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JAPAN
Jun 23, 2001

Police forced school slaying suspect to write letter of contrition: lawyer

OSAKA — Mamoru Takuma, who was arrested in the June 8 slaying of eight schoolchildren in Osaka Prefecture, has written an apology letter but was pressured into doing so by police, his lawyer claimed Friday.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jun 23, 2001

Blame diets for plummeting population

Today we address the problem of Japan's declining student population. If you teach at a university like I do, you are well aware that classes have gotten smaller and smaller over the years. At the women's university where I teach, the classes are half the size they were five years ago.
COMMENTARY
Jun 23, 2001

Past still weighs heavily today

LONDON -- Those of us who were involved in the Pacific War look with suspicion and a tinge of fear at manifestations of Japanese nationalism, especially if it has ethnic or militarist overtones.
COMMENTARY / WASHINGTON UPDATE
Jun 23, 2001

U.S. Democrats take control

Despite the confusion surrounding the changing of power in the Senate, things are still getting done in Washington. The Senate recently passed the education bill, a major item from the agenda of President George W. Bush, and sent it on to conference with the House of Representatives that had already...
EDITORIALS
Jun 22, 2001

Reversing Europe's downturn

At the beginning of this year, there were forecasts that Europe could pick up the economic slack created by the U.S. downturn and Japan's continuing economic problems. The 12-nation common currency, the euro, was enjoying a rise against the dollar after falling steadily in the first year of its existence....
MULTIMEDIA / SPORTS SCOPE
Jun 21, 2001

S. Korea must buck up before World Cup

If you read Kumi Kinohara's "On The Ball" column on Tuesday you'll know that Japan still has a bit of work to do before next year's World Cup.
JAPAN / INTERNATIONAL RATIONALE
Jun 21, 2001

Localities approach foreign firms to raise tax base

With the economy in the doldrums, cash-strapped local governments have begun warring with each other to attract foreign businesses and the jobs and tax revenue they bring. Touting tax incentives, lower land prices and proximity to factories in related industries, they are encouraging foreign firms to...
JAPAN
Jun 20, 2001

Windmills huff, puff against nuclear powerhouses

White windmills gently turn in a green pasture where cows graze in Kuzumaki in the Kitakami mountains of Iwate Prefecture.
JAPAN
Jun 20, 2001

Government considers laws to control magic mushrooms

The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry is analyzing the composition of hallucination-inducing mushrooms, known as magic mushrooms, in a bid to tighten laws over their use, a health ministry research group said Tuesday.
EDITORIALS
Jun 20, 2001

Overhaul fuel-cycle policy

The Japanese public is increasingly concerned about the nation's so-called pluthermal nuclear-energy project, which uses plutonium as reactor fuel. At issue is whether the project, now stalled because of objections from worried residents, should continue as scheduled. Plutonium, a radioactive element...
CULTURE / Art
Jun 20, 2001

A Chinese treasure-trove of beauty

The most astounding piece in the ongoing exhibition of Chinese ceramics, art and objects at Shibuya's Shoto Museum is the large, partially glazed ceramic camel, expressively molded, that greets visitors as they enter.
CULTURE / Film
Jun 20, 2001

By the people, for the media

The Contender Rating: * * * * Director: Rod Lurie Running time: 127 minutes Language: English Now showing at Marunouchi Piccadilly and other theaters You see "The Contender" and you realize the level of puritanism in the United States, at least in terms of politics as presented by the media for public...
SOCCER / J. League / ON THE BALL
Jun 19, 2001

JAWOC needs to step up the pace

Japan did well on the field in the Confederations Cup, finishing as the runnerup of the eight-nation tournament, but how smoothly did things go off the field in the test-run for next year's World Cup?
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 18, 2001

The price of the 'New World blitzkrieg'

LONDON -- "The survivors are scraps," says evolutionary biologist Dr. John Alroy about the large mammal species that remain in North America after the wave of extinctions that followed the arrival of the first humans less than 14,000 years ago. And there is no longer any question about why all the rest...
CULTURE / Books
Jun 17, 2001

