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JAPAN
Jun 14, 2000

Korean residents wary of reunifying homeland

OSAKA — Local Korean residents welcomed Tuesday's historic summit between the leaders of North and South Korea but cautioned that numerous hurdles remained to reunification.
JAPAN
Jun 14, 2000

Tokyo welcomes 'smooth' start to Korean talks

Japan welcomed South Korean President Kim Dae Jung's arrival in Pyongyang on Tuesday as a "smooth" start to the first-ever inter-Korea summit and expressed hope that the three-day meeting will yield "good achievements."
JAPAN
Jun 14, 2000

Radioactive mail alleges smuggling by ministry body

A message included in envelopes containing small amounts of a radioactive substance mailed earlier last week to government offices alleged that an Education Ministry foundation is smuggling uranium to North Korea, police sources said Tuesday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Jun 14, 2000

Giants ask fans to turn down volume

Anyone familiar with Japanese baseball and the nonstop cheering that goes on in the outfield bleachers for nine innings may find Wednesday's matchup between the Yomiuri Giants and Yokohama BayStars a rather quiet affair.
BASEBALL / MLB
Jun 14, 2000

Martinez cracks grand slam as Giants club BayStars 7-4

Domingo Martinez belted a grand slam in the bottom of the fifth inning Tuesday as the Yomiuri Giants rallied for five runs en route to a 7-4 victory over the Yokohama BayStars at the Tokyo Dome.
JAPAN
Jun 14, 2000

Nissan scholarships 'investing in the future'

In a ceremony earlier this week to mark the third anniversary of a Nissan Motor Co. scholarship program, Chief Operating Officer Carlos Ghosn described the program as an investment in the future.
JAPAN
Jun 14, 2000

Canada uranium search rights farmed out

The government body responsible for researching and establishing nuclear recycling systems will farm out its Canadian rights to explore for uranium to a firm jointly set up by four Japanese companies, government officials said Tuesday.
LIFE / Digital
Jun 14, 2000

Japanese gaming site unveiled

A Japanese gaming community Web site was unveiled Monday in conjunction with the launch of the Japanese subsidiary of AsiaContent.com, a pan-Asian consumer Internet company.
CULTURE / Books
Jun 14, 2000

How Japan's JET program got off the ground

IMPORTING DIVERSITY: Inside Japan's JET Program, by David L. McConnell. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2000, 328 pp. (paper). Stung by international criticism that Japan was too insular, the government decided in August of 1987 to initiate "one of the largest educational programs in the...
EDITORIALS
Jun 14, 2000

When politics itself is an issue

Campaigning officially started on Tuesday for the June 25 Lower House election, which is of particular significance to Japan because it will basically determine the nature and direction of Japanese politics at the beginning of the 21st century. As such, the general election -- the first in three years...
LIFE / Travel
Jun 14, 2000

On the open road to Tucson

Favorite travel fantasies come in many forms -- not everyone dreams of a deserted white-sand beach on Maui.
LIFE / Digital / CYBERIA
Jun 14, 2000

Gateways to synergy

Every time I visit a particular convenience store, I wince at the repeated announcement of its Web site: "Eichi chi chi pi koron surashu surashu daburyu daburyu daburyu dotto . . . " It is supposed to be such a cutting-edge play, but it only reminds me of how clumsy the analog world can be, and of how...
JAPAN
Jun 14, 2000

Vision said key to campaign

It's all about the vision thing, or the lack of it, thinks Keio University economics professor Heizo Takenaka about the campaign for the Lower House election.
CULTURE / Books
Jun 14, 2000

Asian economic ills were homegrown

ASIAN ECLIPSE: Exploring the Dark Side of Business in Asia, by Michael Backman. Singapore: John Wiley and Sons, Ltd., 1999, 379 pp., $29.95 (cloth). An insightful adage states that a best friend dispenses "tough love," meaning that if one is turning into an alcoholic, the friend will withhold strong...
BUSINESS
Jun 14, 2000

Orix, Credit Saison offer higher rates of interest

Orix Trust & Banking Corp. and major credit card issuer Credit Saison Co. announced Tuesday that beginning in July they will offer Credit Saison card holders up to 1 percent interest per annum on ordinary deposits with the bank.
LIFE / Travel
Jun 14, 2000

The best mechanics in the world

Canada's Inuit have many talents, but one of the most impressive is their mechanical ability. With or without training, they have a reputation as the world's best natural mechanics.
LIFE / Travel
Jun 14, 2000

The return of an old classic: fresh fish and soccer for all

Shimizu, a port city in Shizuoka Prefecture, is back in fashion again. In the Edo Period, Shimizu was a popular post town on the Tokaido Highway. Travelers liked its fresh fish and tasty Oiwake yokan bean paste. But the inauguration of train service between Tokyo and Kyoto spelled doom for Shimizu, as...
JAPAN
Jun 14, 2000

Immigration sweep takes in 1,040

Immigration officers arrested 1,040 foreigners on suspicion of violating the immigration law during a three-week sweep that started May 15, the Justice Ministry said.
JAPAN
Jun 14, 2000

Violation of rights by cops nets redress

The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the Tokyo Metropolitan Government to pay 180,000 yen in compensation to a man denied the right to see his lawyer while in police detention in 1990.
CULTURE / Books
Jun 14, 2000

Japan's path from imitator to world-beating innovator

CULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY IN MODERN JAPAN, edited by Ian Inkster and Fumihiko Satofuka. London/New York: Tauris, 2000, 169 pp., unpriced. The relationship between culture and technology is complex and multilayered. Technological innovations that had profound effects on culture are easy to find: Think of...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Jun 14, 2000

Kyogen's hero is Everyman

KYOGEN COMPANION, by Don Kenny, with a brief history by Kazuo Toguchi. Tokyo: National Noh Theater, 1999. 308 pp. with b/w plates. 1,800 yen. Kyogen are short comic plays sometimes a part of, but more often sandwiched between, the longer and often tragic noh dramas. They are spoken in the vernacular...
COMMENTARY
Jun 14, 2000

The chancy politics of weather

In less than two weeks, on Sunday, June 25, Japanese voters will cast their ballots in what will be Japan's last general election of the 20th century. This may well turn out to be the most important Japanese general election since July 18, 1993, which resulted in the inauguration, on Aug. 9 of that year,...
JAPAN
Jun 14, 2000

Ballots from abroad begin arriving

The government began accepting ballots Tuesday for the June 25 Lower House election from Japanese living abroad or aboard ships — the first time overseas voting has been permitted for a national election.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / GETTING THINGS DONE
Jun 14, 2000

Winding down

In Sunday's column, I told readers why I will be leaving Japan while, appropriately, explaining what is required for foreigners to get married in Japan, which is what we did. I also said I would explain what would replace this column. Actually, I can't do that. It is up to you. I know there are a lot...
LIFE / Travel
Jun 14, 2000

Bombardiers and polar bears

TORONTO -- The Bombardier died about 10 km out of Arviat, and that was a stroke of luck. It's nearly 800 km from Churchill to Rankin Inlet as the snowmobile travels and there are only two settlements along the way. We broke down close to one of them.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 14, 2000

Ripples from Assad's death will extend far

So the Lion of Damascus is, at last, no more. For some people, he has been an unconscionable time dying. I remember when, back in 1983, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and his loyalist guerrillas were fighting a desperate rearguard action against the Syrian Army in the northern Lebanese town of Tripoli....

Longform

The students at Mitaka Municipal No. 7 Junior High School have access to various cooling devices for when they play sports.
Japan's extreme heat is causing a rethink of school sports