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CULTURE / Books
Mar 15, 2001

Taking the long view on history

EAST ASIA AT THE CENTER: Four Thousand Years of Engagement with the World, by Warren I. Cohen. New York: Columbia University Press, 2000, 516 pp. You don't have to believe in the Asian Century or any other form of that nonsense to admit that Western understanding of Asia is woefully inadequate. The intellectual...
CULTURE / Books
Mar 15, 2001

Thai women, twice victimized

OWED JUSTICE: Thai Women Trafficked into Debt Bondage in Japan. Human Rights Watch, 227 pp., unpriced. For many women, the journey begins in northern Thailand, where refugees and hill-tribesmen languish in poverty and statelessness. The favored prey of sex-trade recruiters, these undocumented Thai...
EDITORIALS
Mar 14, 2001

No more secret funds

The criminal complaint filed in January by the Foreign Ministry against the former official in charge of logistics for VIP trips overseas has led to his arrest on a charge of fraud. An internal investigation has revealed that Mr. Katsutoshi Matsuo, who was fired in January for embezzlement, had swindled...
JAPAN
Mar 11, 2001

U.S. naval inquiry reveals inadequate search

HONOLULU -- A computerized simulation shown at a navy inquiry Friday revealed the Ehime Maru would have been clearly visible had the USS Greenville conducted a standard three-minute periscope search closer to the surface and at a higher power.
JAPAN
Mar 11, 2001

Mori signals intention to resign

Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori on Saturday effectively expressed his intention to resign to top executives of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, possibly after the fiscal 2001 budget passes the Diet next month.
EDITORIALS
Mar 10, 2001

An untimely defense move

The government and the ruling parties are making preliminary moves toward enacting legislation designed to meet future military crises directly involving Japan. The assumption is that in the event of an armed attack from abroad, the Self-Defense Forces will be mobilized to defend the country with the...
CULTURE / Film
Mar 9, 2001

Dirty, rotten, brilliant scoundrel

Woody Allen's films tend to be best when he manages to get beyond himself, which isn't often these days. But if there's one thing Woody loves more than a part in which he lands a younger leading lady, it's jazz. "Sweet and Lowdown," Allen's latest film, is a semifictional paean to guitarist Emmet Ray,...
JAPAN
Mar 9, 2001

Japan's history again haunts future relations

The ongoing controversy between Japan and South Korea over a new textbook for Japanese junior high schools has taken a toll on the bilateral diplomatic calendar.
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 9, 2001

They might be giants -- or 10 players who should be

Still don't know who's got what to offer in the J. League? Here's a quick guide to some of the players who should pique your interest in the coming season.
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM MOSCOW
Mar 8, 2001

Putin plays a bad hand well

"I was deeply touched, when he smiled and looked at us with his blue eyes, my old sweet memories flooded back to me," a middle-aged Soviet-trained Vietnamese woman told the TV crew. The blue eyes in question belonged not to a movie star, but to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was visiting Hanoi,...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 8, 2001

Genetically modified corn slips into human food chain

The safety of the nation's food has recently been called into question following the discovery of StarLink corn in a shipment of corn imported from the United States.
JAPAN
Mar 7, 2001

Isahaya Bay project suspended

The government will suspend a land reclamation project in Isahaya Bay, Nagasaki Prefecture, to allow data to be collected from the reservoir formed by the dike that is blamed for the area's poor seaweed crop this season, Farm Minister Yoshio Yatsu said Tuesday.
LIFE / Digital / SURFERSPUD
Mar 7, 2001

Go ahead, try some

www.tokujo.ac.jp/Tanaka/WWW97/ Hello4/yumie.html This is part of Yumie Harada's home page, the part where she describes her love for natto. And maybe this kind of personal approach is what's needed to get natto virgins past that stench and actually place the stuff in their mouths. Yumie gives the...
CULTURE / Music / FUZZY LOGIC
Mar 6, 2001

High voltage rock 'n' roll

"I need oxygen," gasps singer Yuda, and there's little of that in Shimokitazawa's Yaneura live house tonight. One of the smallest venues in Tokyo is packed to the rafters to see Electric Summer, a band reaching for the stars and demonstrating they have the rocket fuel and never-say-die adventurous spirit...
JAPAN
Mar 5, 2001

Salmonella detected in imported heart sacs

The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry has detected salmonella in unused U.S.-made heart sacs -- products suspected of causing inflammation in some 70 heart patients in Japan, ministry sources said Sunday.
BUSINESS
Mar 5, 2001

More tax advice offered on Advanced Ruling System

If an investor or a financial institution has questions regarding how a new financial product will fare in terms of taxation, it can prepare a questionnaire for the NTA, which will respond with information on tax categorization.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 5, 2001

Meeting mutual expectations

The Bush administration attaches special importance to U.S. allies in its foreign policy. In a news conference held Dec. 16, immediately after he won the presidency, George W. Bush said his administration will work with its allies in Europe and the Far East.
EDITORIALS
Mar 4, 2001

Just the tip of the iceberg

The arrest on Thursday of Mr. Masakuni Murakami, a former Liberal Democratic Party leader in the Upper House and a former labor minister, should have come as no surprise, given the growing suspicions about his role in the bribery scandal involving the KSD small-business mutual-aid foundation. Mr. Murakami...
JAPAN
Mar 4, 2001

NPO fosters solar power solution to fix transport problems for aged

KOBE -- The lack of interest in solar power among residents of Kobe's Uozaki district does not discourage Mana Enomoto from giving detailed explanations of the benefits of this clean energy source.
CULTURE / Art
Mar 4, 2001

Japan's art for all seasons

Japan is a country with four seasons. This has long been an accepted fact, and most visitors to the country have been assured of it on numerous occasions. The progress of the seasons is a usual topic of conversation and is always mentioned at the beginning of any personal letter. Poetry, especially haiku...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 3, 2001

South Korea's media and transparency

SEOUL -- As so often, one opinion stands against another: South Korea's opposition party has leveled an accusation against the government that by launching a tax investigation of the media it is in effect waging a war against the press. The government retorts that the tax investigation is a routine matter,...
BUSINESS
Mar 3, 2001

Plunge of Nikkei spells more trouble for banks

The plunge of the key Nikkei 225 index on the Tokyo Stock Exchange to a 151/2-year low on Friday brings additional risks for Japanese banks, which are facing escalating pressure to write off bad loans as it is becoming increasingly difficult to do so.
EDITORIALS
Mar 2, 2001

The challenge facing Turkey

Turkey teeters on the brink of a financial and economic crisis. A political feud sparked the troubles, the effects of which have been felt far beyond the country's borders. The Turkish government has moved quickly, but some of its new policies may well create their own difficulties. International support...
JAPAN
Mar 2, 2001

Unlicensed nurses under scrutiny in obstetrics

More than 10 percent of students completing mid-career courses at nursing schools operated by the Japan Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists between 1990 and 1999 were unlicensed nurses and midwives, according to a government survey.
EDITORIALS
Mar 1, 2001

Truth of scandal remains buried

There is always something very frustrating about Diet questioning of legislators involved in corruption scandals. So it was with Monday's inquiry of Mr. Fukushiro Nukaga, former economics minister, at a Lower House Council on Political Ethics. As expected, Mr. Nukaga, a Liberal Democrat, denied allegations...
COMMENTARY
Mar 1, 2001

Bush presidency, Ehime Maru tragedy bring national security issues to the fore

The issue for 2001 is whether Japan's leaders will take responsibility for their own national security. The stage is set for them to make this choice and the United States is ready to cooperate no matter what decision they make.

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