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BASEBALL / MLB
Nov 4, 2000

MLBers draw first blood

Hisanori Takahashi found major league hitters tougher to get out than Fukuoka Daiei Hawks.
MORE SPORTS
Nov 4, 2000

All Blacks beat off challenge from Pacific Barbarians for 50-10 win

The New Zealand All Blacks faced a strong challenge from the Pacific Barbarians before overcoming them 50-10 in a UNICEF charity match Friday at Tokyo's Chichibunomiya Stadium.
CULTURE / Art
Nov 4, 2000

The good, the bad and the confusing

"No. 7 Needles" (1975) oil on canvas Like many of his paintings, Luc Tuymans is a man easily misunderstood. At first glance, the tall and hulking Belgian seems more like the president of a stodgy old European corporation than the internationally acclaimed avant-garde artist that he is. Tuymans, 42,...
JAPAN
Nov 4, 2000

Six receive honor from Emperor

Nobel laureate Hideki Shirakawa and five others were awarded this year's Order of Culture by the Emperor at the Imperial Palace on Culture Day on Friday.
COMMENTARY
Nov 4, 2000

Getting beyond gridlock

LONDON -- The recent rail crash near Hatfield, north of London, that resulted in the deaths of four people was caused by a cracked rail. The crash occurred almost a year after the even more serious crash near London's Paddington Station. These accidents have once again highlighted the need for higher...
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 4, 2000

Tax evasion vs. official misbehavior

Globalization is widely seen as contributing to clear increases in economic growth. Yet many governments view this development as a poisoned chalice. Politicians and bureaucrats fear that eliminating exchange controls and removing barriers to capital flows will lead to extensive revenue losses from tax...
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 4, 2000

Two Koreas grapple with a long history

U.S. Secretary of State Madeline Albright's recent remark that "my glasses aren't rose-colored" when it comes to North Korea has touched a deep chord in South Korea. The pace and productiveness of North-South exchanges has noticeably slowed since the summer, and off-again, on-again North-South meetings...
COMMENTARY
Nov 4, 2000

Mori fumbles, Japan drifts

The government of Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori faces another political crisis after a furor over a controversial electoral-reform bill died down with the Diet passage of the legislation. The law introduces a new voting system in the proportional-representation section of Upper House polls.
EDITORIALS
Nov 3, 2000

Amazon flows into Japan

Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori has declared that he wants to build an "e-Japan." He may find that his wish comes true sooner than he thinks. This week's launch of Amazon.com's Japanese Web site will push the electronic envelope as much as any government initiative. But the Amazon.com venture also highlights...
SOCCER / World cup
Nov 3, 2000

FIFA likely to get 2002 tax exemption

The Japanese government plans to exempt soccer's world governing body FIFA from taxes on profits from commercial projects related to the 2002 World Cup, mostly by utilizing existing taxation measures, government sources said Thursday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Nov 3, 2000

'Stars, 'Wave make multi-player deal

The Yokohama BayStars and Orix BlueWave have concluded a deal to swap infielders Tatsuya Shindo and Hirofumi Ogawa in a multi-player trade, officials of the two clubs said Thursday.
JAPAN
Nov 3, 2000

Cabinet contributes to 'comfort women' fund

Cabinet ministers will contribute 100,000 yen each to a semipublic fund set up to pay compensation to wartime "comfort women" from other parts of Asia, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said Thursday.
JAPAN
Nov 3, 2000

Japan, China agree to warship visits as bilateral security exchange step

Top officials from the Defense Agency and China's People's Liberation Army agreed Thursday that the two countries will start their first-ever mutual visits by naval vessels next year, agency officials said.
JAPAN
Nov 3, 2000

Mori, Khatami unite on trade

Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori and visiting Iranian President Mohammad Khatami have agreed to expand economic cooperation in a wide range of areas and to increase dialogue.
JAPAN
Nov 3, 2000

Ex-Sogo chief denies firm managed badly

Hiroo Mizushima, the longtime chairman of failed department store chain Sogo Co., on Thursday flatly denied that he sloppily managed the firm, although he said he is deeply aware of his responsibility as chief executive.
JAPAN
Nov 3, 2000

Pollees want rows resolved before ties normalized

More than 80 percent of respondents to a Kyodo News telephone poll on Japan's efforts to normalize ties with North Korea want the government to ensure bilateral disputes are resolved before negotiations are concluded.
JAPAN
Nov 3, 2000

Web site gets volcano evacuees online and in touch

Hiroyuki Noda never imagined that he would become a messenger for fellow Miyake Island residents when he bought a personal computer six years ago to keep books for his inn and diving shop.
JAPAN
Nov 3, 2000

Kyoto CO2 reduction goals must be adhered to: NGO

A Japanese nongovernmental organization called on Environment Agency officials Thursday to establish efficient domestic measures to meet reduction targets for carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases as stated in the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, rather than exploiting potential loopholes in the agreement.
JAPAN
Nov 3, 2000

Higher health expenses likely as bill moves on

In a bid to contain health-related expenses shouldered by the state, the House of Representatives passed a government-sponsored bill Thursday to increase the share of health care costs paid by the elderly.
JAPAN
Nov 3, 2000

Khatami urges people of Japan, Iran to be closer

Iranian President Mohammad Khatami on Thursday urged the people of Japan and Iran to draw closer by overcoming differences in culture, language and mentality.
JAPAN
Nov 3, 2000

Project to transfer capital waste of money, Tokyo says

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government on Thursday took another swipe at the central government's plan to move the capital by claiming the transfer "does not make any economic sense" and would eventually waste up to 6.3 trillion yen.
CULTURE / Books
Nov 3, 2000

Throwing out complication to embrace simple life

Reflecting the downbeat mood in Japan, book sales continue to be sluggish, especially of hardcover books and serious fiction.
JAPAN
Nov 3, 2000

Police reform bill clears the Lower House

The House of Representatives on Thursday approved a police reform bill that is designed to to increase the supervision of regional public safety commissions and to make police more responsive to public complaints.
MORE SPORTS
Nov 3, 2000

Lomu happy for chance to play in Japan

New Zealand winger Jonah Lomu is looking forward to making his first appearance in front of Japanese fans in Friday's warmup against the Pacific Barbarians at Tokyo's Chichibunomiya Stadium before the All Blacks head to Europe for several tests. But the world-famous speedy winger said his side is aware...
COMMENTARY
Nov 3, 2000

Secrecy and greed behind BSE tragedy

LONDON --I am stunned at the awfulness of being British at the moment. A report written by Lord Phillips into the BSE tragedy has just been published. Though it does not roar with horror or screech with condemnation, its quiet steady tone fills me with anger and horror at Britain's farming, veterinary...
JAPAN
Nov 3, 2000

Fukuoka police get MAD, then get even

Fukuoka police are going mad over "bosozoku" biker gangs.
JAPAN
Nov 3, 2000

Mori says he is 'humbled' by dismal approval ratings

Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori said Thursday he "humbly" accepts the low approval ratings of his Cabinet in recent media polls and repeated his determination to promote ongoing economic stimulus policies and continue to support the information technology revolution.

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