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BUSINESS
Feb 1, 2001

2001 budget awaits nod from Diet

The government on Wednesday submitted an 82.65 trillion yen budget for fiscal 2001 to the Diet that features a record 48.66 trillion yen outlay meant to bolster the teetering economy.
MULTIMEDIA / SPORTS SCOPE
Feb 1, 2001

FIFA's football family is fatally dysfunctional

Sepp Blatter, the head of soccer's world governing body FIFA, invariably refers to the world's soccer community as "the football family." Unfortunately, it's a terribly dysfunctional family.
CULTURE / Books
Jan 30, 2001

When does a faith become a cult?

FALUN GONG'S CHALLENGE TO CHINA: Spiritual Practice or "Evil Cult," by Danny Schechter. Akashic Books, 2000, 225 pp., $24 (cloth). Last year about this time, I visited Tiananmen Square, mingling with tourists and day-trippers enjoying the warmth of the midday sun. As I reminisced about this historic...
EDITORIALS
Jan 29, 2001

Prepare for the unexpected, Mr. Bush

While it is early days yet for the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush, the broad outlines of his foreign policy are becoming clear. His statements during the campaign hinted at a departure from traditional U.S. policies, and they caused some alarm among America's allies. Mr. Bush's foreign-policy...
JAPAN
Jan 29, 2001

Airlines file requests to make overseas flights from Haneda

Japan's three major airlines and two South Korean airlines, which were given the green light to use Tokyo's Haneda airport for international charter flights from next month, have requested permission to operate a total of 49 flights, government officials said Sunday.
JAPAN
Jan 28, 2001

Faked digs put archaeologists on defensive

Shock waves ran through Japan in November after it was revealed that revered amateur archaeologist Shinichi Fujimura had planted findings of early Paleolithic relics at two of his dig sites.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Jan 28, 2001

American Kenneth Jones

"Walk in, you'll be in Kyoto," proclaims the brochure of Kyoto-Kan, Akasaka.
MORE SPORTS
Jan 28, 2001

Japanese player signs with XFL team

Linebacker Shinzo Yamada of the Asahi Soft Drinks Challengers on Saturday signed with the Memphis Maniax of the XFL, a new American football league which kicks off its inaugural season next weekend.
JAPAN
Jan 27, 2001

Council steps up disaster preparations

The government decided Friday to strengthen monitoring systems in preparation for the likelihood of major earthquakes, especially in the Tokai region, government officials said.
CULTURE / Art / CERAMIC SCENE
Jan 27, 2001

The art of appreciating ceramics

In pottery, as with life, sometimes the most basic questions are the most important: Why is this so? Or, how did this happen? Or, what does this part mean?
COMMENTARY
Jan 26, 2001

Plagued by scandal yet again

Fukushiro Nukaga was forced to resign Tuesday as minister for economic and fiscal policy over allegations that he received 15 million yen from the mutual-aid organization KSD in return for favors. Nukaga denied accepting the money himself but admitted that one of his secretaries had received it. He said...
CULTURE / Film
Jan 26, 2001

From any angle, you've seen it before

They've got self-help books for just about every disorder you can think of out there, but I can think of one more niche that needs filling, namely, "Why Good Directors Make Bad Films." Chapter One: The Angle.
JAPAN
Jan 25, 2001

Annan waits on re-election decision

Visiting U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan said Wednesday that he will announce in March whether he will run for a second term as head of the United Nations.
COMMUNITY
Jan 25, 2001

The kindergartens are all right

Michiko Sonobe (not her real name) was nervous before an interview with authorities at a prestigious kindergarten in Yokohama as part of her 21/2-year-old son's entrance examination last November.
CULTURE / Music
Jan 25, 2001

Tickets for Bach concert

Japan Times readers will be given 30 pair tickets to the NEC Super Tower Special Concert to be held Feb. 22 at Tokyo's Sumida Triphony Hall to commemorate the 250th anniversary of Bach's death.
BUSINESS
Jan 24, 2001

Treasury stock system bill planned

The Justice Ministry plans to have a bill allowing companies to buy their own shares for long-term possession ready for an extraordinary Diet session that is expected to convene in autumn, Justice Minister Masahiko Komura said Tuesday.
ENVIRONMENT / GARDENING FOR ALL
Jan 24, 2001

See where the apricot (or is it plum) blossoms

Kairakuen Garden in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture, is one of the three most celebrated gardens in Japan, located a very short distance from the city center.
CULTURE / Stage
Jan 23, 2001

Keeping it all in the family

The Kabukiza Theater in Tokyo is starting 2001 with special programs to celebrate the succession (shumei) of Yasosuke Bando, 45, to the prestigious stage name Mitsugoro Bando X, left to him by his father Mitsugoro IX on his death in April 1999.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Jan 21, 2001

Belenda Ryan

Belenda Ryan calls her career so far her "rambling life."
JAPAN
Jan 20, 2001

Estrada may not get invitation to Japan

The embattled Philippine President Joseph Estrada's abrupt announcement Friday night to resign later this year has forced Tokyo to rewrite its diplomatic calendar.
CULTURE / Music
Jan 20, 2001

Rock on in Yokohama

Rock 'n' Roll Bazaar 2001, an annual event at which more than 30,000 items relating to rock-music artists are displayed and sold, will be held Jan. 26-30 at BS Hall on the 6th floor of Yokohama World Porters.
BUSINESS
Jan 18, 2001

Firms unite on Net voice access

IBM Japan Ltd., Oki Electric Industry Co. and Hitachi Ltd. plan to set up in April a Japanese unit of the VoiceXML Forum, an international group that promotes open standards on voice access technologies for the Internet, company officials said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jan 18, 2001

Minister talks of cleaner society

Environment Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi said Wednesday that the newly created Environment Ministry will have to "battle and evolve" to push its agenda, and outlined a few areas slated for special attention in 2001.
BUSINESS
Jan 18, 2001

Amway Japan chief looks to raise firm's public profile, sales

In an effort to combat a decline in sales amid stagnant consumer spending, Amway Japan Ltd. President Stephen A. Robbins is determined to raise the direct selling firm's public profile by forming alliances with major Japanese companies.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 18, 2001

Bush brings opportunity to bolster Japan-U.S. ties

Now that U.S. President-elect George W. Bush has named his Cabinet and his inauguration is only days away, it might be useful to contemplate how Japan-U.S. relations may be affected and what might be done to strengthen this very important strategic alliance.
EDITORIALS
Jan 17, 2001

Alarming fall in the market

The slowing of the U.S. economy and concerns about a possible free fall on Wall Street, combined with the dimming prospects for Japan's economy, last week sent share prices in Tokyo plummeting to alarming levels. On Thursday, the benchmark Nikkei index plunged to 13,201, its lowest since October 1998....
JAPAN
Jan 17, 2001

Snow blankets Japan Sea area

Heavy snow caused by a cold air mass continued to fall Tuesday, mainly in areas along the Sea of Japan coast, disrupting rail, road and air traffic.

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami