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CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Dec 16, 2001

The architect of Burma's freedom

AUNG SAN AND THE STRUGGLE FOR BURMESE INDEPENDENCE, by Angelene Naw. Silkworm Books; Chiang Mai, 2001, 284 pp., 595 baht. (Also available through University of Washington Press, $17.50) Aung San, the pillar of the struggle for Burmese independence and immensely popular during those most turbulent years,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Dec 12, 2001

Going full circle for sex and romance

Love is in the air at the Benisan Pit theater in Tokyo's Koto Ward. There, downtown by the Sumida River, Theatre Project Tokyo is staging its latest production, "The Blue Room," based on Viennese playwright Arthur Schnitzler's "Reigen."
LIFE / Lifestyle / JET STREAM
Dec 7, 2001

Taking centerstage without clamming up

On his first visit to Urato Junior High School a year and a half ago, David Goldberg was awestruck. He was glad that he had followed his predecessor's advice to take a camera along. On the early morning 30-minute ferry ride from Shiogama City in Miyagi Prefecture to the island of Nonoshima, Goldberg...
EDITORIALS
Nov 16, 2001

The nuclear shadow lightens

The world took a giant step toward disarmament this week when U.S. President George W. Bush and his Russian counterpart, President Vladimir Putin, agreed to slash their nuclear arsenals. The deep cuts were the most significant outcome of a three-day summit that seems to herald a new era in relations...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Nov 11, 2001

Helping sisters do it for themselves

BEING A BROAD IN JAPAN: Everything a Western Woman Needs to Survive and Thrive, by Caroline Pover. Alexandra Press, 2001, 518 pp., 2,858 yen (paper) "Being A Broad in Japan: Everything a Western Woman Needs to Survive and Thrive" is a chatty and compendious handbook, covering topics from beauty care...
CULTURE / Film
Nov 7, 2001

Between the real and the surreal

A whiff of the absurd was in the air at the closing ceremony of the 14th Tokyo International Film Festival, held Sunday at Orchard Hall in Shibuya. It wasn't necessarily the presenters' hairdos and breathless patter, nor the new formal dress code imposed on the attending filmmakers. It wasn't even the...
JAPAN
Nov 2, 2001

Asia powers look to new trade forum

Japan, China and South Korea will inaugurate a high-level economic dialogue forum to spur trade and investment and forge close economic relations.
JAPAN
Oct 31, 2001

Cabinet moves to ratify antiterrorism treaties

The Cabinet approved a set of bills Tuesday that would allow Japan to ratify the International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings, government officials said.
JAPAN
Oct 25, 2001

Think tank calls for shift to green economy

Japan should promote "green" taxes, a new global environment policy organization and other innovative policies in the runup to Earth Summit 2002 to be held in Johannesburg next fall, a leading think tank said Wednesday.
CULTURE / Books
Oct 21, 2001

In the realm of crime, torture and depravity

THE DARK SIDE: Infamous Japanese Crimes and Criminals, by Mark Schreiber. Kodansha International, 2001, 251 pp., 2,700 yen (cloth) It's unfortunate but true that the names of notorious criminals usually outlive those of their victims. We remember Jack the Ripper, not the London prostitutes he butchered....
CULTURE / Books
Oct 14, 2001

Kenzaburo Oe: Bridging the generation gap

In the wake of the terrorist attacks in America, large bookstores have put together special displays on Islam and terrorism, while the cult idolization of the prime minister continues with the publication of a coffee-table book of Koizumi photos (Jun-chan lounging in a robe!). However, as always in recent...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Oct 7, 2001

Schools of hard knocks and TV docs

Several of the new fall drama series begin this week, and one of the season's topics is education. Trendy drama mainstay Masakazu Tamura steps out of character as the title character in "Sayonara Ozu Sensei" (Fuji, Tuesday, 9 p.m.), playing the former manager of the New York branch of a major Japanese...
JAPAN
Oct 3, 2001

Nordic conference is Olympic legacy

The 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics have long since passed, but some are trying to keep the legacy alive.
JAPAN
Oct 3, 2001

