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Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / THE SECOND ROOM
Apr 19, 2003

2003 party season gets its blessing; Credit where due in 2002

As omens go, the last two Sundays have been righteously encouraging for the Tokyo party scene.
EDITORIALS
Apr 18, 2003

Indelible stain of injustice

Abuses by Japan's thought police during World War II belong in history, and so does the so-called Yokohama Incident in which special police in Kanagawa Prefecture arrested more than 60 editors and journalists on suspicion of plotting to revive a communist party. About half of them were indicted and found...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 15, 2003

Panama's combat lessons apply to Iraq

WASHINGTON -- Unless Iraq's military capitulates quickly, the most difficult phase of a war to overthrow President Saddam Hussein will likely be the battle for Baghdad. American military triumphs since 1990 have taken place in the open desert of Arabia, the airspace over the Balkans and the barren plains...
JAPAN
Feb 27, 2003

Tokyo to send envoy to Iraq in zero-hour diplomacy bid

Japan will send its senior vice foreign minister as a special envoy to Baghdad as part of a last-ditch diplomatic effort to get Iraq to give up its weapons of mass destruction program, government leaders said Wednesday.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Feb 23, 2003

More fun than a tube of monkeys

Recently, performing primates have made a big comeback in Japanese show business, thanks mainly to the Nikko Saru Gundan (Nikko Monkey Army), and the human/monkey comedy team Taro-Jiro. Both acts are the latest additions to the traditional Japanese performance art known as saru-tsukai, which almost died...
EDITORIALS
Feb 21, 2003

Clarify refugee policy

The incident in which four North Korean citizens who had fled from their country entered a Japanese school in Beijing and asked for asylum in Japan has posed a sobering question concerning Japan's refugee policy. Acting on lessons from the incident at Japan's consulate general in Shenyang last May, the...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 21, 2003

Farm minister admits ex-secretary pocketed cash

Scandal-plagued farm minister Tadamori Oshima admitted during a special Diet session Thursday that a former secretary pocketed a 6 million yen political donation in 2000.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 19, 2003

Don't fear deregulation failures: Koizumi

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi urged his Cabinet on Tuesday to consider the hundreds of proposals by local municipalities nationwide seeking to create special deregulated zones.
EDITORIALS
Jan 20, 2003

Shenzhen's promise for China

Twenty-two years ago, the sleepy southern Chinese city of Shenzhen became the test case for China's future. It was designated a "special economic zone," a laboratory for economic reforms that would transform the nation. Today, Shenzhen is again in the forefront of change in China. This time, the city...
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / MATTER OF COURSE
Dec 16, 2002

Will dramatic arts take a backseat?

Two months ago, my 8-year-old came home from the Japanese elementary school he attends and told me about the play his grade would do at the upcoming gakugeikai (drama festival).
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Dec 8, 2002

Where West met East

A HISTORICAL GUIDE TO YOKOHAMA: Sketches of the Twice-Risen Phoenix, by Burritt Sabin. Yokohama: Yurindo, 2002, 304 pp., 176 pp. of plates, illustrations and maps, 2,500 yen (cloth) Isabella Bird, that sharp-eyed, tart-tongued early traveler to Japan, opined that Yokohama had irregularity without picturesqueness,...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Nov 17, 2002

Conveying messages of unity

It is estimated that an average of 220 people "evaporate" every day in Japan. The reasons are many, but can mostly be reduced to debt, love affairs, personal tragedy and involvement in crimes. And with no end in sight for the recession, the number is increasing year by year. Last year, about 80,000 Japanese...
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 24, 2002

'Tax evaders' steal the talk of Shanghai

SEOUL -- A little over a month ago I was on the way to Shanghai to spend a month teaching at Fudan University. I read an article in a Hong Kong newspaper that said the topic on everyone's lips in China was the upcoming 16th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. This is the congress at which...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Oct 13, 2002

You're never too old to read a good self-help book

The best-seller list currently features three volumes on living and aging well: "Oite Koso Jinsei" (Nothing Is More Human Than Aging), by novelist/politician Shintaro Ishihara; "Unmei no Ashioto" (The Footsteps of Approaching Fate), by novelist Hiroyuki Itsuki; and "Ikikata Jozu" (How to Live Well),...
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 3, 2002

