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CULTURE / Books
Oct 6, 2000

'Exodus' to a country of hope?

In recent years Murakami Ryu has received much attention for his uncanny knack of writing novels taking up themes, such as teen crime and hikikomori (withdrawing from the world and shutting oneself up in one's room), just before they come to public awareness as social problems. Now Murakami's new novel...
COMMUNITY
Oct 5, 2000

Vanity, thy name is . . . Vince?

SAN FRANCISCO -- Clairol, the staid manufacturer of women's hair dyes, tried something new this year: It went after kids.
JAPAN
Sep 26, 2000

U.S. teacher provides lesson for combating class collapse

William was an impatient junior high student in Karol DeFalco's Connecticut classroom, constantly bringing questions to her while she was in the middle of helping other students.
CULTURE / Books / POETRY MIGNETTE
Sep 17, 2000

Tokyo poets get a night out to Howl

Howl, the bar in Aoyama, was founded just after Allen Ginsberg's death in 1997.
JAPAN
Aug 30, 2000

Talks to hold up Kitakyushu as environmental success story

Asia, with more than half the world's population and economies that continue to grow, poses one of the biggest environmental challenges of the coming century. The United Nations predicts that by 2025 more than half the region's population will have moved to the already packed metropolises.
COMMENTARY
Aug 29, 2000

Japan sits out antismoking campaign

While attending the 11th World Conference on Tobacco or Health from Aug. 7 in Chicago, I was very impressed by the enthusiasm of participants seeking tighter controls on smoking. The first conference, hosted by the American Cancer Society, was held in New York in 1967. The latest conference was hosted...
LIFE / Food & Drink / NIHONSHU
Aug 24, 2000

Where new discoveries and old favorites await

For exploring the world of sake, nothing is more helpful than a reliable sake retailer with a wide and varying selection. There are many such retailers in all parts of Japan, and developing a good relationship with one is key.
BUSINESS
Aug 23, 2000

Forum calls for new WTO round

WASHINGTON — Despite the failure of last year's World Trade Organization meeting in Seattle, panelists and participants at a recent symposium in Washington remain hopeful that a new round of multilateral trade talks will be launched before the end of next year.
JAPAN
Aug 21, 2000

Defense Agency seeks new law to ensure military cooperation

The Defense Agency is planning to launch a study group by the end of August to research legislation ensuring that U.S. forces in Japan operate smoothly during domestic military crises, agency sources said Sunday.
LIFE / Digital
Aug 16, 2000

Online content migrates offline into book sales

In the era of the Internet, self-publishing online is easy. Yet for those who still want the added legitimacy (and legacy) of hard copies, there is good news.
COMMUNITY
Aug 13, 2000

Women! Enhance your lifestyles with Webgrrls

Talking with American Khristine (Khris) Schaffner lowered the heat in Tokyo's Nishi-Shinjuku by several degrees. She has that kind of tall, willowy, pale blonde beauty that acts as a psychological cooler even if she is talking 10 to the dozen and making a complete fool of herself over a Starbucks chocolate...
BUSINESS
Jul 31, 2000

Third phase of monetary rule prompts G8 to renew focus

This year's Group of Eight summit was concluded over the weekend in Okinawa, wrapping up a series of meetings that began July 8 with the G8 finance ministers in Fukuoka.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 26, 2000

Russia gets back into the Korean fray

At the end of World War II, the Soviet Union re-established itself as a major player on the Korean Peninsula largely as a result of U.S. initiatives in dividing the country, for administrative convenience, between two zones of military occupation. In doing so, the Americans displayed great ignorance...
JAPAN
Jul 21, 2000

Groups hit G8 inaction on illegal logging

As the Group of Eight major nations kick off three days of summit meetings in Okinawa today, environmentalists are mounting an effort to steal a slice of the limelight.
BUSINESS
Jul 21, 2000

Stimulus policy should continue: Imai

While acknowledging that the much-anticipated economic recovery has become more evident, Takashi Imai, chairman of the Japan Federation of Economic Organizations (Keidanren), is emphasizing that the government should continue its current stimulus-oriented fiscal and monetary policies for the foreseeable...
BUSINESS
Jul 19, 2000

Japan, EU execs urge IT promotion

In a joint recommendation at the end of their two-day meeting, business leaders from Japan and Europe on Tuesday called on officials of both sides to examine their local network-access policies in a bid to promote information technology.
COMMUNITY
Jul 19, 2000

Teachers share solutions to school concerns

People arriving in Japan in their professional capacities frequently see little more of the country than the interiors of taxis, hotel rooms and sterile offices, with the occasional tourist sight in central Tokyo thrown in.
JAPAN
Jul 18, 2000

Japan urged to promote IT in developing nations

Japan should promote education in developing countries by offering international education programs over the Internet and by providing information technology training to school teachers and engineers in those nations, an Education Ministry panel said Monday.
CULTURE / Books
Jul 18, 2000

The art and artistry of translation

WORDS, IDEAS, AND AMBIGUITIES: Four Perspectives on Translating from the Japanese, edited by Donald Richie. A Pacific Basin Institute Book, Imprint Publications, 2000, 88 pp., $19.95. This volume is a faithful account of an important and stimulating series of colloquia held at the International House...
JAPAN
Jul 9, 2000

G7 ministers agree on policies for IT

FUKUOKA — Finance ministers from the Group of Seven economic powers agreed Saturday that governments need to maximize the benefits of the information technology revolution and minimize the risks through deregulation and coordinating their regulatory policies.
BUSINESS
Jul 7, 2000

Miyazawa urged to lead G7 effort to help poor nations

The nongovernment coalition Jubilee 2000 Japan urged Finance Minister Kiichi Miyazawa on Thursday to take the initiative at the upcoming meeting of the Group of Seven economic powers to solve the serious debt problems of the world's poorest countries.
CULTURE / Art
Jul 2, 2000

Prime: color and form again the norm

"Prime" at Tokyo Opera City is a magnificent demonstration of color, form and size. Sparse yet well displayed, this exhibition breathes freely and expressively in the high open space, which in Tokyo is a rare and valuable experience. Each artist is chosen to develop various aspects of curator Santo Oshima's...
COMMUNITY
Jun 29, 2000

Making home a school away from school

A typical day at school for 12-year-old Sophie Kimura could be a social studies lesson which involves finding out what life is like in Illinois where her "e-pal" Dawn lives.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / GETTING THINGS DONE
Jun 21, 2000

Forgetfulness

Does it happen to you? You are looking for something which you can't find, but what you do find are all sorts of things you have looked for previously but have not been able to locate. One "something" I found was about indiscreet remarks by politicians, many of whom are still making similar indiscreet...
JAPAN
Jun 20, 2000

Forum decries gender inequities in journalism

A director of one of the world's main journalist organizations said Monday the status of female journalists worldwide has improved considerably but the issues of opportunity and gender equality still need to be addressed.
CULTURE / Books
Jun 20, 2000

Shallow pits and rabbit hutches

JAPANESE HOMES AND LIFESTYLES: An Illustrated Journey through History, by Kazuya Inaba and Shigenobu Nakayama. Translated by John Bester. Kodansha International, 2000, 144 pp., $32. Do you curse costly rents, cramped quarters and cluttered cupboards? Do you think tatami are terrific, futons fabulous...
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 17, 2000

The case for more world trade

The entry of China into the World Trade Organization is of major significance for both the WTO and China.

Longform

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