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JAPAN
Mar 12, 1999

Slovak ambassador praises yen loans

The new ambassador of the Slovak Republic hopes that Japan will help his country shift from a centrally planned socialist economy to a democratic, market-oriented industrial economy.
EDITORIALS
Mar 12, 1999

Defensive about missile defense

China's relations with the United States are at their lowest point since the Taiwan Strait crisis of 1996. Beijing has a lengthening list of grievances against Washington: harsh criticism in the State Department's annual human-rights report and the prospect of a resolution censoring Chinese behavior...
JAPAN
Mar 12, 1999

Three JR firms project falling sales for '99

Mired in gloomy economic conditions, three JR group companies projected declining sales conditions Friday for the upcoming fiscal year.
EDITORIALS
Mar 11, 1999

Kochi tests nation's nuclear principles

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JAPAN
Mar 11, 1999

Dioxin report 'inappropriate,' TV Asahi chief tells Diet

TV Asahi President Kunio Ito apologized Thursday before the Diet for a news report aired last month that claimed high concentrations of dioxin were detected in vegetables grown in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, calling the report "inappropriate."
JAPAN
Mar 11, 1999

Defense guidelines fail to receive municipal sanction

Roughly 60 percent of the 107 municipal assemblies nationwide that have approved or adopted nonbinding statements regarding the revised Japan-U.S. defense cooperation guidelines and related bills have called for amendments or abolition, according to results of a survey released Thursday.
JAPAN
Mar 11, 1999

Nissan, Renault headed for full-scale talks

Nissan Motor Co. and Renault SA were poised to step up their capital tieup talks Thursday with Japan's No. 2 automaker facing a potentially devastating downgrade in creditworthiness.
JAPAN
Mar 11, 1999

Diet members back U.S. lawmaker's MOX probe

Six Diet members have sent a letter of support to a U.S. congressman who has raised concern over a planned shipment of mixed uranium-plutonium (MOX) fuel to Japan without an armed escort.
JAPAN
Mar 11, 1999

Kobe boy, parents ordered to pay 100 million yen

KOBE -- A 16-year-old boy and his parents Thursday were ordered by the Kobe District Court to pay about 100 million yen in damages to the parents of a child the boy beheaded in 1997 in a crime that stunned the nation.
JAPAN
Mar 11, 1999

Continental aims to start up Osaka-N.Y. route

Continental Airlines is interested in offering a flight between Osaka and the New York area, Gordon Bethune, chairman and CEO of the carrier, said Thursday.
JAPAN
Mar 11, 1999

Obuchi pins hopes on guidelines, other matters

Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi on Thursday restated his determination to strengthen the Japan-U.S. relationship by quickly pushing through bills related to updated Japan-U.S. defense cooperation during the current Diet session.
EDITORIALS
Mar 10, 1999

Mr. Obuchi, captive of the system

Ostensibly, Mr. Shozaburo Nakamura was let go as justice minister because a censure motion in the Upper House looked imminent and New Komeito was adding its weight to the opposition demand that Mr. Nakamura resign, or else. Fundamentally, however, Mr. Nakamura is a casualty of his own loose tongue, questionable...
LIFE / Digital / CYBERIA
Mar 10, 1999

And the winners aren't ...

A stunned Webmaster rises from his seat, shaking his head in disbelief. As he makes his way to the aisle, fellow programmers and designers pat him heartily on the back and shake his hand. After accepting his trophy from a cybercelebrity, he stands there speechless, and finally says with a trembling voice,...
JAPAN
Mar 10, 1999

Ishihara enters Tokyo race, splits LDP further

Prize-winning novelist and former Transport Minister Shintaro Ishihara formally declared Wednesday that he will run as an independent in the April 11 Tokyo gubernatorial election.
JAPAN
Mar 10, 1999

Flag, anthem bill eyed for this Diet session

The government hopes to submit a bill during the current Diet session to officially recognize the Hinomaru as the national flag and "Kimigayo" as Japan's anthem, Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Mar 10, 1999

