to Upper House member Sadao Hirano.
JAPAN
May 25, 2002

Kyoto Protocol to be ratified by Cabinet on June 4: Oki

The Cabinet will ratify the 1997 Kyoto Protocol on curbing global warming on June 4, Environment Minister Hiroshi Oki said Friday.
EDITORIALS
May 24, 2002

Make it a blessing in disguise

At long last, the Shenyang saga of the five North Korean asylum seekers came to an end on Wednesday when they were allowed to leave China for South Korea via the Philippines. On May 8, the defectors were seized by Chinese police guards as they rushed into the Japanese Consulate General in Shenyang, northeastern...
COMMENTARY / World / GUEST FORUM
May 23, 2002

Marines on Okinawa are worth keeping

Thirty years after reversion to Japan, the U.S. Marine bases on Okinawa remain a contentious issue. Periodic calls for their reduction or elimination may be good politics, and offer academics and other commentators the satisfaction that they are taking a "progressive" stance on the issue.
COMMENTARY
May 22, 2002

Asylum policy the real scandal

HONOLULU -- Japan is indulging in righteous indignation over the incident involving North Koreans who tried to take refuge in the Japanese consulate in Shenyang, China, earlier this month. Targets of the mounting fury include the Chinese police, the consular staff and, by extension, the entire Japanese...
SOCCER / World cup
May 22, 2002

Troussier remains tight-lipped

MORIMACHI, Shizuoka Pref. -- Japan coach Philippe Troussier disappointed reporters by refusing to take any questions at a news conference on Tuesday, the first day of his team's World Cup preparation camp.
JAPAN
May 22, 2002

Duskin admits using antioxidant for dumplings

OSAKA -- Duskin Co., which runs the Mister Donut chain in Japan, on Tuesday reported to the Osaka Prefectural Government on its use of an unauthorized antioxidant for producing dumplings, as was disclosed Monday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 22, 2002

Clinton pushes concept of interdependence rather than globalization

Creating an integrated world community in which nations can discuss global issues such as security and aid for developing countries together with the United Nations is one of the biggest challenges for the 21st century, former U.S. President Bill Clinton said Tuesday in Tokyo.
BUSINESS
May 22, 2002

Caribbean may end up top banana in paper manufacturing

Banana paper may provide cash-strapped Caribbean countries with the best hope for a brighter future.
BUSINESS
May 21, 2002

Controversial food-aid fund study gets under way

Officials from six international organizations are rolling up their sleeves and getting to work on a low-profile -- but nevertheless significant -- mission that could affect the course of future farm trade liberalization negotiations.
EDITORIALS
May 20, 2002

Regrets and resolutions

The Foreign Ministry's latest annual report reads partly like a litany of resolutions. That is only to be expected given the series of incidents and scandals that have hit the foreign service over the past year or so. Naturally, the blue book, as the report is commonly known, calls for a string of steps...
BASEBALL / MLB
May 20, 2002

Hasegawa right at home in Mariners' bullpen

TORONTO -- Seven years after Hideo Nomo's debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers, seeing a native of Japan play Major League Baseball is no longer a novelty.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
May 20, 2002

Nilima Seth

"Divine!" Nilima Seth stood in front of a noh mask on her wall. "Don't you feel the vibes?" she asked, reverence in her tone. "What does it say to you?"
BUSINESS
May 18, 2002

WTO notified over steel tariffs

Japan on Friday notified the World Trade Organization of its plan to slap 100 percent retaliatory tariffs on U.S. steel imports, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said.
Japan Times
JAPAN / WHALE WATCHING
May 18, 2002

Arguments of whalers, opponents both have merit, writer believes

Hiroto Kawabata is one of the few people who bring a measure of equanimity to the whaling debate, where knee-jerk reactions are often the rule and reasoned debate the exception.
BUSINESS
May 17, 2002

Foreign companies slightly optimistic, survey shows

Most foreign companies in Japan expect business confidence to remain flat over the next six months, although there are signs of improvement on the horizon, according to a joint survey recently released by foreign chambers of commerce.
Japan Times
JAPAN / THE OKINAWA FACTOR
May 16, 2002

Love-hate ties bind Okinawans, U.S. military

OKINAWA CITY, Okinawa Pref. -- Many former American soldiers who once stayed at the Diego Hotel near the U.S. Kadena Air Base here regard the hotel's manager with a reverence usually reserved for their own mothers.
BUSINESS
May 16, 2002

Cell phone penetration rate projected at 65.5% in 2006

The cell phone penetration rate for Japan will likely hit 65.5 percent in 2006, up from 52.8 percent at the end of 2001, research and consulting firm Gartner Japan Ltd. said Wednesday.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
May 16, 2002

Summer's serenaders of the moon, sun and stars

Summer really is here. It has spread north so rapidly that June- and July-like temperatures were reported in Hokkaido even before the end of April. The cherry blossom wave rushed northward, too, at such a pace it was as if it were trying to take a running jump at Sakhalin.
EDITORIALS
May 15, 2002

A big role for small firms

Small firms in Japan face a growing need for self-reliance, a need to shed or trim their status as permanent subcontractors for large companies. This is especially true of small manufacturers. With domestic production moving increasingly to low-cost overseas locations, they have no choice but to develop...

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