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JAPAN
Aug 11, 1999

Kinki homes left flooded by storm

OSAKA -- Torrential rains caused by a slow-moving tropical low-pressure system pounded the Kinki region from around midnight Tuesday through early Wednesday, flooding more than 1,700 buildings and causing major disruptions to traffic, mainly in the prefectures of Wakayama, Nara, and Osaka.
JAPAN
Aug 11, 1999

Ruling camp kills no-confidence motion

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party, its junior coalition partner, the Liberal Party, and New Komeito voted down a no-confidence motion Wednesday in the Lower House against Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi's Cabinet, 354-134.
JAPAN
Aug 11, 1999

Legislation slated to aid venture firms in autumn

The government will take legislative steps in the upcoming Diet session, expected to convene this fall, to help revitalize small and medium-size enterprises and nurture venture businesses, Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Aug 11, 1999

Japanese, Chinese students to debate wartime history

Japanese and Chinese college students will meet in Tokyo for eight days starting Saturday to exchange opinions on the war and the differences in the two nations' interpretations of wartime history.
LIFE / Travel
Aug 11, 1999

Journeying to the feet of the gods

POKHARA, Nepal -- There are few places where you can relax more completely than Lake Phewa, in the second city of Nepal. You will not be able to resist its tranquil waters, the birds singing in the lush greenery, the cascade of hills and beyond them the snow-covered Himalayas and Mount Machhapuchhare...
ENVIRONMENT / GARDENING FOR ALL
Aug 11, 1999

Nopporo's wild north woods

Nopporo Woodland Park, located approximately 15 km east of central Sapporo in Hokkaido, is huge, with a total area of 2,051 hectares. It is rare to find such a large and wonderful park so close to a major city in Japan. The citizens of Sapporo, Ebetsu and Hiroshimacho are privileged to have this natural...
JAPAN
Aug 11, 1999

Tokyo slates junior yacht regatta

The 9th International Goodwill Junior Yacht Regatta will be held Sept. 11, open to boys and girls of any nationality who are between the ages of 9 and 16 and who have sailing experience.
JAPAN
Aug 11, 1999

ANA hijacker deemed fit for trial

Tokyo prosecutors this week will indict a 28-year-old man arrested in last month's hijacking of an All Nippon Airways jetliner and the slaying of its captain, having deemed the accused mentally fit to stand trial, sources said Wednesday.
LIFE / Travel
Aug 11, 1999

Celebrating opening of old doors

NEWPORT, R.I. -- It's hard to faze the sophisticated residents of Newport, R.I., but Konishiki succeeded. The former ozeki was the star attraction at the Black Ships Festival here July 22-25.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / GETTING THINGS DONE
Aug 11, 1999

Like it is

Language is enriched by people who don't speak it very well, using phrases made up of words that contain the meaning of what they want to say but not the usual form. The result is sometimes quite effective. How about this one reporting a break in the summer heat: The weather is going down a bit, or this:...
EDITORIALS
Aug 10, 1999

Accomplices in our own destruction

A series of storms are wreaking havoc across Asia. Torrential rains have drenched the region, killing thousands, swamping hundreds of thousands more (millions have been affected in China) and creating a string of humanitarian disasters. It is tempting to throw up our hands in helplessness when faced...
JAPAN
Aug 10, 1999

City joins quest to list air raid victims of '45

Staff writer
JAPAN
Aug 10, 1999

Yosano agrees to U.S. steel talks

The minister of international trade and industry expressed readiness Tuesday to hold bilateral steel talks with the United States, noting that Japan will take the opportunity to address Washington's overuse of antidumping measures.
JAPAN
Aug 10, 1999

Diet flap over wiretap bills continues

The Democratic Party of Japan, the largest opposition party, is planning a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi's Cabinet over Monday night's Upper House panel vote on wiretapping bills.
JAPAN
Aug 10, 1999

ODA to be governed by national interests

The government intends to put greater emphasis on national and diplomatic interests in doling out official development assistance, according to a medium-term ODA policy guideline released Tuesday.
JAPAN
Aug 10, 1999