Japanese see concerns met in U.S. North Korea report

U.S. policy coordinator for North Korea William Perry and top Japanese officials agreed Wednesday to pursue a "comprehensive approach" toward North Korea, particularly in ways to prevent Pyongyang from developing nuclear weapons and delivery systems.
JAPAN
Mar 10, 1999

Japan, U.S. to consult on antidumping law

Staff writer
COMMUNITY
Mar 10, 1999

A delicious way to pork out with family

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COMMUNITY / How-tos / GETTING THINGS DONE
Mar 10, 1999

Winners and losers

People in the food industry look to Foodex to find out how best to cater to their Japanese and foreign customers. What they see at Makuhari Messe are often more fantasy than fact, things that might be exported to Japan if the proper arrangements can be made. And that's what the foreigners are there for,...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 10, 1999

Taiwan's strategic options

Following the return of Hong Kong in July 1997 and the return of Macau in December 1999, Beijing's attention will logically turn to Taiwan. The island's survival depends on preserving its technically advanced air force and enlisting the help of the United States.
LIFE / Travel
Mar 10, 1999

Idyllic island makes blissful escape

Azure fish, blue-tailed lizards, turquoise waves -- Rota is full of the refreshing colors of life.
COMMENTARY
Mar 10, 1999

Clouds looming on the Diet's horizon

The situation in the Diet looks calm for now. The debate on the fiscal 1999 government budget, the most important item before the Diet, is proceeding smoothly. The budget bill has already cleared the Lower House and is expected to pass the Upper House around March 20, well before the start of the new...
JAPAN
Mar 10, 1999

Nissan Diesel revises sales projection

Ailing truck maker Nissan Diesel Motor Co. announced Wednesday that it has revised downward its earnings projection for fiscal 1998 from 230 billion yen to 220 billion yen, blaming the domestic economic slump that has taken a big bite out of truck sales.
LIFE / Travel / ON THE ARCHIPELA-GO
Mar 10, 1999

The seductive stench of Yurakucho

"Shall We Meet in Yurakucho (Yurakucho de Aimasho)" was the title of a 1958 megahit number, sung by the king of Japanese blues, Frank Nagai. As Frank described it, Yurakucho was always misty with fog and the collective sighs of hundreds of lovers, the streets were damp with just-fallen rain and lined...
JAPAN
Mar 10, 1999

Organ donation more than a signature

Staff writer
ENVIRONMENT / GARDENING FOR ALL
Mar 10, 1999

Garden weathers stormy decades

The Kyoto Botanic Gardens were first opened to the public on Jan. 11, 1924. Located in Sakyo Ward in northern Kyoto City along the banks of the scenic Kamo River, they are run by Kyoto's prefectural government.
JAPAN
Mar 10, 1999

Investment drops to 37-year low

Combined capital investments by Japanese firms in the October-December period fell 18.7 percent from a year earlier, the worst drop seen since the same quarter of 1962, the Finance Ministry said Wednesday.
EDITORIALS
Mar 9, 1999

The limits of Hun Sen's power

Ta Mok, the infamous one-legged military leader of the Khmer Rouge, was arrested last weekend in Cambodia. "The Butcher," as he is known, was one of the last holdouts from the guerrilla group. An unrepentant hardliner, Ta Mok commanded the loyalty of a dwindling band of insurgents, who were troublesome,...
JAPAN
Mar 9, 1999

ACCJ urges Tokyo to guard trade agreements

The American Chamber of Commerce in Japan urged Tokyo on Tuesday to adequately implement trade agreements with the United States -- especially in areas such as flat glass and insurance -- so as to not politicize the issues during a skyrocketing trade imbalance.
JAPAN
Mar 9, 1999

Nippon Life exec details Finance Ministry pressure

The Finance Ministry strongly urged Nippon Life Insurance Co. to provide financial support to Nippon Credit Bank, currently under state control, in the spring of 1997, Nippon Life Vice President Tsuyoshi Nahara said Tuesday.

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