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JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Nov 4, 2001

Shaking preconceptions in the land of tourists

A few weeks ago, a friend visited from Europe. It was her first time in Japan and she wanted to see as much of the country as she could. She had purchased the discount JR rail pass that only foreigners can buy in their home countries, but besides that, all she came with was the Lonely Planet guide to...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Nov 4, 2001

Sushi that fits the bill in attitude and price

Shinbotchi's take on the ancient art of sushi is much the same approach that the rag trade of back-street Harajuku adopts toward the world of fashion.
COMMENTARY
Nov 2, 2001

Removing blinkers on trade

LONDON -- The tragic events of Sept. 11 have exacerbated the economic position of every country. New stimulus measures have been instituted in the United States and interest rates have been cut elsewhere. But these are not enough to put growth back on track. An expansion in world trade would bring major...
LIFE / Lifestyle / JET STREAM
Nov 2, 2001

Serbian tennis ace giving it his best shot

It was gunfire that Nikola Stula thought he heard the first night he arrived in Gifu.
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Nov 2, 2001

Asian ladybug

* Japanese Name: Namitento* Scientific name: Harmonia axyridis
LIFE / Lifestyle / MATTER OF COURSE
Nov 2, 2001

No fundraisers or bake sales? Sign me up!

I agreed to serve on the PTA of the Japanese elementary school my children attend, but on one condition: that I didn't have to do any fundraising.
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Nov 1, 2001

These dreams are made of . . . what?

Ever had a sleepless night before an exam, cramming in the things you didn't learn in time? Even after 40 hours without sleep, it is still possible to disgorge crammed information. But remember those facts a week later? Forget it.
BUSINESS
Oct 30, 2001

Teijin, Enron begin study on electricity sales

Major textile maker Teijin Ltd. said Monday it has begun a feasibility study with the Enron group of the United States to improve the output of Teijin's private power generator and sell the excess to other corporate users.
Events
Oct 30, 2001

Forum holds up Omi feudal merchants as models of corporate responsibility

OMI-HACHIMAN, Shiga Pref. -- The 20th century socioeconomic system saw most people consumed with the pursuit of profit. Today's businesspeople, however, must re-examine their raison d'etre as the idea of corporate responsibility takes hold.
JAPAN
Oct 29, 2001

Mori leaves for India to rally antiterror support

Former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori departed Sunday morning for a three-day trip to India to discuss antiterrorism efforts as a special envoy of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.
COMMUNITY
Oct 28, 2001

Plunder in a land of plenty

KYZYK-SUU, Kyrgyzstan -- When Canadian mining giant Cameco Corp. opened the Kumtor gold mine in the former Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan in 1996, logistics were considered to be the greatest obstacle.
JAPAN
Oct 27, 2001

Japan to lift sanctions on Pakistan, India

The government announced Friday it will lift a three-year-old moratorium on financial aid to Pakistan and India in an effort to help stabilize the region adjacent to war-torn Afghanistan.
JAPAN
Oct 27, 2001

Panel to mull sale of highway body

The transport minister set up a private advisory panel Friday to study expressway construction plans, asking it to hammer out an interim report on the privatization of Japan Highway Public Corp. by the end of November.
JAPAN
Oct 26, 2001

Senior vice minister may join Mori

Seiken Sugiura, senior vice foreign minister, may accompany former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori on his trip to India later this week, the ministry announced Thursday.
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Oct 26, 2001

Lesser mole

BUSINESS
Oct 25, 2001

Coalition finalizes bill adding to RCC's power

The ruling coalition finalized a bill Wednesday to expand the government-funded Resolution and Collection Corp.'s powers to clean up banks' nonperforming loans.
JAPAN
Oct 25, 2001

Tokyo ward eyes 5 yen tax on plastic shopping bags

Officials of Suginami Ward, Tokyo, said Wednesday they will propose that a 5 yen tax be imposed on each petroleum-based plastic shopping bag used in the ward's supermarkets and grocery stores, with the aim of reducing garbage.
JAPAN
Oct 25, 2001

Farm ministry seeks billions for beef industry

The Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry plans to ask for 104.2 billion yen to aid the livestock industry, struggling in the wake of last month's discovery of mad cow disease, ministry officials said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Oct 25, 2001

Support key to Moody's bank ratings

Moody's Investors Service Inc. said Wednesday that when it rates financial institutions affiliated with the Japanese government, it emphasizes the level of commitment the state gives them more than the institutions' own financial health.
BUSINESS
Oct 25, 2001

Key panel pushes for 27% cut in public works spending

A key government panel chaired by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi believes spending on public works projects should be cut by 27 percent over the next five years, according to the draft of a fiscal policy proposal obtained Wednesday by Kyodo News.
BUSINESS
Oct 25, 2001

Fuel cells, IT on stage at motor show

MAKUHARI, Chiba Pref. -- The 35th Tokyo Motor Show opened to the media Wednesday, showcasing concept cars, motorbikes and the latest auto parts at the Makuhari Messe international event hall.
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Oct 25, 2001

Tales from the well-made crypt

Fifty years ago, archaeologists used an oil-rig drill to bore 53 meters below the surface of a mound in Gordion, Turkey, the ancient capital of Phrygia. Underneath the limestone-rich earth was the oldest intact wooden structure in the world, a 5 x 6 meter chamber dating from the eighth century B.C. The...
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Oct 25, 2001

Serendipity in Hokkaido's autumnal air

It was just a bridge, not even a special bridge. The Heiwa Bridge spans the eastern end of Lake Tofutsu in northeastern Hokkaido. To the north there is a narrow neck of wooded land and then the Okhotsk Sea. To the south lies more woodland, then great expanses of farmland. It was just a bridge, but suddenly...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Oct 24, 2001

Will Buffaloes finally get monkey off their backs?

It remains to be seen if the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes can this week win their first Japan Series in franchise history. The Buffs should have won it the last time the club appeared in the J.S., 12 years ago in 1989, but Kintetsu blew a three games-to-none lead to the Yomiuri Giants in a most memorable...
BUSINESS
Oct 22, 2001

Getting a positive grip on Japanese unemployment

According to preliminary figures released by the government on Sept. 28, there were 64.43 million people employed as of the end of August, a decline of 370,000 compared with the same period the previous year. As a result, unemployment continues to stand at a record high of 5 percent.
BUSINESS
Oct 22, 2001

Is Japan still deserving of special economic treatment from U.S.?

Now that economic conditions in Japan and the United States and the landscape of the global economy have completely changed, the U.S. should abandon bashing, passing and "gaiatsu" and change its policy toward the country completely, according to C. Fred Bergsten, director of the Institute for International...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
Oct 21, 2001

Like father, like son

My elder son sits across from me during supper and clubs me with the following questions: "Why can't Japanese die, Dad? How come it's so hard for them?" Not your usual dinnertime poser, perhaps, but we dads have to be ready for anything. I pause only briefly before delivering what I consider to be a...

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years