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JAPAN
Nov 12, 2000

Kato stands by call for Mori to step down

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party was plunged into further turmoil Saturday, only one day after party heavyweight Koichi Kato intensified the pressure on embattled Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori by saying he has no plans to defend Mori in the event of a no-confidence motion.
JAPAN
Nov 12, 2000

Playing princess dress-up in Himeji

HIMEJI, Hyogo Pref. -- When tourists visit the city of Himeji, they should not miss the opportunity to visit Himeji Castle, a national treasure and the first historical property in Japan registered on the U.N. World Heritage List.
JAPAN
Nov 12, 2000

Rokkasho to be site of MOX plant

Nine major power utilities and Japan Atomic Power Co. have selected the village of Rokkasho in Aomori Prefecture as the site of a planned factory to manufacture mixed uranium and plutonium oxide fuel (MOX).
JAPAN
Nov 12, 2000

Liberals aiming to promote debate over Constitution

The opposition Liberal Party has decided to specify its basic views on Japan's Constitution by the end of the year as a step toward proposing a new Constitution for the country, party sources said Saturday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Nov 12, 2000

Welcome to WVE wines in fertile vintage year

Australian Philippa Davern and New Zealander Sarah-Kate Wilson have a lot in common, despite the difference in their ages. For one thing, they both love wine. For another -- not entirely disconnected -- they both have the capacity to fall with assured delicacy on their own two feet.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Nov 12, 2000

How to pick a foreigner out of the crowd

The longer I live in Japan the more I realize how strange people of my own planet look. Compared to the lean, congruent Japanese, foreigners seem like gigantic globs of cellulite.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Nov 12, 2000

Robert Whiting

For the last 50 years Japan has come under intense Western scrutiny from many quarters. Scholars, writers, professional men and women in different pursuits have contributed observations and analyses of Japanese thoughts and lifestyles and behavior. Bob Whiting crafted a way of his own to add to the body...
JAPAN
Nov 12, 2000

Kono, Downer agree on policy

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN -- Foreign Minister Yohei Kono and his Australian counterpart, Alexander Downer, agreed Saturday to continue working to bring North Korea into the international fold, a Japanese official said.
JAPAN
Nov 12, 2000

Money-strapped NPOs must learn to use Internet: expert

KYOTO -- The proliferation of the Internet is spurring many groups to aggressively try to keep up with sweeping changes, and nonprofit organizations are no exception.
CULTURE / Stage
Nov 12, 2000

Evening of Marlovian erotica celebrates English literary great

English literature flowered magnificently during the reign of Queen Elizabeth. The various writers of the time represent a phase in the development and flexibility of poetry, prose and drama that achieved a beauty and exuberance unmatched in invention and style.
CULTURE / Music
Nov 12, 2000

Orchestras demonstrate small can be beautiful

The attention of the concertgoing public was drawn recently to two compact but cultured cities away from the well-trodden pathways of Europe.
JAPAN
Nov 12, 2000

Chemical firms plan integration

Sumitomo Chemical Co. and Mitsui Chemicals Inc. -- Japan's No. 2 and No. 3 chemical manufacturers -- will integrate their management and possibly merge outright as early as the fall of next year, company sources said Saturday.
CULTURE / Art
Nov 12, 2000

Investing in life beyond the grave

The Museum of the University of Tokyo has changed and modernized in recent years, emphasizing particularly the use of up-to-date information technology. It is no longer an ivory tower but is reaching out beyond the university community to the general public. Its exhibitions have received favorable attention...
JAPAN
Nov 12, 2000

Districts waive care premiums for the elderly

At least 86 municipalities in Japan are either reducing or waiving premiums for nursing care insurance from low-income residents aged 65 or older, according to a new survey conducted by Kyodo News.
SOCCER / J. League
Nov 12, 2000

Antlers grab top spot with win over Sanga

The Kashima Antlers leapfrogged Gamba Osaka to take a one-point lead at the top of the J. League first division with a 3-1 win at Kyoto Purple Sanga on Saturday. Gamba went down by the same score at home to third-placed side Kashiwa Reysol.
COMMENTARY
Nov 12, 2000

Don't be fooled by N. Korea

LONDON -- I watched with dismay the recent pictures of U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright hobnobbing with Kim Jong Il, the communist dictator of North Korea. I admire Albright and guess that she was unhappy at having to be seen in such company. She was only doing her job and no doubt justified...
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 12, 2000

APEC gearing up for the New Economy

WASHINGTON -- Laying the groundwork for a secure, stable and prosperous Asia-Pacific region is not the kind of work that generates dramatic headlines. But that is the work the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum does day in and day out, with significant benefits for business, workers, investors and...
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 12, 2000

Japan's not-so-silent media conspiracy

Some months ago I went up to Tohoku to give a public lecture sponsored by a television station. After the talk there was a delightful, informal dinner, during which I chatted with an old friend, a producer at the station.
JAPAN
Nov 12, 2000

Investigators get access to terrorist suspect

The Tokyo District Court on Saturday gave investigators permission to detain Fusako Shigenobu, the founder of the Japanese Red Army guerrilla group who was arrested Wednesday after almost 30 years on the run, for 10 days.
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Nov 12, 2000

On taking the eightfold path to environmental awareness

Environmentalists are a hard breed to pin down, much less to classify. They come in all shapes and sizes, and some even reject the name.
EDITORIALS
Nov 11, 2000

Taiwan's democratic growing pains

The impeachment controversy thickens. Politics has descended into name-calling and threats of lawsuits. The currency is slumping, share prices are plummeting and investors are fleeing in droves. The established political order is lining up against the president and threatening to impeach him. But this...
BASEBALL / MLB
Nov 11, 2000

Japan invited to play in World Cup

Japanese baseball officials said Friday they have received an offer from major league officials to play in the inaugural baseball World Cup tournament.
JAPAN
Nov 11, 2000

University head wants gender reflected in education reform

Japan's first woman president of a major coed university said Thursday that national policies being drawn up for education reform should cover gender issues to create a society where all individuals are respected.
JAPAN
Nov 11, 2000

Cabinet mixed on plan to slash ODA spending

Members of Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori's Cabinet expressed mixed opinions Friday over a proposal by the ruling coalition's chief policymakers to slash spending on official development assistance.
JAPAN
Nov 11, 2000

Graduates face difficulty in finding jobs

A government survey released Friday shows that 63.7 percent of university students graduating in spring and seeking employment have found jobs, while 42.5 percent of prospective high school graduates seeking jobs have secured employment.
JAPAN
Nov 11, 2000

Kato turns up heat on embattled Mori

The fate of Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori's administration looked questionable Friday as his party rival Koichi Kato implied he might not support the Cabinet against a no-confidence motion being threatened by opposition parties.

Longform

Capsule hotels were created as a way to deal with the amount of overwork employees tend to do in Japan. Can't commute home? Then spend the night in an tiny, affordable sleeping space.
Japan wakes up to the market for a proper sleep