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COMMUNITY / How-tos / GETTING THINGS DONE
May 24, 2000

Contrasts everywhere

We all know generalizations are dangerous, we shouldn't make them, but we do, especially when there is considerable evidence to support them. Japanese conformity is an example, though we must acknowledge that there is much to suggest a contrasting, imaginative individuality. For example, five perfectly...
JAPAN
May 24, 2000

Dutch ties marked with Imperial visit

The Emperor and Empress arrived in Amsterdam on Tuesday for an official visit marking 400 years of bilateral ties between Japan and the Netherlands. The Imperial couple are to meet Dutch leaders, including Queen Beatrix, later in the day. They are also scheduled to lay a wreath at the National Monument...
LIFE / Food & Drink / KISSA KULTUR
May 24, 2000

Fresh or aged, the coffee is kicking at Satei Hato

On a nondescript side street, a short walk from Shibuya Station's jangling cell phones and glaring white lipstick, Satei Hato first catches your eye with the dramatic vases and fresh flowers that grace its entrance. Intrigued, you discover a space much larger than you anticipated, filled with the warmth...
BUSINESS
May 24, 2000

Idemitsu Kosan considers going public

In a move heralding a major shift in its corporate philosophy, Idemitsu Kosan Co., a major oil distributor, said Tuesday it will consider going public.
BUSINESS
May 24, 2000

JR East posts triple rise in net profit

East Japan Railway Co. (JR East) said Tuesday its group net profit in fiscal 1999 leaped threefold from the previous year, following two consecutive years of setbacks.
LIFE / Travel
May 24, 2000

Lazy days on Yanagawa's canals

Yanagawa, in Fukuoka Prefecture, almost doesn't feel like a castle town. After all, the castle's remains (several heavy stone walls covered with greenery) now have two schools sprawling over them, and today the city is more associated with water, willow trees and writers. However Yanagawa's most distinctive...
LIFE / Travel
May 24, 2000

Echoes of Gandhara and ancient Rome

LANZHOU, China -- Four hundred kilometers from Dunhuang the Jiayuguan Pass, the "Greatest Pass Under Heaven," marks the old border between China proper and the Western Territories. The Chinese considered it the outer limit of civilization. In the 5th century B.C. the legendary Taoist master Laozi, aged...
BUSINESS
May 24, 2000

Yamaha revs up group sales, profit records

Yamaha Motor Co. scored record sales and pretax profits on a consolidated basis in fiscal 1999, which ended March 31, due in part to reduced operation costs, the company said Tuesday.
JAPAN
May 24, 2000

Man admits confining girl nine years

A 37-year-old unemployed man admitted Tuesday that he abducted a 9-year-old girl in 1990 and held her captive for nine years and two months at his home in Kashiwazaki, Niigata Prefecture, but declined to enter a plea. Nobuyuki Sato faces charges of abduction of the now 19-year-old girl as well as confinement...
CULTURE / Stage
May 24, 2000

Dervish dancing to oneness

The mystical tradition of Sufism is little known outside the Muslim faith, yet all people, regardless of religious background or inclination, can benefit from its methods for developing unity in one's body, mind and spirit.
BUSINESS
May 24, 2000

'Zaito' reform bills pass Upper House committee

A House of Councilors committee approved by a majority vote Tuesday a package of bills designed to revamp the government's fiscal investment and loan program into a leaner, market-oriented system.
BUSINESS
May 24, 2000

Brokers must inform about risks

The House of Representatives on Tuesday passed and enacted an investor protection bill that obliges brokers to inform investors of the risks involved when investing in specific financial products.
EDITORIALS
May 23, 2000

Tokyo leads the way to recovery

While the economy still shows mixed signs of recovery, small companies are engaged in a struggle for survival. Japan's economic fortunes hinge on the successes of small companies, including venture businesses, and their activities need to be watched closely.
JAPAN
May 23, 2000

Escapee tells how attackers set fire to 16-year-old friend

A local youth on Monday brought police to the charred remains of his 16-year-old friend and told a harrowing tale of how he escaped the same fate. Masato Takahashi, from the town of Mishima, Niigata Prefecture, was apparently set ablaze by two men who the night before had summoned him and the friend,...
JAPAN
May 23, 2000

