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JAPAN
Nov 10, 2001

Calls for Cabinet shakeup dog Koizumi

Speculation that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will reshuffle his Cabinet sometime after the current Diet session ends Dec. 7 has not ebbed, despite his repeated denials.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Nov 10, 2001

Exotic Japan found in mundane things

I had just purchased a sweat shirt at the Gap, picked up some shampoo at the Body Shop and ordered pizza from Pizza Hut when I received an e-mail saying: "You live in Japan? How exotic!"
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 9, 2001

Howard ahead as election draws near

SYDNEY -- In these days of crisis -- as Australia sends troops to fight the Taliban in Afghanistan and thousands of boat people try to reach Australia illegally -- what more does Prime Minister John Howard need to win a national election this coming Saturday?
JAPAN
Nov 9, 2001

Obituary: Shun Oide

Shun Oide, a former House of Representatives member of the Social Democratic Party and former minister of posts and telecommunications, died Thursday at a Yokohama hospital. He was 79.
BUSINESS
Nov 9, 2001

Sharp, Taiwan firm agree on tieup

OSAKA -- Sharp Corp. said Thursday it has agreed with Taiwanese microchip maker Winbond Electronics Corp. to jointly develop next-generation flash memory chips in a deal aimed at slashing development costs.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 8, 2001

For many Arab regimes, the 'war on terror' begins at home

BEIRUT -- The United States has long divided Arab regimes into two broad categories: the friendly, pro-Western "moderate" ones and the less friendly, "radical" ones. Since Sept. 11, two key "moderates' -- Egypt and Saudi Arabia -- have undergone a drastic change of status in American eyes. Only arch-villain...
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 8, 2001

Taxing currency speculators

LONDON -- The decision by European economy and finance ministers in Liege on Sept. 23 to commission a study of the effect of "Tobin-style" taxes on currency transactions indicates a new and surprising high-water mark of support for taxation on speculative capital flows.
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Nov 8, 2001

All the leaves are brown -- anyone know why?

In Japan, the beauty of leaves in autumn is revered with almost religious fervor. Part of the autumn weather forecast is devoted to showing the "leaf front" as the color change in trees moves across the country. Millions of tourists travel to marvel at the display.
JAPAN
Nov 7, 2001

Surname law now said out of sync

After years of debate and shifting social trends, legislation that would allow Japanese married couples to keep separate surnames may finally hit the Diet floor.
JAPAN
Nov 7, 2001

Tanaka pursues meetings as shenanigans continue

Embattled Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka said Tuesday that she has still not given up on attending U.N. General Assembly and Group of Eight foreign ministers' meetings in New York, despite her request again being turned down by the Diet.
CULTURE / Film
Nov 7, 2001

Hosoya serves up some excellent cheese

OK, let's play Guess The Filmmaker. Here's the flick: it's called "Home Sweet Hoboken," it's set in a New Jersey neighborhood, and it features two jobless young slackers who live with their grandmother while subsisting on pizza and beer. Their foul-mouthed dialogue is along the lines of "S***, I gotta...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 7, 2001

In search of simplicity

In turbulent times, we turn to the simple things of life with relief. But in fine art, simplicity is not easy, and it is a brave painter who spends his life depicting pots and pans, apples and pears.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 7, 2001

Better living through recycling

In the world of haute couture, it is generally the design ideas that get recycled, not the clothes themselves. Barely has one decade ended before its trends resurface as retro chic: new clothes, same old look.
SOCCER / J. League / ON THE BALL
Nov 6, 2001

Ten years old and counting

Last Thursday, the J. League celebrated its 10th anniversary at a Tokyo hotel, inviting about 500 soccer officials, sponsors and past and present players.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 6, 2001

Economies threaten credibility of euro

LONDON -- Ever since the common currency began to take shape in the mid-1990s, there has been a latent conflict between politicians in the euro zone and the guardians of the monetary stability pact in Frankfurt and Brussels. This autumn the politicians insist publicly that they stand four-square with...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Nov 4, 2001

Charlie Watts Tentet: Nothing but a jazz thing

In the 1960s, The Rolling Stones led the way in forging a rougher, rootsier style of rock out of R&B, '50s rock 'n' roll and Chicago blues. As the band's drummer, Charlie Watts helped set a new standard of rhythmic structure for rock, and his tight, anchoring beat was widely imitated. After that, what's...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Nov 4, 2001

Cities that go with the flow

LEARNING FROM THE JAPANESE CITY: West Meets East in Urban Design, by Barrie Shelton. London: E. and F.N. Spon/Routledge, 2001, 210 pp., profusely illustrated, 42.50 British pounds (cloth) In this interesting study of Japanese urban space, the author writes that when he thinks of the Western city he envisions...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Nov 4, 2001

Sushi that fits the bill in attitude and price

Shinbotchi's take on the ancient art of sushi is much the same approach that the rag trade of back-street Harajuku adopts toward the world of fashion.
JAPAN
Nov 3, 2001

Health ministry to start rubella vaccination drive

The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry has decided to take steps to assist people who were not vaccinated against German measles, a dangerous illness for pregnant women, due to an amendment of the Preventive Vaccination Law, ministry sources said Friday.
JAPAN
Nov 3, 2001

Palau banks on environment to bring in the tourist dollars

The president of the Republic of Palau said Thursday that his island nation will protect its environment through education and the selective admission of foreign capital, while promoting tourism as its major industry.
JAPAN
Nov 3, 2001

Quick-stop face-lifts pull the lunch crowd

A new kind of plastic surgery that requires no scalpels or stitches and can be performed in mere minutes is becoming increasingly popular -- particularly with young women -- due to the relative ease in obtaining treatment.
EDITORIALS
Nov 2, 2001

Tasks for the corporate TSE

The Tokyo Stock Exchange acquired a new legal status as a corporation, effective Thursday, shedding its 52 years' standing as a nonprofit organization. This welcome step follows the global trend of incorporation of stock exchanges. The new TSE has the blessing of those concerned, including market players,...
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / JET STREAM
Nov 2, 2001

Serbian tennis ace giving it his best shot

It was gunfire that Nikola Stula thought he heard the first night he arrived in Gifu.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Nov 2, 2001

Asian ladybug

* Japanese Name: Namitento* Scientific name: Harmonia axyridis
EDITORIALS
Nov 1, 2001

Bad omen for nuclear disarmament

Washington's defense policy appears to be undergoing significant change as America wages a two-front war on terrorism at home and abroad. The missile defense plan, designed to intercept ballistic missiles from "rogue states," is gaining political support in the current extraordinary situation. There...

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