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COMMENTARY / World
Dec 22, 2001

Tanaka isn't the true target

HONOLULU — Japanese Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka has been engaged in a very public battle with Foreign Ministry officials since her appointment in April. While the controversy has focused on Tanaka's gaffes and her seeming inability to serve effectively as foreign minister, the real clash is more...
JAPAN
Dec 22, 2001

Ogata likely to be named joint chair of Afghan conference

Sadako Ogata, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's special envoy on Afghan affairs, is likely to be the Japanese chair of a multinational conference to discuss the reconstruction of Afghanistan, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda hinted Friday.
BUSINESS
Dec 22, 2001

Automakers happy, farmers angry

The domestic auto industry welcomed the compromise Friday between Japan and China on a trade dispute.
BUSINESS
Dec 22, 2001

NKK and Kawasaki Steel to team up as JFE Group

NKK Corp. and Kawasaki Steel Corp. plan to rename themselves JFE Group when they merge under a joint holding company in October, the firms announced Friday.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Dec 22, 2001

Thomas L. Wright

Part of the enduring fame of architect Frank Lloyd Wright stems from his having designed the old Imperial Hotel in Tokyo. His reputation was significantly enhanced when the Imperial Hotel, shortly after its 1923 opening, withstood the 7.9-magnitude earthquake that devastated Tokyo and Yokohama. Wright's...
JAPAN
Dec 22, 2001

Children of suicide victims seek help in alleviating social discrimination

Children who have lost one or both parents to suicide met with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi earlier this month to appeal for measures to curb the growing number of parental suicides, according to a private nonprofit group.
COMMUNITY
Dec 22, 2001

Book by 'Japagaijin' gives abused women shelter

Right now, Diane Brown is shoveling snow. She lives 10 km from the center of Sapporo, where she finds it both amusing and annoying that so much of the drudgery of local life has been officially labeled women's work. "The shovel I use is called a 'Mamadump' because it's mums who mostly clear the white...
BUSINESS
Dec 22, 2001

LDP's Aizawa presses the BOJ to target inflation

A financial working group of the Liberal Democratic Party adopted a resolution Friday urging the Bank of Japan to set a clear inflation target to combat deflation.
BUSINESS
Dec 22, 2001

Nikko Cordial buys bonds to help unit repay investors

Nikko Cordial Corp. has bought 108.9 billion yen worth of banks' subordinated bonds in devalued money management funds managed by its subsidiary, Nikko Asset Management Co., to help it reimburse investors, company sources said Friday.
SOCCER / World cup
Dec 22, 2001

Huge financial windfall predicted from World Cup

Next year's World Cup soccer finals, to be cohosted by South Korea and Japan, could generate economic benefits of up to 3.6 trillion yen if Japan wins the tournament, two private research institutes said Thursday.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Dec 22, 2001

Finally, English made simple!

It would be nice if learning a foreign language were as simple as learning to drive. We ought to be able to buy a language manual, study the rules, practice a few weeks, and pass a test. But learning a foreign language, especially English, is far more complicated. Therefore, I propose we simplify the...
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 21, 2001

A dormant Islamic state concept

SINGAPORE -- Malaysia's ruling National Front coalition government has withdrawn from circulation a booklet "Malaysia Is an Islamic Country" to allay growing fears among the significant non-Muslim minority that the multiracial country which tolerates many faiths would be turned into an Islamic state....
COMMENTARY
Dec 21, 2001

Public servants untouched by economic woes

On Dec. 10, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's winter bonus was 5,692,492 yen this year, and other Cabinet members received 4,155,717 yen. These are huge sums in these harsh economic times.
EDITORIALS
Dec 21, 2001

Public-sector reforms move forward

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's efforts to streamline inefficient public corporations have been largely successful so far. But he has suffered a setback in one important category of these corporations: state-run financial institutions. Faced with stiff resistance from both inside and outside the government,...
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 21, 2001

Assault on India's symbol could fan new winds of war

T he Dec. 13 terrorist raid on India's Parliament in New Delhi has understandably drawn parallels with what happened in New York and the Pentagon on Sept. 11.
BUSINESS
Dec 21, 2001

Domestic car sales expected to fall for second year in row

Domestic sales of automobiles, including minivehicles, are likely to shrink by 0.7 percent in 2002 to 5.88 million vehicles for the second straight year of decline, an industry group said Thursday.
JAPAN
Dec 21, 2001

How do you say Glay in Chinese?

Charismatic rock group Glay is embarking on a mission that even the gray generation of Japanese leaders think very difficult, if not impossible: to fine-tune the country's often rocky ties with China and keep them humming along.
BASEBALL / MLB
Dec 21, 2001

Kataoka to join Tigers

Free-agent and veteran infielder Atsushi Kataoka said Thursday he has agreed to join the Hanshin Tigers for next season after completing four rounds of talks with the Osaka club, although details of the deal were not disclosed.
BUSINESS
Dec 21, 2001

Koizumi should have tried to cap deflation instead

While the Finance Ministry's draft budget for 2002 features significant structural changes, its central reform pillar of limiting government spending has aggravated concerns about the economy.
BUSINESS
Dec 21, 2001

BOJ lowers economic view, again

The Bank of Japan on Thursday downgraded its assessment of the nation's economy for the seventh consecutive month.
BUSINESS
Dec 21, 2001

Thailand's FTA idea has bureaucrats troubled

Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's recent unexpected proposal for a free-trade agreement has Japanese policymakers tearing their hair out.
LIFE / Lifestyle / JET STREAM
Dec 21, 2001

Seeking the broader picture

On a flight to Japan, the British writer Lesley Downer was surprised when her seat companion started berating her, mid-conversation. He was upset when he heard that she was writing a book on geisha. Better she write about the real Japan, rather than promote foreign stereotypes, the Japanese businessman...
SOCCER / World cup
Dec 21, 2001

Japan sets eight matches to prepare for World Cup

FUKUROI, Shizuoka Pref. -- Japan will play a total of eight friendlies, starting with Ukraine in March at home, before heading into the World Cup, the Japan Football Association announced Wednesday.
JAPAN
Dec 21, 2001

False imprisonment suit rejected

The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected an appeal by a former death row inmate who was demanding 143 million yen in compensation from the government for imprisoning him for murders for which he was later acquitted.
BUSINESS
Dec 21, 2001

Japan, China plan last-ditch talks

Japan and China will hold a ministerial meeting Friday in Beijing in a last-ditch effort to resolve a trade dispute over tit-for-tat import curbs to meet the day's negotiation deadline, trade chief Takeo Hiranuma said Thursday.
BUSINESS
Dec 21, 2001

Hitachi to sell off monorail service

The Hitachi group announced Thursday it will sell off a controlling share of its stock in a monorail subsidiary that links central Tokyo and Haneda airport to East Japan Railway Co. for 7 billion yen.
JAPAN
Dec 21, 2001

Child exploitation congress closes

YOKOHAMA-- A four-day international conference concluded here Thursday with the adoption of a statement reaffirming the need for the protection and promotion of the right of every child to be protected from all forms of sexual exploitation.

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