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CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Dec 2, 2001

Yosano's poetry in motion

TRAVELS IN MANCHURIA AND MONGOLIA, by Akiko Yosano, translated by Joshua A. Fogel. New York: Columbia University Press, 164 pp., with a map, $39.50 (cloth), $16 (paper) In 1928, the celebrated poet Akiko Yosano was invited to travel through Northeast Asia by the South Manchurian Railway Company.
BUSINESS
Dec 2, 2001

Ads appear on exteriors of trains

The first commercial advertisements appeared Saturday on the outside of train cars on the JR Yamanote line since the Tokyo metropolitan government lifted a ban on such advertising in October.
CULTURE / Music / FUZZY LOGIC
Dec 2, 2001

And, now, the greatest shows on earth

Fancy some Yogurt Pooh? "Errr, no thanks." Ever seen Cruyff in the Bedroom? "Johan Cruyff? The '70s soccer star? Is he doing porn now?" How about Girls From Italia? "Yeah, OK, I'll have a bit of that."
LIFE / Food & Drink / VINELAND
Dec 2, 2001

The life of the party

The yearend holiday season brings a flurry of parties, rich dinners and the popping of corks. For those of us who love wine, this time of year presents a few dilemmas as well. There's the torture of finding the right bottle to give the boss or a gourmand in-law who has tried everything. Then we mull...
BUSINESS
Dec 2, 2001

Japan, Russia to step up economic ties

Japan and Russia agreed Saturday to step up economic and trade cooperation by creating a commission on promoting bilateral trade and investment, a Foreign Ministry official said.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Dec 2, 2001

Making the polluter pay

MINAMATA: Pollution and the Struggle For Democracy in Postwar Japan, by Timothy S. George. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2001, 385 pp., $45 (cloth) The story of mercury poisoning suffered by residents near the port of Minamata in Kyushu is a well-known tale of knavery on a grand scale. A telling...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Dec 2, 2001

Restaurant J: Food that gladdens the heart of man

Restaurant J has been open for more than a year, so there's absolutely no reason for the Food File to wait any longer to bestow its seal of approval. But we're still reluctant to give it the unconditional thumbs-up it so richly deserves. Why so? It's the same old story: We're always loath to spread the...
EDITORIALS
Dec 1, 2001

Japan's role in rebuilding Afghanistan

International efforts are under way to begin a recovery process in Afghanistan now that anti-Taliban forces have taken control of Kabul. International cooperation in Afghan recovery and reconstruction is a logical follow-up to the internationally supported military campaign against Osama bin Laden and...
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 1, 2001

A (temporary) love affair with death

LONDON -- "I love death more than you love life," said Osama bin Laden in a recent interview, clearly convinced that this gave him moral superiority over the whole of Western civilization. There are plenty of young men in the refugee camps that litter the Muslim world who would make the same assertion....
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 1, 2001

The looming specter of nuclear terror

The fall of Kabul merely adds to the woes of a world that is increasingly worrying about deadly nuclear weapons falling into the hands of desperadoes.
COMMENTARY
Dec 1, 2001

No change in stormy economic outlook

Political and economic conditions at the end of November seem to be in a lull or stalemate both in Japan and abroad. But this is only a passing phenomenon. It may be the case that signs of turmoil and instability are only temporarily receding below the surface as the yearend and New Year approach.
COMMENTARY
Dec 1, 2001

'Caring' capitalism is needed

LONDON -- A decade ago, capitalism seemed almost totally triumphant. Its old enemy, communism, was discredited and in rapid retreat, global capital markets were beginning a phase of colossal expansion and countries everywhere were deregulating, opening their markets and unraveling their state sectors...
MORE SPORTS
Dec 1, 2001

Fukabori grabs lead in JT Cup final

Juken Sangyo Open champion Keiichiro Fukabori ran in seven birdies in a 6-under-par 64 to storm into a two-shot lead on 9-under 131 on Friday in the season-ending Nippon Series JT Cup.
COMMUNITY
Dec 1, 2001

Talk to TELL if you get into any kind of trouble

If the time is between 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and 7 p.m. to 11 p.m., there is a Tokyo English Life Line volunteer counselor sitting alone at a secret address somewhere in Tokyo, waiting for the phone to ring. This counselor may be male or female, young or elderly, Japanese or non-Japanese. But he or she will...
JAPAN
Dec 1, 2001

Jobless rate hits 5.4%

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 5.4 percent in October, hitting a record high as more people lost jobs due to corporate restructuring, the government said Friday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Dec 1, 2001

Sale of BayStars off

Representatives of Japan's 12 professional baseball clubs on Thursday annulled their decision to allow Nippon Broadcasting System Inc. to become the top shareholder of the Yokohama BayStars.
JAPAN
Dec 1, 2001

Minister says safe Cambodia is ideal holiday spot

Cambodia has an image problem that makes it difficult to attract tourists, tourism minister Veng Sereyvuth told a travel congress in Tokyo on Thursday.
SOCCER / World cup
Dec 1, 2001

2002 World Cup winner must qualify for 2006 finals

PUSAN, South Korea -- No more free rides. That was the message from FIFA president Sepp Blatter on Friday when he announced that the winner of the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea would not get an automatic qualifying berth for the 2006 finals in Germany.
BUSINESS
Dec 1, 2001

Investors fume as Enron-linked funds bleed

The phones are ringing off the hook at investment trust companies, as investors pull their cash out of money-management funds that fell below par value earlier this week.
BUSINESS
Dec 1, 2001

Fujitsu to halt U.S. output of flash chips

Fujitsu Ltd. said Friday that it will stop producing flash memory semiconductors in the United States early next year due to cooling demand for the product worldwide amid falling prices.
JAPAN
Dec 1, 2001

328 at Foreign Ministry penalized for fund misuse

A total of 328 Foreign Ministry officials were punished Friday for illicitly pooling more than 200 million yen in public funds, using about 160 million yen for mostly unofficial purposes over 6 1/2 years, Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka said Friday.
BUSINESS
Dec 1, 2001

Household spending posts 1.6% increase

Wage-earning households spent 1.6 percent more in real terms in October than they did a year earlier, the first rise in seven months, the government said Friday.
BUSINESS
Dec 1, 2001

BOJ keeping more than 14 trillion yen in current accounts

The Bank of Japan on Friday left the balance of its current accounts held by financial institutions at more than 14 trillion yen, the highest level since March 31, 2000, in a bid to hold rates stable, financial industry officials said.
BUSINESS
Dec 1, 2001

Tokyo consumer prices continue to fall

Consumer prices in Tokyo dropped 1.4 percent in November from a year earlier for the 27th consecutive monthly decline, reflecting lower fresh food prices, the government said Friday.
BUSINESS
Dec 1, 2001

Enron's fall would stifle liberalization: Hiranuma

The expected collapse of U.S. energy giant Enron Corp. will hinder Japan's efforts to liberalize its energy market, Takeo Hiranuma, the minister of economy, trade and industry, said Friday.
JAPAN
Dec 1, 2001

Net poses major changes for news media

Does the advent of the Internet society spell the end of the news media as we know it? Will a new breed of reporters, represented by anonymous authors in online chat rooms, oust professional journalists from the public arena?

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