Tibet: a bridge between India and China

MADRAS, India -- The issue of Tibet has plagued relations between India and China for well over four decades. When China annexed the small Himalayan nation in the 1950s, New Delhi found itself in a difficult position, given its special ties with the Tibetan people: India had an open border with Tibet,...
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Sep 30, 2002

Immediate revamp of securities tax holds cure for ailing stock market

The stock market remains mired in a slump. On Sept. 3, the benchmark Nikkei average in Tokyo plunged to yet another post-Bubble low.
BUSINESS
Sep 21, 2002

Government debt continues climb

The government's liabilities exceeded its assets by as much as 831.71 trillion yen on an unconsolidated basis at the end of fiscal 2000, 23.57 trillion yen more than in the previous year, according to the national balance sheet released Friday by the Finance Ministry.
BUSINESS
Sep 4, 2002

Tax Commission looks to cut exemptions

The government's Tax Commission on Tuesday proposed abolishing in fiscal 2003 certain tax exemptions granted to salaried employees with a working spouse.
Japan Times
JAPAN / LEGACIES OF 9/11
Sep 4, 2002

Iraq issue casts shadow on post-9/11 solidarity

After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States, two things crossed the mind of Shotaro Yachi of the Foreign Ministry: Japan must join the international community in condemning the acts, and must do everything possible to help the anticipated U.S. military response.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Aug 29, 2002

Questions over foreigners' phone deposit

Last April, telecoms giant NTT announced the largest annual corporate loss in Japanese history -- 2 trillion yen. More than a third of it came from its cell phone subsidiary, NTT Docomo.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Aug 18, 2002

There's two sides to every story . . .

Despite his ubiquity in the media, the comedian Beat Takeshi is never asked to appear on NHK's sogo (general) channel, which is why his one-minute appearance last New Year's Eve on NHK's annual song contest received a lot of media attention. Considering that other popular comedians are also conspicuously...
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Aug 1, 2002

Support groups for foreign spouses and kimono essentials

Since it's too hot to hang around chatting, let's plunge straight in.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 17, 2002

On with the shows

Fuji Rock Festival '02July 26-28, 11 a.m. Naeba Ski Resort, Niigata Prefecture 14,500 yen (one day), 29,000 yen (two days), 38,000 yen (three days) July 26: Prodigy, George Clinton & Parliament/Funkadelic, The Parkinsons, Television, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Audio Active, Patti Smith and more July...
BUSINESS
Jul 12, 2002

General law sought for reform zones

A government deregulation panel said Thursday it will seek enactment of a general law to create "special structural reform zones," rather than individual laws, the panel's chairman said.
JAPAN
Jun 24, 2002

Asian Conference on Religion and Peace gets under way in Indonesia

YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia — The sixth assembly of the Asian Conference on Religion and Peace (ACRP) opens today at the Sheraton Mustika Hotel in Yogyakarata, the ancient capital and cultural center of Indonesia.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Jun 21, 2002

Mayfly

* Japanese name: Monkagero * Scientific name: Ephemera strigata * Description: Mayflies are common, soft-bodied insects with short antennae and mouthparts that are vestigial (not used). They have two long cerci, tail-like structures growing from the end of the abdomen. They are easily recognizable...
BUSINESS
Jun 15, 2002

Kawasaki Steel, GMH sign accord

Kawasaki Steel Corp., the nation's third-largest steelmaker, said Friday it and Germany's Georgsmarienhuette GmbH (GMH) have signed a comprehensive tieup accord in the field of special steel bars.
LIFE / Lifestyle / MATTER OF COURSE
May 17, 2002

Language help lets foreign students fit in

You'd think my sons were the first gaijin kids ever to attend a Japanese elementary school, judging from the surprised responses we get from people. But there are lots of foreign children in Japanese schools, and their numbers are growing. Unfortunately, most schools aren't equipped to teach newcomers...

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