China no threat to Asia just yet

CHINA AND THE PEOPLE'S LIBERATION ARMY: Great Power or Struggling Developing State? by Solomon M. Karmel. MacMillan, 2000, 229 pp., 35 UK pounds (cloth). China is a revisionist state. It wants to challenge the existing international order -- or at least the way things work in Asia. The country's history,...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Jun 17, 2001

The bright side of bamboo

BAMBOO IN JAPAN, by Nancy Moore Bess, with Bibi Wein. Tokyo and New York: Kodansha International, 2001, 224 pp., 160 color prints and duo-tone photographs, 5,800 yen. Bamboo, the ancient, ubiquitous grass, is everywhere in Japan. Of the over 1,500 species worldwide, nearly half are found here. It...
JAPAN
Jun 16, 2001

Japan won't sign U.S.-less Kyoto: Tanaka

Japan will not ratify the 1997 Kyoto Protocol to curb global warming if the United States stays out of it, Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka said Friday.
COMMENTARY
Jun 16, 2001

Urgent tasks for Koizumi

Peace and stability in East Asia in the coming years will hinge on Japan's political and economic leadership, North-South rapprochement on the Korean Peninsula, China's policies as an emerging regional power and strategies of the United States, the sole superpower.
JAPAN
Jun 15, 2001

Basics must still precede computer skills: teachers

While the government is actively promoting education on information technology starting in elementary school, some teachers question the wisdom of getting children started on computers at such an early age.
JAPAN
Jun 15, 2001

Education key to Uzbekistan's future

Alisher Shaykhov, outgoing Uzbekistan ambassador to Japan, expressed gratitude Thursday for Japan's contribution to educational development in the Central Asian republic, which has been striving for economic reform since it became independent in 1991, following the Shaykhovbreak up of the Soviet Union....
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 15, 2001

Korean summit fails to meet expectations

SEOUL -- Under normal circumstances, the meaning of a great event should become clearer in retrospect than in prospect. Yet on the first anniversary of last year's Korean summit, confusion rather than clarity reigns. In a sense, a year is too short a time to know if real change has occurred, setting...
JAPAN
Jun 14, 2001

Cuba envoy fund misuse to be probed

Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka indicated Wednesday she will thoroughly investigate reports that a former ambassador to Cuba diverted taxpayer money for private purposes.
BUSINESS
Jun 14, 2001

Yamasaki to ask BOJ for even easier money

Taku Yamasaki, secretary general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said Wednesday he will ask Bank of Japan Gov. Masaru Hayami to ease monetary policy further to prevent the economy from decelerating.
JAPAN
Jun 14, 2001

Stabbing suspect aimed to harass relatives

OSAKA — The suspect in last Friday's massacre at an elementary school in Ikeda, Osaka Prefecture, has told investigators that he wanted to "stir up a commotion" to harass his relatives, it was learned Wednesday.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 14, 2001

Pressure mounts for reform in Iran

TEHRAN -- Iranian President Mohammad Khatami's landslide victory in last week's presidential election is seen as a great boost for him and his reformist followers in the power struggle that pits them against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the hardline clerical establishment.
COMMENTARY
Jun 14, 2001

Solving Asia's nuclear-waste dilemma

Nuclear energy is news again. It has always been an issue for some people -- environmental activists and energy industry groups -- but nuclear power has largely faded from public consciousness, despite periodic incidents that highlighted fears of a catastrophic mishap at a nuclear power plant. The luxury...
JAPAN
Jun 14, 2001

JCCI probes alleged exam leak

Questions on an accounting license examination conducted Sunday by the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry may have been leaked to students at accounting schools, JCCI officials said Wednesday.
COMMENTARY
Jun 14, 2001

Britain's real battle begins

LONDON -- The Labour government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Tony Blair, has gained a second term of office. The conservative opposition has been utterly defeated and its leader, William Hague, has duly "fallen on his sword" by resigning.
COMMENTARY
Jun 13, 2001

A windfall for Nepal's Maoists

KATMANDU -- The picturesque Himalayan nation of Nepal, wedged between India and China-occupied Tibet, was once an idyllic hideaway for Western trekkers and hippies. Although still a popular tourist destination, Nepal has been wracked in recent years by an expanding Maoist insurrection in the countryside....

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