Utada's album hits 7 million mark

Teenage R&B diva Hikaru Utada's debut album, "First Love," has sold 7.02 million copies, becoming the first record to reach the 7 million mark in the nation's popular music history, music magazine officials said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Aug 10, 1999

Environmental groups urge rethink of Philippines dam

Two nongovernmental organizations on Tuesday called on Tokyo to rethink its support for a dam under construction in the Philippines, saying assessments of the project's impact are flawed.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Aug 10, 1999

Goodbye yuckie duckies, hello hollering herons

Have you been shopping lately? The price of rubber ducks is outrageous. While remodeling my bathroom, I paid over 1,000 yen for a mother duck and three chicks for my bathtub. And they were pink! I think someone's been tampering with the rubber duckie formula because within minutes of tubbing with these...
CULTURE / Film
Aug 10, 1999

Strangers on the crossroads of life

Each generation has its own way of telling love stories on the screen. What is supremely romantic to one strikes the next as supremely corny (until it begins to fondlylook back, as Meg Ryan's character does in "Sleepless in Seattle," at "An Affair to Remember" and other genre classics).
JAPAN
Aug 10, 1999

State specifies guidelines for Hinomaru, 'Kimigayo'

Following Monday's approval of legislation legally recognizing the Hinomaru as Japan's national flag and "Kimigayo" as the anthem, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiromu Nonaka announced Tuesday guidelines regarding the official symbols for government organizations to follow.
CULTURE / Music / MUSIC NOMAD
Aug 10, 1999

Exotic rhythms spice up world-music scene

Exotic and tropical are words that are overused in the descriptions of music from foreign cultures -- they are more appropriate for tourist brochures. However, with musicians set to tour Japan from Hawaii, Bali and Congo, those descriptions are actually fairly fitting, and should provide the perfect...
LIFE / Travel
Aug 10, 1999

Dive into the dazzling Philippines

Ask scuba divers what attracts them to the sport, and they'll probably tell you that it's the exotic underwater world. A dive in Japan, however, often means endless train rides, big crowds, small spaces and exorbitant sums of money -- all too similar to the everyday world.
EDITORIALS
Aug 9, 1999

Rethink North Korea policy

The four-way Korea peace talks are again in the news as negotiators from North and South Korea, the United States and China return to the table in Geneva. Few people are holding their breath, and no one should. Diplomacy has hit a bind as Pyongyang keeps the world guessing about its intentions to develop...
JAPAN
Aug 9, 1999

GSDF moves to dump 1 million land mines

Japan's army has just over 1 million antipersonnel land mines in stock and plans to dispose of them by 2003, Defense Agency Vice Minister Seiji Ema said Monday.
JAPAN
Aug 9, 1999

Wife kills spouse amid holiday spat

A 43-year-old wife fatally stabbed her husband with a fruit knife early Monday because he opposed her going on a summer trip with their son and the wife's friends, police said.
JAPAN
Aug 9, 1999

Nomura, IBJ lead startup of joint 401(k) company

A joint venture between Nomura Securities Co. and the Industrial Bank of Japan announced Monday that it will establish a 401(k)-style pension account management company Wednesday along with 22 other firms.
JAPAN
Aug 9, 1999

No progress but Obuchi, Ozawa continue talks

Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi and Liberal Party leader Ichiro Ozawa met Monday and confirmed they will "make efforts till the last minute to realize their policy agreement."
JAPAN
Aug 9, 1999

Flag, anthem now official

The Diet enacted controversial legislation Monday that legally recognizes the Hinomaru as Japan's national flag and "Kimigayo" as its anthem.
JAPAN
Aug 9, 1999

Flag-anthem law no end to controversy

Staff writer
JAPAN
Aug 9, 1999

Four arrested for 'fixing' phone cards

Tokyo police arrested three Iranians and a Chinese on Monday for unlawfully converting used telephone cards into reusable ones for sale.

Longform

Traditional folk rituals like Mizudome-no-mai (dance to stop the rain) provide a sense of agency to a population that feels largely powerless in the face of the climate crisis.
As climate extremes intensify, Japan embraces ancient weather rituals