Infection expert receives diplomatic post

The Foreign Ministry has given an outside health expert who specializes in infectious diseases the task of helping shape diplomatic policies on aid to developing countries.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Sep 30, 2001

Take a ride on the travel food choo-choo

TBS withdrew from the morning wide-show sweepstakes in 1996 after it was revealed that a wide-show producer had secretly shown members of Aum Shinrikyo a tape of an interview with anti-Aum lawyer Tsutsumi Sakamoto in 1989 as a means of gaining favor with the cult. Sakamoto was subsequently murdered by...
BUSINESS
Sep 27, 2001

Economic forum set for next month

Japan and the United States plan to hold the inaugural meeting of a deputy ministerial-level economic forum in Washington early next month, government sources said.
JAPAN
Sep 9, 2001

More students to be offered taste of diplomatic life

Staff writer
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 27, 2001

Immigrants' uphill battle to learn English

SANTA MARIA, Calif. -- The Asian immigrant was described as speaking in "halting English" even after 20 years of living in the United States. The reporter of the Central California newspaper seemed to suggest that 20 years of living in the country should have resulted in a strong command of the language....
COMMENTARY
Jul 28, 2001

Chirac defends credibility of leadership

PARIS -- Once again, the French people celebrated their national feast July 14, which marks the anniversary of the fall of the Bastille royal jail -- the beginning of the great 1789 Revolution.
CULTURE / Books
Jul 15, 2001

Controversial textbooks are big sellers for Fusosha

The latest best seller, oddly enough, is a junior high school history textbook. After going on sale on June 1, "Atarashii Rekishi Kyokasho" has been at or near the top of the best-seller list and the related social studies text "Atarashii Komin Kyokasho" in the top 10. Already 500,000 copies of the history...
CULTURE / Books
Jul 15, 2001

Dismantling stereotypes surrounding Japan's sacred entities

SHINTO IN HISTORY: Ways of the Kami, edited by John Breen and Mark Teeuwen. Richmond, Surrey, U.K.: Curzon Press, 1999, 368 pp., 45 British pounds (cloth); 15 pounds (paper). "Shinto in History: Ways of the Kami" is the first attempt in any Western language (and possibly even in Japanese) to offer...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jul 8, 2001

High-rise to the occasion

When talking about dancing at the Apollo, Americans who grew up in New York during the golden age of jazz tend to wax nostalgic. A smile might spread across their faces as they recall swinging to the sounds of Louis Armstrong and Chick Webb.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jul 7, 2001

Sharing corporate vision of women and money

Whoever said women were the weaker sex has not met Kaori Sasaki. Not only is she president of UNICUL International Inc. and president and CEO of eWoman Inc., a new Web site for women. She is the brains behind the 6th International Conference for Women in Business, to be held at the Daiba Hotel Nikko...
EDITORIALS
Jul 3, 2001

A candid meeting at Camp David

There was something refreshing about the Japan-U.S. summit last weekend between Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and U.S. President George W. Bush -- not only because of the way in which the U.S. managed the meeting at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland, but also because, more importantly,...
JAPAN
Jun 30, 2001

India aiming to increase literacy rate

An Indian government official charged with improving the nation's literacy is confident the country's current goal of achieving a 75 percent literacy rate by 2005 is within reach.
COMMENTARY
Jun 30, 2001

Time for a strategic dialogue

HONOLULU -- Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will have a lot to talk about with U.S. President George W. Bush when the two meet for the first time at Camp David this weekend. High on the agenda should be the initiation of a strategic dialogue aimed at redefining the U.S.-Japan security relationship....
COMMENTARY
Jun 24, 2001

In diplomacy, two tracks is better than one

There is a better than even chance that this is the only article you will ever read about the Asia Pacific Roundtable that was held earlier this month in Kuala Lumpur. That's a pity. Not only because the meeting has some history behind it -- this year marked the 15th annual get-together -- or because...
JAPAN
Jun 10, 2001

Security dialogue signals rise in New Delhi's global stature

In a belated but significant move amid increasingly murky relations among major players in the Asia-Pacific region, Japan and India are making last-minute preparations to inaugurate a high-level security forum.

Longform

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