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BUSINESS
Mar 15, 2001

NEC plans plasma display venture

Leading electronics maker NEC Corp. and Thomson Multimedia SA of France said Wednesday they have agreed to a joint venture to produce plasma display panels.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Mar 15, 2001

Let Tokyo Q be your guide

TOKYO 2001-2002: Annual Guide to the City, by the staff of Tokyo Q with Rick Kennedy. Berkeley: Stone Bridge Press, 2001, 160 pp., 130 b/w images, $9.95. Tokyo, the largest city in the world, cornucopia turned upside-down, has always required a guide book. Not only are there competing attractions,...
ENVIRONMENT / GARDENING FOR ALL
Mar 15, 2001

Storm on the mountaintop, wind in the pines

The Japanese archipelago is home to five or six species of pine tree. The number is debated because among these species are geographical subspecies, varieties, ecotypes and "physiological races," the last expression referring to pine varieties that look similar, but are physiologically different, as...
LIFE / Style & Design / BEAUTY EAST AND WEST
Mar 15, 2001

An audacious urge for color

Shimmer and glimmer have been around long enough for their glint and sparkle to start to seem a bit boring, don't you think?
CULTURE / Books
Mar 15, 2001

Taking the long view on history

EAST ASIA AT THE CENTER: Four Thousand Years of Engagement with the World, by Warren I. Cohen. New York: Columbia University Press, 2000, 516 pp. You don't have to believe in the Asian Century or any other form of that nonsense to admit that Western understanding of Asia is woefully inadequate. The intellectual...
CULTURE / Books
Mar 15, 2001

Thai women, twice victimized

OWED JUSTICE: Thai Women Trafficked into Debt Bondage in Japan. Human Rights Watch, 227 pp., unpriced. For many women, the journey begins in northern Thailand, where refugees and hill-tribesmen languish in poverty and statelessness. The favored prey of sex-trade recruiters, these undocumented Thai...
JAPAN
Mar 15, 2001

Isahaya Bay project may be suspended

The government will seek the suspension of a reclamation project in Isahaya Bay, Nagasaki Prefecture, to check water quality in a reservoir behind the bay's dike from this week, officials said Wednesday.
EDITORIALS
Mar 14, 2001

No more secret funds

The criminal complaint filed in January by the Foreign Ministry against the former official in charge of logistics for VIP trips overseas has led to his arrest on a charge of fraud. An internal investigation has revealed that Mr. Katsutoshi Matsuo, who was fired in January for embezzlement, had swindled...
BUSINESS
Mar 14, 2001

LDP policy chief calls for extra budget

Shizuka Kamei, policy chief of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said Tuesday that a supplementary budget should be compiled to boost the economy.
BUSINESS
Mar 14, 2001

Bank chief frets Nikkei's dive but sees no crisis

The chief of the Japanese Bankers Association on Tuesday voiced strong concern over the plunge of the key 225-issue Nikkei stock index below the 12,000 level, but dismissed fears of a potential banking crisis at the March 31 end of fiscal 2000.
JAPAN
Mar 14, 2001

Nonaka tipped to lead LDP without rocking party boat

With Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori's resignation imminent, observers predict his most likely successor may be ruling party heavyweight Hiromu Nonaka, a man many say is unlikely to pull the nation out of its current political and economic quagmire.
JAPAN
Mar 14, 2001

New envoy seeks rethink of Venezuela

The new Venezuelan ambassador to Tokyo on Tuesday called for Japan to show greater interest in his country, and in South America in general, in order to achieve closer economic and political ties.
JAPAN
Mar 14, 2001

20% of mayors mulling mergers

While almost half of Japan's city mayors see the need for mergers between municipalities, only 20 percent are actually considering such moves, according to a recently released survey by publisher Toyo Keizai Inc.
JAPAN
Mar 14, 2001

Mori advances date of LDP presidential election

Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori officially announced Tuesday at the Liberal Democratic Party convention that he plans to move up the date of the LDP's presidential election -- a move widely taken to mean he is ready to step down soon.
BUSINESS
Mar 14, 2001

China warns Japan over towel curbs

A senior Chinese trade official on Tuesday said Japan should not take unilateral actions to curb towel imports from China.
JAPAN
Mar 14, 2001

Wall Street plunge drags down Nikkei

Tokyo share prices continued to tumble Tuesday as the benchmark 225-issue Nikkei stock average closed below the 12,000 threshold for the first time since February 1985.
JAPAN
Mar 14, 2001

Driver let shinkansen drive itself

While shinkansen are renowned for their advanced automatic control systems, confidence in the trains may have gone too far Saturday as a driver left his cab for five minutes, Central Japan Railway Co. (JR Tokai) revealed Tuesday.
JAPAN
Mar 14, 2001

Public should have role in court, Justice panel says

A Justice Ministry advisory panel contemplating wide-reaching changes to the country's judicial system agreed Tuesday that the authority citizens have in court procedures for criminal cases should equal that of judges.
JAPAN
Mar 14, 2001

Mori sets up panel to boost TSE

Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori on Tuesday instructed Cabinet members in charge of the economy to quickly come up with ways to rescue the free-falling stock market, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said.
JAPAN
Mar 14, 2001

Five-month Canada festival begins

The Canadian Embassy kicked off Canada's largest festival in Japan on Tuesday, aiming to increase Japanese awareness of the country.
BUSINESS
Mar 14, 2001

Mitsui Construction plans 20 billion yen share issue

Financially troubled Mitsui Construction Co. decided at an extraordinary board meeting Tuesday to issue 20.4 billion yen worth of new shares late this month to 11 creditor financial institutions and its mercantile arm, Sanken Corp., the company announced.
COMMENTARY
Mar 14, 2001

Agriculture policies gone wild

LONDON -- An outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Britain has caused a panic among farmers here and in the rest of Europe. Farms have been isolated and large numbers of animals, slaughtered on suspicion of harboring the disease, have been incinerated on the spot. Parks, where deer may be found, have...
BUSINESS
Mar 14, 2001

Ireland's trade chief seeks IT firms

Low telecom costs and government support for information technology make Ireland a very attractive place for Japanese IT companies to invest in, Irish Deputy Prime Minister Mary Harney said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Mar 14, 2001

Retailers more pessimistic on economic outlook

A monthly governmental survey of the economic views of retail workers showed new levels of pessimism in February, the Cabinet Office said Tuesday.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 14, 2001

The anti-Buddhist fury in Afghanistan

CHIANG MAI, Thailand -- Indignation at the ongoing destructive fury of Afghanistan's ruling Taliban militia has been unanimous, with protests coming from the Muslim as well as the non-Muslim world. In fact, the recent destruction of the unique Buddhist monuments in Bamiyan prompts reflection on the huge...
BUSINESS
Mar 14, 2001

Net-based trading threatens major brokers

With stock trading over the Internet picking up strongly, online brokerages have played an increasingly key role over the past year in determining daily stock prices.
JAPAN
Mar 14, 2001

Naturalized Japanese denied disability pension

The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a claim for disability benefits from a blind woman who changed her nationality from South Korean to Japanese in 1970, upholding lower court rulings that Osaka's refusal to pay her a pension was constitutional.

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