Youth crime laid to insular life

Juvenile crimes stem from a society adults created, and changing laws to merely impose a stricter punishment on young offenders will not get to the root of the problem, according to a former family court examiner.
JAPAN
May 23, 2000

200 million yen conservation grant set up

Toyota Motor Corp. and the Toyota Foundation have established a grant program to support environmental improvement and conservation activities in Japan and overseas, the nation's No. 1 automaker said Monday.
JAPAN
May 23, 2000

Ishihara's support for Lee visit sought

TAIPEI -- Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian on Monday asked Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara to support a visit to Japan by former President Lee Teng-hui, according to officials of the Presidential Office.
JAPAN
May 23, 2000

Aoki calls on Mori to explain 'divine nation' comment

Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori needs to further explain the intention behind his comment that Japan is a "divine nation centering on the Emperor" to win the public's understanding, Chief Cabinet Secretary Mikio Aoki said Monday.
JAPAN
May 23, 2000

North Korea welcome in ASEAN forum: Kono, Cho

Foreign Minister Yohei Kono and visiting South Korean Defense Minister Cho Seong Tae agreed Monday that North Korea's expected membership in the ASEAN Regional Forum will help ease tensions, a Japanese official said.
JAPAN
May 23, 2000

Residents to be asked to give way to garbage dump

A garbage-disposal association will soon ask the Tokyo Metropolitan Government to order residents of Hinodemachi, western Tokyo, to vacate land slated to be the site of an expanded dump, a source close to the association said Monday.
SOCCER / J. League
May 23, 2000

Troussier names team for Morocco tournament

Japan manager Philippe Troussier on Monday called up 26 players for the Hassan II International Cup (June 4-6 in Morocco), including the surprise pick of Vissel Kobe defender Keiji Kaimoto in place of injured Jubilo Iwata defender Toshihiro Hattori.
BUSINESS
May 23, 2000

Sanwa, Tokai, Asahi megabank taking shape

The organizational structure of the financial group to be formed in April through the integration of Sanwa Bank, Tokai Bank and Asahi Bank will be finalized by September, Sanwa Bank President Kaneo Muromachi said in a recent interview.
SUMO
May 23, 2000

Miyabiyama gets nod for promotion to ozeki

Sekiwake Miyabiyama was virtually assured promotion to sumo's second highest rank of ozeki on Sunday after officials of the Japan Sumo Association (JSA) gave their initial approval.
JAPAN
May 23, 2000

TSE slide enters its fourth day

Share prices on the Tokyo Stock Exchange plunged to this year's lowest level Monday, with high-priced information and technology issues hit by weakness that carried over from Wall Street.
BUSINESS
May 23, 2000

'99 tertiary industry logs 2% growth

Activity in Japan's tertiary industries grew 2 percent in fiscal 1999 over the previous period for the first year-on-year rise in three years, according to a preliminary report issued Monday by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry.
BUSINESS
May 23, 2000

Need for reform cited by business

Accelerating regulatory reforms and reducing telecommunications costs are necessary to better utilize information technology, a gathering of business leaders told the government Monday.
JAPAN
May 23, 2000

British scientists to search Japan for solution to rampant weed

A group of British scientists will fly to Japan in July as part of a pioneering British-American project to find a natural solution to a rampant superweed that is playing havoc in both countries, a spokesman for the project said. The weed-control experts will be touring Honshu in an effort to find natural...
JAPAN
May 23, 2000

Sydney Olympics tours ready to wreak havoc on wallets

With the Sydney Olympics now less than four months away, many travel agents in Japan are busy selling tour packages to the Games.
JAPAN
May 23, 2000

'Nonpolitical' visit by Lee to be pushed

Tokyo should allow former Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui to visit Japan as a private citizen this year, Taiwan's new top representative to Japan has urged. Lee's trip could follow the pattern observed during the recent visit to Japan by Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, Lo Fu-chen said...
BUSINESS
May 23, 2000

Think tank says GDP in good shape

A think tank reported Monday that the Japanese economy is estimated to have grown a real 2.4 percent in the January-March period from the preceding quarter, due chiefly to a rise in personal consumption.

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