search

 
 
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Nov 16, 2002

East meets West moves over for East meets East

While accepting that cultural exchange is hardly a new concept, Astrid (de los Rios) Nishimaki has her own very individual slant on the subject. "My aim is to bring Latin America, Arab countries and Japan closer together through the lingua franca of artists and creators."
JAPAN
Nov 16, 2002

Nuclear institute misused 1.5 million yen

Officials of the Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Institute misappropriated 1.5 million yen in funds in fiscal 2000 to cover unauthorized food and drink expenses, the state-run body said Friday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / PREFECTURAL FARE
Nov 16, 2002

Fukushima tourist office gives natives taste of home

Kotaro Takamura's poem about a homesick woman in Tokyo pining for her native Fukushima Prefecture more than 60 years ago could just as easily have been written about many of the displaced locals living in the capital these days.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Nov 16, 2002

'Oba-chan' mutiny brings funeral chaos

There was so much activity on Shiraishi Island, it was almost seismic. Elderly women grouped outside their houses whispering. The Buddhist priest was so busy, he wasn't answering his cell phone. Ferries kept bringing more people dressed in black.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
Nov 16, 2002

A whole lot of shaking going on in my mind

Earthquakes are not laughable affairs. The breadth of the destruction and depth of the human tragedy demand only a solemn response.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Nov 16, 2002

Michiko Mitarai

This week has seen ceremonies setting up a new relationship between Goucher College, Baltimore, and Aoyama Gakuin University, Tokyo. An agreement reached for cultural and educational exchange between the two institutions represents, in fact, a rediscovery of an old, essential connection. For Michiko...
BUSINESS
Nov 16, 2002

Mitsui O.S.K. net profit falls

Major shipping company Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd. said Friday its group net profit in the fiscal first half to Sept. 30 fell 60.5 percent from a year earlier to 5.54 billion yen due to flagging shipping fees and higher fuel costs.
JAPAN
Nov 16, 2002

U.S. military to continue underwater blasts

The United States has notified Japan it will continue military exercises involving underwater explosions in waters near Japan through Wednesday, the Foreign Ministry said.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 16, 2002

Indians starve while grain is exported

MADRAS -- Hunger still stalks India. Fifty-five years after the British gave the country its freedom, 200 million Indians -- a fifth of the population -- still go to bed hungry. What makes this situation even more tragic is the fact that the government plans to export million tons of rice and wheat....
JAPAN
Nov 16, 2002

LDP rejects latest allegations of skimming by lawmaker

The Liberal Democratic Party on Friday dismissed media reports that Ryotaro Tanose, an LDP member of the House of Representatives, misappropriated some 10 million yen of his policy secretary's state-paid salary.
BUSINESS
Nov 16, 2002

Osaka Gas net profit tumbles

Osaka Gas Co. said Friday its group net profit tumbled 20 percent from a year earlier in the April-September first half of fiscal 2002, following its gas rate cut in March.
JAPAN
Nov 16, 2002

Cabinet official hits ministry for refusing to issue Lee visa

A government official on Friday criticized the Foreign Ministry for refusing to issue a visa to allow former Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui to visit Japan.
BUSINESS
Nov 15, 2002

Nippon Yusen's profit sinks 50% as deflated assets sold

Nippon Yusen K.K., the nation's biggest shipping firm, said Thursday its group net profit slid 49.7 percent in the fiscal first half to Sept. 30 from a year earlier to 7.79 billion yen.
JAPAN
Nov 15, 2002

Report calls for patriotic education

The education law must be overhauled to nurture strong, spiritually rich and more patriotic Japanese, according to a report released Thursday by the Central Education Council.
JAPAN
Nov 15, 2002

Japan plans to question North Korea on bio-arms

Japan said on Thursday it would take up the issue of North Korea's suspected development of biological and chemical weapons in future talks on establishing diplomatic ties between the historic foes.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Nov 15, 2002

New coach, new approach has Wales in hunt for Euro 2004

LONDON -- Question time.
JAPAN
Nov 15, 2002

Monthly gun haul goes easy on mob

More than half of the illegal firearms seized by police last month were confiscated from individuals outside of organized crime, the National Police Agency said Thursday.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 15, 2002

Trade pact could trap ASEAN into state of irrelevance

HONOLULU -- Supporters of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area (ACFTA) argue that numbers tell the story. And indeed, they do.
BUSINESS
Nov 15, 2002

Business lobby rejects bank nationalization story

The Japan Business Federation (Nippon Keidanren) on Thursday denied a report in The Times of London that paraphrases the group's chairman as predicting at least one of Japan's top four banks will probably be nationalized next month.
COMMENTARY
Nov 15, 2002

Economic foolishness deepens

We knew that Japan's economic debate was fairly foolish when Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi told us that structural reforms such as privatizing highway corporations and the post office would somehow revitalize the Japanese economy. But even that looks sensible compared with the latest proposed "reform"...
Japan Times
JAPAN / AT THE JUNCTION
Nov 15, 2002

Affiliates are cashing in on cozy ties with Japan Highway

Last spring, an employee at a road maintenance company smelled a rat as his firm prepared to bid for an expressway-related project by the semi-governmental Japan Highway Public Corp.
JAPAN
Nov 15, 2002

U.S. sets off underwater blasts

The U.S. military on Thursday carried out a test involving underwater explosions in the Sea of Japan off Shimane Prefecture, in spite of protests from Japan.
EDITORIALS
Nov 15, 2002

Iraq's 'final opportunity'

The world has united against Iraq. Last week, the United Nations Security Council voted unanimously to give Baghdad a last chance to disarm. In response, the Iraqi government has opted for "the path of peace" and agreed to accept the resolution "without conditions." That is good news - no one wants war....
JAPAN
Nov 15, 2002

Alleged embezzlement, coverup par for course?

What appears be a blatant case of embezzlement at a Saitama office of Japan Highway Public Corp. was hushed up last year -- an episode that observers say illustrates how the heavily indebted corporation, now at the center of a privatization debate, pays little heed to the fact that it is dealing with...
JAPAN
Nov 15, 2002

U.S. settles with Ehime Maru victims

The U.S. Navy reached a settlement Thursday in Tokyo over a deadly collision last year off Hawaii involving one of its submarines and a Japanese high school fisheries training ship.
BUSINESS
Nov 15, 2002

Tsutaya operator has record first half

Culture Convenience Club Co., operator of the Tsutaya video rental chain, said Thursday it posted record earnings in the fiscal half, thanks to a robust growth in membership and the popularity of DVD movies.
BUSINESS
Nov 15, 2002

Toyota names 15 grant recipients

Toyota Motor Corp. and the Toyota Foundation said Thursday they have selected 15 organizations in Japan and abroad as recipients of the Toyota Environmental Activities Grant Program for fiscal 2002.

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