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COMMENTARY
Jun 29, 2001

Bush's Korea policy: old wine, new bottle

SEOUL -- "Things have begun moving slowly," South Korea's President Kim Dae Jung recently said in reaction to the Bush administration's announcement it will open negotiations with Pyongyang. No doubt, the government in Seoul is trying hard to sound upbeat. Foreign Minister Han Seung Soo added, "Bush's...
COMMENTARY
Jun 28, 2001

The right to collective defense

WASHINGTON -- Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is scheduled to meet U.S. President George W. Bush June 30 at the presidential retreat at Camp David, Maryland. Most likely Koizumi will receive an enthusiastic welcome amid expectations that Japan will change.
COMMENTARY
Jun 25, 2001

How to best honor Clinton? Forget him

WASHINGTON -- "Since Bill Clinton left office, we've been through a lot together," writes political consultant James Carville in his letter to me. But Clinton supporters "have much to be proud of." So please give to the William J. Clinton Presidential Foundation.
JAPAN
Jun 22, 2001

Public firms approach day of reckoning

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi may be on the verge of opening a Pandora's box in his drive to pursue government reforms.
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Jun 20, 2001

'Miss E . . . So Addictive': Missy Misdemeanor Elliott

Picking up on the drug reference in the title of the former Hefty Bag Queen's third album, we can easily wonder if Missy Misdemeanor Elliott hasn't lately been feeding her head as much as she'd previously fed every other part of her body. "I looked down at my stomach," she deadpans in the liner noters,...
JAPAN
Jun 18, 2001

No plans to join U.S. missile initiative: Nakatani

Defense Agency chief Gen Nakatani on Sunday ruled out any imminent plans for Japan to join the newly proposed U.S. missile defense initiative.
JAPAN
Jun 17, 2001

Government to revise 2001 growth downward to 0.5%

The government's Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy plans to effectively revise downward Japan's fiscal 2001 economic growth target to a real 0.5 percent from the current 1.7 percent, government sources said Saturday.
COMMENTARY
Jun 16, 2001

Urgent tasks for Koizumi

Peace and stability in East Asia in the coming years will hinge on Japan's political and economic leadership, North-South rapprochement on the Korean Peninsula, China's policies as an emerging regional power and strategies of the United States, the sole superpower.
JAPAN
Jun 13, 2001

Bush not so dismissive of Kyoto pact: Kawaguchi

Environment Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi said Tuesday that she does not interpret U.S. President George W. Bush's recent comments on climate change as an outright rejection of the Kyoto Protocol, and again called on the United States to return to the negotiating table.
LIFE
Jun 10, 2001

Joseph Conder: Enduring legacies of a 'high-collar' expat

Japanese domestic architecture has changed a lot in the last 100 years, but Western-style architecture was slow taking off and in fact the modern Japanese architectural establishment owes its organization, training system and much of its sense of style to one man: Josiah Conder.
COMMENTARY
Jun 10, 2001

Restarting Korean peace talks

Stop blowing up the balloons. Put away the ribbons and confetti. There is unlikely to be any major celebrations as we mark the first anniversary of the historic June 13-15, 2000 summit meeting in Pyongyang between South Korean President Kim Dae Jung and North Korean chairman Kim Jong Il.
JAPAN
Jun 8, 2001

Hansen's victims hear Diet regrets

The Lower House unanimously adopted a resolution Thursday offering an apology to former Hansen's disease patients for the failure by Diet members to promptly annul legislation that segregated them from society.
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 4, 2001

S. Korea wins battle, loses war

SUWON, South Korea -- South Korea's soccer team restored some of its pride on Sunday night with a 1-0 victory over Australia in its final group game in the Confederations Cup.
JAPAN
May 31, 2001

Time ripe for collective defense: panelists

Panelists at a symposium on Japan-U.S. relations held in Tokyo this week agreed that Japan should lift its ban on engaging in collective defense as both nations seek to strengthen security ties.
CULTURE / Film
May 30, 2001

Memories as microcosms

Directors, it's often said, keep making the same movie over and over, though the sameness is more evident with some than others. Akira Kurosawa was among the most eclectic directors of his generation, filming everything from Shakespearean drama ("Throne of Blood") to popcorn entertainment ("The Hidden...
COMMENTARY
May 22, 2001

Politics slides as style prevails

LONDON -- The British general-election campaign has started. The "spin doctors" are working overtime to show the party leaders and party policies in the best possible light and to provide good photo opportunities to illustrate their leaders' popular appeal. At the same time, the party leaders themselves...
JAPAN
May 18, 2001

Koizumi rejects Beijing's demand for text revision

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Thursday rejected China's demand to revise a controversial junior high school history textbook, but said he will work to improve ties with Beijing.
JAPAN
May 17, 2001

Disclosed ministry document casts Matsuo case in new light

Statements by Foreign Ministry officials have been called into question following the release of a formerly classified ministry document relating to the overseas visit support division.
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
May 17, 2001

Mimicry demonstrated to drive origin of species

One of the claims often made by opponents of the theory of evolution -- there are some still left, mainly in Kansas -- is that because natural selection is a phenomenon we can't directly observe, the theory is untenable. And while creationists insist that species are immutable despite a staggering amount...
JAPAN
May 16, 2001

Solution eyed to defense issue

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Tuesday that although he would prefer to revise the Constitution in order to clarify Japan's right to collective defense, another option would be to pass a Diet resolution allowing Tokyo to exercise this right.
CULTURE / Art
May 16, 2001

A vision of humanity that transcends culture

"Waterside Garden I" (2001) by Noriko Yanagisawa The current show at Tokyo's Hillside Forum features works by print artist Noriko Yanagisawa.
Events
May 15, 2001

Citizens' group keeps an eye on local politicians

AMAGASAKI, Hyogo Pref. -- The members of local assemblies may play a major role in formulating policies affecting the citizens they represent, but few people have a chance to follow their day-to-day activities.
CULTURE / Film
May 9, 2001

Crowd-pleasing in Udine

Given the media frenzy over "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," Western interest in Asian cinema may be news, but it's hardly new. Back in 1998, the organizers of Udine Incontri Cinema, a small film festival in a quiet Italian town near the Austrian and Slovenian border, shifted their focus to commercial...
JAPAN
May 9, 2001

Tokyo says it understands Bush's missile defense plan

Japan expressed "understanding" Tuesday toward the controversial new defense strategy announced last week by U.S. President George W. Bush.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
May 6, 2001

Don't forget your TOEFL

With my older son now poking his way through the college-application process, pursuing schools mostly in the States and often being mistaken for a nonnative English speaker, I am uneasily reminded of a time 20 years past when I too applied for higher education from within Japan.
BUSINESS
May 4, 2001

Disabled drivers call for more specialized options

With the nation's population aging rapidly and disabled people leading more active lives, Japanese automakers have turned much of their attention to introducing specially designed "welfare vehicles" in recent years.
JAPAN
May 3, 2001

New Web site aids feather aficionados

The Wild Bird Society of Japan has launched a Web site to aid binocular-toting bird watchers who spend their holidays poking around bushes and peeking in trees.

Longform

Totopa in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward was picked by consultants TTNE as the best sauna of the year.
Japan’s sauna movement: Relax, refresh, repeat