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Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Mar 30, 2003

A new 'cutting-edge town' for the world

A sprawling redevelopment complex sporting luxury apartments, movie theaters, art galleries and a museum will soon give Tokyo's seedy Roppongi entertainment district a cleaner, more cultured appearance that the developer hopes will turn it into an "ultimate destination" for travelers worldwide.
EDITORIALS
Mar 29, 2003

One week into the war

It has been nine days since the United States launched its attack against Iraq. The war has not gone as many expected. The difficulties encountered by the U.S.-led coalition have raised questions about Washington's strategy and the assumptions that undergirded the allied assault. Although those doubts...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 29, 2003

Bovine absurdity is taking India by storm

MADRAS, India -- The Indian cow is not mad. But it has enough clout to cause insanity among the country's political classes, and even the masses.
COMMENTARY
Mar 28, 2003

China's systemic incompetence can sicken world

HONG KONG -- An ugly new strain of atypical pneumonia has medical scientists working overtime in their research laboratories across the world, as they strive to discover why a growing number of patients are now suffering and dying in many nations from this previously unknown virus that is being blamed...
BUSINESS
Mar 27, 2003

Soft approach touted for regional banks' bad loans

A government advisory panel has come up with a soft approach to bad-loan problems at regional banks, government sources said Wednesday.
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Mar 27, 2003

Fears over U.S. environmental ambush

Considering that the United States spends more for its military than any other nation on the planet, you might imagine the Pentagon taking a few extra steps to protect the environment -- but you'd be wrong.
ENVIRONMENT
Mar 27, 2003

Indigenous peoples speak up for nature

"In my community," says Roy Laifungbam of the Meitei people in northern India, "water is part of our daily ritual worship, as well as our annual spring festival. And this relationship is totally disregarded when you talk about water as a commodity."
JAPAN
Mar 26, 2003

Transsexual begins process to run for ward assembly

A transsexual presented candidacy documents Tuesday to an election administration committee for a preliminary check, a major hurdle in her bid to run for the assembly in Setagaya Ward, Tokyo.
JAPAN
Mar 25, 2003

Kan lauds missile defense plan

DPJ President Naoto Kan suggested Monday that Japan should consider introducing a missile defense program to counter North Korea's nuclear and missile programs.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 24, 2003

Don't write off U.N. just yet

EDMONTON, Alberta-- The hawks in the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush finally got what they wanted -- in New York, as well as in the Middle East. The U.N. Security Council is deeply divided, the U.N. system itself seems paralyzed and a preemptive war is about to win "regime change" in...
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Mar 24, 2003

Will new BOJ governor be able to navigate tricky global waters?

Fukui Toshihiko was officially sworn in as new governor of the Bank of Japan on Thursday, with former Vice Finance Minister Toshiro Muto and Kazumasa Iwata, a senior Cabinet official, appointed as vice governors. Under the revised BOJ Law of 1998, all members of the BOJ Policy Board are to serve a five-year...
EDITORIALS
Mar 23, 2003

Invading ancient Mesopotamia

As war again comes to Iraq, the international community is rightly concerned about the human toll, civilian as well as military, long-term as well as immediate. Governments and humanitarian organizations already have relief plans in place to help the expected flood of refugees. Others worry about the...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 23, 2003

Environmental expert predicts global water crisis

A future in which water is scarce will be translated into a future in which food is scarce, intensifying global competition for grain and pushing up food prices, according to Lester Brown, president and founder of the Earth Policy Institute in Washington.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 23, 2003

U.S. must rethink North Korea strategy

MONTEREY, Calif. -- On the eve of South Korean President Roh Moo Hyun's swearing-in ceremony, North Korea lobbed a land-to-ship cruise missile into the Sea of Japan. This provocation took place as the world's dignitaries -- among them U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 23, 2003

More relevant now than ever

"A Tale of Two Cities" by Charles Dickens, set in revolutionary France, begins with the observation that it was the best of times and the worst of times. So might it be said, thanks in no small measure to France, of the tale of two cities of contemporary times, namely Washington and New York, the political...
COMMENTARY
Mar 22, 2003

Difficult task of buying a few good allies

WASHINGTON -- The United States may dominate the globe, but it is almost alone in the war against Iraq. Even the offer of some $30 billion in aid could not procure basing rights from Turkey, a longtime ally.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 22, 2003

Saddening absence of options for Japan

I don't wish to speculate on why the United States has embarked on a war against Iraq at this time. What is clear is that U.S. President George W. Bush and the influential aides in his administration believed -- without appearing to entertain the slightest doubt -- that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein...
EDITORIALS
Mar 22, 2003

A new kind of war

Now that the war has begun, the world hopes it will end swiftly with minimal casualties. But wars are almost always unpredictable. As U.S. President George W. Bush himself has warned, the conflict could be "longer and more difficult than some predict." There is also the possibility that, even if it ends...
JAPAN
Mar 21, 2003

Hope evaporates at water forum

OTSU, Shiga Pref. -- With the long-expected U.S.-led war in Iraq now a reality, the ongoing World Water Forum began falling apart Thursday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 21, 2003

Antiwar rallies go on unfazed

Rallies against the U.S.-led war on Iraq continued Thursday in front of U.S. diplomatic offices in Japan, with hunger strikes continuing as U.S. bombs started falling on Baghdad.
JAPAN
Mar 21, 2003

Koizumi cites security in backing attack

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi emphasized the importance of Japan's alliance with the United States on Thursday as he voiced support for the U.S.-led attack on Iraq less than two hours after the operation began.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / THE WAY OF WASHOKU
Mar 21, 2003

Nyumen: Warming noodles are just the ticket

The other day we lined up for standing-room tickets to see the grand sumo tournament here in Osaka. It must have been 10 years since I had attended a tournament — it only comes to Osaka once a year.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 21, 2003

Sri Lankan makes a case for the right to water

KYOTO -- Sumika Perera is in the midst of a fight against the Sri Lankan government and international lending agencies, which are trying to privatize her country's water.
JAPAN
Mar 19, 2003

North Korea survives on Japan lifeline

Yoshiaki Saito points to a row of live crabs at the front of his shop in Tokyo's largest seafood market. "Those are from Russia, those from Japan," he says.
JAPAN
Mar 19, 2003

Koizumi puts U.S. alliance ahead of U.N.

By announcing his support for a U.S.-led war on Iraq without a fresh United Nations resolution, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi made it clear Tuesday that his government emphasizes Japan's alliance with the United States over U.N.-centered efforts for peace.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 19, 2003

Koizumi unequivocal on Iraq war

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi expressed unequivocal support Tuesday for U.S. plans to forcibly disarm Iraq.
EDITORIALS
Mar 18, 2003

Declaration of war against Belgrade

The assassination of Serbia's prime minister is a declaration of war against the forces of law, order and democracy in Yugoslavia. Police have blamed organized crime for the killing and begun a crackdown, but the entire picture is a bit murkier. The slaying is a reminder of the unfinished business in...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 18, 2003

Energy deal will fuel East Timor's growth

SYDNEY -- Southeast Asia's newest and poorest nation has done an oil deal that should bankroll its way to real independence.
JAPAN
Mar 18, 2003

Decisions not to appeal end Recruit-scandal trial

Both prosecutors and defense lawyers for Hiromasa Ezoe, founder and former chairman of Recruit Co., said Monday they will not appeal a recent ruling that handed Ezoe a suspended jail term over the so-called Recruit scandal.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji