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COMMENTARY
Nov 4, 2001

NGOs poised to invigorate Korean politics

SEOUL -- Nongovernmental organizations and local political autonomy have both contributed greatly to the advancement of democracy in South Korea. Both have been instrumental in checking centralized political power, bringing political decision-making closer to the people and increasing the political awareness...
COMMENTARY
Nov 4, 2001

'Rights' resulting in wrongs

WASHINGTON -- Concern for human rights has become the universal preoccupation. Whole armies have been mobilized by the international community against their abuse -- most recently in Kosovo and Afghanistan. Complex charters and networks of international law have been constructed to enshrine them and...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 4, 2001

Author draws strength from illness to warn of market crisis

A life-threatening illness often focuses a person's mind on the meaning of life. For writer Main Kohda, the fear she may have developed cancer changed her life.
EDITORIALS
Nov 4, 2001

A new benchmark for terrorism

Peace of mind is not the only thing to have been shaken by the events of Sept. 11. Language has been, too -- or at least our casual assumption that we know what we mean by the words we use.
JAPAN
Nov 4, 2001

Blood banks help Chinese with rare type

OSAKA -- Two Red Cross blood banks in western Japan helped save the life of a woman in China by answering an international appeal for a rare blood type, blood bank officials said Saturday.
COMMUNITY
Nov 4, 2001

It's a paradise for bikers in Japan

Maybe I'm losing it. With temperatures dropping and the first frost just around the corner, thoughts of winter sports and steaming cups of hot chocolate are starting to dance through most people's minds. But I've still got motorcycles wheelying through mine.
JAPAN
Nov 4, 2001

Strict discipline blamed for crimes by children

Children subjected to strict discipline, which is sometimes seen as child abuse by the minors themselves, tend to repeat crimes such as extorting money and assaulting others, according to a survey conducted by the Japan Federation of Bar Associations.
COMMUNITY
Nov 4, 2001

Getting geared up for the open road

Getting a license If you already have a motorbike license from another country, you can be issued with an equivalent Japanese one. If you have a Japanese car license, you can ride a scooter or a motorbike up to 50cc. If you have an international bike license, you can ride a bike of any size.
COMMUNITY
Nov 4, 2001

Life in the fastest lane of all

On the afternoon of Oct. 21, Daijiro Kato screeched across the finish line on his 250cc Honda to win the Malaysian Grand Prix -- and with it his first World Motorcycle Road Racing Champion's crown.
BUSINESS
Nov 4, 2001

Sogo's Mizushima to plead not guilty to hiding cash

Former Sogo Co. Chairman Hiroo Mizushima will plead not guilty to accusations that he attempted to hide some 150 million yen in assets from creditors as the major department store operator appeared destined for failure, sources close to the case said Saturday.
COMMENTARY
Nov 4, 2001

Attacks now an excuse to barbecue pork

WASHINGTON -- Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel, it has been said, and never was it more obvious in the United States than in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Rescuers were still searching for bodies from the smoldering rubble when lobbyists descended upon Washington, D.C....
LIFE / Food & Drink / BEST BAR NONE
Nov 4, 2001

Not just another hole in the wall

Our last stop in Golden Gai takes us in deep -- deep into its heart and soul, deep into its geographical center. This is where you'll find the crumbling cinder-block row houses, which once dominated the area, still clinging to the narrow alleys that zigzag through Golden Gai's core. Whereas Tre Tre and...
SOCCER / J. League
Nov 4, 2001

Cerezo's loss means relegation

Brazilian striker Amaral scored a hat trick in FC Tokyo's 5-2 triumph over Cerezo Osaka on Saturday condemning the visitors to J. League Division Two soccer next season.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Nov 4, 2001

And that's all she wrote, folks

In addition to being the author of the oldest novel in the world, Murasaki Shikibu has the distinction of being the first woman whose image has ever graced Japanese currency. You can be forgiven if you've never noticed her, since she's on the back of the relatively new 2,000 yen note, which seems to...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
Nov 4, 2001

Just cloning around

I am sitting in a pub with two other foreign husbands of Japanese women. We are about the same age and build, with the same twitchy faces of men who have lived too long as outsiders in a nation full of insiders.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Nov 4, 2001

Charlie Watts Tentet: Nothing but a jazz thing

In the 1960s, The Rolling Stones led the way in forging a rougher, rootsier style of rock out of R&B, '50s rock 'n' roll and Chicago blues. As the band's drummer, Charlie Watts helped set a new standard of rhythmic structure for rock, and his tight, anchoring beat was widely imitated. After that, what's...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / VINELAND
Nov 4, 2001

The quiet return of Riesling

Wine and hemlines are both susceptible to the whims of fashion. In recent years, the Riesling grape suffered from a dowdy reputation. During the big red wine boom of the '90s, it was shunned as a pale wallflower.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / FUZZY LOGIC
Nov 4, 2001

Straight from the monkey's mouth

The Stone Roses are the most influential British rock band of the last 15 years, but since their long-drawn-out and frankly ludicrous demise five years ago, vocalist Ian Brown has taken a lot of playground flak.
JAPAN
Nov 4, 2001

Three politicians among recipients of top decorations

The government on Saturday announced this fall's 4,521 recipients of decorations and awards for their contributions to the state and society, with top orders going to three present and former lawmakers.
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...

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