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COMMENTARY / World
May 20, 2002

Monarchy retains role in Thai democracy

SINGAPORE -- A decade ago this week, tens of thousands of Thais took to the streets of Bangkok to topple Prime Minister Suchinda Kraprayun. Gen. Suchinda had led the successful February 1991 coup d'etat against the elected government of Chatchai Chunhawan. The terms of a constitution drafted on Suchinda's...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
May 20, 2002

Nilima Seth

"Divine!" Nilima Seth stood in front of a noh mask on her wall. "Don't you feel the vibes?" she asked, reverence in her tone. "What does it say to you?"
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
May 20, 2002

Kobe beef's secret: nice alcoholic cows

As we enter the barbecue season, that tiny lovely sliver of a season stuck between "o-hanami" and the rainy season, the question on everyone's mind is: What is Kobe beef? And what could make Kobe beef so special that people willingly pay over 10,000 yen for a steak?
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
May 20, 2002

Tax reform will offer Japan realistic chance to revitalize economy

The government's Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy is scheduled to set the direction for tax reform by the end of June. Since its establishment last year, the council has set out guidelines for structural reform in fiscal, social security and other fields, but not much has been discussed about the...
BUSINESS
May 20, 2002

Share buybacks in vogue among top Japanese firms

Major Japanese companies are buying back more of their own shares to prop up their sagging stock prices as the equity market continues to slump.
EDITORIALS
May 19, 2002

When is a pro not a .pro?

It's amazing the things some people worry about. Consider the flap caused this month by the announcement that the new .pro (for professional) Internet domain address has finally been approved.
COMMENTARY / World
May 19, 2002

A foil to the 'Asian Miracle'

CAMBRIDGE, England -- The past few weeks have been sad ones for the supporters of the still young democratic process in South Korea. It has been alleged that a web of corruption surrounds the presidency of Kim Dae Jung, winner of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize. While no one has, yet, suggested that the president...
SUMO
May 19, 2002

Triumvirate remain undefeated

Grand champion Musashimaru swatted Daizen out of the ring to remain undefeated Saturday but stablemate Musoyama fell to a second loss at the hands of ozeki-killer Aminishiki at the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament.
SOCCER / World cup / COHOSTING
May 19, 2002

Taming the 'bulldog'

As the deadline for deciding who would host the 2002 World Cup approached, FIFA boss Joao Havelange was approaching his 80th birthday and had been head of FIFA for over 20 years. Many thought he was getting past his sell-by date. He was a man who oozed power and in truth he had done a lot for the game....
COMMENTARY / World
May 19, 2002

Ending the outrage of child marriages

NEW DELHI -- For a country that boasts the 21st-century trappings of a space program, nuclear energy and state-of-the-art communications, child marriage is a shocking sociological phenomenon. Every day children in India are marched to community halls and forced into lifelong relationships that hold little...
BASEBALL / MLB
May 19, 2002

Cabrera, Ito power Lions into PL lead

Seibu catcher Tsutomu Ito went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and Alex Cabrera had two hits, including a two-run homer in the first inning, to help lift the Lions over the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks 7-2 at Nagano Stadium to take sole possession of the Pacific League lead.
JAPAN
May 19, 2002

U.S. fears Sato leaked secrets to Russia

The United States is concerned that secret U.S. information was leaked to Russia through Masaru Sato, a Russian affairs expert at the Foreign Ministry who was arrested Tuesday, diplomatic sources said Saturday.
JAPAN / WHALE WATCHING
May 19, 2002

IWC talks crucial, U.S. official says

The international whaling meeting that opens Monday is the most important in 15 years, and its outcome is as hard to predict as it is significant, according to the head of the U.S. delegation.
JAPAN
May 19, 2002

Aomori, Ibaraki towns to bid to host experimental reactor

Japan will recommend two municipalities as possible sites for the construction of an international experimental nuclear fusion reactor.
JAPAN / WEEKEND WISDOM
May 19, 2002

Maverick metal molder happy solving big boys' problems

Masayuki Okano is living proof that building a better mousetrap gets the world to beat a path to your door.
JAPAN
May 19, 2002

Japan rethinks plan for permanent U.N. Security Council seat

In the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, Japan has been forced to review its diplomatic strategy for gaining a long-coveted permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council.
ENVIRONMENT
May 19, 2002

What the label doesn't say

Scandals about deception in product labeling have been in the news of late, with both the expiry dates and the origins of dairy and meat products called into question. While not as big a news item, the labeling standards for whale meat take deception to further, murkier depths -- and to dangerous ones....
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
May 19, 2002

An unexpected transformation at English school

RED SKY, RED DRAGONFLY, by John Galligan. Madison, Wisconsin: Diversity Incorporated, 262 pp., $14.95 (paper). "Red Sky, Red Dragonfly," a first novel by college writing professor John Galligan, provides ample evidence that he understands the craft he teaches. A humorous and original tale spanning two...
COMMENTARY
May 19, 2002

Koizumi must act to end his state of siege

I cannot help but suspect that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and the members of his Cabinet feel beset with troubles both at home and abroad as the current session of the Diet enters the homestretch.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
May 19, 2002

A lost textile art gains ascendancy

THE WORLD OF ROZOME: Wax-Resist Textiles of Japan, by Betsy Sterling Benjamin. Kodansha International, 2002, 224 pp., $49.95 (paper) If the art of "rozome" (wax-resist dyeing) were a moon in the sky, it would be full and glowing brightly. Having waned in importance as a textile-patterning process at...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT
May 19, 2002

Whaling: A live issue over death

Whales dolphins and porpoises, the aquatic mammals collectively called cetaceans, number less than 80 species, or fewer than 2 percent of all mammals. They are, however, probably the most talked about and written about of all wild animals -- despite being some of the most poorly understood creatures...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 19, 2002

Swingin' from Paris to Austin

Since authenticity is an important consideration for the Hot Club of Cowtown, the Austin, Texas, trio who play a mix of Western swing and hot jazz, it's easy to locate them on the musical map. Western swing was mostly invented and popularized by the legendary Bob Wills in the '30s and '40s in Texas,...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT
May 19, 2002

Where kujira cuisine is a matter of course

Eating at Taruichi can be a bit daunting. First there's the decor. For those not cowed by the dried, meter-long whale's phallus dangling overhead, the next challenge is the menu.
ENVIRONMENT
May 19, 2002

A young man and the sea

June 10, 1966. There was an iceberg in sight, and the water temperature was 3.7 degrees. The Japanese whale-catcher No. 17 Kyo Maru was off Newfoundland, having drifted through the brief summer night and resumed the search for migrating whales at first light.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
May 19, 2002

The inns and outs in the life of okami

O ne of the subsections of TV Tokyo's large selection of food-travel programs is the "Bijin Okami" special. Bijin okami, which translates as "beautiful mistress of the house," are women who run inns and hotels in resort and hot-spring areas. They are usually married to the owners of the establishments...

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