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COMMENTARY / World
Sep 9, 2003

Using the right words in Kosovo

When it comes to media access, Kosovo's population is spoiled for choices. No apartment block is complete without its symmetrical rows of white satellite dishes scanning the heavens for news and entertainment. One estimate has it that 75 percent of the population has media access. BBC and MTV are just...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Sep 7, 2003

North Korea unveils secret weapon: It's an attack of the clones

This year's World University Games, held in the South Korean city of Taegu from Aug. 21 to 30, drew a record 7,000 young athletes from 174 countries. The Games also drew daily Japanese media coverage, with some news shows running lengthy special reports on all the excitement in Taegu.
JAPAN
Sep 4, 2003

Koizumi has polyp removed from colon

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi underwent endoscopic surgery Wednesday after doctors found a polyp in his colon during a regular health checkup, the prime minister's office announced.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 13, 2003

Fukui tickled pink by backlog for latest cell phone model

Bank of Japan Gov. Toshihiko Fukui on Tuesday voiced delight at having to wait two weeks to get his hands on the latest cell phone model.
BUSINESS
Aug 6, 2003

Tokyo deletes 'weak' from economic outlook

The government Tuesday raised its assessment of the economy for the first time in five months in the wake of a recent stock rally and new signals from the United States.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / CLOSE-UP
Aug 3, 2003

Activist draws on his talents to expose U.S. militarism

American sociologist and antiwar activist Joel Andreas, 46, is the author of "Addicted to War: Why the U.S. Can't Kick Militarism."
JAPAN
Jul 11, 2003

Japan Highway accused of hiding data that show it riddled with debt

Japan Highway Public Corp. may be keeping a secret.
BUSINESS
Jul 9, 2003

Surging Nikkei touches 10,000

Tokyo stocks closed higher Tuesday, and the Nikkei passed the 10,000 threshold for the first time since last August, but profit-taking erased much of the gains and it ended below 9,900.
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Jun 30, 2003

Extension of Stackhouse's contract bizarre

NEW YORK -- Who exactly were the Wizards bidding against when they awarded Jerry Stackhouse a two-year extension ($18 million) to piggyback the two years he could have escaped from before July 1?
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 10, 2003

Abductees' relatives slam port calls

NIIGATA -- Relatives of Japanese abducted by North Korea decades ago protested Monday in Niigata over port calls by a North Korean ferry allegedly involved in illicit operations, even though the ship canceled its latest voyage.
BUSINESS
May 28, 2003

Shiokawa aiming to keep tight rein on 2004 budget

Finance Minister Masajuro Shiokawa voiced hope Tuesday that the fiscal 2004 budget won't be bigger than that of the current fiscal year.
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM MOSCOW
May 20, 2003

Iraqi revival will cost Russia

MOSCOW -- It is a commonplace to say the war in Iraq was not only about former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein but also about oil. No matter how dangerous Hussein's regime was and how badly the White House needed an impressive victory for the 2004 elections, oil -- as today's key commodity -- was very much...
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
May 20, 2003

Putting the frighteners on Japanese travelers

Films, books and television programs can teach you a lot about those who dwell in the world outside yours.
COMMENTARY
Apr 9, 2003

Outsiders neglectful as China hid SARS

HONG KONG -- Chinese officialdom continues to both avoid reality and to invent it. The Chinese people still suffer because of the absence of freedom of information. Ironically, Hong Kong residents are still receiving phone calls from friends and relatives in Guangdong, asking them what is going on in...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 1, 2003

Oshima steps down over aides' scandals

In another blow to the Cabinet of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, tarnished farm minister Tadamori Oshima stepped down Monday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 31, 2003

Strengthening military is worth discussing: Abe

The prospect of boosting Japan's military capabilities is worth discussing, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe said Sunday.
JAPAN
Mar 27, 2003

U.S. request to shutter Iraqi Embassy declined

Japan will not shut down the Iraqi Embassy in Tokyo despite a request from the U.S. to do so, a senior Foreign Ministry official said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Mar 21, 2003

Koizumi cites security in backing attack

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi emphasized the importance of Japan's alliance with the United States on Thursday as he voiced support for the U.S.-led attack on Iraq less than two hours after the operation began.
COMMENTARY
Mar 4, 2003

Signs of a thaw in cross-Strait relations

HONG KONG -- In a potentially significant move, China is reported to have pulled back some of its missiles along the Fujian coast facing Taiwan, something that the United States and Taiwan have been urging China to do for some time. An article in Taiwan's United Daily News on Thursday reported that "the...
BUSINESS
Mar 1, 2003

With Sogo recovering Wada takes on Seibu

Shigeaki Wada, who has successfully navigated the Sogo department store chain out of bankruptcy, began his second successive resuscitation job Friday, taking the helm of now troubled Seibu Department Stores Ltd.
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
Feb 24, 2003

When is a war crime not a war crime?

NEW YORK -- Gunning down civilians on the ground in war may constitute a war crime, but blasting civilians out of existence from high in the sky does not. Or so the general rule seems to be.
BUSINESS
Feb 24, 2003

G7 cool to Japan's deflation concerns

PARIS — Japan's efforts to highlight concerns of a global deflation and the impact of a cheap Chinese currency on the global economy fell flat at the meeting of Group of Seven financial chiefs.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / NETWISE
Feb 13, 2003

Japanese get real on 2 Channel

It was 1975 when University of North Carolina graduate student Steve Bellovin developed a handful of short programs to facilitate communication via UUCP (Unix-to-Unix Copy) between the University of North Carolina and Duke University. The scripts were later rewritten in the computer language "C" and...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 6, 2003

North Korea escapees form help group

A group of escapees from North Korea announced Wednesday they have formed an association to help support them in Japan.
JAPAN
Feb 5, 2003

Kawaguchi pitches SDF role in U.N. peace efforts

Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi has proposed allowing the Self-Defense Forces to join multinational forces when they are part of U.N.-sanctioned international activities working for peace.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Feb 2, 2003

Can 007 fire up the Japanese on N. Korea?

As North Korea's threatening bluster continues to make international headlines, it seems almost bizarre that Japan, which would be in direct physical peril if a conflict erupted on the Korean Peninsula, has its mind on something else, namely Japanese citizens abducted by North Korean agents. Though important,...
EDITORIALS
Jan 26, 2003

Bananas on the brink

Bananas don't usually figure much in the news. True, there were a few occasions in recent years when the ubiquitous yellow fruit slipped off the health and food pages and onto Page 1. Mostly those stories concerned the long-running dispute between the United States and the European Union over barriers...
JAPAN
Jan 18, 2003

New Diet session opens up new questions

The Diet opens a 150-day session Monday amid widespread speculation in Nagata-cho that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi may dissolve the House of Representatives and call a snap election sometime this year -- possibly even during the session.
JAPAN
Jan 14, 2003

Moscow summit a ratings winner for Koizumi

The public approval rating for Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi now stands at 54.6 percent, up 4.6 percentage points from December, according to the results of a Kyodo News survey released Monday.

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Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?