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COMMENTARY / World
Jul 1, 2002

Arrangement keeps Hong Kong on track

Since assuming the post of principal representative for the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Tokyo a little more than a month ago, I have found tremendous interest here in what has been happening to Hong Kong following its reunification with China on July 1, 1997. About five years before reunification,...
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jun 30, 2002

Thirsty yet? Head this way

Where to drink it Belgo, Shibuya, (03) 3409-4442
EDITORIALS
Jun 29, 2002

Economic policy for East Asia

The future of Japan's economy is tied to that of East Asia. China, the "factory of the world," is rising rapidly while newly industrialized countries such as South Korea and Taiwan are catching up with Japan. The challenge for this nation is to define and secure its place in this region of vast economic...
BUSINESS
Jun 28, 2002

Toyota develops proactive safety system

Toyota Motor Corp. said Thursday it has developed a vehicle system that gives motorists advance warnings of unavoidable collisions and takes pre-emptive action to minimize impact and injuries.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 28, 2002

Shareholders flock to over 2,000 annual meetings

Around 2,020 firms held shareholders' meetings nationwide Thursday, with scandal-ridden companies claiming most of the limelight.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 27, 2002

Labour spinning backward

LONDON -- When its press becomes the story, a country is in a strange shape.
BUSINESS / ON THE FRONT LINE
Jun 27, 2002

Upturn no excuse to ignore global realities

Japan's gross domestic product in the January-March quarter grew at an annualized 5.7 percent from the previous quarter.
CULTURE / Art
Jun 27, 2002

Kids' eyes on the world

Entries are now being accepted for the 12th Kanagawa Biennial World Children's Art Exhibition, which invites children's paintings from all over the world to promote the dreams and creativity of the children who will shape tomorrow's world.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 25, 2002

Shenyang highlights bilateral problems

BEIJING -- Although the furor raised by the two-week dispute over the Shenyang incident has died down, it has not entirely dissipated -- particularly in Japan. The incident highlighted Japan's sensitivity toward China's growing power, and demonstrated that if frictions in this area are not effectively...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 25, 2002

U.S. uncertainty threatens Japan recovery: MIT dean

With uncertainty hanging over prospects for the U.S. economy, Japan, despite recent signs of bottoming out, may face difficulties achieving a full-scale recovery, according to a business school dean at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
EDITORIALS
Jun 23, 2002

What's 'Onion' in Chinese

You have to feel a little sorry for those fellows over at the Beijing Evening News. Here they are a global laughingstock, and they still don't get why. But was it altogether their fault? Those of us who have tried and failed to comprehend humor, let alone satire, in a foreign language are privately thinking,...
COMMENTARY
Jun 23, 2002

Support for reshuffle builds

The regular Diet session has been extended for 42 days through July 31. On Wednesday, when the extension was approved, the Lower House voted unanimously to accept a request from the Tokyo District Court to issue an arrest warrant for legislator Muneo Suzuki. And later the same day, public prosecutors...
JAPAN
Jun 23, 2002

Nagano volcano rumbling with greater intensity

The Meteorological Agency on Saturday issued an advisory regarding Mount Asama, following a rapid increase in seismic activity in the early morning. Smoke was seen billowing to a height of about 800 meters as of 6 a.m.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jun 23, 2002

Make more babies: by any means necessary

About five years ago, a mother in Kansas City started wondering about the paternity of her twins. Becky Peck had recently divorced, and she became more sensitive to what she perceived as the physical and behavioral differences between herself and her two children, Lindsay and Jeremy. Her ex-husband was...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / NIHONSHU
Jun 23, 2002

Stand me for a cup of sake?

Almost everyone interested in sake wants to know where to drink great sake at cheap prices. Perhaps you don't always want to settle down for the evening in a nice traditional pub. Perhaps you just want to sample a few decent sake on the cheap or have a quick drink on the way home. Well, assuming you...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / THE WAY OF WASHOKU
Jun 23, 2002

You too can take the natto challenge

Several years ago NHK broadcast an exhaustive special on natto, containing more than you ever cared to know about that much-maligned sticky, stinky dish of fermented soybeans. One of the exciting pieces of information that NHK's crack investigative journalism revealed was the number of times required...
EDITORIALS
Jun 22, 2002

Diet apathetic on political ethics

The regular Diet session, which was extended on Wednesday for 42 days through July 31, appears headed for further turmoil. The arrest of Lower House member Muneo Suzuki on the same day, immediately following a unanimous vote accepting a court request for an arrest warrant, has removed a big thorn in...
COMMENTARY
Jun 22, 2002

Media: bulwark of democracy

LONDON -- The British prime minister's chief of communications has publicly accepted that the overuse of "spin" in government has led to cynicism and that the emphasis should now be on policy and delivery. Most British observers would agree. But government ministers, who have spent much of their life...
BUSINESS
Jun 22, 2002

Government wastes money, study says

Wasteful spending of taxpayer money is a common problem at both the central and local governments, according to preliminary data from a government-spending review released Friday by the Finance Ministry.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 21, 2002

Africa, terrorism set to dominate G8 meeting

Next week's Group of Eight summit in Canada will see world leaders encouraging their African counterparts to adopt self-help efforts to reduce poverty, as well as seeking to underscore the global fight against terrorism, according to Japan's top negotiator on these issues.
BUSINESS
Jun 21, 2002

Firms face the music at shareholders' meets

A number of major listed firms held their general shareholders' meetings Thursday, with many facing angry shareholders who are demanding that management take responsibility for poor corporate results.
BUSINESS
Jun 21, 2002

May trade surplus surges 715% on exports

The nation's customs-cleared trade surplus in May jumped to 619.2 billion yen, up 714.9 percent from a year earlier, according to a preliminary report released Thursday by the Finance Ministry.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 20, 2002

Toshiba, Fujitsu form LSI tieup

In a bid to survive global competition in the broadband age, electronics giants Toshiba Corp. and Fujitsu Ltd. announced Wednesday they have agreed to form a comprehensive alliance to promote their semiconductor businesses.
BUSINESS
Jun 20, 2002

Mizuho ordered to improve its operations

The Financial Services Agency on Wednesday ordered Mizuho Holdings Inc. to improve its operations in the wake of a massive computer system failure that left its operations in chaos.
JAPAN
Jun 20, 2002

Look for Japan to narrow gap in IT race

Can Japan catch up with the United States in information technology? The mere suggestion sounds preposterous, given the current climate of American triumphalism and Japanese gloom. Yet we should recall that not too long ago the U.S. and Japan were both declaring Japan's victory in the high-technology...
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Jun 20, 2002

Making the right computer choice is no big struggle

In answer to Stephen Harris, who's seeking to finally enter the computer age and is looking for the right machine for him, this is a huge subject, and largely a matter of personal preference.
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Jun 20, 2002

How life began: redux

What was the force driving the evolution of life on earth? This question, the answer to which has profound implications for our world view, was neglected for most of the 20th century, not because it was outside science, but because scientists didn't have the technical means to address it. Since the advent...

Longform

It's back to the classroom for some residents as municipal governments across the country conduct lessons to learn how to use new technologies.
Can aging Japan go digital without leaving anyone behind?