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COMMENTARY / World
Apr 23, 2001

Musharraf sets his sights on illegal guns

ISLAMABAD -- Stemming the flow of thousands of illegal weapons throughout Pakistan is not an easy task, but the government of Gen. Pervez Musharraf has promised this month to do just that with its launch of an aggressive cleanup campaign.
JAPAN
Mar 10, 2001

Italian ambassador talks up 'Italy in Japan 2001' program

Gabriele Menegatti considers himself lucky that he will see the "Italian Year" program kick off just as he starts his second year as Italy's envoy to Japan.
ENVIRONMENT
Feb 22, 2001

Fukuoka's waterfront looks west again

FUKUOKA -- Fukuoka Harbor's public foreshores grew again last October with the opening of a new designer outlet and shopping mall, Marinoa City Pier Walk, in the city's west.
COMMENTARY
Feb 4, 2001

Globalization's saddest victim

LONDON -- I wish to draw to your attention a group of workers who are in a sorry plight. The use of their skills is in decline; where once they commanded our attention, they are now held in low esteem; the buildings in which they once worked are half deserted; their future does not look good. It is,...
COMMUNITY
Jan 7, 2001

Good manners make comfortable relations

In Japan, there has been much discussion of late of both morals and manners. Indeed, one national newspaper on Jan. 1, in a section devoted to scrutinizing how Japanese have changed in recent years, devoted a whole page to the question: Are good manners a thing of the past?
CULTURE / Music
Dec 29, 2000

Hipster Arthur H sings in his own lingua franca

The late '50s and early '60s was an interesting time for American musical tastes. Listeners who considered themselves hip embraced a wide variety of styles, from the calypso of Harry Belafonte to the bossa nova of Antonio Carlos Jobim and even the chanson of Jacques Brel. If they listened to American...
CULTURE / Music
Dec 19, 2000

K-beat knocking on Japan doors

Within moments of taking the stage of the Pasha Club in the downtown Tokyo district of Nishi-Azabu, Drunken Tiger, a hip-hop duo from South Korea, had the trendy club-goers dancing frantically to its beat-heavy sound.
JAPAN
Nov 26, 2000

Japan aid to help preserve ancient Bolivian ruins

Japan will provide financial assistance to Bolivia through the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization to help the Latin American country preserve the ruins of the early Tiahuanaco Indian culture.
COMMUNITY
Aug 20, 2000

A decade of anecdotes to order

There are books about spending time in Japan, written in the main by Alice-in-Wonderlands who believe a short stretch makes them authoritative on all things Japanese. And there are books about Japan. Bruce McCormack's "Tokyo Notes and Anecdotes: Natsukashi" falls into this second, far more recommendable,...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Aug 6, 2000

William Currie

At the end of last year, to say goodbye to 1999 and welcome in 2000, The Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan held "a sing-along session of songs from the good old days." Playing the piano and leading the songs was William Currie. The Press Club billed him as "the renowned singing father from Sophia...
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 24, 2000

G8 nations vs. the rest of the planet

On July 17, the United Nations University hosted a symposium on "The Kyushu-Okinawa Summit: The Challenges and Opportunities for the Developing World in the 21st Century." The conference was jointly organized by the Tokyo-based Foundation for Advanced Studies on International Development, the Toronto-based...
CULTURE / Books
Jul 13, 2000

No easy explanation for overseas Chinese success

ETHNIC CHINESE: Their Economy, Politics and Culture, edited by Yu Chunghsun. Tokyo: The Japan Times, 2000, 247 pp., 2,800 yen (cloth). The essays in this book explore the role of the ethnic Chinese economies in economic recovery and development in Asia in the 21st century. They are largely the product...
EDITORIALS
Jun 4, 2000

And one for the dame

The world of culture, broadly considered, suffered a trio of notable losses recently. At the high end of the spectrum, widely and uncontroversially mourned, were the British Shakespearean actor Sir John Gielgud (with his voice "like a silken trumpet") and the French flutist ("the man with the golden...
JAPAN
May 11, 2000

