search

 
 
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 24, 2003

Getting serious about tourism -- finally

Japan is finally getting serious about attracting some foreign visitors to its shores.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 24, 2003

Tokyo should act as model, Ishihara says

Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara, at the outset of his second four-year term on Wednesday, stressed that metropolitan government officials should act as a model for the nation.
JAPAN
Apr 24, 2003

Koizumi mulls U.S., Mideast trips

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is considering visiting the United States in late May and the Middle East in early June to discuss postconflict Iraq with his counterparts, a government official said Wednesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Apr 24, 2003

Happy b'day double helix

This week is the anniversary of what some have called the most important intellectual innovation in human history, the discovery of the structure of DNA. From a paper originally published in Nature on April 25, 1953, DNA has made it into the pantheon of chemical structures instantly known to all members...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT
Apr 24, 2003

Shooting from the soul

Mark Deeble and Victoria Stone met at a diving class when they were students. Then, after graduation, they worked on an environmental-impact assessment project in the beautiful Fal estuary in Cornwall, southwest England, where a new port was being planned. It was the love of the sea and nature they developed...
BUSINESS
Apr 24, 2003

Trade surplus up 36.6%; first rise in four years

Japan's trade surplus jumped 36.6 percent on a year-on-year basis in fiscal 2002, marking the first increase in four years, the Finance Ministry said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Apr 24, 2003

LDP mulls stiffer terms for illegal money-lenders

The Liberal Democratic Party is looking to punish unregistered moneylenders and those who engage in other illegal business practices with prison terms of up to five years and fines of up to 5 million yen, LDP lawmakers said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Apr 24, 2003

Diet receives Matsunami resolution

Four opposition parties on Wednesday jointly presented a nonbinding resolution to the House of Representatives, urging ruling coalition lawmaker Kenshiro Matsunami to vacate his seat over a scandal linking him to a gangster.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / GARDEN PATHS
Apr 24, 2003

Yokohama's green bower

In spring it is delightful to see, as the poet William Wordsworth described it, "the budding twigs put out their fan to catch the breezy air."
EDITORIALS
Apr 23, 2003

U.S. and North Korea to talk at last

After nearly two years of silence, the United States and North Korea are about to resume diplomatic discussions. Representatives from the two govEernments will meet this week in Beijing to discuss North Korea's nuclear-weapons program and, eventually, the entire range of relations between the two counEtries....
BASEBALL / MLB
Apr 23, 2003

Marines whitewash Buffaloes in Osaka

Lefty Koji Takagi limited Kintetsu to four hits over the distance for his first shutout win since October 2002 as the Chiba Lotte Marines blanked the Buffaloes 10-0 at Osaka Dome on Tuesday.
MORE SPORTS
Apr 23, 2003

Japan beats Kiwis in Fed Cup

Japan rested Ai Sugiyama from her singles match but was still too powerful for New Zealand as it cruised to a 3-0 win at the Fed Cup Asia-Oceania zone Group One tournament at Tokyo's Ariake Colosseum on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Apr 23, 2003

Dad, son held on extortion charge

An 84-year-old man and his son were arrested Tuesday for allegedly attempting to extort 100 million yen from consumer finance company Takefuji Corp., police said.
JAPAN
Apr 23, 2003

Events slated to promote studying English abroad

Two events of interest to anyone studying English -- Language Fair (Ryugaku Expo) 2003 and Study USA 2003 -- will take place next month at four locations around Japan, according to organizers.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 23, 2003

Aum flailing amid vacuum left by Asahara

In early February, a 37-year-old former member of Aum Shinrikyo launched a Web site featuring transcripts of past lectures by the cult's founder, Shoko Asahara.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 23, 2003

Europe-based executive MBA program pitched at Japanese

European business school INSEAD has recently begun offering an exclusive executive MBA program -- and is hoping to attract some Japanese students.
COMMENTARY
Apr 23, 2003

A bigger Europe may not be any better

LONDON -- A few days ago in Athens, the birthplace of democracy, EU leaders approved a major expansion of the European Union that will embrace 10 new members and 73 million more European citizens.
JAPAN
Apr 23, 2003

Shiokawa pushes idea of Iraq fund

Japan should urge other countries and international organizations to set up a fund to handle reconstruction aid for Iraq, Finance Minister Masajuro Shiokawa said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Apr 23, 2003

Poll confirms gender gap

Japanese men want to earn qualifications related to information technology, while women are more interested in learning a foreign language, according to a Web-based survey conducted by a Tokyo-based private education institute.
BUSINESS
Apr 23, 2003

Takeda Chemical names new chief

Takeda Chemical Industries Ltd. said Tuesday it will appoint board member Yasuchika Hasegawa as its next president and chief operating officer, replacing Kunio Takeda, who will become chairman.
COMMENTARY
Apr 23, 2003

Which side blinked, and why?

HONOLULU -- The announcement that United States and North Korea had agreed to multilateral talks with China in Beijing on Wednesday was most welcome after six months of escalating tensions. Conventional wisdom is that America's success in Iraq was the primary factor in bringing Pyongyang to the bargaining...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 23, 2003

Smaller electronics stores use personal touch to keep retail giants at bay

Hiroshi Fujita was shocked two years ago to learn that a large electronics chain store would open across the street from his small shop in Tokyo's Meguro Ward.
JAPAN
Apr 23, 2003

Keep an eye on foreign seafood: paper

Japan should step up efforts to ensure the safety of seafood products, especially those that are imported, the Fisheries Agency said in an annual report released Tuesday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 23, 2003

Honda picks Fukui as new president

Honda Motor Co. said Tuesday that Takeo Fukui, a senior managing director, will succeed President Hiroyuki Yoshino in June.
BUSINESS
Apr 23, 2003

Seibu to dismiss 250 employees at four outlets due for closure

Seibu Department Stores Ltd. will dismiss about 250 full-time employees at four outlets to be closed later this year in line with the firm's restructuring drive, company sources said Tuesday.

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