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COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
Mar 26, 2001

Never say you've apologized too much

When Ursula Smith, my publisher friend up in Vermont, wrote to say, "I can't close without offering some (futile) form of apology, as one national to another, for that unfortunate accident off Hawaii," I said there was no need to apologize to me. It was an accident, and I wasn't too clear about the meaning...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 26, 2001

Bush's crash course in global diplomacy

U.S. President George W. Bush has just concluded a crash course in Northeast Asian politics. In the past three weeks, he has hosted South Korean President Kim Dae Jung, Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori and Chinese Vice Premier Qian Qichen. Now Bush has to make sense of those visits, digest the various messages...
JAPAN
Mar 24, 2001

LDP panel pushes for collective defense

A panel of the Liberal Democratic Party called Friday for a change in government's interpretation of the Constitution so that Japan can engage in collective defense to reinforce its alliance with the United States in the Asia-Pacific region.
BUSINESS
Mar 24, 2001

JAMA still uncertain of GM entry

Hiroshi Okuda, chairman of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, said Friday the group has yet to decide on whether to accept the proposal of American automaker General Motors Corp. to become a member.
JAPAN
Mar 24, 2001

Mori-Putin summit expectations low

After failing to meet the end-of-2000 target for resolving a territorial dispute and signing a peace treaty, Japan and Russia will hold their first summit this year in Russia's Irkutsk on Sunday, during which Japan hopes to set a future direction for resolving the decades-old row.
JAPAN
Mar 24, 2001

Koga urges limits on LDP election

Makoto Koga, secretary general of the Liberal Democratic Party, indicated Friday that the party presidential election to choose a successor to Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori widely expected next month, should only involve Diet members and representatives of the party's local chapters.
BUSINESS
Mar 23, 2001

DoCoMo to let other ISPs into i-mode

NTT DoCoMo Inc. plans to let i-mode customers dial up Internet service providers other than NTT by spring 2003, company sources said Thursday.
BUSINESS
Mar 23, 2001

Hayami lauds BOJ's strategy

Bank of Japan Gov. Masaru Hayami said Thursday that the central bank's policy of fighting deflation by implementing credit-easing measures when necessary has been effective thus far.
BASEBALL / MLB
Mar 23, 2001

Giants' Maru-chan talks softly and carries a big stick

No one would've blamed Domingo Martinez if he never returned to Japan after the 1998 baseball season. After hitting .283 and smacking 30 home runs for the Pacific League champion Seibu Lions that year, the designated hitter wasn't given a gold watch or even a thank-you note for his efforts. Instead he...
COMMENTARY / WASHINGTON UPDATE
Mar 22, 2001

Bush rises while Mori falls

We are just past the halfway mark in the first 100 days of the term of U.S. President George W. Bush. How is he doing? How is he doing it? What is he changing?
JAPAN
Mar 22, 2001

French institute subject of teachers' labor dispute

OSAKA -- A labor union representing French-language instructors filed a complaint with the Osaka Regional Labor Relations Commission on Wednesday accusing a Kyoto-based French cultural institute of unfair labor practices, union officials said.
JAPAN
Mar 22, 2001

Under pressure from U.S., tax breaks considered to rid banks of bad loans

The government began discussions Wednesday on specific measures to eliminate the bad loans held by Japanese banks, following a request from U.S. President George W. Bush to do so.
JAPAN
Mar 22, 2001

Minister wants harsher traffic laws

Justice Minister Masahiko Komura on Wednesday ordered a fall deadline for the preparation of legislation to revise the Penal Code. The bill would impose tougher penalties on reckless and drunken drivers who have inflicted severe or fatal injuries on other people.
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Mar 22, 2001

What's in store for the third Musketeer?

By now Ichiro Suzuki is making a name for himself in America. The only question is what that name is. When The Associated Press and some other news organizations report on the former Orix BlueWave star, they refer to a player named "Suzuki." But back here in Japan he's always been known as "Ichiro."...
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Mar 22, 2001

Islands in the stream of Indian cuisine

It was no accident that led us to Athara Petara -- we always keep an ear to the ground for the latest of good new venues for foods from other parts of Asia. But anyone fortunate enough to stumble upon this friendly little eatery by chance will understand immediately why the word serendipity was coined...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 21, 2001

President Bush, be cautious with Iraq

When he ended his recent visit to the Middle East, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell implied that sanctions against Iraq needed to be revised to make them more acceptable to other countries in the region. He noted, however, that such a revision would be viewed as a softer approach to Iraq and might...
JAPAN
Mar 21, 2001

Group urges state to aid survivors of sarin gassing

A support group for survivors of the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system is urging the central government to provide support for those who still suffer from physical and psychological pain from the incident.
BUSINESS
Mar 21, 2001

FSA eases stance to speed up loan disposal at banks

The Financial Services Agency has said it will not order banks to improve their operations even if they fall into the red -- provided they clear their net business profit targets and adhere to other criteria.
JAPAN
Mar 21, 2001

U.S. warships not welcome in Hokkaido

While U.S. Ambassador Thomas Foley was receiving an award Jan. 9 aboard the USS Blue Ridge for his contribution to increased visits by U.S. naval vessels to Japanese ports, the mayor of Tomakomai, Hokkaido, was expressing opposition to a planned February visit to his town by the flagship.
EDITORIALS
Mar 20, 2001

Explosive pressures in China

China has been hit by a series of explosions in the last week. The facts in the two cases have nothing in common, but the circumstances behind them suggest there is a link. Both blasts are the product of the mounting pressure created by economic modernization. China is under increasing strain; more such...
JAPAN
Mar 20, 2001

Dini helps launch Italian cultural extravaganza

"Italy in Japan 2001" kicked off Monday with visiting Italian Foreign Minister Lamberto Dini urging Japanese to learn not only about Italy's art, fashion and food, but also its advanced technology.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 19, 2001

Indonesia's future is visible in Kalimantan

HONG KONG -- As the Indonesian province of Central Kalimantan has been effectively cleansed of its Madurese minority, it has been another forceful reminder that communal conflict can be a terrifying reality that requires a quick and firm response if its effects are to be minimized and national unity...
COMMENTARY
Mar 19, 2001

U.S.-South Korea summit a good start

South Korean President Kim Dae Jung's Washington summit meeting with U.S. President George W. Bush was not the unqualified success Kim had hoped for, but he did accomplish his primary objectives. As expected and desired, Bush endorsed Kim's Sunshine Policy of reconciliation and cooperation with North...

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A boom for business tourism in Japan?