School has an ear for Korean language

Every eye in the classroom is fixed on Shinji Kurosawa's lips. " 'Pul gogi,' repeat after me," instructs the Korean language teacher.
COMMUNITY
Feb 24, 2000

Home is where change is

A visit to Tobetsu would surprise anyone looking for a glimpse of "old Japan" in the countryside.
JAPAN
Jan 18, 2000

Regional Special: Okinawa

Isle's airport between reef and a hard place> Staff writer ISHIGAKI ISLAND, Okinawa Pref. -- Passengers stare dreamily from the plane. Some crane their necks for a glimpse of the cobalt coastline and Ishigaki's famed coral reefs. But all are jerked back to reality when the plane touches down and suddenly...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
Oct 20, 1999

Ghosts and goblins and kids, oh my!

Just after the ghosts and goblins of Halloween disappear, we will enter yet another spooky holiday: Nov. 3 -- Culture Day.
JAPAN
Sep 13, 1999

Taiwanese youths becoming Japan fans

Staff writer
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Aug 5, 1999

Emperors, journalists, critics and other influential people

Several weeks ago Time Magazine's Tokyo bureau asked Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi to nominate someone for the magazine's series of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century, and Obuchi chose Emperor Showa.
JAPAN
Oct 20, 1998

Seoul set to lift ban on most Japanese films, comics, videos

SEOUL -- South Korea announced on Tuesday that it will remove a decades-old ban so that international prize-winning Japanese films and others jointly produced by the two countries can legally be shown in the country.In announcing the decision to lift the longtime ban on Japanese cultural items, Shin...
JAPAN
Oct 20, 1997

Foreign students bring new life to traditional dances

Staff writerKimono-clad Ang Chooi Kean floats gracefully along, accompanied by 1,400 years of Japanese tradition. Performing the "kokiriko," a traditional Japanese dance, the Malaysia native, 5,300 km from home, seems an unlikely candidate to be preserving and spreading Japan's ancient arts.Ang is one...
JAPAN
Mar 21, 1997

Ainu bill approved but void of legal rights

The government on Mar. 21 officially approved a bill to create a new law on the Ainu people of Hokkaido, but failed to grant them special rights as an indigenous group.
Japan Times
Special Supplements / Hiroshima G7 Summit Special
May 19, 2023

Japan offers comprehensive assistance for Ukraine

The simmering conflict between Russia and Ukraine that actually began in 2014 exploded into a full-on invasion in late February 2022. Japan responded immediately, condemning Russia’s incursion and sending an array of financial, humanitarian and nonlethal aid to Ukraine. The exodus of refugees from...
Japan Times
Special Supplements / Hiroshima G7 Summit Special
May 19, 2023

Cultural expo continues to explore Japan’s beauty and spirit

Seizing on the opportunity offered by the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Cultural Affairs Agency and the Japan Arts Council launched the Japan Cultural Expo in 2019. Through over 1,000 projects, exhibitions and festivals, the initiative introduced the world to the beauty of Japanese culture...
Japan Times
Special Supplements / Hiroshima G7 Summit Special
May 19, 2023

Temple stays offer peace and opportunities for reflection

Busy, sprawling and noisy cities are often the first things that greet visitors upon arrival in Japan. Landing in Osaka, a new arrival might wade through the throngs of people in Dotonbori, mesmerized by the acres of neon lights. Eager to try the local food, the battered octopus balls called takoyaki...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
May 7, 2023

Bar none: Tokyo's liquor shops are where locals start their weekends

Kaku’uchi — liquor stores doubling as bars — are trending again in Tokyo. Mara Budgen provides a guide to some of the capital’s best joints, for all tastes.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Apr 10, 2023

What does it take to make a long-term relationship great in Japan?

The advice from most people on long-term cross-cultural relationships? You sometimes need to think more with your head than your heart.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Apr 1, 2023

From Ireland to Yamanashi, kimono unlock cultural connections

Two artists and fashion designers reflect on a deep dive into Japanese culture through the lens of fashion.

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